TST’s intern bit by The Dragon!

US129 is a 582 mile road that runs from Chiefland, Florida all the way up to Knoxville, Tennessee. Of those 582 miles, there is something beautiful that happens on an 11 mile section that lies on the border of North Carolina and Tennessee – an area known as Deal’s Gap. This section of an otherwise basic Interstate road has earned the name “The Tail of the Dragon” due to the fact that within that mere 11 miles, there are 318 turns of all variety and levels of difficulty. This piece of road has become one of the largest motorcycle attractions in the U.S. and has garnished quite a reputation. Although this two lane blacktop road brings you through the beautiful Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the drive is certainly not meant for the scenery, so don’t slow down or stop to take photos! It’s the road itself that attracts bikers of all kinds to come out and experience this well-known thriller; but most commonly you’ll find cruisers and sportbikes. It’s even a popular destination for car enthusiasts and various car clubs. In fact, the first trip I ever took to The Dragon was during a meet up for an online Corvette club. There were at least 100 Corvettes running The Dragon all throughout the day.
If riding curves and twisties is what you’re looking for, this is the place to be. You’ll find yourself thinking, “When was the last time my bike was even standing straight up?” It’s one curve after another for the entire stretch of road. For an added element of fun, many of the sharpest curves have been given comical names such as Copperhead Corner, Hog Pen Bend, Mud Corner, Sunset Corner, and Brake or Bust Bend. While the speed limit has been limited to 30 mph since 2005, many bikers still try to run it as fast as they can. Law enforcement is pretty relaxed as they understand that we’re all there for the road. They will, however, enforce the law of no passing over the double yellow line due to how many blind corners make up the 318. Everyone is encouraged to ride at their own pace and use one of the numerous pull-offs to allow faster traffic to pass if need be.
Before embarking on The Dragon, many people stop at the Deal’s Gap Motorcycle Resort which has an array of Dragon memorabilia, a cafe that serves home-style breakfast and lunch, and most importantly – gas! Next to the resort stands the famous Deal’s Gap monument, The Tree of Shame. It’s a tree decorated with motorcycle parts of riders who were “bitten” by The Dragon when they pushed just a little too hard. Although it’s sad to see such a large assortment of bike parts from so many different crashes, the tree serves a good reminder that this road is meant to be taken seriously.
Before you decide to take your shot at this crazy fun road, you may want to check out the Dragon’s website to see if there are any events planned for when you’ll be there. You’ll also find that there are many photographers that love showing up to snap some shots of the riders getting their piece of the action. One of those photographers is Killboy, who is the original photographer of the road. Once you’ve done the 11 mile run and you are back home safely, head on over to his website, Killboy.com. You never know – you might find a nice souvenir photo of you riding The Dragon.
The first trip I took to the Dragon was with close friends and we decided to stay in Robbinsville so we didn’t get too lost. This trip to the Dragon was different from the get-go. On a typical Sunday ride, I heard mention of the Dragon and asked to be kept up to date if anyone was going in the near future. A week later I heard the ping of a Facebook notification and I had been invited to the Tail! Although I had only met the person extending an invitation once, I knew that we wouldn’t need to have anything more in common than the fact that we both rode. About a month later we left Orlando in the early hours of the morning to start the 10 hour drive. We arrived around 3pm and decided there was no time to be wasted. We geared up and left the cabin to go see the Cherohala Skyway – a gorgeous road that is composed mostly of sweepers as you go up and back down some of the Great Smokey Mountains.

 

 

 

As riders we are always told it’s not “if you go down” but rather “when you go down,” and I was about to find this out the hard way. After having a great run with my buddy on his KTM 390, another friend on a Ducati 848, and me on my CBR600RR, we stopped for a short break to wait up for a friend who was following in a Nissan 240SX. After resuming the ride we got right back into long sweepers and knee dragging, but it was short lived. Without warning, the turns started to get tighter and tighter however, with my confidence up, I decided to keep riding the same pace. It was a blind right decreasing radius turn that came seemingly out of nowhere. Still doing 75 mph and realizing I wasn’t about to make this turn, I made a rookie mistake and grabbed as much front brake is I could. The bike endoed and tossed me off in front of it before doing a full front flip and eventually landing down at the bottom of a bank next to the road. Immediately the other riders came to my aid and made sure I was fine. I was very lucky and thankful for my gear because I made it out without a scratch. After letting the nerves cool off and the adrenaline pump its way out of my system, we discussed what should be done with my bike now that it was sitting 12 feet down a steep bank. The consensus was to leave it for now and return the following day with a trailer and truck since the forecast was showing rain.
After getting the bike back the following day, I was pretty down in the dumps. I took time off to come ride and ruined my own plans the very first day! I was very lucky, however, that one of the guys I was with brought both his KTM 390 and a Yamaha R6. I was given the choice to ride the rest of the weekend with my new friends on one of his spare bikes!
The following day on The Dragon was so much fun and just what I was looking for. Jay, my crazy friend who brought two bikes, had something he had to cross off his bucket list. He had joked around on the ride up about how hilarious it would be to ride the Dragon naked and make Killboy take some photos, but I never expected to actually witness it firsthand. Without saying a word to me, he pulled off a few turns before we hit the photographers section, turned off his bike, and stripped from his full leather suit down to the bare nude. I proceeded to watch the bare ass of one of the funniest men I’ve ever met ride down the rest of The Dragon. Although the trip started in the worst way possible, it was saved by a fellow motorcyclist and three new friends. I still ended up having an incredible time and plan on making the trip again sometime in the following year, maybe with the same people or perhaps with a new group of crazies!