The only issue I seen was the driver is watching the road in front of him and not the road ahead, this causes him to be all over the road and constantly correcting himself .(handlebar constantly up and down) look at the road ahead and into the curve and the ride will be smoother and more fun, less nerve-wracking. Take lots of practice and riding.
Don't ride that yellow line it would seem at points your bike is leaning across it my friend educate yourself and fellow riders on that it'll save lives up there many bikers get hit with their tires well within the yellow but there head(sport bikes) or mirror left bar across the line(larger bikes). Glad you enjoyed the road have fun.
Yes, that is my old racing days flowing back. When I could hear others I would make sure even my lean was inside the yellow line. But I would love to have it shut down and be able to use the whole road, even on the Harley you can lean into it! :) thanks for watching!
I love doing the twistys on my dual sport when not "off road". Thinking of more of a road bike in the future. This shows me the kind of road bike I definitely do not want.
Thanks for the memories. I started going to the dragon every year about 20 years ago. It was nice to see someone ride through there like a sane person. That road can really tire rider out and you did very well maintaining your lane and staying out of trouble.👍 Most riders stop and turn around at that last lookout. They dont ride the most challenging part which is the downhill run just past the lookout down to the lake. I preferr to ride it the other way (uphill) myself. You took the harder way. What a terrific day you had for this ride. Thx for sharing it with us. Ride safe.😎🇨🇦
Im from N Al. and considering the way to many run the dragon Id focus more staying in the middle of my lane and be prepared to give up a big chunk of that quick instead of straighting out the curves. Just a friendly point. We ride roads alot like this daily not to mention animals , unkept ditches which includes large trees left to grow in the ditches not to mention grass in the road left there by the road dept, pot holes of all dimensions and no lines on the roads alot of the times.
I live is the alps, so this road looks like one of the simplest rides I’ve ever seen. When driving here you get quickly used to going at the right speed for every corner depending on the visibility, because if you don’t do so with our tight roads it can end really badly really quickly. We have a lot of 80 km/h (~50 mph) roads that could almost be considered single lane meaning that 2 cars have to drive partially off the road to be able to pass each other. But I have to say it looks like a really fun and chill road to cruise down and go faster than the usual speed you can go here.
Just for the record, I'm happy you didn't crash. That said, there was no crash or any visible signs of a crash anywhere in this footage. Here on youtube we call that "clickbait" and I don't sub or continue to watch videos from people who use this tactic.
If you look at the 12 minute mark there was a black sportster that was lying on the ground, you can see it in my next video standing up. Apparently the lady rider took the corner to wide and saw traffic coming at her and laid it down and slid off the road. Did you not notice the 4 police vehicles and the very slow riders?
+Riding with Ron yeah that's the aftermath of a crash. Look at all the other crash videos and you will see either detailed aftermath footage, first hand footage or footage of someone else's crash. I find your title misleading.
Next time I will make sure to have a more descriptive title. Maybe I should of named this one "There was a crash on my first run at the Dragon, don't watch if you want to see a crash, or people lying on the ground after a crash", would that of helped you not pick my video and not commented or disliked?
+Riding with Ron I know it seems petty but there are hundreds of videos that are misleading. If I have to pause the vid and see a blurry spot where the wreck occurred, then it's a misleading title. Mentioning it in the description would be fair but when you put it in the title you give the impression that the wreck is the focal point or at least a vivid part of the video.
I took my Street Glide through there in 2010. I’ll bet we saw at least 10 squad cars nestled in every nook and cranny. Didn’t dare go ripping through any part of it, but it was still a blast.
Street glides don't rip thru the dragon...nobody really should.HD treats passengers the best...as rider must show foresight and consideration for passenger. Deals gap is squid central! Lower gears so discretionary is high! Speeds are relatively low.. breeds false sense of security...sport bikes...reveal skill gap. Cruiser lack of cornering clearance...punishes ignorance and indescretion savagely. Go ride it once..buy a t shirt...never go back... Too many arrogant ignorant riders and drivers!!!
If that guy was an a**, what are you at 8:48, 9:01, 9:12, 9:35, 10:19, 10:49, 17:52, 18:05, 20:19? Not to mention the leaning over the center line. Cops will fine you for that lean-over on the Dragon. Right hander are totally off the apexes. Heavy nervous breathing the first 11 minutes, then slowed down wrestling that heavy cruiser. I have ridden the Dragon many times and Harleys are a dangerous and awkward ride there. I’m almost 70 & been riding since I was ten. Try riding an R1 like mine on the Dragon if you want a real thrill. Glad you made it. Put the sticker on your fender.
I have been riding for 20 years and I have started riding the Dragon a few times. It reminds me of the Black Hill of South Dakota. Only problem is I hardly ever rode during the rally when I lived there as it was too crazy. Six out of seven days on this road feel that way. Between sports care, farting cars, and sport hikes wanting to pass it is dangerous at best, albeit fun. The left hand turns are harder than the right hand turns on this road and especially on the way down. your tires should never be in the left portion of the lane as you will risk putting your head over the double yellow. A left hand turn seems easier because it has a larger radius, but it is misleading as you really only have half of the pavement width to work with to keep your whole body in your lane and keep your tires on the road.
I was overwhelmed by how slowly you were riding the Tail, until I remembered the incredible handicap you were riding. I probably wouldn't have gone much faster on that hog. And then I remembered how much fun and how challenging it was to take a twisty road slowly in my 88 Dodge Caravan (short wheelbase, of course). The title qualifies for click bait, but you were already stressed out just getting that albatross to go around one corner, let alone 318! So that on coming sport bike "a mile away" felt like a near miss. Keep the rubber side down brother and don't never have to "put'er down."
Ron, as you could tell riding the Dragon tail isn't for the faint of heart lol between the ride and some of those that ride it thinking they are invincible. I took a tumble my first time and i had been riding 25 years (Yes i am on the tree of shame lol).. I've rode it 2 times since. Awesome pov footage. Stay safe !! 🙏✌️🌹
Hi Ron. I really enjoyed watching this video. At first, I thought you were going to be the one in the crash. So thankful that you weren't. It does my heart good to know that there is another Harley Rider out there that actually obeys the speed limit and enjoys the ride the way it should be enjoyed. I personally will never ride the Dragon, or any other stretch of road where bikers think it's a closed track for their personal time trials. Ignore all the comments about how slow you are. Those of us who enjoy riding, and want to continue doing it for many years to come, realize that those speed limits were written in blood. The risk of having an idiot with no sense of self preservation, race up behind us and smash into us, or get hit head-on because they overshot a curve, just because we're being safe and acting like we have a brain isn't worth the risk to me. If you want some really great twisty road riding, go up to Virginia and West Virginia. You'll meet the occasional idiot, but nowhere close to the number you'll meet on any of the popular twisties. Good luck and ride safe brother! Lone Wolf Bill
You are riding very close to double yellow line and inconsistent of speed and leaning where this type of riding can cause a self accident. Hope you are ok. We all need to have more practice on the slow riding skills and to handle the dragon road will be much relax and easier. Just ride safe.
No need to worry Buck. If you watch any of the videos of motor cops mounting their bikes, they almost always do it from the brake side. It works really good if you have short legs like myself and a big tour pack on the back of your bike.
I GOTTA GET DOWN THERE ONE DAY , PICKED MY BESTFRIENDS BIKE UP IN GREENVILLE SC , 80 DEGREES IN DEC. AWESOME ! I WANNA MOVE THERE ONE DAY GET THE HELL OUTTA LONG ISLAND & MOVE TO AMERICA !
Ron my first time riding the dragon was in 94 and met a Semi coming towards me his trailer was on my side knocking off rocks off the bank & His Big Truck was knocking down a gaurd rail luckey for me i was not going that fast got around stop at the lookout pullover sign my name on that stone wall waste 30mins ot time caught that same semi at the store ! Old man name Mr.Pete i recall told me theres always one in a crowd coming back by this way , Really that Big Semi, no he said ,you done lost your shocks on that motorcycle ,try the Dragon on a Hardtail frame my friend YOUR TAIL WILL BE DRAGIN !
My wife and I conquered the dragon in our Toyota sienna we did about 45 miles an hour all the way down it was beautiful too they were people in Porsche Boxster’s spiders and I guess was the M8 BMW sports cars flying past us it was pretty cool
20:55 from State line to Bridge Pull off. Not to be snotty, but you are easily about the fastest Harley guy on the Dragon. Your bike sure sounds nice, is it as quiet as your video implies?
It isn't annoying loud just Jackpot headers and Street Canons. Thanks for watching! :) it was my firstrun and I really don't know the times people post there.
You should buy a separate GPS and keep your phone on your body incase you have a wreck, you wreck and that phone will go flying. If you get separated from your bike, the phone being on your person will allow you to call for help/send texts.
NEVER get behind a Harley/group of Harleys on the Dragon. It will make for a miserable experience for you. They creep along at 12 mph and damn near stop in every corner. I ride it regularly so I know from experience.
I ride a Harley and completely agree with you. Most go slow while i'm slowly grinding my floorboards away. Unfortunately after my back surgery, riding a sports bike is pretty much out of the question for me.
Never ride a Harley on the Dragon on a weekend when you pull up to Deals Gap and see 100 Crotchrockets. You will be going 20-30 mph and some fool will be coming up behind you on a blind curve going 85 or you meet some fool on the wrong side of the road in a blind curve. Every close call I had during my numerous rides on the Dragon was due to someone else's need for speed.
@@KiltedVeteran ...your time is comin' speed racer. You and all the riders like you make the Dragon one of the most dangerous places in the country to ride. I never have, and never will ride any place that's popular with riders that think they're on the track doing time trials. I've ridden on many twisty roads that offer good riders that want to continue to ride instead of being in a wheelchair, or worse, in the morgue, one of the best experiences of your riding career. Do the rest of us a favor and go to the track if you want to scrape the floorboards off your bike. That way the only one you kill is yourself. Just saying.
I swear I was sitting in the passenger side of a tractor trailer watching all the gauge on the dashboard. This is no fun. Try riding the dragon on a sports bike.
I did the Dragon once. I expected an exhilarating sportbike ride but with all the Harleys dragging their floorboards it was just a 25mph spark parade. If you want to ride it fast don't go on a Friday.
I thought it was you, too, Ron, and I had to fast forward through the video (after seeing the crash) to find out it wasn't you. Don't know you, but am thankful it wasn't you, and I hope the other ride was okay. WHEN I get my bike, I really would like to be able to do Tail of the Dragon, as well as Mulholland Drive. Both would be great places to ride, and the ride you did was just beautiful. I've been in the Pacific Northwest for over eleven years now, and I kind of have forgotten how some roads back east are just great to be on. Anyway, thanks for taking us along on your ride, it was fun.
@@jimanders9971 You missed the whole point of riding the Dragon. It's not a speed contest. But if you want to challlenge me to a 0-60, a 0-80, a 0-100, a 0-120 on your whatever, bring it on baby and bring your title!
@@Leftycraig48 the whole point of the “dragon” is that it is probably a good training ground for dozens of rides in any state east of texas. And if you are riding a harley I would take your title for what it is worth. Probably not much keyboard cowboy.
I rode this in 2020 on my (then) new Road Glide. The ads all say, "318 curves in 11 miles." Being a nerd, I tried to count them in your video here. Even being very VERY generous as to what constitutes a curve, I only got to 224. That's even counting things like entering a shallow curve (1), it gets a bit sharper (2), and sharper still (3). Now I know there's nowhere near 318 curves. (If you count each and every time the radius changes slightly, maybe.) Oh well, it was a fun ride! Thanks.
I've ridden this track several times. I've also ridden the back roads of northern Thailand. This is twisties 101 compared to the intensity of the Golden Triangle of Thailand, Mianmar and Laos and doing it all day long.
Although, not a track, just a stretch of US 129, it was a fun ride and the scenery was nice! After my crash it was a good confidence booster. Thanks for watching!
You Crash I missed it somehow hopefully it wasn't Bad & uR Ok ....but please post what Min it accrued on the video not that I wont to really see ur misfortune... but Ive yet but will Ride the dragon & wont to know all i can before making this adventure ..Thanks
Correct, you ride geared up also, right? Protection is key when riding, yes it was hot, I still had my jacket, pants,boots, helmet, and yes gloves. If I went down, being cool doesn't save my skin!
Its called Safety gear,, There are two types of bikers.. Ones who have gone down, and one who will. Dress for the slide, not the ride. Especially on the Dragon. Far too many idiots on sportbikes and in sportcars who think its their personal race track
The “dragon” is a little training run for many many better, twistier, more challenging runs out in the western states. It wouldn’t be in the top five rides in any state out west. Pffffft. And you are going a moderate speed at most.
Wow. I have real concerns for your safely given your riding style. You spend too much time on the centreline, even crossing it way too often on the left hand curves. Your cornering is anything but smooth, and your having to change down too often as you're riding so slow. Really poor riding.
I WAS ALMOST KILLED BY A SPORTBIKE THE OTHER NIGHT ! HIM & A BEEMMER WENT BY AT AROUND 120 -140 RIGHT AFTER I CHANGED LANES , PEOPLE GOTTA CHILL THE FUCK OUT!!! BEAUTIFUL RIDE ON THE GLIDE INTERRUPTED BY DOUSCHBAGS !
My wife and I rode it in the fall. The colors were unbelievable. It is the best twisty road I've ever ridden. the turns are predictable and the asphalt is excellent. I'll never forget it and want to go back. I towed my V-Strom 650 out there as part of a 12000 mile road trip.
towed!!!!! what does your vagina get sore if you ride too much? 😄my girlfriend and I are riding our ducati to California from pa in 3 weeks for 3 weeks. my bike has 183.000 miles on it and I would never tow it anywhere. go to pokeyjoanify on utube and see our dragon video 😄
