ROBBINSVILLE — State troopers on BMW motorcycles will keep motorcyclists company this summer and fall on the curves of scenic routes and thrill rides such as the world famous “Tail of the Dragon.”

The N.C. Highway Patrol, in an operation last month in Graham County called “Dragon Slow Down,” netted 20 speeders — three of whom were traveling more than 75 mph on the curves of two-lane U.S. 129.

The Highway Patrol’s new effort on mountain roads comes as the number of motorcycle fatalities in the state is increasing. Deaths were up 18 percent from 2003 to 2004, when 120 people were killed in motorcycle accidents.

The operation’s mission is not only enforcement, but to set a good example for fellow riders.

This year, two people have died on Western North Carolina roads in motorcycle crashes and a third was paralyzed. One was a motorcyclist near the Dragon, a road that has claimed nine lives in four years.

“I think motorcycle cops are a wonderful idea,” said Victoria Harlan-Allison of Cherokee, who rides a Harley-Davidson 883 Custom. “People who don’t ride motorcycles, a lot of the time, it’s because they don’t like them. And so therefore having an officer who rides — he understands. It’s a culture.”

The troopers on motorcycles will be on patrol in WNC one weekend a month through October.

The mission
This year is not the first time motorcycle troopers have patrolled WNC roads but this is the first operation on a regular schedule.

Troopers on BMW R-1150 RT-P motorcycles focus on Graham County’s fast-paced rides such as the Dragon and the Cherohala Skyway. They will also be in other parts of the region including N.C. 28, known as “Hellbender,” near Fontana Lake.

“This area of the state is quickly becoming a nationwide motorcycle destination,” Lt. A.J. Dickey said.

Sgt. Mark Brown of the Raleigh-based motorcycle patrol unit said the officers are not only better for enforcement on mountain roads but also build goodwill with motorcyclists.

“We are supposed to set an example toward safety and training,” he said. “You are going to see us take a proactive approach toward motorcycle safety.”
Dangerous ages

Brown said the two groups of people most likely to die in a motorcycle accident are teenage to mid-20-year-old men and men in their early and mid-40s.

He said the older riders have a false sense of security and experience, possibly because they are just getting back into riding after taking a decadeslong break from the dirt bikes they rode as kids.

This can be disastrous when a 40-year-old jumps on huge Harley-Davidson without the experience necessary to control the bike in an emergency.

With teenagers, Brown said, inexperience and youthful bravado make a deadly combination on a sport bike capable of going 150 mph.

The recent accidents confirm his characterization.

• Kevin Austin Crigger, 39, of Dinwiddie, Va., died May 27 when he lost control of his Harley-Davidson at a curve on Ted Jordan Bridge on U.S. 129.
He crossed into oncoming traffic and hit the side of a truck. The impact pushed the bike back into the eastbound lane, where another motorcyclist hit it. That rider, 41 years old, survived but was taken to the hospital in Bryson City.

• Chung Nguyen, 19, of Asheville was left paralyzed after crashing his 2006 high-performance Yamaha on a curve in Candler on June 2. He lay in the woods near his bike for four days before friends found him. He had purchased the bike a month before the accident.

• Rachel Ledford, 20, of Candler died May 31 on Interstate 40 near mile marker 39 after she fell from the back of a sport bike. The man police believe was driving, Conan O’Neal Ford, 32, has been charged with felony hit and run in connection with her death. The case is still under investigation.

Only one of these accidents — the wreck on U.S. 129 — was in the area the Highway Patrol cited as its top reason for bringing motorcycle troopers to the mountains.

Tail of the Dragon
The Dragon, which officially starts in Blount County, Tennessee, has 318 curves in 11 miles. It is the nation’s “No. 1 motorcycle and sports car road,” according to Web site tailofthedragon.com.

But the fast-driving motorcyclists it attracts and the potential for deadly accidents on the stretch of U.S. 129 leading to it are reasons the Highway Patrol is sending its motorcycle cops to the mountains, said First Sgt. K.D. Kubas, the officer over the state’s motorcycle units. One is based in Raleigh and the other is in Charlotte.

The North Carolina side of U.S. 129 averages about two fatal wrecks a year, making Graham County’s traffic fatality rate slightly higher than the state average based on population.

Ron Johnson, who lives in Robbinsville and has been running the Dragon’s official Web site since 2000, said he has not heard any complaints about the Highway Patrol’s motorcycle troopers.

“Which is more than can be said about the Tennessee Highway Patrol,” he said. “The motorcycle officers especially have been friendly and seem to project more of a ride-safe image rather than the confrontational write-a-ticket attitude.”

Popularity growing
Johnson said his Web site had 1.8 million unique visitors last year. The Dragon and the Cherohala Skyway (N.C. 143) and Hellbender (N.C. 28) are tourism attractions for the county, which has a limited tax base with 60 percent of its land in federal hands, Johnson said.

He said the riders who visit Graham County and east Tennessee mostly obey the speed limit. But some do drive too fast, and he agrees with efforts by law enforcement to stop speeders.

“What we do not agree with is the overreaction by authorities which sometimes takes place,” he said. “Sending 10 or more troopers to blanket Graham County with license checks and radar sends a negative message to all of our visitors and not just those who break the law. This is also a misuse of resources.”

Dickey of the Highway Patrol, a Cherokee County native who grew up riding motorcycles on mountain roads, wants his fellow riders to know the motorcycle troopers aren’t there to discourage enjoying the curves. He said they are there to save lives and set an example.

“The biggest problem is a small percentage of people on motorcycles are operating them in a reckless manner,” he said. “The motorcyclists I have encountered, for the largest part, are strictly law-abiding citizens.”