Ohio Rt 536 vs the "Dragon"

[JBA111]

Well let me jump in here and clear up some misconceptions. I have been rideing the Dragon when it was only 129 which was maybe 2 decades ago and it is about 45 miles from me andI ride it maby a dozen time every year. And when I had the cat I ran it atleast that every two months. So the only times there are hundred of bikes there are usually on the big holidays. I rode it about 2 weeks ago on a thursday and durring the afternoon I passed maybe 2doz bikes going the other way. and that evening it was maybe a doz. So it was far from being crouded.
If I get to the Dragon and it's crouded I run it to Deals Gap and then turn out onto another of the 5 roads running into it. And from there one can head out to ride any of the 10,000 miles of other mountain twisties in the area so take a left and run that way or take a right and run that way or take a it don't matter they are all good!
The Dragon is a 1st 2nd and every now and then 3 gear road only. One might get into 4th at the longest straight and thats about 300 yard only. So it is tight and fast.
And it is onecurve after the other and after another. 63 curves in 6 miles is about ANY 2 lane mountain road in the East TN, West NC, Southern KY, Northeastern GA, Southwestern VA, South WV and Northwest SC area!
The 55 speed limit you mention is in the class of the Cherolla Skyway that runs out of the Dragon. Lots of folks love it for it's long sweeping curves and higher speed. but it is different type of rideing than the Dragon. It just is. the math for the road you mentioned is 63 curves in 6 miles is 10 curves a mile . the Dragon is 318 curves in 11 miles is 28curves per mile. And maybe 40% of them is blind curves.
I have rode a couple Thousand miles in Ohio Mostly the northern part but not the 555 or 536. And while they are really fun roads they can't compare the the Dragons fire.
I look forward to running the 536 later this month and if you all ever get down this way I would be happy to ride some with ya all.

[JBA111]

If ya all want a taste of the Dragon only closer to you. Try running Rt421 out of the Shady Valley area. it is just south of the TN state line. The good run is maybe 30 miles east of Bristol and runs into NC.. There is 2 mountain ridges running into that place with several 15mph switchbacks that drop 2 stories. it is a way cool area to ride.
just watch for John Law for the next 2 weeks. You can stop at the store and find out what way they went and ride the other way.

[KingRobb]

I took 421 back from the blue ridge parkway after we rode the dragon two years ago...what he says is true...there is a lot of awesome road on 421 between the blue ridge and central Ky.

there are cool roads everywhere though....if not by the end of this season next season I am gonna wander over to eastern ohio...i have a few friends here that say the 555 is alot of fun. guess I will add some 536 time too since its just a bit further.

[JBA111]

Well I got back from norhtern Ohio and I did get to ride the tripple nickle SR555. man what a great ridein road. I rode it on sunday 10/14 and it was a beautiful Southern Ohio day. I got on it down at the Ohio River and ran it northward to Zaneville. Seems like it was 40-50 miles. I rode about half of it with a couple Harley StreetGlides and rode the 2nd half with two Cinci guys on Beemers.
the first 10-15 miles had some preaty rough pavement so you had to watch it cause my Dunlops want to ride the cracks and ridges but wasn't nothing drastic. but after that the road was preaty smooth.
It is filled with small hills and turns, mostly banked but some kinda flat so you preaty much keep yur eyes open. Several switchbacks and some blind knowls so it is a very interesting ride. And the tripple nickle is a road in Southern Ohios farm country so there IS ALOT of folks liveing on the 555 and there are several crossroad towns/communities. So it's not just flat out rideing by any means.
The Day I rode I stoped at one crossroads and there was a half dozen bikes already there and in the 30 minete stop there must have been another dozen or so ride past. This was in the 4-5PM Sunday range.
I also stopped for a bite to eat at a place called Hunters pit I think it was called. A gas an eat country store. and in that halfhour there was easily a dozen bikes ride past. This was a sunday mid afternoon and I would not say it was loneily by anymens. Not crouded but certianly a well ridden road.
Rideing the 555, There are a great many medium sweepers and short straigths and I hit in the 70mphs several times and backed off before the next curve setup. So I would say the 555 is a 1st 2nd 3nd 4th gear road.
I was hopeing to ride the 536 on my way back home, but the rains came for what 3 or 4 days straight and I had to ride out thru the rain from Columbus on south to lexintonKY. So I didn't get off the superslab on the way back south.
Now for the compairison. THERE IS NONE. These are two very different roads. Like I said most, MOST of the Dragon is run in 1st and 2nd gear!!! And you pop into 3nd every now and then just long enough to twist the grip and back it off. Also ridein into the Dragon you have a high Mountain drop off on the highside. Most of it is covered by trees but none the less it's there. and rideing the Dragon out you have alot more inside curves that are near hairpin and blind. There is also no one lives on the 11 miles of the Dragon. the Few drives enterin the Dragon are old fire access roads or hunting roads, so you will see speeds jump up to near raceing sometimes. it just happens. Also there are Sports car rallies on the Dragon. One might see a heard of Mustiangs cruseing it and the nest minete see a Farrie or lamborgini (SP). Folks come from all over the country to ride the Dragon. And like I said there are several dozen great roads running into the Dragon from one point or another.
On the 555 speeds will be kept down simply because there are folks LIVEING on this road. and as hard as the buckeye is on speeding the local folks liveing on that road ain't going have much blastin till they get the OHP doing regular drives on it. And yes there are farms all along the 555 so one best be on the lookout for trucks, mini vans, farm tractors, and animals even.
BUT the tripple Nickle IS one great afternoon of rideing and if I lived near there I would ride it often. here in the East Tennessee mountains there are roads like the 555 in almost every lil valley where folks farm. And Western NC. Southern KY , Northwestern SC. Northern GA all have dozens of 555 type roads. but our real twisties are running over mountains. And Ohio just dosn't have any of them.
I hope to ride the 536 sometime next spring.

[jenifer900]

I'm the chick that was draggin floorboards all the way through 536... Lemme tell ya... the helmet hides the fear! LOL

That was one sweet road!

[xsyamahadg]

Yep, Jen rode with us, she was the fearless one. Rt 536 and the Sistersville Ferry made it a good ride.

Here is a photo of the Ferry going accross the Ohio River to West Virginia, that's Jen's bike on the lower left and my bike in the lower right.

[Bubba]

From Hannibal on Rt 7 to Rt 6 there are 66 curves, at least thats what I counted on Google Earth. I didn't count the sweeping curves.

I've got to get a life.

[xsyamahadg]

A couple more photos of the day

This is where we ate lunch



The view from our table at lunch:





The Bikes on the Ferry:






Loading time at the Ferry:



A couple of the Connies that were with us: