Omg

[Fire34]

As George Strait says " I (we) saw God today " We went for a ride yesterday did one end of the Foothills Parkwy and ended up at HWY 129 so we took it to Robinsville , saw one kid that laid his bike down he looked ok. After our stop in Robinsville we took the Cherohala back home. Riding along we came to a left hand curve. lo and behold here is a Harley truly in our lane not just hugging the yellow but truly in our lane. Dont know if he was showing off or what, We hugged the gurad rail and said oh poop ( not really ) After pulling our hearts back up where they belong we pulled off and took a deep breath. We will no longer ride the parkways on the weekends. FYI
Dave

[RICZ]

So glad that ended well for you and the Harley rider. Here's hoping he learned to ride within his skill level after that close one.

[Chupaca]

Quite a ryde you had there....:yikes: There are some roads I will only ryde at certain hours. There are a crowd that are a hazard but they tend to get up late so early ryde is a safe bet.....Glad nothing happened to you both.....:thumbup:

[ARtraveler]

It would appear that you "got the message."

Very glad you got warnings and were not actually involved in a crash.

Very good advice about those roads with twisties where many people think they have to show their riding skills--regardless of whether or not they have any.

[h0gr1der]

https://youtu.be/7Fzb6oVF5m0

The Dragon (and for that matter all the curvy roads in that area) is full of idiots on the wrong side of the road. Glad it worked out for you. It's bad when you meet an 18 wheeler in a corner. Last time we were over there an idiot in a rag top Miata was playing Ricky Racer and almost got us.

[bobbarb4546]

The "Tree of Shame" at Deal's Gap is testimony of the riders who went beyond their skill level riding the "Tail of the Dragon." Too many unskilled riders and speed demons have taken the fun of out of riding this road. We only drive up from Robbinsville and have lunch when we visit the Gap and do not ride the dragon any more. We have been riding the Cherohala Skyway since it opened and it used to be a very pleasant road to travel as many riders did not know of this road and it was a very safe road to travel. Looks like riders who want to push their riding ability to the limit also frequent this great road. So glad you were not a statistic of this dummy riding above their skill level. We will be spending a couple weeks in October in this area and riding the mountain roads and will be on extra alert of these inconsiderate bikers. Thanks for your input to this forum.

[Spyder_Cowgirl]

The "Tree of Shame" at Deal's Gap is testimony of the riders who went beyond their skill level riding the "Tail of the Dragon."

I hate to say this, but some of these "speed demons" are not riding above their skill level, they just don't have the sense to stay in their own lane. I witnessed this behavior, from an experienced rider (two up, no less) just this past weekend while riding the group ride to Cape Fair at Spyders in the Ozarks. I was behind this guy, testing out my new Elka front shocks (wow!) and staying well within my lane throughout the twisties of the Ozarks, for a full 90% of the left hand curves he was at least half (sometimes all) way into the left lane where oncoming traffic COULD have been. At the lunch stop, I actually asked that he stay in his own lane for safety … his response? "I only do it when I can see all the way around the curve" … ummm, NO, he could not in at least half the cases (unless he has x-ray vision). Bottom line, he was doing this intentionally as it was his habit from his "racing days." IMO he was just being lazy, and dangerous -- I just made sure he was behind me after lunch (for my own safety).

All the best ………… Ann

[Woodaddict]

Stayed in a cabin at the NC side of Cherohola, heard a siren that afternoon, then 1 the next day. Cabin owner said they hear them all the time. With any highly traveled road by car, truck, MC, whatever, a number of people always make poor decisions regarding speed, paying attention, ETC