black mamba
Well-known member
I have been a very vocal critic, for some time now, of letting tractor-trailer rigs onto certain roads, like the infamous " Dragon ". It is one of the reasons I avoid that road like the plague. I recently spent 3 weeks riding some of my favorite routes in the N.C., TN, and Virginia high country. I witnessed first hand some of the folly and stupidity in allowing these type trucks access to certain stretches of highway.
For those of you not familiar with it, The " Snake " represents one of the most entertaining and challenging rides you will ever take on a motorcycle. It is Hwy. # 421 and , going south to north, runs from Mountain City, TN, and goes to Shady Valley, TN, crosses through a gorgeous valley, and continues on to Bristol, TN. It is about 30 miles in length and has close to 500 curves and turns. Depending on your pace, it can be a casual cruise or one of the most white-knuckle experiences of your life and is rapidly attaining a " must ride " status with those in the know. Going on it from north to south, leaving Bristol, I got caught behind a huge semi and had to follow it for about a 5 mile stretch before coming into Shady Valley. The truck literally filled up the whole road probably 90 percent of the time I was behind it. How it made it around some of the switch-backs amazes me still, but the truth is that in many instances they don't make it and become lodged between obsticles. I remember thinking at the time how lucky it was that no other vehicle came from the opposite direction while I followed that truck.
The next day, my wife and I were back on the " Snake " , riding two-up. Two guys on sport bikes blew by us at a pretty good clip. We could see ahead to the next turn ( a left hand one ) as they went into it. When we got to the turn, we found a tractor-trailer stopped, one of the sport bikes resting under the trailer and the other bike banged up against a rock wall. Talking to the riders, they said, as they came around the turn, the cab of the truck was in their lane entirely and the trailer had entirely blocked the other lane. Fortunately, both riders had reduced their speed going into the corner because of some gravel on the pavement. One of the guys did a low-side and ended up beneath the truck's trailer. The other rider had no option but to try and slow his bike as best he could before hitting the shear rock wall to his right. Both riders had on good safety gear and suffered only minor injuries. The bike that hit the wall was not rideable. This episode could have been a lot worse than it was.
Common sense needs to prevail and these type trucks need to be banned from those kind of roads.
For those of you not familiar with it, The " Snake " represents one of the most entertaining and challenging rides you will ever take on a motorcycle. It is Hwy. # 421 and , going south to north, runs from Mountain City, TN, and goes to Shady Valley, TN, crosses through a gorgeous valley, and continues on to Bristol, TN. It is about 30 miles in length and has close to 500 curves and turns. Depending on your pace, it can be a casual cruise or one of the most white-knuckle experiences of your life and is rapidly attaining a " must ride " status with those in the know. Going on it from north to south, leaving Bristol, I got caught behind a huge semi and had to follow it for about a 5 mile stretch before coming into Shady Valley. The truck literally filled up the whole road probably 90 percent of the time I was behind it. How it made it around some of the switch-backs amazes me still, but the truth is that in many instances they don't make it and become lodged between obsticles. I remember thinking at the time how lucky it was that no other vehicle came from the opposite direction while I followed that truck.
The next day, my wife and I were back on the " Snake " , riding two-up. Two guys on sport bikes blew by us at a pretty good clip. We could see ahead to the next turn ( a left hand one ) as they went into it. When we got to the turn, we found a tractor-trailer stopped, one of the sport bikes resting under the trailer and the other bike banged up against a rock wall. Talking to the riders, they said, as they came around the turn, the cab of the truck was in their lane entirely and the trailer had entirely blocked the other lane. Fortunately, both riders had reduced their speed going into the corner because of some gravel on the pavement. One of the guys did a low-side and ended up beneath the truck's trailer. The other rider had no option but to try and slow his bike as best he could before hitting the shear rock wall to his right. Both riders had on good safety gear and suffered only minor injuries. The bike that hit the wall was not rideable. This episode could have been a lot worse than it was.
Common sense needs to prevail and these type trucks need to be banned from those kind of roads.
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