Ducati Monster Forum

Some say that this is Ohio's equivalent to the tail of the dragon (US129 on the border or TN and NC)  I am not sure if that is true but I can assure you that my knees hurt at the end of this 30 minutes of video and we had more to go after that.  555 continued on after this, followed by 676 into Marietta and then we hit up 26 and 260 on the way home all of which were fantastic SE Ohio roads.  Although I love the Appalachian valleys, there truly is nothing like SE Ohio. 

Anyway, enjoy the footage of me elegantly lugging my air cooled Ducati out of corners at less than 3k rpm at times.  Leisurely enjoying the corners.  :)  Seriously, the bike was made for this, while superbikes work their asses off to carry speed in these corners, this bike, with it's straight bars and silly torque over light weight body and motor destroys these roads.  The only weak point is me, who can barely carry my giant gurth over the foot pegs as I have to hang off the bike in these corners going about 35mph. 

SR555 Ohio's Tail of the Dragon Part 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0m_3KRkSfnc#normal)

SR555 Ohio's Tail of the Dragon Part 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BagIQpIUtI#normal)

SR555 Ohio's Tail of the Dragon Part 3 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ey992fRHTv8#normal)

That road looks pretty awesome.

I don't think I'd compare it to the dragon though.  The corners are much more sweeping for the most part.  And there's not the stress of having cliffs to have to worry about driving off, which's nice.


What kind of camera were you using?  Looks like pretty good quality video.

It wouldn't hurt to raise the mounting point up some though so the instruments don't obscure the view quite so much.

I agree.  It's really not apples to apples with the dragon, but everyone in OH likes to compare.  SR555 is a fantastic road but honestly, in SE OH and down into WV there a lot of good roads.  People really only compare 555 to the dragon cause it has so many slow corners.   I have videoes of the dragon on the same bike if you want to make a direct comparison.  It's clearly not the same.

Tail of the Dragon pt1 Ducati Monster S2R1000 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bq4c9vP3nqo#normal)

Tail of the Dragon pt2 Ducati Monster S2R1000 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYvY3Gxx-t8#normal)

Tail of the Dragon pt3 Ducati Monster S2R1000 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ccoa0_XNxcc#normal)


It's a goproHD.  I only run 720p though.  I am really impressed with the quality of the camera, espeicially compared to the old versions.

Yes, I want to raise the mount.  I had an unfortunate incident where I destroyed a lot of my mounts a few months ago and haven't replaced.  I think 1 more joint up would make it much better.   get me a lot more above the gauges.  

I was at a local bike shop today getting my bike inspected and they had one sitting on the counter in a display.

It was the first one I'd ever seen in person.  I was really impressed by how small and compact it was.

I like seeing the actual gauges, fwiw. It makes it easier to imagine what actually riding there would be like.

Great production Joe.

Have you tried mounting the Camera on top of your Helmet ?

It WILL really stay in place.

I put one on top of my Helmet and went 100 mph to test it and it stayed put plus ran it on the Helmet for over 45 minutes.......only problem........no video.

One problem w, showing your gauges is if you should happen to get stopped by a  [leo] he or she can review that video and see the speed you were going and 90 mph wouldn't look too good !

I also want to commend you on your choice of " Jethro Tull "  on the 1st segment.

I really like that stretch of road.

I stay mainly in Hocking, Southern Fairfield, Perry, Vinton and Athens counties.

The roads I ride are generally much twistier and Forested.

That 555 would make a great Road Racing road.

I didn't see any  [leo], how is it generally as far as  [leo] ?

http://tiny.cc/like-this (http://tiny.cc/like-this)

 [evil]

What on Earth was the Rider thinking as he was passing ? ???

Dolph   

He wasn't.

May be it was the 1st curve he had come to ! ???

Dolph

555 is great, as is that whole area (My in-laws live there, so I get to ride around there quite a few times a year), but it's a different experience than the dragon. The roads in TN are in better shape, and while 555 has some awesome curves, 129 is just amazing.  Still, the roads in SE Ohio are one of the hidden treasures for motorcyclists in the state, and this time of year is the best of all [thumbsup].   

Nice vid! Being a NE Buckeye, I too, run all around this area west of Marietta. Great getaway and an easy day trip from the Akron area. Ideally though, I use them as a means of dodging I-77 on my way down into the mountains of WV where the cautionary "turn" signs don't lie. Thanks for posting!

Nice!  Yep, a few of us are out there whenever we have good weather, gas money and good tires. :-)

And yes, do not show your gauges when recording.  Lol


R555,r536, r255 are nice technical roads.

R26 is fun long swerve road .

Gravel is what sucks out there.

B safe !

I have never seen a cop on 555.  There is actually not much traffic on it generally.  I like having the gauges in the shot too even in spite of the fact that it could be used against me.  Let's people get a sense of what kind of speeds the corners are.   Although I definitely exceeded the speed limit at times I actually like to take it easy down there.  Lugging the straights and just trying to carry corner speed.  No reason to treat it like a race track since going off the road could hurt a lot.   I lost some of the mount joints otherwise I would have moved the camera up 1 more link.  

I'm going to try and make some more videos in the future of some of the other great roads in the area.  I've mostly used the camera on the track and that is all so far.  The public roads are kinda fun to make videos on.

Yes, I've had the camera on my helmet before.  I used one of the curved sticky mounts for that.  I didn't like it because every time I check my shoulder or look to the left or right so does the camera. 

No  [leo] ,........ makes my mouth water  [evil].

Thanks Joe for the response.

Dolph.... :)

The big thing to watch for is gravel.   It was good that day but you never know with 555. 

Is 78 a good jumping on point ?

Dolph      :)

Yes indeed, it is.  I actually did just that yesterday...took 78 W to 555 south to 7, then 555 back North to 37.  78 is a great road, too, particularly in that specific region.  I just put new rear shocks on my GT, and a new chain, and MAN, IT WAS FREAKIN' AWESOME!  Beyooootiful day out, hardly anyone on the road, and the ride just "clicked"...what was going to be a two-hour ride home ended up a 5-hour joyride...had a guy riding 2-up on a sport tourer give me  [thumbsup] as I came around a corner in what I felt was decent form...probably just saying hi, but I took it as appreciation of my awesome riding form   ;D.

I hate to be a PITA but you do realize this forum is open to anyone who wants to drop by. And beyond that others who are part of the forum could spread this beyond our cirlces. I also assume you know how the Dragon has been destroyed by too much enthusiasm within the two wheeled community and those who have abused it. I get over to SE Ohio about 4-5 times a year, 555 is not my favorite road over there, there are better ones, but it's in my top 10 and I'd like to keep it that way. Too much publicity, might lead to abuse by those who do not have the respect I assume most here have for great roads. So I'm suggesting a statement like it's a great road, send me a PM if you wnat to know more might keep this jewel of a road from becoming the LEO mecca that Deals Gap has become. Thanks for listening - Gene

There's certainly merit in that last post.

It would be nice to keep it a secret among just us " riders."

Don't want any unwanted "eyes " to start looking !

Dolph      :)

Of course, we first heard about SR555 in an article in the AMA Magazine!  [laugh]

I do agree to an extent with the posters concern but then the route is already posted in many places as good route for bikers...  


I tell you what though, my monster 620 sucks out in this routes when I compare it to my Triumph s3.  The truth hurts.

Seriously dude.  We are on the ducati monster forum.  You want us to just keep all these good roads a secrect so just us cool kids can ride them.  Come on.  Lighten up.  555 is not going to turn into a tourist mecca but if it did who cares.  You are right there are a ton of good roads in that area.  555 just tends to get the recognition. 

The best part of 555 is when you turn south off of 78 so yes it's a good point to get on 555.   We actually started a little north of there in these videos.   

Personally East of 555 I actually like 78 better.  There are some really really good parts on 78 and it's generally cleaner and better pavement.   That and it has a giant shovel on it left over from Big Muskie and what's not to like about that! 

These pics are from last year when it was a little colder.   I was in full race leathers in the videos.  Not that anyone really care's what I'm wearing I  hope.

(http://lh3.ggpht.com/_rW9gLlrXTf4/TCGKs-ymXRI/AAAAAAAACng/MPvRtZS_m_A/s1024/IMG_0478.JPG)

(http://lh3.ggpht.com/_rW9gLlrXTf4/TCGKlzJKECI/AAAAAAAACl0/66svPMxOTTE/s1024/IMG_0471.JPG)

(https://lh5.ggpht.com/_rW9gLlrXTf4/TCGKpoxVsII/AAAAAAAACms/0X2gFHwbJfw/s1024/IMG_0475.JPG)

Nice Pics....I've never stopped by the Big Muskee Bucket, but I pass the sign often visiting my in-laws.
As far as not mentioning roads in that area...I've wondered about that myself, and go back and forth between 1)Not wanting to ruin good roads with overexposure, and 2) Thinking that more riders would actually be a good thing, as it would probably stimulate the economy in an area that really needs it, and might actually result in better kept roads.  I've often thought, in fact, that the state should promote the area to riders, as a way of promoting tourism.  But, of course, I like the lack of  [leo] and the generally squid-free experience (Harley guys a-plenty, but they're generally actually pretty friendly). 

I have a couple of things to say about this topic.   Not picking on one in particular.    

1. Deals gap is a totally different location which actually happens to be near by a pretty established tourist trap of an area.

2. Tail of the dragon is really the only road that has been ruined down there if you want to call it that.  Personally a ton of dudes on motorbikes gathering together to ride is kinda cool to me.   Squids do suck but it just comes with the sport bike territory.

3.  The thought that our posts on this model specific bike forum is going to cause rural SE OH to explode with motorcycle tourism is completely ridiculous.  555 has been mentioned in "best roads" lists for years, the location simply is not attractive for tourism.  There aren't mountains, there isn't much in terms of towns, there is just the Ohio River, Marietta and some fields.   It's not going to blow up and even if it did there is still hundreds of miles of other roads around that area that are as good or better than 555.  Much like tail of the dragon where it's a good road but there are tons of roads surrounding it that are also awesome.  

Honestly to think we should keep this stuff private while we are on a motorcycle forum is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard and completely goes against the idea of a forum.    

Yeah, I think anyone who's been to the area would agree with that.  Deal's has enough critical mass from other attractions that motorcycling is just part of the crowd source.  Personally, I rode down there (TN & SC) this summer for the first time and had a blast, and never really felt like it was "spoiled", but I've read comments from locals that seem to indicate it's not so fun when insanely hot weather isn't keeping most people away.  And, let's face it, the Ohio economy needs a boost, and the SE corner of the state has been long-suffering through the loss/downturn of coal and other industries, The small amount of tourist $$ they get from campers, hikers, etc could be greatly increased with an influx of pirates, power rangers, and euro-bike weenies  ;D spending their money in restaurants, hotels, and cheesy leather shops. And, as a bonus, if ever does get to be a popular area, we could all pregnant dog and complain about how much better it was before all these new-school posers "ruined it" for us "real bikers"...[old man voice] I mean, I used to ride from Marietta to Zanesville on one wheel, the whole time, with no cops at all! Those were the days! [/old man voice] [thumbsup]
That being said, it's also nice to have the road to yourself  [moto]

well...that is Gene's ( twolanefun ) general viewpoint...he views alot of the roads and routes he knows ( and he does know ALOT of roads and routes ) as HIS and therefore is not very generally sharing of them (at least publicly) unless he views said person as a trustable and/or known person...I know he rides a lot of miles every year ( last I checked he rides between 20 and 30 thousand miles a year)...I know when I rode to Indy in '08, he gave me some great route advice on the way out to Lancaster...some people just have their way of thinking and doing things and are not as open to change or other viewpoints and get set in their ways....seems to happen moreso with age, but still...that is just how he is...and I know he isn't exactly alone...but I would moreso agree that the internet as a general tool, with forums and all, makes access to all information much easier and more attainable....if not by someone personally directing you, then by a GPS or mapping program...and by that route and means...nothing is sacred.

Well, I think Gene's right, SR555 will soon be ruined and forums like this one will be the cause.  I would recommend following Gene's advice and avoid posts about specific roads and routes.  But, rather share them more discretely than in an open forum. 

Hardly anyone knew of U.S. Route 129 until the early '90s when Snavely began publishing news letters and got Deal's Gap mentioned in Rider Magazine.  As a result motorcycle riding increased dramatically at the Dragon.  And just think that that was well before the current level of proliferation of the internet and enthusiast forums like this one.  Estimates are that the number of motorcycles and sports cars on U.S. Route 129 almost doubles each year.  And common sense would tell you it's not because of any other nearby attractions. 

So, the more and more publicity this and other forums give to great roads, the more likely they will gain in popularity, and popularity isn't limted to the responsible riders.  The unintended consequence will be more attention of law enforcement.  So just keep spreading the word and soon there won't be hidden gems of roads left.  Cheers!
 

I've ridden over to the " Shovel  " a couple of times ......and yes 78 is a very good ride !

Stopped in McConnelsville just across the little bridge and ate at the Boat House over looking the River.

Dolph     :)

Well I tried and most missed my point. I discovered 555 and many other roads in SE Ohio as well as some other locations on my own and through word of mouth. I freely share my knowledge with others who I know on a personal basis are experienced and responsible motorcyclists. And if you get invited on one of my rides you get a route sheet as long as you agree not to post it on any forum. While it's true that I'm older than many on this forum, it's not an age thing, it's the personal knowledge that I have of the roads that have been totally spoiled/ruined by posting on forums, email lists etc... Until you have experienced this and seen what can happen you really do not have an appreciation of how serious it can be. I'm not the first one to take this approach, Larry Grodtsky, RIP, of Stayin Safe used SE Ohio and some other locations for years as part of his training program, changed his routes, never posted any of them. I do about 45K miles a year and other than some local roads I try not to wear out any of the roads I ride, including the 3-4 times a year I travel to SE Ohio. I doubt there is anyone on this forum that knows as many roads in SE Ohio as I do, as well as some other locations, now do you really want me to start posting all that on this and other forums?, better yet I'll put it in a book and sell it via the internet. And don't think for one minute that the location of SE Ohio will keep some from coming over there, acting like idiots, crashing etc... and raising the visibility to the locals and ultimately the LEOs will have to do something. This forum does not prevent anyone from stopping by and reading anything said on here and that to me is a big deal. I know I won't change the mind of some on this forum, as evidence already by some of the posts, now that I know that I wish I hadn't made my post, just should have shook my head, kept silent, and took SE Ohio off my ride list, I've still got VA, WV, NC, and now some great roads in PA to keep me busy. - Gene

Well given the publicity 555 has had, like the AMA magazine, God knows how many motorcycle forums and such if its not ruined now I don't think it'll get that way anytime soon. Once you start seeing T-shirts with like "I rode the trail of corn!" and cute little curvy cornrow stickers or something, then maybe we can assume the word is out to the general population. I agree with Zoom that age does have an effect and Gene in that is not applicable, he's not lost anything with age.

We are all certainly entitled to our opinion.  I guess we'll have to agree to disagree.  There are a lot of good roads out there all over the country and there are a lot of widely read publications already listing them.  It takes more than just a road to draw large crowds.   

Either way,  I do like riding in SE OH and WV but that's mainly because I live in Columbus OH and it's the closest good roads I can get to.  Takes me about 50 miles to get into the decent roads, I can ride 200-400miles all around that area and then head home in 1 day.    I could never see my self trailering my bike to OH or taking a multi day road trip to hit SE OH from other parts of the country.  Only reason I might do it is nostalgia since I live here now.

 :o :o :o :o

Here have at it, they got a few of the good ones but thankfully not most of them. http://www.motorcycleroads.com/index.htm (http://www.motorcycleroads.com/index.htm). Zooom you took the quote out of context, not to mention the post is from someone who doesn't even own a Ducati, let alone a Monster, he rides a Goldwing, why he is lurking here is beyond me. - Gene

yes...I did...and to your benefit...but that is not the point...

yeah...he doesn't own a Ducati anymore...but he rides...and there are alot of people on this board who don't own Monster's or Ducati's that participate here actively...so why not Stick?

Stick, I look forward to seeing you at the Crew meeting Thursday buddy!...SAVE DA BOOBIES!

I still have my Ducati jacket, which is some kind of wonderful for riding, let me tell you. [thumbsup]

all it takes to find decent roads is a close examination of google maps  [beer]

worst case scenario you waste a day riding a motorcycle and <$20 in gas (sounds like a win-win to me  [moto])


While i will agree with you that publishing it has made it has probably made it extremely popular, i will also tell you that the amount of people(not motorcycles necessarily) heading to the mountains has EXPLODED since the mid 90s.  All you have to do is look at how the real estate market exploded (and inflated likewise).  Also, if you look at the general geography of the southeast, it is the closest place to ride in the mountains for everyone in LA ,AR ,MS, FL, GA, TN, SC, NC (read a helluva lot of people).    It is also probable that it isn't JUST the 129 that attracts people, but nearly every road in eastern NC/western TN is pretty freaking awesome, not to mention the awesome scenery. 

Before i even had a car and went there on vacation with my parents in the mid 90s and early 00s, i had dreams of driving through the mountains. 

I had the pleasure of doing a project in Southern Ohio a couple of years ago and before I ever went up there I looked at Google Maps and decided that there would be some pretty good riding. It was the first job I had done in the USoA in some time and I decided to buy a truck/toyhauler to live in so I could bring my Duc & KTM up there. It was pretty muchj what I expected b ased off of the topo maps and I had a real good time in the little bit of off time that I had a great time cruising the little back roads that wind through the valleys of the little hills. ALso lots of good little burgers and beers places scattered all along the Ohio River frequented by the large local HD crowd.

I don't know that I'd get to worried about it becoming the next "In-Spot" and the whole area destroyed by squids and cops.....
It is worth discussing though but instead of trying to keep it all quiet. Cats allready out of the bag... What we all have to do though to preserve the sport is be pro-active with educating/setting good examples for the newbies in regards to speed & sound.

The great roads that I ride all season long ....and especially this Fall have mostly Cruiser traffic.

I see some Sport bikes and all season long I have seen maybe 2 or 3 Ducatis .

I have a 180 mile loop of roads in the Hocking Hills and the Wayne and Zaleski Forests that I like to ride and I'm surprised at the lack of Sport bikes I see for as great as these roads are to ride and the low  [leo] count , sometimes 1 or none in 180 miles.

Those 180 miles run through parts of 5 counties.

To me it's a Paradise, an area where I can ride as fast as I want to ride..... but w, care.

I'm only riding 5-10% of the great roads that are within a 100 mile radius.

Hills, valleys, and the roads that connect them make for ideal riding roads.

When I go for a ride during the weekdays , I may not see 10 motorcycles on my entire ride and not 20 cars or trucks in 180 miles, Paradise !

Dolph     (http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn198/DoubleEagle_photo/ride.gif)

Yep, and there are places in VA, WV, TN, NC, and GA like that, hopefully they will stay that way. 587 miles last weekend, all on nice twisty roads, very little traffic, and low  [leo] activity. I only saw them closer to the known areas where there has been a lot of incidents. - Gene

Did another 320 miles on this routes again on Saturday alone and there was hardly any bikes at all.  It was a great weather too.  There are so many great routes to be discovered along this roads.  I am lucky I have met a few people that are great riders on the twisty and to top it off know so many cool routes.  Again on Sunday, surprisingly I only saw a handful bikes on 555.
I am not too worried about spoiling the routes per se, I only discovered this routes because I read about it somewhere. 
I now realize that I am going to this routes a lot because I now know the names of the shop clerks on some of my stops  :-)

I was out there recently as well.   I actually have some more video processing, should have it uploaded in a day or 2.