Hey, We are heading for North Carolina for the winter (Jan., Feb., and March). We will be in the Sanford area (southeast of Raleigh). What can we expect for riding weather? Any good place to meet up with other riders? We are planning to ride the Dragon in March. What kind of weather should we expect? Any tips on a good place to stay near the Dragon?

 

The winters are fairly mild. There are plenty of sunny days with highs in the 40-50's. Last January it was up into the 60-70's for a few days!
The mornings are chilly and the sun sets around 4 PM when the nights dip into the 30's. We have some snow and freezing rain at times.
I don't know too much about the area you will be staying, but in Raleigh there are a couple of decent hangouts for bikers-
Locked and Loaded is on Hwy 70 just outside Raleigh in Garner. It's just a few blocks from Ray Price Harley Davidson. Great cheesburgers and lots of friendly folks!
Scooters Bar & Grill in off Atlantic Avenue in Raleigh next to Twin Specialties which is a Big Dog/Victory dealership. Again a good hangout with nice folks.
The Dragon has been too crowded for my tastes so I can't help you much. Personally I would drive along the innumerous ruralmountain roads we have in NC such as State Road 1310as well as The Cherohala Scenic Skyway.

 

Thanks, we are planning to ride the Skyway also. I have heard that the roads are outstanding and no shortage of places to go. We will also take a trip to the outer banks. We are really looking forward to our first stay in NC. The past two winters we were in Hilton Head and had a blast.

 

My best friend from high school owns Twin Specialties and started Scooters, though sold his interest in the restaurant. Funny, we were inseperablefor several years, and though I only live 50 miles or so away from Raleigh now, I haven't seen him in 10 years.

Maggie Valley or Cherokee would be good places to stay, or even Pigeon Forge in Tennessee. I would imagine in March Hwy 29/The Dragonwould start cranking up especially on warmer weekends. Be aware that out in thepiedmont or coastal plains area the temps are warmer and more consistent than in the mountains. The temps can change by 20 degrees from the valleys to the higher elevations, so be prepared.
Sanford is a good location logistically to go in several different directions.....you can make beach runs for the day, and runs to Charlotte or Raleigh or Greensboro. Check dealer's websites for weekend HOG chapter's events and rides, and local area motorcycling travel guides. My localchapter here in Rocky Mount rides every Sunday year round, and most chapter's love having guests.
Ride safe and enjoy your stay here in NC.

 

a good source for places to stay at the dragon www.tailofthedragon.com have a great time.

 

I used to live in NC years ago. The weather in that area is either cold and crisp or warmer and rainy. Occasionally you get snow in the high elevations although global warming has made that less frequent. My friends and I used to stay at a little mom and pop hotel on hwy28 in Stecoah, NC-I can't remember thename, but it had a little grocery store attached-very nice people. You would then head west on hwy28 to get to 129 (Deals Gap).Hwy 28is a beatiful ride. It makes a good warm up for 129.Deals Gap is great for sportbikes because you are constantly rolling from one turn to another, but it can be a bit of a workout. Every time we went up there, we would hit differentroads to try and see/ride all that there is offered. You can't go wrong. The Gap is simply one of many.....Enjoy!

 

Unfortunately you want have to worry about the rainy part.....the entire state is under severe draught conditions, with reservoirs running at only 2 months or so reserves. To make it worse, a very dry winter is predicted.......

 

Nights in the south can get brutally cold ... especially in Jan. and Feb. low to mid 20's are not at all uncommon, coupled with the humidity it can feel even colder. The thing is it will probably warm up to the mid 50's by noon the next day....makes layering a necessity. Riding during the day is great....just get home by dark or shortly afterwards.

 

It gets cold at night in the Winter, but we'll have amazingly pleasant days for weeks sometimes ... it's a crap shoot. Lemme know when you get in and I'll show the local watering holes in Greensboro.

 

Thanks, we will be getting in our rental around January 3, it may take a couple of days to get oriented and dust off the EG. We are from Detroit and other than our club's polar bear run on Jan. 1 riding is very limited this time of year. I will look you up when we get there.