Best Highway in America?

[stamford]

For a fun ride has to be deals gap!

YouTube- Broadcast Yourself.
I'm surprised so many here say the gap is ruined by cops. My trip there (sunday july 5th- saturday 11th) was great with almost no cop presence during the week days other than when the dragon closed down due to a fatality. I had great fun.

[A.pArKs]

Originally Posted by Travisty

I'm a road Nazi. I tell you, you tell your friends.....next thing you know there are Harleys and cops everywhere.

nah i'd only show my friend that are going with me we're a tight group an dont go there with anyother ppls

Originally Posted by Dragonslayer

BTW, isn't there a 675 weekend event gonna be here in April? How many are coming? I look forward to riding with other 675 riders, and April is a good month to ride before the bigger crowds get here.

ill be there with my 675 in may! come ride with us!

[Blinker]

Originally Posted by [FLUX]

Is that video the entire length?

Not quite; the first vid in the thread is most of it though, traveling east to west. Stops at the overlook instead of going all the way to Tabcat bridge, the "official" entrance to the Dragon from the west. As for corner count, 129 is full of complex, multi-apex sections that probably get counted as multiple corners, along with grade and camber shifts; the surface is great though, you're right. Mostly second gear stuff with stock gears on a 675, third in spots but you don't really have room or need to air it out in third. Not much margin for error, as you can see from the zillion trees lining both sides of the road. If you're lucky enough to miss the trees, you go flying off the side of a hill, or into one. And then into a tree... ;-)

Cool vid; makes me antsy for Spring. Plus a good excuse to listen to Imogen Heap...

[[FLUX]]

It is a good vid. I've seen a few Deals Gap vids before, and that one is definitely one of the best runs I've seen.

Originally Posted by Blinker

Not much margin for error, as you can see from the zillion trees lining both sides of the road. If you're lucky enough to miss the trees, you go flying off the side of a hill, or into one. And then into a tree... ;-)

Actually, I thought the tree/embankment issue was pretty tame! This is what many of the roads around here are like, in terms of width, surface, and margin for error.

http://www.employees.org/~slf/bt003rs.wmv

[Blinker]

Originally Posted by [FLUX]

This is what many of the roads around here are like, in terms of width, surface, and margin for error.

Yikes! Getting images of the sudden stop that poor Luger had recently. The Dragon is tame in runoff comparison to that road for sure - zero shoulder there at all, for a lot of it. In fact, in recent years they've actually built some almost-tracklike berms and runoffs in a couple of particularly problematic corners on 129, plus a lot more pulloffs for slower traffic to use so people aren't as prone to passing in sketchy bits (95% of the Dragon). If only they'd use them...

Not a lot of roads in the States with no shoulder at all. There are some, in fact one 20+ mile stretch close to where I live comes to mind, but they tend to be remote, little-traveled and poorly surfaced. Better on an SM than a sportbike.

One thing that Deals Gap vid shows is that it's quite possible to have a nice run over the gap without traffic or enforcement issues. Sure, there are times when it's frustrating to be there, but plenty of others when it's just fine.

[cabeb]

Me too, although I'll just have the Duke 690 with me

Originally Posted by A.pArKs

ill be there first week of may! sumo and d675!

[Yourashero]

If you don't mind deer, Northern Wisconsin has some amazing roads with zero cops. I've seen plenty youtube videos where the motorcycle ends up favorably over the deer. Act of God insurance claim, or ticket? Tough call!