The first dozen or so curves seemed like no big deal and almost a bit disappointing, but then things got interesting. I figured the Dragon would be a skills test - like taking all the twisties I had done and putting them into one road…and I was, well, sort of right. I was tossing my 1731 cc, 800 lb motorcycle around with a level of control that made it feel like the bike and I had become one. I had been working hard on mastering my cornering skills and my toolbox had grown significantly in the last couple of years. The Tree of Shame stands at the southern end of The Dragon, at Deals Gap, as a warning to those who might be tempted to get a little too aggressive and it is decorated with hundreds parts and pieces of the motorcycles that failed to negotiate The Dragon. Due to its numerous banking hairpin turns surrounded by heavy forest, and with the occasional cliff just to make it a bit more interesting, it provides a never ending lure for motorcyclists who make the trip for the thrill of this road and for the bragging rights of having tamed The Dragon.

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). I had already been on this particular road trip for almost 2 ½ weeks, having spent a week riding with friends in The Black Hills of South Dakota before making the turn southeast for the 2,400km (1,500 miles) ride toward the Tennessee/North Carolina state line and the home of one of the most infamous motorcycle roads in North America.

Dragon motorcycle ride north carolina