Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Motorcycle crash on "The Dragon" causes wildfire]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/18/motorcycle-crash-on-the-dragon-causes-wildfire/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/18/motorcycle-crash-on-the-dragon-causes-wildfire/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/18/motorcycle-crash-on-the-dragon-causes-wildfire/#commentsFiled under: ,

One of these days we're going to duct tape a hand-held camcorder to the front bumper of a car and take you all for a ride on The Tail of the Dragon, an 11-mile stretch of US 129 in Tennessee that is easily one of the greatest driving roads in America. That is, if it's still there. On Wednesday a motorcycle crash started a wildfire that grew to consume 10 acres of the rocky terrain's flora. The motorcyclist, one of a countless number who have tank slapped their bike on the dragon's twisty pavement, walked away from the incident, but firefighters were reportedly still working on containing the blaze yesterday. Thanks for the tip, Zane!

[Source: Fox News]

Motorcycle crash on "The Dragon" causes wildfire originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 18 Apr 2008 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>fire tail of the dragonFireTailOfTheDragontail of the dragonTailOfTheDragonthe dragonthe dragon firethe dragon wildfirethe tail of the dragonTheDragonTheDragonFireTheDragonWildfireTheTailOfTheDragonwildfire tail of the dragonWildfireTailOfTheDragonFri, 18 Apr 2008 13:29:00 EST<![CDATA[Tennessee cracking down on Tail of the Dragon]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/08/24/tennessee-cracking-down-on-tail-of-the-dragon/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/08/24/tennessee-cracking-down-on-tail-of-the-dragon/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/08/24/tennessee-cracking-down-on-tail-of-the-dragon/#commentsFiled under:



For those who don't know, the Tail of the Dragon at Deals Gap in Tennessee is one of, if not the greatest, driving roads in the world. Containing 318 curves in an 11-mile stretch, the Tail is visited by both car enthusiasts and motor cyclists from all over the globe. While it brings a healthy amount of tourist dollars to the region, the curvy two-lane road that runs on US-129 has effectively been shut down by an overbearing Tennessee Highway Patrol.

Apparently the governor of Tennessee, Phil Bredesen, has instituted a program to reduce traffic deaths and accidents on US 129, and so the 11-mile stretch known as the Tail of the Dragon has been saturated with Tennessee Highway Patrol officers writing tickets at a hand-cramping rate. The situation has gotten so bad, US 129 is now being called Tennessee's newest toll road. The Tail of the Dragon website is keeping a running list of tickets that have been issued and why, and the reasons are rather ridiculous. Cars and motorcycles are being ticketed for literally just touching the double yellow line that indicates no passing allowed. Tickets for going 5 mph above the posted 30 mph limit are also supposedly common. And then there are reports of blatant harrassment, with THP officers caught tailgating drivers for miles and threatening arrest for minor violations.

Enthusiasts and those invested in the health of the region are trying to fight the crackdown, even keeping an ongoing photo archive of THP cruisers breaking the law themselves. Alas, authorities have not relented and will reportedly be watching the Dragon like a hawk for at least the next month.

[Source: Tail of the Dragon]

Tennessee cracking down on Tail of the Dragon originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 24 Aug 2007 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>crackdowntail of the dragonTailOfTheDragontennesseetennessee highway patrolTennesseeHighwayPatrolTHPFri, 24 Aug 2007 11:57:00 EST<![CDATA[Next BMW X5 caught on Dragon's Tail]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/05/12/bmw-x5-caught-on-dragons-tail/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/05/12/bmw-x5-caught-on-dragons-tail/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/05/12/bmw-x5-caught-on-dragons-tail/#commentsFiled under: , ,

The excellent action photographers over at Killboy.com have caught a couple of BMW X5 mules wearing next gen skin tackling The Tail of the Dragon in North Carolina. Looks like we'll see new headlight and taillamp shapes along with revised bumpers - probably subtle tweaks along the links of what the X3 received.

It appears the Killboy crew specializes in photographing all manner of motos on the Dragon's tail and we were surprised to see BMW using the famous set of twisties to test the new X5. It's almost like they wanted to get caught.

[Source: Killboys]

Next BMW X5 caught on Dragon's Tail originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 12 May 2006 16:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>killboyspy picspy shotSpyPicSpyShottail of the dragonTailOfTheDragonx5Fri, 12 May 2006 16:14:00 EST