I’ve always wanted to run the dragon. I was going to hit it on my way back from Dyno4mance in Georgia last October but I lost a t/o bearing clip after my 2nd pull and I had to drop the tranny to fix it. By the time it was back together I didn’t have enough time left to be back for work the next morning 
I was there when a black Z went backwards down the hill. Wonder if that’s the same one.
munster_ek, jinxxycat, and anyone else who has been there, what did you think about it? Is it crowded?
are the cops bad?
It does get crowded depending on what group is there. When I went there was some motorcycle group and an MR2 group. TONS of people. Honestly, the Dragon was cool to see. I went through it like 4 or 5 times, but I had just as much, if not more fun, on the surrounding roads. Tons of good scenery, great roads, etc. Definitely a good time going to the general area.
Oh. There were cops waiting on the flat on the Tennesee side of the Dragon. It’s not wise to race on the Dragon. There’s the stories of cops in the woods, but that’s not the reason for not racing. You dont’ know what you’ll come up on. Too many people around.
I would love to do this except I’d have to do it next year. after June since I’m out of commission till then I’d be game.
tales of cops in the woods? Is that like sherwood forest?
jinx i remember your pics last year of that kid driftaRRRrr’ing his dads Z over the hill. I guess if ur not a complete dumbass it would be plenty cool and or safe
Next June I’m up for it
The spending 9 hours in the civic part would suck, but in the end it would be worth it!
Sitting in the woods w/ video cameras. Radio ahead then get them for racing w/ proof.
No Buddy only went off road once, and it was forwards…
It can get crowded esp on the weekends. That is why I go down a few days earlier to get some good runs in before the weekend. The “cruisers” make it slooooooooow. The cops aren’t bad if you aren’t a dumbass. Don’t race on the dragon, it’s just not safe. BUT if you end up wrecking or going off the road, you will get a ticket if they show up. That black Z got a ticket for crossing the double yellow.
There was a group from Alabama, 9 cars in a caravan, that got stopped. They were at a stop sign and didn’t quite know which way to go. One Z pulled up to the lead Z and pointed in which direction they were to go. Cop saw it and thought they were about to street race so he pulled all of them over. NO tickets tho…
One chick totalled her 300ZXTT on the North Carolina side, and they took her down to the station in handcuffs and gave her a blood test, to see if she was on drugs or drinking…:nuts:
They are really there to make it safe and make sure the hot doggers don’t hot dog too much…
First pic of the rolled Z is the one that the son took the Z and wrecked it. Black Z is my friend Buddy who goosed it in the turn and ended up down the hill…He learned his lesson.
You just have to be safe, be aware, and know your limits AND your vehicles limits… I was on the dragon/hellbender virtually no one on the road but us, riding with my friend Brian, and I saw 94 mph on the speedo, but he’s a freaking amazing driver with a huge amount of performance/suspension/brake mods. I would never go that fast with what I have and the level of driving that I am comfortable with.
Here is an example of not knowing your limits…some guy caught this biker on vid, biker passes him, then loses it :owned:
Actually, the “Tail of the Dragon” is in Tennesee. The southern end of the Dragon is on the N Carolina/Tennesee border. The Dragon is north of this line. Deals Gap (the infamous meeting place/resort for the Dragon) is in N Carolina, and is about 1.5 miles from the Dragon.
The Dragon is best during the week, because so many people want to ride/drive it, they usually make a weekend trip out of it. I rode my bike there last year, and rode the Dragon on a Wednesday & Thursday with very little traffic.
On the way home, we found some similar roads the rival the Dragon. One I can remember is Rte 16 in Virginia (between Marion & Tazewell). It was about 25 miles of up/down elevation, hairpin turns, 90 degree turns, straightaways, etc. Rte 16 had no traffic.
Also, we found rte 221 out of Blowing Rock, NC, before we even rode the Dragon. It is about an hour east of Deals Gap. We found it while trying to get off the Blue Ridge Pkwy (because we were getting bored with the slower speed of the BRP). Rte 221 was alot of fun for about an hour or two. You basically ride along the side of a mountain for 15-20 miles, and then descend to the bottom of the mountain thru twists and turns. At the end, there is a straightaway that is about 2 miles long for some nice 140-150 mph speed, after all the 15-55 mph coming down the mountain.
Don’t get me wrong, The Tail of the Dragon is a great place, but it is a product of it’s own success. It’s overcrowded, and possibly becoming unsafe for what we want to do with it.
i would be in but i need about a grand before im in lol i mapped out allmy suspention mods that ill be needing i decided the civic will be fun at the hp i have i just need the suspenion to keepit on the road lol it already handles great but never can have to much suspention lol
ok guess i didnt post on this thread
monkey + twisties = in love
deals gap ftw
im in like flint
for those that go, just watch 19 s in summersville wv huge speed trap, drops from 70 to 50 and the dont fuck around and look for out of staters, also in the southern panhandle of wv, about 45 mins from 77s princeton exit there is a road on elkhorn mountain that will make you shit your paints, tight hairpins about 195 degrees each back to back 100ft plus drops on either side no gaurd rails
I would be game for the trip.
shit im game let me know
I will be game next year…this year I doubt it
That would def be a kick ass time. I will be looking forward to it.
this dude needs to shift