THROTTLEBACK THURSDAY: The Tail Of The Dragon

THROTTLEBACK THURSDAY: Following my sister Sarah Seccret Moreau’s lead… June 27, 2016 – Sarah “SeCCRet” Moreau and I road from Atlanta to North Carolina to Tennessee and back to North Carolina, headed to Indian Motorcycle Charlotte. We did the Tail of the Dragon along the way! SeCCret did it on the Indian Motorcycle Roadmaster, and I was on the BMW Motorrad USA R1200RT. I absolutely loved the way this bike handled all 318 curves! Can’t wait to do it again! Thanks to Schuberth Helmets and Cardo Scala Rider for keeping us linked up!

The Tail of The Dragon seems intimidating at first sight… There are 318 curves in 11 miles.  If you’re not used to riding curves, this can take you out of your element.  But, it really isn’t all that tough.  The key is to take your time and ride your ride.  Often, you’ll be riding with someone who may be slightly ahead or behind your skill level.  On a road like this, it’s best just to take your time and agree to meet at the end of the road.  SeCCRet’s Roadmaster was a lot heavier than my R1200RT, so the handling was different in the turns.  She had a great time, and made it like a champ!  Both of our bikes were loaded down with gear, because we were on our Coast 2 Coast Ride, heading up to meet the ladies on the Sisters Centennial Ride.

Now for the specifics on the BMW R1200RT… this bike road like an absolute dream through the Tail of the Dragon.  The R1200RT has a digital suspension that you can change on the fly to handle the road conditions.  I chose the Hard suspension with the Dynamic traction control setting.  These options gave the bike the stability and agility to make it through the turns with ease.  The bike handled beautifully.  The weight of the bike will also significantly alter the bike’s handling.  Even loaded with gear, the R1200RT road like similar to the S1000RR sport bike.  It handled brilliantly in the turns, and had the ease of throttle to get up to speed quickly.  I really enjoyed this experience.

For those that pushed themselves too hard, there was the tree of shame, full of broken bike parts, in memory of bikes that didn’t make it out in one piece.  It was a sobering reminder of what can happen when you ride outside of your skill level.  We made it out of the Tail of the Dragon and headed off to the hotel to rest before our event the next day.  This was an amazing ride! Stay tuned for more recaps!