The Dragon, Motorcycle & Sports Car Drive | RomanticAsheville.com (2024)

FAQs

What is the best direction to ride the tail of the dragon? ›

From a safety standpoint, the northbound has far less situations where the big dropoffs are an issue. Most of those hairpins/switchbacks put northbound on the outside of the turn. Southbound would be the opposite.

The ride consists of 91 miles of McDowell County two lane country roads. You will be riding: Route 52, Route 80, Route 83, Route 16, and Route 161. Your ride will take you through the local communities of: Welch, Iaeger, Bradshaw, War, Bishop, Elkhorn, Northfork, Keystone, and Kimball, West Virginia.

29 deaths on the 11 mile section of roadway known as "The Dragon". 28 of these deaths were on motorcycles.

You'll want to set aside about a half-hour or so to tackle the Tail of the Dragon. The speed limit is a strict 30 miles per hour, and you definitely don't want to push it. You could certainly devote more time to the drive, given there are a few pullouts along the way.

Since the road gets more crowded as the day goes on (especially on weekends), plan to start early. And if you're traveling by motorcycle, don't forget your helmet—they're required for both drivers and passengers in North Carolina and Tennessee. It will take about 30 minutes to drive the Dragon's 11 exhilarating miles.

It is said to have the power to change a negative situation into a positive one. The best direction for the dragon is known to be east.

Want to be a dragon slayer? Conquer the 318 curves in 11 miles on the Dragon, a section of U.S. Highway 129 that starts near Robbinsville and Fontana Dam. It follows the southwest boundary of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, so there are no intersecting roads or drives to interfer.

Tail of the Dragon at Deals Gap with 318 curves in 11 miles: America's number one motorcycle and sports car road.

Cruiser and Touring Motorcycles Tend to Be More Fatal With Larger Engines, But Supersport Bikes With Small Engines Are Deadly, As Well. The “bigger = more dangerous” trend is most pronounced in cruiser/standard type and touring motorcycle models, according to the IIHS analysis.

According to Tennessee's Integrated Traffic Analysis Network, in 2018, there were 83 traffic crashes on the Tail of the Dragon, 75% of which involved a motorcycle. Three of those motorcyclists died. The numbers for 2019 aren't much better: 93 crashes, 67% involving motorcycle drivers.

What motorcycle has the most deaths? ›

Super-sport bikes are the fastest and the most dangerous motorcycle types to control. IIHS statistics show 1,169 fatalities involving this bike type in 2021, accounting for 20% of all motorcycle fatalities, despite making up only 6.3% of registered motorcycles!

Deals Gap is a popular and internationally famous destination for motorcycle and sports car enthusiasts, as it is along a stretch of two-lane road known since 1981 as "Tail of the Dragon", often shortened to simply “The Dragon”. The 11-mile (18 km) stretch of the Dragon in Tennessee is said to have 318 curves.

The Tail of the Dragon, a.k.a. US Route 129 or just The Dragon, is known as one of the most dangerous roads in the US as well as being the single twistiest with 318 curves in just 11 miles (18km).

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Highway 129, known as The Tail of the Dragon, is the stuff of legend, especially for motorcyclists. Boasting 318 curves in 11 miles, "The Dragon" beckons thousands of riders each year to tame its bounty of winding curves and crests through the Great Smoky Mountains. But it's dangerous.

Lucky colors: gold, silver, grayish white. Lucky flowers: bleeding-heart glory bower, dragon flowers. Lucky direction: east, north, south. Lucky months: the 3rd, 4th, and 7th Chinese lunar months.

To attract wealth, prosperity, and success, the principles of feng shui suggest placing a dragon in the north or east direction of your home, facing inward to denote the energy flowing into your home.

The Dragon (also known as The Tail of the Dragon) begins in North Carolina at the intersection of NC 28 and US 129 and ends at the Tabcat Creek Bridge in Tennessee. The twisting road through the dense forest has several pull-offs to stop and watch the riders.