Deals Gap videos with the HD GoPro

[Lamonster]

Here's a few videos I took with the GoPro mounted on my helmet. This was the first time I had been to the Dragon from the TN side since the big rock slide. It was a good day for a ride and I was taking it easy and enjoying the view.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=951wJTrmJN8[/ame]
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnX7uuLe8Ls[/ame]
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=undpEZHn-EY[/ame]
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_Vk8hcVLic[/ame]

[rnet]

I don't know how they are in TN., but in NY. the cops would have a field day for all the lane violations.

[Lamonster]

I thought I did pretty good staying in my lane

[ArmyJoe]

Cool videos. Thanks for posting.

Have you done the Dragon enough to have the turns (and the speedtraps) memorized?

[rnet]

I thought I did pretty good staying in my lane

Yes you did, but in NY they can write you for crossing the white line. Any color solid line, but most cops wouldn't unless they were out to get you.

[WackyDan]

At the Gatlinburg Harley dealer back in June, I was speaking to the front desk "clerk" while my brother was getting some stuff done to his Harley.

My Spyder was parked out front and he mentioned that he rides an R1 and that one time on the Dragon there was a spyder on his tail and he couldn't shake him.

I casually replied that "oh yeah, that could have been Lamont" being that you are probably one of the more accomplished Spyder riders out there...

Of course, I wanted to also say " if you can't lose a Spyder on an R1, you need to learn how to ride that thing", but I was being polite.

[retired1]

Great video. Watching it, from your helmet cam, brought back memories of last year and raised my pulse rate a little bit. Hope the weather is good again this year. Can't wait!!

[Smylinacha]

Wow - I always wanted a video cam - that thing takes really good quality videos! I'll have to check them out. I was gonna tape the DROID to my helmet but afraid of losing it LOL

[Bersquack]

That cam seems to work pretty good!

Nice job!

[ameobe]

Nice vids, also a good reminder of an awesome ryde last year.

[wyliec]

Are you at setting 4 or 5 on the gopro? I'm guessing setting 5 because it doesn't look like 170 degrees; at least that's the way it looked on the last vid.

[dancogan]

I thought I did pretty good staying in my lane

I thought you did a great job. It's crossing that yellow line that will get you in trouble. The only time you crossed the white line seemed to be an intentional line through the corner. Nice video.

p.s. no gloves?

[Capt John]

Got me all excited! Looking forward to Gatlinburg!

[Lamonster]

Cool videos. Thanks for posting.

Have you done the Dragon enough to have the turns (and the speedtraps) memorized?

Well I know they are there somewhere and sure enough I ran up on three of them toward the end of my run. It's just not worth the ticket so I try and keep my speeds down as much as I can stand to.

[Lamonster]

At the Gatlinburg Harley dealer back in June, I was speaking to the front desk "clerk" while my brother was getting some stuff done to his Harley.

My Spyder was parked out front and he mentioned that he rides an R1 and that one time on the Dragon there was a spyder on his tail and he couldn't shake him.

I casually replied that "oh yeah, that could have been Lamont" being that you are probably one of the more accomplished Spyder riders out there...

Of course, I wanted to also say " if you can't lose a Spyder on an R1, you need to learn how to ride that thing", but I was being polite.

Any decent sportbike rider will blow me away on the Dragon. I will say I've yet to run with a cruiser that can walk away from me. The nanny is the limiting factor on the Spyder. That may be a good thing

Are you at setting 4 or 5 on the gopro? I'm guessing setting 5 because it doesn't look like 170 degrees; at least that's the way it looked on the last vid.

That was set on 4, I was surprised how it turned out too. It did make the bars look farther away than they were.

[canam9]

[ArmyJoe]

I was just watching them again.

Anyone else find themselves leaning into the turns?

[Firefly]

I knew I shoulda bought one of those before my trip!

Maybe before SITS....

Can they mount to yer head without a helmet?

Sure can tell you're intake is more open!

[Lamonster]

I knew I shoulda bought one of those before my trip!

Maybe before SITS....

Can they mount to yer head without a helmet?

Sure can tell you're intake is more open!

They have a bunch of mounts including a head strap mount.
http://www.goprocamera.com/products/...trap-mount.php
You can really hear that intake in the video, that's not the pipe you're hearing.

[gpthree]

I was just watching them again.

Anyone else find themselves leaning into the turns?

I do because it feels like I'm gonna slide off the seat if I dont.

[SilverSurfer]

The upcomming Spyders in the Smokies will be my first run at The Dragon. Lamont ... Your vids were incredible, and some of the best I've seen for a Spyder on U.S. 129. Certainly reflective of one who's run those 318 curves several times on different machines. Great lane control; I would probably cheat those wide shoulders just like you did. I kept straining to see your speedometer in those straight-aways ... or maybe it was just the great-sounding exhaust and the wide angle of the Go-Pro that made it seem like you were rippin'. I watched the vids full-screen on a 23-inch monitor in my dark office. My equilibrium went along with your vid. Anyway, I'm stoked. I'll have my Go-Pro with me on the trip. Might not be as heart-racing as Lamonster's.

For my own newby therapy and others, experts' advice (http://www.tailofthedragon.com) on The Dragon is to take it slow and easy on the first couple of runs and then aggress a bit more as one becomes more familiar with the road and how one's individual bike performs on it ... keep one's eyes on the road and don't sight-see!

Yes ... I definitely lean. It's a more natural act in the turn. RT's in the shop this week ... part of it is to get the Elka Stage 1+'s installed. Excited to learn how that works out on The Dragon.

Cheers!

[mxz600]

I thought I did pretty good staying in my lane

Got a little close to the edge at the 4:20 mark on the second video.
Was down in the NC last week for a family reunion. We went up in the Blue Ridge Mountains, some of those cliffs made me a little uneasy. One wrong move and .

[Lamonster]

I just added the last video. If you switch it to 720p instead of 360p it will look a lot better. There's a red Spyder going the other way in this video and you can see the Troopers toward the end.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_Vk8hcVLic[/ame]

[hevnbound]

Excellent videos.

One reason it appears that Spyders cross the lines when using a helmet cam is that a lot of times we are leaning into the curve and it appears we are crossing the yellow. I myself am guitly of crosing the yellow line a lot on a tight lefthand curve because if I am on the outside of the curve and at a high speed, the camber of the road really trys to push you outside of the curve. I only do this however, when I have a clear view around the curve.

I would have to watch all videos again to make certain but if I remember correctly, all of the cagers pulled over for you?! What do you have mounted up front that makes them pull over. Could it be that cagers are getting more motorcycle friendly? I sure wish the snails pace cruisers would give way!

In case anyone is wondering about your lack of doing the motorcycle "wave" .... and for those who haven't been to the Dragon. On most days if you waved at every bike that came by you, you would find yourself running off the cliff so it's best not to do so. Just a thought.

I do try - when it is safe - to give the "helmet pat" warning oncoming bikers about the LEO's.

[Lamonster]

Excellent videos.

One reason it appears that Spyders cross the lines when using a helmet cam is that a lot of times we are leaning into the curve and it appears we are crossing the yellow. I myself am guitly of crosing the yellow line a lot on a tight lefthand curve because if I am on the outside of the curve and at a high speed, the camber of the road really trys to push you outside of the curve. I only do this however, when I have a clear view around the curve.

I would have to watch all videos again to make certain but if I remember correctly, all of the cagers pulled over for you?! What do you have mounted up front that makes them pull over. Could it be that cagers are getting more motorcycle friendly? I sure wish the snails pace cruisers would give way!

In case anyone is wondering about your lack of doing the motorcycle "wave" .... and for those who haven't been to the Dragon. On most days if you waved at every bike that came by you, you would find yourself running off the cliff so it's best not to do so. Just a thought.

I do try - when it is safe - to give the "helmet pat" warning oncoming bikers about the LEO's.

Knowing I was going to post this on the site I tried to save myself from the "you crossed the line" post. I do the same as you, if I can see through the turn I will cross the line from time to time but I don't make a habit of it.

I don't know why the cars were getting out of my way this trip, most of the time they don't. Maybe they heard that Kewlmetal intake on their butt.