"Hang on baby...this is gonna hurt"

[TripleDigitRide]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYxU_lYBHpY

I've scraped the foot boards on mine a few times, but I've always been smart enough to ease out of it a bit. He was scraping for a good while, so he has no excuse.

[Spots]

I've scraped the foot boards on mine a few times, but I've always been smart enough to ease out of it a bit. He was scraping for a good while, so he has no excuse.

He just ran out of room. He should have backed out of the throttle for sure. He ran out of lean angle and road at the same time

Sent from the backwoods of Nowhere

[R_Bert]

He just ran out of room. He should have backed out of the throttle for sure. He ran out of lean angle and road at the same time

Sent from the backwoods of Nowhere

 

You do not back out of the throttle on that one.  It will just cause highside. The problem mostly is looking at Killboy rather than paying attention to where you want the bike to go (look where you are intending to go instead of where you are going). 

 

I have about a half inch of pegs & pipes on the Dragon, not to mention a kick-stand peg from my low-rider.  Metal on the road is fine as long as there is still some rubber too.

Edited May 28, 2013 by R_Bert

[Spots]

You do not back out of the throttle on that one.  It will just cause highside. The problem mostly is looking at Killboy rather than paying attention to where you want the bike to go (look where you are intending to go instead of where you are going). 

 

I have about a half inch of pegs & pipes on the Dragon, not to mention a kick-stand peg from my low-rider.  Metal on the road is fine as long as there is still some rubber too.

 

True. And highsides are always nasty. Ive seen a lot of dirtbike riders stare at trees, ruts, etc until they hit it. I learned early look where you want to go, not where your afraid to go or anywhere else. I drug half the pegs of a yz 490 setup super motor style back in high school lol

[TripleDigitRide]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYxU_lYBHpY

This guy has some great videos.

[R_Bert]

This guy has some great videos.

This guy has *caused* contributed to some great videos....

Edited May 28, 2013 by R_Bert

[Randall53]

I've made it a habit to take the motorcycle safety course every 4 or 5 years.  It's good to get reminded of the proper technique. One of the best things to remember is this: Look where you WANT to go, not where you're going or at the obstacle in the road, or even the side of the road you think you're going.  Years of experience has taught me this......Where ever your eyes are looking is exactly where that front wheel will go if it's possible....whether you realize it or not. Even when things are going wrong, keep the eyes glued to the escape route. If it's physically possible, you will make it to it.

[TripleDigitRide]

This guy has *caused* contributed to some great videos....

Yep! I just got done watching 50-60 of his videos, and people who know he's there try to show off, or they look over at him instead of the road. The end result is often the same.

[Guest Emtdaddy1980]

Hehehehehe. JOB SECURITY. I've taken a type 1 ambulance down the dragon before. Long distance transport and my partner took a wrong turn. And yes we slapped a decal on the back of the truck afterwards.

[LagerHead]

My sister was riding a snowmobile a few months ago, and when she started to roll down into a ditch, she had the bright idea to put her arm out there. Snap, crackle, pop, major surgery to repair arm and elbow, wearing a Terminator-looking arm brace, 6+ months of physical therapy, still not back to normal...

 

Unless you see it coming a mile away we're probably all going to have the same reaction. It's natural to try and catch yourself even if you know it's going to end badly.

 

You do not back out of the throttle on that one.  It will just cause highside. The problem mostly is looking at Killboy rather than paying attention to where you want the bike to go (look where you are intending to go instead of where you are going). 

 

I have about a half inch of pegs & pipes on the Dragon, not to mention a kick-stand peg from my low-rider.  Metal on the road is fine as long as there is still some rubber too.

 

True R_Bert. You need to stay in the throttle through a turn to take advantage of the gyroscopic motion of the rear wheel which provides balance. As counterintuitive as it might seem, often the best thing to do when you're coming up short in a turn is to give it a bit more throttle. Hitting the brakes is about the last thing you want to do unless you have a strong desire to leave the roadway.

[RichardR]

I have specificly designed/angled highway bars & hinged mini-wing floor boards on my motorcycle, which helps prevent that sort of thing.

I usually don't try to scrape them around corners, but it happens sometimes out of neccessity, especially if I go into a corner a little hotter than I had intended because I wasn't paying full attention to the road ahead or if it was a blind corner that I had never rode on before.

I have a couple of buddies (3 actually) who just bought motorcycles within the last week, none of them have any riding experience so I'm a bit worried for them especially since I live 9 hours away from them all now & cannot "babysit" them their first season in the saddle.

I did hammer them on taking the ABATE safety course ASAP repeatedly, they all say they are going to take it but you never know ...

[LagerHead]

One thing new (and some old) riders need to remember is that bikes are purpose built. Cruisers, oddly enough, are meant for cruising. They aren't meant to be on the Dragon or Mulholland or the myriad similar roads. If you take them on those roads and feel like you need to show off, expect to become highlight reel material. And of course, just because you have an R1 and some kick ass leathers doesn't mean you can ride. It just means you have a better chance of walking away from your embarrassment. 

[wipfel]

If you want more of these pics from the Dragon (and have LOTS of time), check out this thread from advrider.com.  I have no idea where they are, but there's a sequence of pics from the guy and girl in the OP showing the rest of the accident.  I don't think they came off too badly all things considered.

 

http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=454662

Edited May 28, 2013 by wipfel

[wipfel]

One thing new (and some old) riders need to remember is that bikes are purpose built. Cruisers, oddly enough, are meant for cruising. They aren't meant to be on the Dragon or Mulholland or the myriad similar roads. If you take them on those roads and feel like you need to show off, expect to become highlight reel material. And of course, just because you have an R1 and some kick ass leathers doesn't mean you can ride. It just means you have a better chance of walking away from your embarrassment. 

 

True.

 

[peejman]

Unless you see it coming a mile away we're probably all going to have the same reaction. It's natural to try and catch yourself even if you know it's going to end badly.

 

 

True R_Bert. You need to stay in the throttle through a turn to take advantage of the gyroscopic motion of the rear wheel which provides balance. As counterintuitive as it might seem, often the best thing to do when you're coming up short in a turn is to give it a bit more throttle. Hitting the brakes is about the last thing you want to do unless you have a strong desire to leave the roadway.

 

 

Don't forget that the rider's body position contributes significantly to the lean angle of the motorcycle, even with a heavy cruiser bike.  In too hot?  Stand on the outside peg and get your butt off the seat.  Granted, "hanging off" may look a little goofy on a cruiser, but it's better than road rash. 

 

 

 

 

[RobertNashville]

Riding Leathers: because it's easier to walk away in disgust than to ride away in an ambulance.

Especially when getting an ambulance on the Dragon is usually quite a wait.

 

I can just imaging this guy was telling his wife/gf/rider what a good rider he was, too.

[LagerHead]

Don't forget that the rider's body position contributes significantly to the lean angle of the motorcycle, even with a heavy cruiser bike.  In too hot?  Stand on the outside peg and get your butt off the seat.  Granted, "hanging off" may look a little goofy on a cruiser, but it's better than road rash. 

 

 

I don't know. This guy makes it look pretty cool. Yes, this is on the Dragon, and yes that is a Goldwing outrunning the sport bike with the camera.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxHNnOHuikI

 

 

EDIT: I think the camera guy is on a Goldwing too, not a sport bike.

Edited May 28, 2013 by LagerHead

[Murgatroy]

Well the camera man sure as hell can't stay in his lane.

 

I have been running the Tail of the Dragon and Robbinsville Road (Cherohala Skyway) since back in the early 90's. In that time they have become renowned the world over. Bringing with them some of the stupidest machine operators, regardless of wheels, I have ever seen.

 

I have been hosting a rally up there for over ten years, and I have absolutely zero tolerance for anyone that goes up there without the proper level of respect.

 

In short, that road can and will kill you. It is not forgiving. It will eat you up and spit out the remains and never flinch. 

 

I have seen way to many stupid folks go out there and think they have something to prove and not come back.

[TrickyNicky]

I really want to check out the dragon next time I'm in east TN. My problem is it would be in a car and with my luck I'll hit some unlucky sob going in and out of his/her lane. Guess I'll pass. :(

[dralarms]

I took my ram up that pulling a 16ft trailer. I broke the license plate light on the trailer when I bumped it on one of those curves. :D

[R_Bert]

Best time I have ever made (from the store to the pull-off) on it is an average of a bit over 45 mph (I have a lowered Vulcan 800 Barca-Lounger). My very good rider friend did over 60Mph average on a V-Max. AS I recall, the guy on the Wing was pushing 65MPH avg.

 

Neither of us ride the Dragon much anymore.

Edited May 29, 2013 by R_Bert

[Poor_Dog]

I don't know. This guy makes it look pretty cool. Yes, this is on the Dragon, and yes that is a Goldwing outrunning the sport bike with the camera.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxHNnOHuikI

 

 

EDIT: I think the camera guy is on a Goldwing too, not a sport bike.

 

The chase bike is a red goldwing, had that guy pass me going up early last Fall. I got it somewhere on helmet cam, he was really riding that wing. I waved him through my lane and he blew the chrome off the left side on my Harley.

 

I generally avoid that area but it's located near some beautiful riding

[peejman]

I've met Yellow Wolf a couple times.  Rick's a super nice guy and will amaze you with what a 'wing can really do.  He also did the 1000 miles of Deal's Gap a couple years ago.  He literally rode back and forth for 1000 miles in less than 24 hrs.  He tried to get credit for a SS1k but couldn't because the average speed required him to exceed the posted limit.  http://www.easttnriders.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12734

 

As for the road.... its not a racetrack, its a road.  Ride/drive it like its a road and you'll be fine.  I used to ride it a lot but the persecution that went on a couple years ago by the THP mostly ruined it for me.

[Poor_Dog]

 I used to ride it a lot but the persecution that went on a couple years ago by the THP mostly ruined it for me.

Got so that you could toast a marsh-mellow from all the radar hitting you... Those guys would pull you over just for looking fast.

 

I don't like all the crowds there, just too many bikes whizzing around for me to keep track of.