Tail of the Dragon 8/25 - 8/28

[dschult2]

Finally took my dream trip to the Tail of the Dragon and adjacent roads! This has been a dream of mine ever since I got my FZ6 and the trip did not disappoint!:rockon: We stayed in Gatlinburg which was a bit of a disappointment for me(too touristy, and to be honest the people were kinda trashy, but it did make for good people watching). It did have a nightlife so I was at least able to go out in the late evening but not sure I would stay there again. But back to the trip, the roads were awesome and had hardly any potholes or gravel which is something I am definitely not used to and the views were spectacular! A far cry from the scenery in Michigan. It got to the point at the end of the trip where I was actually looking for bit of a straight road so I could relax for a bit.

Day 1 8/25
We got into Gatlinburg around 2 that afternoon and after we got settled into our hotel room we took a ride through the Great Smokey Mountains National Park up to Clingmans Dome.

Day 2 8/26
We were on the road by ten and again went through the park down to NC28 over to US129 and the Tail then back to Gatlinburg via the Foothills parkway and TN73. It was kinda slow on the Tail as we were following some cruisers but NC28 was a lot of fun with some great views and good twisties! The action shot with me giving the peace sign was on the Tail(like I said, it was slow).

Day 3 8/27
We again were on the road by 10 but this time drove to the north end of the Tail again via TN73 and the Foothills Parkway. The run on the dragon was better this time as we were not following anybody and were able to go a bit faster but not too fast. After that we ran the Cherohala Skyway which was extremely fun with nice sweeping turns and very fast. I finally scrapped a peg that day! The other two action shots are from this day, one on the Tail and the other Thunder Mt. at the east end of the Cherohala. This was a long day as we did not get back to the hotel until 7. By that time my body was feeling it and I was ready for a cold beer!

Day 4 8/28
As this was our last day down here we decided to make it an easy day. We got on the road around 11 and just rode the Blue Ridge Parkway up to its highest point of 6,047 ft. and then back to the hotel to pack and load the bikes to get an early start in the morning. The Blue Ridge might actually have been my favorite road of all though. Plenty of sweeping turns and chicanes. We took this road quite fast and my chicken strips are about gone now. Absolutely smooth as can be, no gravel, and great vistas! All in all, a great trip and something I will never forget.

 

[dschult2]

Some more pics from the Blue Ridge and Cherohala.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Very nice pic's, brings back a lot of memories... Thank you!!!!

Last time I was up there, just me and my friend rode up. Neither of us wanted to be in downtown Gatlinburg (been there, done that) and stayed in a motel in Townsend, Tenn, (kinda ritzy part of town and much closer to the riding area's...

Probably 50% of the guests were bike riders...

We really enjoyed the park and usually put about 250 miles a day while there. Never stepped foot in Gatlinberg (on purpose)..

I'd really love to ride it on the FZ!!

 

[nthdegreeburns]

We stayed in Gatlinburg which was a bit of a disappointment for me(too touristy, and to be honest the people were kinda trashy, but it did make for good people watching).

Next best part of this thread, LOL, after the photos...

 

[dschult2]

Last time I was up there, just me and my friend rode up. Neither of us wanted to be in downtown Gatlinburg (been there, done that) and stayed in a motel in Townsend, Tenn, (kinda ritzy part of town and much closer to the riding area's...

Probably 50% of the guests were bike riders...

We really enjoyed the park and usually put about 250 miles a day while there. Never stepped foot in Gatlinberg (on purpose)..

I was thinking of taking my family on vacation there next year because the scenery is so beautiful and was actually thinking I would stay in Townsend. The Tail is good to ride just to say you've done it but the Cherohala, Blue Ridge, and NC28 totally blow it out of the water as far as pure enjoyment goes. I felt like I was on a roller coaster each and every time when I was on those roads.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

I was thinking of taking my family on vacation there next year because the scenery is so beautiful and was actually thinking I would stay in Townsend. The Tail is good to ride just to say you've done it but the Cherohala, Blue Ridge, and NC28 totally blow it out of the water as far as pure enjoyment goes. I felt like I was on a roller coaster each and every time when I was on those roads.

Yep, your not near all the traffic, easily a half hour closer to great riding.

Riding thre Dragon, (as I re-call SB), there's one spot if you hit it fast enough, you got "weightless". Did you hit that area or remember it (wasn't super fast). I've had the weightless feeling on the FJR and that wasn't running nearly as fast as I could have..

After riding ALL the twistie roads up there, at least for me, you can feel your skills sharpen up/ smoother roll on's, etc.

Hope you got some T-shirts at the end in NC at the store/gas station... That's about all I wear when out on the bike..

The "Tree of shame" is usually pretty interesting as is the pic's inside the store of crash's, cop car's off the road after a chase, etc...


As stated, I'm jealous, I know the FZ would run most of those roads faster and easier than any other bike I've brought/run up there

 

[Red Wazp]

Thanks for the pictures. I plan to spend a week riding in that country near the end of September and your report confirmed what I have already heard. Skip the tail and ride the good roads you mentioned.
I'll be riding my wing (looks like Scott's in the pics) which will be great for crossing the country but I'm sure I'll be wishing I had my KTM for the fun stuff like 28. Can't wait to go explore Kentucky, Tennessee,West Virginia, Virginia and the Carolina's.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Thanks for the pictures. I plan to spend a week riding in that country near the end of September and your report confirmed what I have already heard. Skip the tail and ride the good roads you mentioned.
I'll be riding my wing (looks like Scott's in the pics) which will be great for crossing the country but I'm sure I'll be wishing I had my KTM for the fun stuff like 28. Can't wait to go explore Kentucky, Tennessee,West Virginia, Virginia and the Carolina's.

+100%^^^ Once your there, you'll still have fun, jus a lot of peg draggin!.. My friend had his BMW 1300 (touring beast) and my wing, Battle of the BEASTS! Have a great time!!

 

[ctbandit]

We were down there the week before you. Also my first time. We did Skyline drive from Front Royal, VA down to the blue ridge parkway and stayed at different spots each night. Saw only one other FZ6 in Meadows of Dan, VA.

Boy did those roads spoil me. We've got the same photo at the highest point on the BRP. I agree that may have been the favorite, although we did the snake and that was a hell of a road. Dragon was a hoot to rip solo(we were all two up for the majority of the trip). We missed the photographer for the solo run though

One peg scraped on the Moonshiner rt28 (whoops, lazy body position and two up = no clearance)

Skip the tail and ride the good roads you mentioned

DON'T skip the tail of the dragon. DO ride it early or late in the day, preferable on a weekday. We did it on a Tuesday at 5:30-6:30 and we were able to take our pace through with no police in sight. The 2 or 3 cars we saw pulled right over. There are definitely TONS of other good roads down there, many better than the gap, but the dragon should be slayed at least once. "When in Rome..."