I rode this BEFORE the internet explosion on my 1988 hurricane 1000(I'm old 40), so not so many idiots knew about this road. Had the tree of shame even back then(around 1992). I believe its 318 turns in 11 miles.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K16YnmJN0fc

That road is legendary. I've never had a bike east of the Mississippi so I have no personal experience on it, but after watching that you would hope that someone with any brains at DOT has put signs leading to that road at both ends that 18 wheelers are restricted, I had a similar experience following a 18 wheeler down from Jerome AZ to Cottonwood AZ, he couldn't make those tight turns and took out a car in one of them, left enough room for me to squeeze by the carnage just shaking my head.

Ive had the chance to ride both Jerome and its surrounds and the Tail and its surrounds and I would take the Arizona experience over the Dragon. I camped under the tree of shame and at a state park near Jerome and the comradery at Deals Gap is cool.
JMANN will like that word comradery.

I too witnessed the lane sharing from a bus coming the opposite direction on 129 and from then on I stayed as far over to the right as possible

I was very surprised that Tennessee allows trucks like that on that road. I road that road when I live in Virginia, and Virginia doesn't allow trucks on roads that are not nearly a curvy as that. I'm shocked that an 18 Wheeler was on 89a.