(Not Safe For Work – profanity) One of my favorite videos form the Tail of the Dragon at Deals Gap at the North Carolina / Tennessee border. There’s just so much wrong here, but could a more skilled motorcycle rider have pull it off?

Excessive speed and crossing on a yellow line are not atypical illegal practices on this notorious stretch of road and for these guys it was a big mistake that ended badly. But the more I look at it, the more I think it could have turned out differently.

It looks like the first rider could have reacted better. It appears he panics, sits up, fixates on the target ahead, and just grabs a handful of brakes. Unfortunately, he grabs the wrong brake (both of them do) locking the rear wheel and loosing grip just when they need it most. Rookie mistake, I’m not seeing the dive that would have come with better use of the front brake, and that’s why you now see so many new bikes with linked anti-lock braking systems.

Had he pitched into the turn I suspect a more skilled rider could have scrubbed off enough speed to make the next bend, though it would still have been hairy and left a nasty stain on the seat. I’d take going down trying to make the turn over just riding into the abyss any day. Even on an overweight behemoth of a bike like these Harleys, shifting your body makes a huge difference in negotiating a curve, and might have saved the day. Then again, it’s easy to judge from the safety of my comfy chair.

Bottom line, the “Dragon” bites another rider, though he did everything he could to provoke it.

See blog post “Move Your Ass to Save It” for tips on avoiding a similar fate – http://smokymountainrider.com/?p=131 and other mountain riding tips in posts nearby.