If you turn up the volume, you can hear the pegs scraping in the turns.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nrMQ3QwyPo
Stan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nrMQ3QwyPo
Stan
Goldwings take on the Dragon.
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 bamaTrider |
Goldwings take on the Dragon. |
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HSATF 1st Officer
Posts: 3889 04/18/08 9:11 PM |
"We are different - yet we are the
same"
2004 GL1800 Goldwing (Titanium) 1999 Ace Tourer (Silver over Black) |
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blk3fan |
#1 | |||
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HSATF Member
Posts: 36 04/25/08 8:21 PM |
That's Yellow Wolf being followed and filmed by his riding partner Fuse.
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TechJD |
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HSATF Tail Gunner
Posts: 88 04/27/08 7:19 AM |
yea Yellow Wolf holds the record for running it the fastest from what I heard
I hear they lowered the speed limit to 30mph on the Dragon now reason state gave was too many deaths ( there have been only 12 in the last 12 years ) |
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Fredrider |
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Posts: 6136 04/27/08 7:26 PM
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There's something familiar about the way those guys ride. I think it is the speed, the maximum lean angles and the full use of the lane, from the
centerline to the edge of the road. That's my kind of riding.
I like the videos best that have one bike filming another in front of it. It gives more perspective than the sea-sick view I get when just one bike is riding and filming. Well done Yellow Wolf!
Fred
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dynodon1 |
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HSATF Tail Gunner
Posts: 74 05/02/08 10:28 AM |
I may get blasted for saying this, but that kind of riding on public roads is bad for all motorcyclists.
That is dangerous, selfish, and stupid. Those kinds of riders will ruin the fun for everyone. I take my "race" car to a real track, spend a few extra bucks and do it safely and legally. If I had the inclination to race my bike (which I don't) I could do the same thing with it. I understand the rush you get from that kind of riding, but it is just foolish and illegal. |
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Fredrider |
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Posts: 6136 05/02/08 11:43 AM
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Don,
I have to disagree. I have seen riders doing illegal riding, like going across the centerline racing each other using both lanes, hanging off dragging a knee and greatly exceeding the speed limit, but these Gold Wings always stayed on their side of the road, they were not racing (trying to pass each other), and if they had been doing those speeds on any of half-dozen similarly challenging roads around the Smokies whose speed limits had not been artificially lowered they would not even be exceeding the speed limit by the normal 5-10 mph most everybody does. Before the speed limit on the Dragon was lowered to 30 mph, I never went more than 5 mph over the speed limit whenever I did the run there. That was because for me leaning in the curves was the thing and I was usually taking those curves slower than the speed limit, otherwise I would run off the road. Then on the straights since I did not care about going fast in a straight line I just did not twist the throttle much. If you think it is foolish to outrun your sight distance, I would agree with you. If you think it is foolish to use your full lane I can partially agree with you, but it is not illegal and it is their right to do so.
Fred
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dynodon1 |
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HSATF Tail Gunner
Posts: 74 05/03/08 7:52 AM |
In just the first few seconds of that video, it was clear that they were on the yellow and hanging over it. Ever watched video of that road with trucks on it?
they were WAY over the limit for safe riding, not just the 30 mph limit. They may have looked under control at the moment, but if they had been met by a car or truck at or crossing the yellow, they would have been in an accident. Maybe not one they caused directly, but one they could have avoided if they had been riding more safely. I fully understand the joy of a great curve and lean, but on roads infamous for heavy traffic, tight curves and trucks and cagers crossing the yellow, to ride like that is not safe. I hope to actually ride the Dragon some day soon, and I might scrape a peg or two, but I won't be trying to set any records. the fact that this biker holds some sort or record on the Dragon says a lot. That he hasn't crashed yet (or has he?) doesn't mean he won't soon, and take someone else with him. And I don't buy the mantra of using the entire lane. It is clear he is ON and hanging over the yellow, that is crowding the lane, and a sure way to cause trouble. AT high rates of speed, cars don't change angle that quick and bikes are even worse. When I am on a race track, I use the full lane, when I am on a public highway, I always look to leave extra room, it is the only really safe way to ride or drive. If Yellow Wolf wants to be a race bike rider or set records, I would much prefer he do it on a race track and NOT on a road where I or my family might like to be someday. |
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eclecticdawn |
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HSATF 2nd Officer
Posts: 447 05/03/08 6:51 PM |
I read on a forum that he belongs to that he sold the Yellow Wing. I believe he stopped videoing other people for awhile, but I don't know if he starting
videoing again. Yes, he does hold the record for most Dragon runs in one day: 106 runs on the Dragon in 24 hours, the fastest run was 11 minutes. It's 318
curves in 11 miles. That's just nuts. Considering the speed limit on the Dragon is now 30 MPH...to go 11 miles in 11 minutes means he'd have to be
going WELL over 60 on the straights to slow just a bit in the turns. I personally have no desire to ride the Dragon when there are so many other LESS-TRAVELED,
beautiful, challenging, curvy roads in the area. It's all marketing...gotta get the t-shirt, gotta be able to say "I rode the Dragon".
I think that YW has got some mad skills, but I believe also that he over-rides some of those curves. You can only do that for so long until it catches up with you...unless you've got a golden horseshoe up your nether-regions. Live It, Love It, Paint It, Ride It!
Last Edited By: eclecticdawn 05/03/08 6:54 PM.
Edited 1 time.
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Fredrider |
#8 | |||
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Posts: 6136 05/03/08 9:10 PM
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Don,
On hearing more facts I have to agree. Having ridden the Dragon many times I do not think it is possible to average a mile a minute on that road without taking a lot of chances that could endanger yourself and others. I am too scared to take that kind of chance on a public road. I have gotten myself in trouble riding much slower than that. If you do not want to run into that kind of rider, I do not recommend you ever riding the Dragon. There are just too many riders like that on that stretch of roadway. On the other hand if you want to ride on roads that are just as challenging, but with a lot less traffic, I know at least a half dozen of them in and around the Smokies.
Fred
Last Edited By: Fredrider 05/03/08 9:13 PM.
Edited 1 time.
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bamaTrider |
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HSATF 1st Officer
Posts: 3889 05/03/08 11:19 PM |
Last word I got was that they have installed speed bumps along the Dragon. I also heard that the resort at the end is up for sale as a result. Anybody else
hear this, or is it just a rumor?
Stan
"We are different - yet we are the
same"
2004 GL1800 Goldwing (Titanium) 1999 Ace Tourer (Silver over Black) |
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eclecticdawn |
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HSATF 2nd Officer
Posts: 447 05/04/08 9:06 AM |
Yup, Stan, you got it right. I think there's more info about it on the Deal's Gap page, but this is the for sale notice:
http://web.mac.com/bradandbeth/for_sale/Home.html On the actual Deal's Gap website, I usually check in on the Daily Reports once or twice a month, as the owner dispels many of the rumors that fly around about things that happened (or supposedly happened) on the Dragon. It's an interesting read. I'm not anti-Dragon. The whole mystique of the place is fascinating to me from a marketing standpoint (I do my own marketing and find the psychology of selling rather interesting). Americans have a tendency to be sheep or lemmings whenever the next "big thing" pops up. For a long time, the Dragon was on my riding "to-do" list, all my FL friends had ridden it and had the t-shirt and decals, heck, I wanted to be able to say I did it, too(dang, even I fell into the "sheeple" category)! After riding VA roads for over a year now, we've found roads that we've dubbed "The Lizard Tail" and "The Baby Dragon", and they are not filled with the annoyances that would make me fear for my life at the Dragon. Live It, Love It, Paint It, Ride It!
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dynodon1 |
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HSATF Tail Gunner
Posts: 74 05/05/08 10:44 AM |
Fred,
That is actually good advice, riding the Dragon is something I have wanted to do, but the fame and reputation DO make it more dangerous no matter what. Where I live in Central IL, even along a river, there are few roads with fun curves. The few that are on the fun scale, are well known and I have riden them a lot. I am always leery because not only bikers but the car drivers tend to want to push it and "have fun". I know there are more fun roads, I will let you know about one I found, that probably isn't too well known. Route 311 Between Roanoke, VA and Sulpher Springs W. VA. Basically it cuts the corner between I-81 and I-64. The wife and I were in that area in Roanoke and needed to get going West on '64 and looking at a map, it looked interesting. It croses several peaks and is a great ride in a sedan, would love to be there on a bike. We did it during the week, and other than a little tie up for construction that day, we only saw a UPS truck to slow us down for a mile or so. Check it out. At the end, you are really enjoying the view and fun roads and all of a sudden the two-lane rural road spits you out at an ON RAMP onto 64! Wild. |
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Fredrider |
#12 | |||
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Posts: 6136 05/05/08 11:13 AM
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Thanks for the tip Don. I have not been on SR 311 yet. Looks fun.
What you are missing by not riding The Tail of the Dragon and stopping by the Deal's Gap souvenir shop is the three dozen different T-shirts about riding the Dragon and the one T-shirt about riding in Illinois. Every one of the three dozen T-shirts about riding the Dragon says "318 Curves in 11 Miles". The one T-shirt about riding in Illinois says "11 Curves in 318 Miles". I know it is not true Don. I lived in Iowa for 12 years and in Indiana for almost 8 and I travelled through Illinois many times. I have also ridden my T along the Ohio River in nearby IN and driven my car along the Mississippi River in IL, I know there are some fun roads there. Still the T-shirt is little funny, isn't it?
Fred
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CleRider |
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Posts: 1908 05/05/08 11:17 AM
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Don,
I rode the Dragon three times with my Goldwing. Sure it's a little fun to drag the floorboards a little, and there's the thrill of riding some 30mph sections at 50mph. I just had to remember, "This ain't no Disney ride". The vehicle will go off the track. As for the crowds... my first trip through was a Thursday morning in mid-May. Only a few bikes were out; ... nothing like the crowds of the Hoot week. Andy |
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dynodon1 |
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HSATF Tail Gunner
Posts: 74 05/06/08 10:30 PM |
Fred,
Funny T-shirt, they just over estimated the number of curves! LOL There is a road that I sometimes take to get to a friends house, it goes for about 40 miles and have TWO turns. a sharp Right-Left in the middle of the 40 miles where some surveyer 150 years ago got off by about 100 feet. You can see where cars go off in the fields at each curve probably hundreds of times a year! Other than regular signs, there is no warning. Boring straight drive then 15 mph curve! 
There are some fun roads in Illinois, especially if you get down south, or in the far NW around Galena, and then there are some good ones along the Illinois river and along the Illinois side of the MISS. river. OR go to the far east along the OHIO and near cave-in rock etc. Where I am in corn country, we look for the few odd country roads where curves went around angry farmers that didn't want their fields cut apart! (before government decided to take control!). I wonder what it would be like to live someplace like near the Dragon, or in the Rockies or almost anywhere else except in corn fields. Would I get tired of "fun" roads? Nah, too much to contemplate. |
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