Tail of the Dragon (Must Read)

Belize is looking better and better every day....

 

What's Belize? Cause it sounds like I'm gonna need an alternative now, and I'm kinda pissed because I haven't been to the dragon yet. At least it's a state trooper letting people know. What CRAP, I tell you. Why can't it be like the Skyline in Japan?

Edit: Might wanna post this in the main section.

 

Note to State Trooper: Thanks for the warning and all... but just because you gave a warning doesn't absolve you from being a fascist storm trooper!

There is no "problem". There is only revenue potential.


Anyhow, while the dragon is fun and all there are plenty of great track events at tracks all over the southeast where you can flog the piss out of your car all you want without road tax collectors hassling you around every corner.

PCA, BMWCCA, NASA, SCCA and other groups....




Terry

 

I have been there a few times and just last fall again. Nobody, nobody is going 30 except the mini van people. All the bikes are flying including me. The place is just a test track for crotch rockets. If this is true the state will lower the sales tax rate.

 

I was reading and was very concerned as I intended to go there this weekend - until I realized that I don't get up to 50mph on the Dragon...

 

I was tagged by a helicoptor up there a few years ago, just south on 129, diabolical.

 

Actually 30mph can not be maintained thru all the curves at all times and is very fast at times.

 

Has Ron and Nancy seen this?

 

guess the state is tired of footing the bill for scraping hot shoes off trees.

 

New TN law states that 20 mph over is now reckless driving and you will go to jail at the officers discretion. So this message holds some weight. I hear that there is a big push by Metro PD in Nashville that 20 over is a trip to jail and a 2 ticket citation! So TN Hwy Patrol is following Metro PD or Metro is following their lead. Traffic citations are for one real reason, CITY and STATE REVENUE! Sure pull over all the DUI's you can, but leave the rest of us alone! I spend a lot of time in Italy, to this day I have never seen someone pulled over for speeding and I have only seen a few traffic accidents.

Time to sell out and move to the EU! Less freedom every day in the states!!!

 

Just for a little perspective, I am an anesthesiologist at UT hospital in Knoxville. We spend a good deal of time and waste a lot of resources trying to put the monkeys back together who go up to the dragon and wrap their bike around a tree. If you want to go fast go to track days, thats what they are for, and nobody gets a ticket.

 

I agree go to the track, keep in mind plenty of people get hurt and killed on tracks. If someone gets hurt or killed on the dragon they did so because they had a choice to do so and that is the way it should be!

 

What about the person or persons they kill/hurt in a crash because they went above the law? Did they HAVE a choice ? I'm sorry, but your logic fails to address the x-factor, other people out for a nice drive.

If you want to push the envelope, pay for some track time where the only person that gets hurt is you.

 

i've been to the dragon the past 2 years and am going back this year. I'm all for the added enforcement. It's NOT a racetrack and cars and bikes treat it this way (including a few buddies). I rarely get out of 2nd gear, on occasion 3rd gear on my bike. I'm not trying to break track records. It's a scenic area. I hope the police stick to their word.

 

You must be on a hog....or be an accountant.

 

HAHA!!

 

Actually, almost nobody gets hurt at track days. There was a death last year at Fontana when a Porsche Carrera GT crashed. This was the first death at a true track day/drivers ed ever. Even in the worse case scenario on a track you only hurt yourself and not some poor putz taking his family out for a scenic drive.

 

i am an accountant hahahahhaha. but seriously, there's no need to get out of 2nd or 3rd gear. the turns are VERY tight. And i have no respect for those that drag knee on the street.

 

This one has been making the rounds on a lot of forums. First thing I invite people to do is go from Blount county to the south end of the dragon via the Cherohola. That is going to take a few hours unless you a going full bore and don't encounter any "slow" traffic. Does the THP really have the resources for that. How does NC feel about Tn cruising through their state on a regular basis? More importantly why isn't this on the ToD website? How come none of my buds down in K'ville are talking about this?

I think this a ploy by some locals to discourage "out of staters" from hitting the Dragon.

I would think Ferraris would be much happier on the Cherhola anyways. Roads not quite as tight and many more scenic overlooks.

Edit: Turns out to be true afterall. http://www.easttnriders.com/forum/showthread.php?t=14390 It's 10 pages long but they did confirm it with Trooper Cagle.

PS: Watch goose's vid on page 9.

 

It's pretty easy to do 20 over in my 430 with those twin turbos and 725hp using racing gas with nitros.

 

Well, that isn't quite true. There are quite a few motorcycle pilots that can get through every corner at speeds higher than 30... a lot higher. Not me, I'm just a beginner. But I can assure you I get through there a lot faster on my Honda F4i than in my Testarossa.
Steve

 

Steve does your TR scrape on the road in those deep turns? It must be close.

 

Funny but for a car guy the Cherohala Skyway is a much better drive. You actually have passing zones and areas where there are slow lanes! And the corners are much better for a car. Some of the switchbacks have deep camber, lots of width, great views around the bend for oncoming traffic. You can really use all the road and not worry about a semi coming up the other way.

Tail of the Dragon is cool for a bike, or for "punting around" in a car, but really, there are a bunch of better roads for a car guy in the general area. And less traveled./abused!