This was my first run on the Tail of the Dragon…but it wasn’t my last. Incidentally, this particular dragon run has been my favorite so far. Turns out the Tail of the Dragon can get quite busy most days of the year…but not the day after Thanksgiving.
We were living in Florida at the time, and we rented a house for the week of Thanksgiving in northern Georgia. My wife and kids went up to the rental on the Saturday before Thanksgiving where she met her dad. I was in school so I couldn’t leave until Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving. Also the busiest travel day of the year according to AAA.
I took the BMW RT for this trip and it turned out to be a wise choice. I couldn’t leave Florida until 10am when my class was released. I had an 8hr ride to get to the rental house, but with traffic it took a little longer.
Wednesday (Day Before Thanksgiving)
It was already warm when I got out of class. I threw my bag in the top case of the BMW RT and geared up. I fired up the boxer engine and pointed the headlight north, I had a lot of ground to cover and it would take a miracle to get there before dark. I’m not a fan of riding in the dark. In fact, I strongly discourage riding after dark unless there’s no other option.
Florida is a zoo…plain and simple it is one of the worst states to ride. Traffic is heavy…always…and the roads are straight and flat. Today was no exception…I sat in stop and go traffic for most of the state. I was able to go the speed limit for a short distance before we would come to a stop again. After several hours, my clutch hand began to get fatigued. I pulled over in northern Florida and grabbed an early dinner. I looked at my navigation app and saw a whole lot of red. But there were a few backroads I might be able to take. I designed a custom route in my navigation app that would take me on back roads through the rest of Florida, and keep me away from Atlanta…another area known for traffic nightmares
I filled the RT and hit the road again. I followed the prompts from the navigation and it had me turning down all different types of roads. I worked my way through neighborhoods, access roads, and other low use avenues. Eventually I ended up on a road along the coast. There was hardly any traffic and it felt good to stretch the legs on RT and operate her like she was intended. The sun was setting and the ride was perfect!
This stretch of the ride was perfect…quiet and peaceful heading into Georgia!
The traffic continued to lessen as I finally worked my way in Georgia. The sun hung low in the sky, and I knew for sure the last couple hours of my ride was going to be in the dark. Not ideal…especially navigating through the mountains of northern Georgia.
I skirted around Atlanta and continued my way north. The mountain roads twist and turn and the riding is slow…especially in the dark. I was thankful for the adaptive headlights of the RT. They work really well! It was nice to see through the curves. I took my time and finally reached the rental house around 10pm. I was tired, and excited to see the family. I unloaded the RT and relaxed by the fireplace while spending quality time with everyone.
Thursday – Thanksgiving Day
Thanksgiving Day was special as always! I didn’t ride at all..instead I spent the day with the family and ate delicious food. I also took advantage of the pool table inside the rental house. My grand daughter insisted on playing pool with her “papa”…she beat me every time…I never had a chance against her.
I never had a chance…she won every game
Friday – (Black Friday)
Today was the day I set to slay the “dragon.” It was cool but dry. The temps hovered around 45 and the sun poked through the clouds. While the rest of the country was busy shopping, I was busy working my way to the start of the dragon to see if it really was as amazing as folks make it sound. I had about an hour ride to the start of the dragon. I turned on the heated grips and seat, and I kept the side bags in the rental house. One of the many things i love about the RT is that it still looks good without the side bags. The same cannot be said about other Sport Touring bikes. I stopped for lunch at a hotel/restaurant a few miles prior to the start of the dragon. They had covered parking specifically for motorcycles and I was happy to see that it was almost empty.
The RT is still a good looking bike without the side bags! The motorcycle parking garage was almost empty.
After lunch I worked my way to the start of the dragon. There were a few bikes and performance cars, but it was relatively quiet! There’s a unique statue letting you know you’re entering the infamous “Tail of the Dragon!”
This statue lets folks know they’re at the start of the “Tail of the Dragon”
I took my time and enjoyed all the leans. The dragon is definitely a fun little strip of road! A long rider can get all their leans in and then some on this road. I didn’t push it…there was hardly anyone here and the last thing I needed was to lose control and go off the edge where no one could find me. The area is beautiful and the many autumn leaves lay scattered about on the road. They blew around and almost created a path as the RT cut a wind tunnel as it passed by. I felt like the luckiest guy in the world!
Plenty of opportunity for leans on the dragon!
The RT is made for roads like this. It’s so nimble and flickable!
After a while a rest area pull out appeared and I stopped to enjoy the view and to chat with a couple senior riders. One of the riders was on a Yamaha FJR1300 and the other was sporting a KTM 990 Duke. We visited for a minute and it turns out the fella with the FJR was a long rider like me. He lived in Tennessee and is a veteran of the dragon. The guy on the Duke was his younger brother, and was visiting for Thanksgiving. After I snapped a few photos, I decided to tag along and work my way back to the starting point.
Beautiful scenery on the dragon..it was nice chatting with fellow riders while enjoying this view
The three of us headed back to the start point. I suppose I was feeling pretty confident when we left. After all, I’m an experienced rider and a motorcycle technician. I ride bikes and work on them every day! Well let’s just say I was quickly humbled. Those old-timers left me in the dust…they were flat out flying! I fell back and rode at my comfort level. I certainly didn’t want to donate any bike parts to the “tree of shame” or any body parts to the organ donor center. Once I completed the dragon, I pulled into the souvenir shop at the starting point where both the FJR and the Duke were parked out front. The two riders were sitting out front and both had a smile on their face. “You two were hauling ass! I couldn’t touch you guys!” They both chuckled and admitted that they used to race back in the day…that made me feel a little better. They assured me that my bike wasn’t the reason I couldn’t keep up…it was in fact the rider.
We chatted for a bit longer and then I went in and got my obligatory coin and sticker. Took a few pictures of the “tree of shame” and headed back to the rental house.
Obligatory Tail of the Dragon coin and sticker
The dragon didn’t take any bike parts from the RT to serve as a decoration on the “Tree of Shame” on this ride…thank God for a wonderful ride today!
I decided to take the long way back to the rental house. Had a nice relaxing ride back and stopped by the little town of Murphy, NC for dinner before pulling in to the rental just as the sun was setting.
Took the long way back to the rental house. The mountains are a beautiful place to ride!
Plenty of pristine riding roads in this area!
Stopped for dinner in Murphy, NC
The Tail of the Dragon is a fine place to ride. I went there again the following spring and it was a different experience. It was busy! On the plus side it was a lot more relaxing. There were a lot of big cruisers and trikes riding slowly. Instead of getting frustrated, I just relaxed and took it slow. In my opinion, I believe the twisted sisters in the hill country of Texas is superior. But the dragon is worth it if you’re in the area!
Saturday
After fighting traffic getting up here, I decided to leave for Florida on Saturday instead of Sunday in hopes of lighter traffic. It didn’t make a difference. The ride back to Florida was painful and congested. Northern Florida has some really nice riding roads and you can zip along at a good clip. But anything near the center of the state can be pretty rough.
Florida traffic = parking lot
What should have taken about 7 hrs took well over 10 thanks to traffic. I pulled the RT into the garage well after dark. It was another great adventure!
Sport Touring Cycle Adventures 