Anybody Ridden The T.O.t.D. Who'd Never Do It Again?
#51
The Dragon
Hope to do it some day.
I have rode the section between Legget, CA and the Mendocino coast on hwy 101 and have been told by folks that have done both that it puts the Dragon to shame. I don't know if that is true but it is a pretty impressive stretch by itself. throw in some logging trucks and it can be gnarly.
I have rode the section between Legget, CA and the Mendocino coast on hwy 101 and have been told by folks that have done both that it puts the Dragon to shame. I don't know if that is true but it is a pretty impressive stretch by itself. throw in some logging trucks and it can be gnarly.
Last edited by princeaz; 02-14-2012 at 02:45 PM.
#53
I'm not going to count curves. But the "Twistiest Road in the World" is in San Francisco, and there's even one in San Francisco that's twistier than the Twistiest.
But those roads are hell to drive. It's no fun at all. But there ARE some stretches of road that I've been on in the Coastal Range of norcal that are all first gear corners for miles. And, just like the Dragon, there are great roads for getting there. One big plus I've heard for the Dragon is that the suface is good. Here, our roads are like minefields. More of a challenge, but probably not a much fun.
If I'm ever in the area, I'll tackle the Dragon once or twice. Obviously, if I lived near it, I'd do it a couple hundred more times. The part I like is that their are only two roads that intersect it. But I'm sure I could find a Leftturner.
But those roads are hell to drive. It's no fun at all. But there ARE some stretches of road that I've been on in the Coastal Range of norcal that are all first gear corners for miles. And, just like the Dragon, there are great roads for getting there. One big plus I've heard for the Dragon is that the suface is good. Here, our roads are like minefields. More of a challenge, but probably not a much fun.
If I'm ever in the area, I'll tackle the Dragon once or twice. Obviously, if I lived near it, I'd do it a couple hundred more times. The part I like is that their are only two roads that intersect it. But I'm sure I could find a Leftturner.
#54
From the videos I have seen of it I would say we have very similar stuff here in SoCal. I used to run Palomar almost every sunday in my croth rocket days (east grade mostly) BTW...
#55
Here are some links to some of the other roads mentioned
Devil's Triangle
http://www.devilstriangletn.com/
The Snake
http://www.421thesnake.com/
The Diamondback Loop Highway 80 and Highway 226A some roads I grew up on and are close to me so I am partial to them...lol A great mix of twisties and straights.
Highway226A Diamondback
http://www.diamondbacknc.com/db_loop_route.html
Highway 80 The Devil's Whip
http://www.thedevilnc80.com/
Devil's Triangle
http://www.devilstriangletn.com/
The Snake
http://www.421thesnake.com/
The Diamondback Loop Highway 80 and Highway 226A some roads I grew up on and are close to me so I am partial to them...lol A great mix of twisties and straights.
Highway226A Diamondback
http://www.diamondbacknc.com/db_loop_route.html
Highway 80 The Devil's Whip
http://www.thedevilnc80.com/
#56
The wife and I rode in in '09. Two Up on my old XL 883 Low. Just took off from Ohio one morning, no plans... ended up in Tennessee. Rode the Dragon and all over TN, NC, VA, WV, and PA. 1600 miles in 4 days. The Tail of the Dragon is really cool, but if you grew up in NE Ohio / WV panhandle like I did, you'll know that there are equally great roads here as well. Besides the 318 turns in 11 miles, the best part is that for 11 miles, there are no connecting roads, so no one is pulling out or stopping to turn off.
We rode the T.O.T.D. on a Thursday, late afternoon, so traffic was not bad at all. Here's a link to the video my wife shot on a cheap Sanyo digital camera. You don't really get an appreciation for the switchbacks and the required lean angle because she held the camera over my shoulder (or pointing at my back), parallel to the road surface the whole time. http://www.facebook.com/video/video....87749854573319
We rode the T.O.T.D. on a Thursday, late afternoon, so traffic was not bad at all. Here's a link to the video my wife shot on a cheap Sanyo digital camera. You don't really get an appreciation for the switchbacks and the required lean angle because she held the camera over my shoulder (or pointing at my back), parallel to the road surface the whole time. http://www.facebook.com/video/video....87749854573319
#57
That's hardcore!
#58
Joeschmoe hit it with the other roads in the area.As long as there isn't a Dead End sign on it take any road and you will have a good ride. Semi's can't use the road any more there I believe. Sport bikes are a pain but sport cars are the real problem.Go for it,I've done it a couple of times but never was a must on my ride list. To many other nice roads in the area to ride one congested one.