Got a little tail

[Calimus]

Tail of the dragon that is. For those that don't know what it is, it's 11 miles or road between North Carolina and Tennessee that contains 318 curves. More more info about the Dragon itself can be found at http://www.tailofthedragon.com

My father and I went up there this past weekend. The dragon was a blast, though my Vmax isn't really setup for that kind of riding. It did well though. Here is a pic or two and a link to the rest.

And here is the link to the rest
http://www.techography.net/gallery/drgntailaprl06?page=1

 

[outlaws justice]

Great Pics, I really hope to get down to ride the Dragon myself, Probably will not be this year, but maybe next!

 

[mabchewy]

Hard to beat the Dragon!! I can't wait to take my Max there. I have always been on a crotch rocket before.

 

[KRL0215]

every motorcyclist should at least know of the Dragon. Its basically the mecca of motorcycle roads

 

[Redux]

And the Max is where in these pics? You really oughta be ashamed for posting these pics. Here I was sitting at home waiting on UPS's "final attempt" to deliver a package that I really need. Another beautiful day wasted.

 

[Calimus]

Redux, your too funny. Hard to take pics of the max on the dragon and ride at the same time. However, Killboy.com was out taking pictures that weekend, so I'm just waiting for them to upload the shots and see if I was captured.

Oh, and I head ya about USP. I've resolved to only use UPS if I can't talk the person shipping into using FedEX at my extra expense. Even if I miss something I have to sign for w/FedEx, their depot is only 5 miles from my house and they don't close the doors till 7pm.

 

[Calimus]

One thing I had been omitting is that when my father and I hit the Cherohala Skyway, my father went down in one of the turns.

Wasn't the most pleasent thing to watch, but he and the bike made it out with fairly minor damage. With the help of a really nice fellow that stopped, we got my dad out of the middle of the road, got the bike back up and out of the road, inspected both and got things back underway. The old man refused going to a hospital, and also refused to turn back for an easier route. My father is truley a stubborn bastard. From that point to home was roughly 200 miles and he managed to ride the whole way back. I won't comment on the condition he was in by the time we got him home, but lets just say he couldn't get off the bike on his own.

Here are a few pics of what a decreasing radius turn can do when you take your eye's off the road for even a split second and are too damn set in your ways to wear proper ridding gear.

Those pics are after about 3 really good scrubbing/cleanings so it's really not as bad as it looked right after he went down. Still, it's been 3 days since and when I ask how he feels, all I hear is "you don't want to know". He did however tell me that he wants a rematch. Stubborn old man.

 

[Redux]

Ouch!!! Thats no fun at all. I'm glad he made it out with only some relatively, minor road rash. Still hurts. I hope he heals up quickly. A testiment to his willpower that he kept ridng. I'm glad it wasn't worse! Brain fade only takes an instant to bite back up in the mountains. Been there, done that. What kind of bike was he on? Is it OK?

 

[mabchewy]

Thank god he is not hurt worse than he is. I will make sure to pray for his speedy recovery.

 

[KRL0215]

Sorry to hear about your dad.


But that is why I wear gear every time I get on the bike. And especially if I were going on a road like the Dragon.

 

[Calimus]

Thanks to all for the comments, thoughts, prayers about/for my father.

As for his bike, he rides a 01' Honda VTX 1800c with some customizations. His bike is in the following pic, right nextg to my Vmax.

As for damage to his bike, it's certainly not what I would have expected for going down at 50mph and hitting a guardrail. I don't have pics of the bike yet, but I will soon. Overall damage is one bent exhaust pipe, bent handlebar, scratched front fender, dented gas tank, scrapped left side turns (front and rear) and a fairly manged left side front peg. Also a small nick in the front rim.

Almost all the damage is to the left side of the bike since that the side that went down. The pipes are on the right side and all I can figure is that one pipe that was bent was the one that hit the guardrail.

So overall in this case, the bike took less damage it would seem. It fired right back up and made the 200 mile trip home, so I think that speaks volumes about the toughness of the VTX in this case.

An yea, I always wear gear as well. I have a ballistic jacket with armor in all the right places for hot days.

 

[shawn kloker]

There is a road in Virginia that I rode on last summer with Jimmy Rey that is like a mini dragon.It was right through a state park and went over two mountains.It was a blast also .I would like to know what is was called.The dragon has to be a blast.I hope your Dad has a speedy recovery.My hat is off to him ,He must be tuffer than hell! Shawn

 

[Buster Hymen]

Those rash pictures remind me of when I went down wearing a T shirt and jeans. Mine wasn't as large an area as your Dads, but I remember the worst part was cleaning it! That was my inspiration to wear gear after that. Kudos to your Dad, though for riding all the way back after a spill like that.