This needs to be made into an Alfa event!!!

[milanfire17]

I saw the article in R&T, checked out the site... decided someone needs to organize an Alfa invasion http://www.tailofthedragon.com/
The website touts the return of the Minis, we need send the serpents to tame the Dragon!!!!

[La Voce]

Great post! I had no idea I was reasonably close to the best twisties in the US. I have to take the family to my wife's family reunion over Memorial Day and it's in NC....the Milano sounds like the weapon of choice for this trip!

[67 spider]

yes it does!
i've been trying to figure how to post video of the dragon
this photo does no justice to the 318 curves in 11 miles - my hands were too busy to mess with the camera !
ps check out that oil pressure

318 curves in 11 miles

help ! i cant get a photo on this page - any help on how to get a photo below ?

ps go to events and check out moonshine rally this weekend , may 6

[Alex Csank]

Guys! It has been an Alfa event, a FIAT/ Lancia event, a Ferrari event and a Maserati event! With your help, we can do it again...no problem. There are LOTS of Alfisti within driving range of that road. Wanna make a run?

A couple of things though:

1. The cops know about the road.
2. MANY folks have been killed by going too fast.
3. Your brakes, steering, tires and nerves had better be in great shape.
4. Unfortunately, it gets pretty crowded in the summer and especially on weekends. The best time to run it is in early spring on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday morning.

By the way, there are LOTS of other roads which are just as good if not better. I once made a list of the ones I have driven, but that was many years ago. It used to be my mission in life to find and drive all the best roads on the planet. I based my list upon the following criteria:

1. It has to have spectacular views.
2. There have to be lots of awesome corners, upgrades and downgrades.
3. There can't be too much traffic.
4. It has to be dangerous enough to scare you.
5. At least once, you have to be able to accelerate and decellerate through all your gears.
6. It has to be a one-day drive with lodging, food and fuel available en-route.

Having said that, here area few of my favorites:

1. Running counter-clockwise on the coastal road around the island of Mallorca, Spain (first rule for passengers - No screaming).
2. Running South along the Amalfi Coast in Italy (weekday between November and March).
3. A counter-clockwise circle around Cape Breton, Nova Scotia in Canada (only attempt this in May or October).
4. Running South from Squamish to Vancouver British Columbia in Canada (pray it doesn't rain!).
5. Running East from Marmaris to Antalya, Turkey (vehicle must have good suspension).
6. Tail of the Dragon, Deal's Gap, NC/TN USA (as discussed above).

[kroehl]

Here's one of my favourites:

La Route des Crêtes in the Vosges region of France. The mountains basically form the left bank of the Rhine and thus the border area between Germany and France. During the WWI a road was constructed along the tops of the mountains to ensure logistical support for defense. This obviously makes for a quite exhilarating drive.

http://www.frenchvisit.com/visites/cretes_bas.html

Can be crowded in summer albeit not to the extent of some alpine passes such as Stelvio, Furka etc. (all of these are btw. obvious candidates for the list so I'll leave those out).

[84_SPIDER]

My R&T came in yesterday. After reading Peter Egan, sometimes the ONLY thing I read some months, I thumbed through the rest of the magazine. I read the article on the Tail of the Dragon. Now I have to convince my wife to go to that neck of the woods. I'd like to drive it in any car. I don't think I'd want to drive the Spider that far.

[othercarsaford]

That is a great stretch of road, but crowded. My wife can't stand it, but I love it. This is a particularly pretty area too, with the Smokey Mountains National Park, the TVA dams, the Joyce Kilmer Forrest (about 30 acres of virgin timber...Tulip Poplars the size of Redwoods), etc. all around there.

I also love Highway 28 from Franklin, N.C. toward Bryson City (it is called Bryson City Road). This is not as popular as TOTD, but it is pretty close by (you could probably find a way to make a circuit out of these ala Targa Florio...only with rednecks and pickup trucks) and one that can really give you motion sickness.

I also love the Richard B. Russell Parkway in Georgia. This sort of connects Helen to the Brasstown Bald area. Lots of elevation, but really fun to drive and beautiful. Plus you can get a sausage and a beer in Helen if you can stand the fact that it is a tourist trap.

[Green Dragon]

Nobody TAMES a DRAGON. But sometimes, if they're in a good mood, they give you the ride of your life .

Serpents...taming a DRAGON....HAHAHAHAHA that'll be the day.

Try and catch the dragon...if you can even keep up with me that is...

2QK4U on a bad day

[Alex Csank]

Ah yes, the car vs bike thing rears its ugly head again. Well, ya know actually there are some very interesting comparisons between bikes and cars in various handling and speed comparisons. Oddly enough, there are many racing and ultra-high performance cars which can not only keep up, but actually beat some very impressive high-performance bikes in several different situations. I can't remember exactly when or who, but it may have been "Top Gear" that did a series of side-by-side comparisons with professional drivers...with very interesting results.

Having said that, your "green dragon" is a very modern ultra-high performance bike. With the right rider, it will easily out accelerate and out-handle just about any Alfa, especially the older machines we drive here in North America...well, in 'the dry' anyway

[La Voce]

Screw it, I'm going for it! I could treat this gorgeous Verde like Cameron's dad treated his Ferrari in Ferris Bueller's Day Off ("he doesn't drive it, Ferris- he just rubs it with a diaper!") and obsess about keeping the mileage low on the odometer and the front end paint as pristine as possible, or take her out on a 1,000 mile round trip through the mountain twisties on an early Summer trip and let her run like the purebread she is...

[alfabianco]

The Dragon is a great drive. I've made a couple of trips up there with my dad and his miata club buddies for the miata gathering in late July. As others have posted, it's best to drive it on a weekday if you can as the summer weekends can get very crowded. Also police presence has really increased the last couple of years, especially on the Tennessee side. They've also lowered the speed limit from 50 to 35 making it that much easier to get a ticket.
Don't be tempted to cross the centerline and clip apexes. I believe most of the bad accidents that occur there are because of that, especially between cars and bikes. You will get a ticket for it, no matter what your speed is. Someone mentioned taking their family along for the ride.... Take a barf bag! AMHIK....
Troy M

[milanfire17]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Green Dragon Nobody TAMES a DRAGON. But sometimes, if they're in a good mood, they give you the ride of your life .

[Green Dragon]

I would agree with others that the good roads that are posted about and become drivers attractions become speed traps, especially on the weekends and crowded to boot with rookies who buy fast cars and think that they can now use the whole road. I left SoCal years ago but used to love driving Mullholland (at least the more remote/less patrolled/crowded areas) but even that great stretch of road has become scary with guys in their new M cars and AMG's thinking that they know how to drive. Heck the cars are so computerized you've gotta wonder who's actually driving which is why I love my spider so much...the purity of machinery. I'm rambling, I know, but my point is that these "great" roads are not great for fast driving unless it's a controlled rally of somekind where the road is being regulated. They just become plain dangerous.

OT I know and apologize,

milanfire17,
In case you didn't know, Shrek AND donkey are both cartoon, sorry CG animations. Just ask your kids, they'll set you straight on the Easter bunny too. ::just playing of course::
And thanks for the wave. You'd be surprised at how many people have actually swerved at me for..., legally, riding between the number 1 and number 2 lane, below the speed limit, when traffic is bad and barely moving. Maybe they don't understand that bikes need to keep moving for cooling or they may be jealous that I am not stuck in traffic with them...
I try to make a point of giving a wave or at least a nod to anybody who has enough situational awareness to see me coming and make a little more room.


Alex Csank,
Any sub 5 second car(0-60) can be a nightmare for a bike when they ride my tail if the road is rough or at night. I have less suspension compliance than a car, less (distributed) rubber to accomodate road irregularities, and less light than most modern truly high performance cars have available on the road. On real world back roads that are new to me, I would give the nod to any high performance bomber who obviously knows the road. That said, even though I spent 15 years riding/driving Mullholland (the whole length), I would take a well setup car out there anyday, dry or wet. Wet is bad but dust, gravel, and oil can be much worse. Not to mention that the SoCal Snake has more than a few pavement problems that come up way too fast on the bike (2.8 sec 0-60). The bike is more for the feeling of flying but for better or worse, you really are more "one with the road."

There are always trackdays where therories can be tested. BTW, Alex,you said,"it will easily out accelerate and out-handle just about any Alfa, especially the older machines we drive here in North America..." I agree. But what do you mean "just about"?..Are there any Alfas with sub 3 second 0-60 or gearing that exceeds 195mph? Love a ride in one of those Handling... well you put enough slicks on a track-only car and they can be pretty darn glued down

[Alfacliff]

for some really spectaular twisties, the area around Branson Mo. is really good, just stay off 76 highwat the "worlds longest parking lot" if the roads streighten out, you are either in Kansas or Arkansas. There used to be a spot on 36 highway that said 36 east and 36 west on the same sign.
cliff

[George J]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alex Csank 1. It has to have spectacular views. 2. There have to be lots of awesome corners, upgrades and downgrades. 3. There can't be too much traffic. 4. It has to be dangerous enough to scare you. 5. At least once, you have to be able to accelerate and decellerate through all your gears. 6. It has to be a one-day drive with lodging, food and fuel available en-route. Having said that, here area few of my favorites: 2. Running South along the Amalfi Coast in Italy (weekday between November and March).