rmira

Headed over to the Dragon yesterday with my son. It was crowded but still fun. We got behind a tricked up Miata and Civic. They showed us the way - basically they would slow down enough to let the slower traffic get ahead, then we'd go ***** out till we caught up to the traffic again. Broke my rear end loose 2-3 times, that was scary fun; and scraped the bottom of my front air dam on a couple of switch backs.

Switched cars with my son on the double back, (he owns a 350Z). It was fun driving the 'Z', and also watching and hearing my car ahead of me. However, I think switching cars was probably a little more fun for my son.

whyb2nd

Sweet, It's always special when you do something with your son....

MHC2S

Sounds cool, I am heading down to the Dragon in October for a full week of riding on my new Ducati. I cannot wait!!!

bbywu

I hear THP have been ticketing and harassing drivers like mad. Any problems during your trip?

MHC2S

Yes, I have also heard this as well. I spoke to a local and he told me Mon.-Thurs. is the time to go and that is when I'm going. He said the THP clears out during the week, but is on full force during the weekends and Friday afternoons.

I am booked to go for a week in October and I can't wait!!!!

StickShift964

i love when cops ticket the people who know how to drive......dont you?

rmira

There were three Tennessee State Troopers and a local Sherriff on the 'Tail'. They had radar guns, but left them on, easily picked up by Radar Detectors. The speed limit is 30 MPH, I guess you could get into trouble on some of the short straights, but to me the fun is the tight turns/switchbacks. I think the cops are looking for people who are being stupid/reckless; crossing the lines, hauling *** on the straights, tailgating, etc. Bottom line, it was crowded, the cops were their in force, but we still had a blast.

Soulteacher

I have to admit that I had no idea what you guys were talking about... so I googled it. For other ignorant people like me, there are a few interesting websites out there. Here's one: http://www.tailofthedragon.com. Apparently you get ticketed rather easily. In return, it's funny how they post pictures of TN police officers violating traffic rules.

Man, you must have hit it really hard!

rmira

Yeah, I read that stuff on the cops when I got home. Honestly, people were waving and honking at the troopers, and they were waving back. I really think if you showed good judgement they would leave you alone.

As far as breaking the rear end loose, don't read too much into that. We're talking really tight turns at very slow speeds. I could feel it in the car, but my son who was behind me, said: "Dad, relax, I did not see your rear slide out..." It did give me an idea of how much it takes to break the rear end loose on a TT, and of how all of a sudden it happens. Needless to say I left the nanny on. His car, a 350Z, the rear end would slide out a lot sooner, and it told you way in advance s**t was going to happen. It was a fun, and relatively safe day. We probably had as much fun getting there.

If you ever come up, PM me. I live relatively close, and know of other roads that are as much fun, and less well known.

Soulteacher

Your son has an awesome car there. I had a 350Z before I bought my first Porsche in 2006. None of the other cars I ever owned offered more value for the money. I absolutely loved it. Great car.

Thanks, mate!

Carcam

Rmira- got a question for you. I have some friends that ride sport bikes on the Blue Rige Parkway and they say that it's patroled by federal cops and a speeding ticket is a flat $100, no points, no court, no insurance reporting, etc. Can you confirm this? I know it's not as exciting as the dragon. Thanks.

rmira

I've have only been on the Parkway twice. I can't really speak to how the parkway is patrolled. In my opinion the Parkway is more for leisurely cruising. It is still a beautiful drive. As I said earlier, there are a lot of awesome 'twisties' in this area.

Soulteacher

Weirdly enough, I vaguely remember reading something not too long ago about traffic tickets in national parks. I tried to look it up but didn't find it, but here's a related article: http://www.smokymountainnews.com/iss...new_fines.html. If I remember correctly, the more recent article stated that fines on national properties had gone up once again and that they indeed become part of your driving records.

MHC2S

Never heard of the Dragon??? Shame on you Wolfgang. It's only the greatest stretch of road on the East Coast. Folks from all over the US and the world come to run the Dragon. I'll be there in October for a week on my new Ducati and I can't wait. 318 curves in 11 miles

Soulteacher

I know, I know. It looks really good. Kind of the exact opposite of the McAllen/Edinburg area in South Texas ("Rio Grande Valley") where I lived for 6.5 years: I don't remember a single curve (or even slight bend) in any of the roads. Seriously, every single road was dead straight, leading either north-south or east-west. And FLAT, man, everything was flat.

Will definitely check out the Dragon.