Dragon claims another rider Mon.

[signart]

Sad to report a 62 yr. old N.C. woman lost her life near the 4 mi. marker on 129 yesterday (Mon.)
Riding a '96 Yamaha, left the road, hit a stump then went down 70' embankment.
Everybody take extra caution, a split second lapse in judgement can erase decades of safe riding.

[Spirited-6]

 

[mike4sho]

Very sad to hear.

[BigAl]

Sad to hear.

She won't be the last.

Live it like you are on your last day, ride it like you stole it.

Sad TO hear.   

[MacDragon]

Real sad to hear... My buddy (Valk IS owner) just got back to Mass. from the Dragon.  He was down there for a week and has some nice footage of the ride.  Be safe out there all,  no room to be complacent in the twisties.  Thoughts and condolences go out to her family and friends.

[Fudd]

Here's the story:

http://www.thedailytimes.com/Local_News/story/Another-Dragon-death--NC-woman-killed-when-motorcycle-slides-off-road-id-028930

[BigAl]

I have riden the Dragon at over 100mph on the straits, and burnt tires off in 1500 miles. It is a good road, that has some bad times. Sad to say, we lost another Monday.

[GreenLantern57]

RIP. sad day for riders.

[Smokinjoe-VRCCDS#0005]

Soon after this picture was taken....This lady was dead 

[signart]

I don't know the woman, but I really hate it. I also hate it for the folks she was sharing a great day with before the tradgedy.

[Skinhead]

That's a real shame!  It could (and does) happen anywhere.

Condolences to the family.

[Gear Jammer]

in the blink of an eye,,,   

[Disco]

Rest in Peace, Judy.  Condolences to her friends and family.   

[signart]

When it rains, it pours.   A 68 yr. old Harley rider from Sweetwater, TN lost his life on 129 yesterday (Wed). Not sure if on the D :'(ragon or very near (close to Hwy 72 intersection). Again no other vehicle involved.

[Valkorado]

That is awful.  We just lost a former city council member, mayor and local business owner in our little town.  His wife is in bad shape as well.  Tragic.  Not 100% verified, but rumor from several sources is he was riding his Big Dog when his doo-rag flew off.  He attempted an abrupt U-turn to get it and he got T-boned by his son riding a Harley.

I have seen many videos of "the Dragon".  Don't get me wrong, I love the twistys.  But the traffic -- ranging from blazing crotch rockets to semis that seem to have a hard time staying in their own lanes on the corners -- makes me wonder why folks find this so cursed fun.  Perhaps to proclaim, "I survived!". 

For me, the less traffic the better.  Unfortunately, traffic everywhere is thicker than most of us remember when we first set out on the highways and byways of America many years ago.

[Fudd]

You don't have to look a the picture Joe posted of the lady too long to notice some things.

She's concentrating on what she's doing. Certainly not hamming it up for the phototographer.  She's wearing safety gear.  Chaps, jacket, gloves and boots.  Even the pink helmet suggests that it was bought for her, not just an oversized hand-me-down from her husband.

I can bet she's not a peg dragging hot rodder.  I'll imagine she'd be someone holding me up by being slow and cautious.

So why is she dead?

It sounds like she picked a bad place to crash.  If she fell 75 ft., it's likely she could have walked to the edge, stepped off, and been just as dead.  Was she being paced by her husband at a faster pace than she could handle?  I'd love to know her experence level and what training she had.

I rode in a parade last year behind a gentleman who had been riding for years and didn't have a clue as to what causes a motorcycle.  I had followed the man through a series of turns and made some observations.  When approaching a turn, he would start leaning in the direction he wanted to go, then apply the brake until the bike 'magicly' followed his mental thought.  His handlebars were more or less there for something to hold on to.

After we stopped, I gingerly and discretely engaged him in a private discussion.  I told him, to get a more positive and precise control, he needed to try 'pushing foward' in the direction he wanted to go.  The man asked me, "you mean, to go left, I should turn the handlebar to the right?"  I answered, "basically....yes."

He said that makes as much sence as using your right blinker if you want to turn left.  I asked him how long he had been riding.  Supprisingly, he answered, "over 20 years."  It turns out this was his second motorcycle, something had 'locked up' in the handlebars on his first one, causing him to wreck it in a ditch.  He even had a story to go along with the wreck; his mechanic agreed that faulty steering bearings 'could' have been a problem.

I suggested, that as an experiment, while going down a straight road, try turning the bars to the right.  He did!  He seemed supprised when the bike moved left.  The guy seemed amused at what happened, did it over and over.  Even gave me a thumbs up.

It showed me that some people that have ridden for a long time, lack basic skills.  I don't know if that was the case with this fatality, but I have to wonder.

[fudgie]

Did some twisties last night. A small, but busy road, near a place called Devils Hallow. Sign says 30 mph but took'm at 45 and the last one is tight! Did it again the other way but got slowed by a car half way thru. Kit was laughing at me.