Tail of The Dragon

road trip suggestions

trikeman said:

Lot of fun.... but there are lots of other roads around that are just as fun with better views and don’t have the tailgate traffic fighting for position like a nascar race. :wave4:

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Hello Trikeman, i'm interested in finding put about some fun scenic roads to drive , please send me some suggestions based on your experience, thanks

Burnerboy said:

Careful, the last time I conquered the Dragon, The police had set up multiple speed radar traps there , and every trap, they had many bikes pulled over... What a bummer

Ronnie

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Yeah, knock on wood, have not had a problem so far.

camper99 said:

Kevin,

How do the wider bars help on the turns? Would this make you reach farther on the outside hand?

Thanks, Jerry

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With wider bars you have more leverage, so less effort is needed to turn the same distance.

Yes, in parking lots, where you may be turning the handlebars all the way it will make the reach further, but for riding, even in a sharp turn, I've never had to come close to turning the handlebars all the way.

Also, if you go wider, most of the time you will want to go taller also...this means the bars will be closer to you, and the reach will be reduced.

Check out "The Comfort Triangle" Report HERE.

GARYD said:

Kevin, where were you when I posted that I can take twisty roads (Dragon) just as fast if not faster than a 2 wheeler and just about everyone bit my head off saying I'm crazy that's impossible.

I tried to explain about the faster you go on 2 wheels the wider the turn radius you do or you have to slow down to stay in your lane. But it doesn't help. I'm not talking about a new trike rider, but someone with a few years experience and strength enough to push it. I rode with a few sport bikes here and there over the years and had no problem keeping up with them.

Unfortunately I went a little overboard last May and pushed too hard. One of life's learning experiences.

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I posted in a few of your threads when you were getting beat up. Yeah, until a 2 wheeler rides with an experienced Trike rider, it is hard for them to fathom how the TG or FW can out handle them in the twisties.

Texan said:

Kevin, I couldn't agree with you more. The TG is built for the Tail. AND it does corner a whole lot better than 2 wheelers. I proved that to my 2 wheel buddies at Sturgis a couple years back on Iron Mountain Road.

Ohhh and I have your lift kit and mini-apes.

8~\o

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Yep! If you ever get the chance, I rode a road that is better than the Dragon, AND any of the roads surrounding the Dragon, a few months back. The very northernmost part of the 1 before it gets to the California Coast. It was amazing!

Here are a couple of screenshots of the map of the area...but if you go to google maps and zoom in, you can see all the turns.





btw, thanks for your biz, we appreciate it!

Kevin

The Dragon

Yup that was my year long plan , to ride the dragon. Thanks to HD , it never happened. Maybe next year , unless I’m in jail. Gota ride solo for now on, as not to interupt other comrades .

Did Deals Gap (Dragon) 3 times. The first time on the TG last spring and the last two times last week. We have now moved on to the Snake, which is much longer and of course many more twisties. We will do the Back Of The Dragon before leaving this TN/VA area but with all the rain coming through now it will probably be Friday or Saturday.

We will probably be in this area again next fall but to be honest we will probably pass on doing the Tail Of The Dragon again. There are a lot of better mountain rides to do with much less traffic.

DK Custom Products said:

Yeah, knock on wood, have not had a problem so far.

With wider bars you have more leverage, so less effort is needed to turn the same distance.

Yes, in parking lots, where you may be turning the handlebars all the way it will make the reach further, but for riding, even in a sharp turn, I've never had to come close to turning the handlebars all the way.

Also, if you go wider, most of the time you will want to go taller also...this means the bars will be closer to you, and the reach will be reduced.

Check out "The Comfort Triangle" Report HERE.

I posted in a few of your threads when you were getting beat up. Yeah, until a 2 wheeler rides with an experienced Trike rider, it is hard for them to fathom how the TG or FW can out handle them in the twisties.

Yep! If you ever get the chance, I rode a road that is better than the Dragon, AND any of the roads surrounding the Dragon, a few months back. The very northernmost part of the 1 before it gets to the California Coast. It was amazing!

Here are a couple of screenshots of the map of the area...but if you go to google maps and zoom in, you can see all the turns.

btw, thanks for your biz, we appreciate it!

Kevin

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I have never been on the Dragon Tail and have only seen the photos and vids of it. I have always said that I know about a road that I bet would make the Dragon Tail look like a stroll in the park... And this is it... I have done it both directions several times now, and man it is a workout. Kevin,,, surprised you didn't make a u turn and do it again the other way!!! Ha Ha! Never seen a cop on it either! BUT!!!! Ya gotta be very aware of logging trucks instead. And those guys do not care how much road they take up. It is also pretty desolate out there so if you had a problem it would take a while for help to arrive. Gotta be very vigilant on that road. And eat your Wheaties before ya do it!

We did the Back Of The Dragon (starts in Marion VA) yesterday. It was only about 32 miles of twisties and I believe the maximum elevation we hit was under 4,000 feet, but it was still a much better ride than the Tail Of The Dragon.

I had just under 100 miles on my new ride when we started at Marion so I held back on pushing it a little. My two buddies on their 18's were patient and went along with a slower riding experience. The scenery was either much better on this ride or we were going slow enough to finally see most of it!

Trent said:

I have never been on the Dragon Tail and have only seen the photos and vids of it. I have always said that I know about a road that I bet would make the Dragon Tail look like a stroll in the park... And this is it... I have done it both directions several times now, and man it is a workout. Kevin,,, surprised you didn't make a u turn and do it again the other way!!! Ha Ha! Never seen a cop on it either! BUT!!!! Ya gotta be very aware of logging trucks instead. And those guys do not care how much road they take up. It is also pretty desolate out there so if you had a problem it would take a while for help to arrive. Gotta be very vigilant on that road. And eat your Wheaties before ya do it!

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Heya Trent!

You were right!!! This road is head and shoulders better (and much longer) than the Dragon. What an adrenaline rush! Did not see any logging trucks on it, but had my eyes open. In many spots (dozens, if not hundreds) it is much tighter than the dragon, and with countless blind corners, so the going is much slower. But what a fantastic road!

Yeah, I wanted to do a U and ride it two more times. But the coast was calling!

What's this about Wheaties? You need a Lift kit and some wider handlebars, steering is much easier then.

We'll be back.

Kevin

DK Custom Products With wider bars you have more leverage said:

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Kevin

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Kevin,

What wider bars would you recommend? I am about 5' 9". I like the thought of going taller also.

Thanks, Jerry

DK Custom Products said:

Heya Trent!

You were right!!! This road is head and shoulders better (and much longer) than the Dragon. What an adrenaline rush! Did not see any logging trucks on it, but had my eyes open. In many spots (dozens, if not hundreds) it is much tighter than the dragon, and with countless blind corners, so the going is much slower. But what a fantastic road!

Yeah, I wanted to do a U and ride it two more times. But the coast was calling!



What's this about Wheaties? You need a Lift kit and some wider handlebars, steering is much easier then.

We'll be back.

Kevin

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Got the lift kit! hmmm.. Dunno about the bars. Ridin' in all the curves around here and there does keep my forearms in pretty good shape. When ya come back we will be here!

camper99 said:

Kevin,

What wider bars would you recommend? I am about 5' 9". I like the thought of going taller also.

Thanks, Jerry

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Hi Jerry,

Everyone has different ways of sitting, different arm length, different positions they are comfortable in.

I highly recommend following the directions in this Comfort Triangle LINK to find the perfect handlebar position for you.

Once you do, you can use a tape measure to find out how much further back, how much higher, and how much wider that perfect position is in relation to the factory grips.

Once you have those three numbers, you can go to your local HD shop or aftermarket shop and let them know. They have catalogs with hundreds of bars in them with measurements...and hopefully you will be able to find one that will put the grips in the right position for you.

DON'T let them talk you into a different grip position, just because it may be easier for them to sell you xyz bars, than to take the time to find some that will fit.

For myself, all it took was adding 9" of length to the factory bars to get the grips in my perfect position.

Kevin

Trent said:

Got the lift kit! hmmm.. Dunno about the bars. Ridin' in all the curves around here and there does keep my forearms in pretty good shape. When ya come back we will be here!

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:laugh:

We'll hopefully be out that way early summer!

Kevin4Mary2

Trent just to add my 2 cents Old Shiney was kicking my butt until I changed my Bars. OEM are right on 30"wide. I switched to Khrome Werks 2+2 Wide sweepers 2" back and 2" up 34" wide, and are like adding power steering. I'm 5'8" 30" inseam. Back and shoulder pain was driving me nuts, almost to the point if I could not fix it I was selling the trike. Kevin has a great way of helping someone finding what they need bars are a very personal thing good luck in your search.

TarheelLeo said:

View attachment 62675

How many of you have ridden The Tail of The Dragon on your trike? We had a trip planned this fall on my Ultra Limited, but traded it for the trike so now I'm not sure of that winding road on a trike.

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I did it on my trike and it was fun. Take it easy and keep it on 3 wheels I hit one a little fast and had it on 2 wheels, it comes back down quick The day we rode it was 42 degrees in October. Brrrrrr. But there wasn't too many bikes on it.

Dragon Rides

TarheelLeo said:

View attachment 62675

How many of you have ridden The Tail of The Dragon on your trike? We had a trip planned this fall on my Ultra Limited, but traded it for the trike so now I'm not sure of that winding road on a trike.

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We have done this twice on two different Triglides, (2009 & 2014). had fun both times and wllok forward to riding it again with our new 2018 Triglide.

427dave said:

I did it on my trike and it was fun. Take it easy and keep it on 3 wheels I hit one a little fast and had it on 2 wheels, it comes back down quick The day we rode it was 42 degrees in October. Brrrrrr. But there wasn't too many bikes on it.

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we did the same thing and when that tire comes down it will bark pretty loud

I rode the Tail of the Dragon last year on my ‘16 Tri. I’m not a fast rider but it was a blast. I’ve had my shocks upgraded to the DK Proaction Trike Shocks since then. Now I can’t wait to go again :clapping: So much fun.

The Dragon was my first ride on a trike

As my story goes in Washington we need a special endorsement for trikes and hacks. So I took a 2 day course to learn how to ride a trike and get the endorsement. Fast foward a couple weeks I find myself in Tenn. renting a trike and heading to Maggie Valley for a week of riding. So my first time on the dragon was on a trike that I only had a couple days in the saddle. Not a problem and had the time of my life. My advice is don't push above your abilities or comfort level. I did get home from that vacation and promptly marched down to the local HD and rode home a TG. Have never looked back.

I have never done the tail on two wheels but did it on the trike. If you are new to trikes, I would suggest trying to do it on a weekday and early morning. Less crowded.

I was new to trikes at the time and the wife and I had a blast and took it at a good clip.

I have a lift kit and upgraded shocks and the same bars that Fearless does. All are huge improvements for the handling.