I live only about a 2 hours ride from the dragon and I haven't ridden it either. I stick to the north georgia mountains, which I think are just as sweet having spoken to numerous people who have ridden both.
Your missing out! Don't get me wrong, the north Georgia mountains are sweet, but.....your missing out!
Come on people, this isn't the GN125 BBS, these bikes are made to be ridden. A 5-6 hour ride is a walk in the park on a Bandit. So what if you put some wear on your tires? What did you buy the bike for? Throw some luggage on the bike and ride to somewhere where the roads are really twisty. Then enjoy the one thing the Bandit does better than sport-touring.
Oh! and if the thought of spending hours on the interstate to get somewhere doesn't appeal to you, take the backroads!