My Thoughts About Riding Great Motorcycle Roads
I'm always lookin' for another good place to go tour... and these days... I'm comin' to prefer doin' it by motorcycle touring.
For me, sittin' astraddle my motorcycle is the best way to day trip out from our rig... and truth be known... takin' off, for a few days hooked together... just me and the bike... motorcycle touring, is the best.
Nothin' but the best for riding Freedom Road!
... and let's face it, there just ain't any shortage of Great Motorcycle Roads to ride!
Probably, the biggest mistake folks make is in thinkin' they've
Heck, there's probably a dozen I can think of, that are within a day of where I sit right now, round trip.
Make it a day out, a day makin' a circle... and a day back... you've got probably a couple dozen more Great Motorcycle Roads... plenty to keep me busy for the next couple of years anyway!...
Now, all I've got to do is find enough of that green stuff they want in exchange for gas... and I can get to warmin' up the asphalt on all of those Great Motorcycle Roads!
I'll bet... both my kidneys, and half my liver... that the same is true of where you're settin'.
Go heat up a pot of coffee... pull out your atlas and start scoutin'... Figure how many miles you want to ride in a day... Plan in plenty of time for stoppin' and snoopin'... or hikin'... or fishin'... or whatever other enterprises you like to engage in on your rides...
Start sketchin' out all the possible circles you could make from your home base. Both daytrips and overnight runs of different lengths. Long, 3 day weekends, 4 or 5 day trips you could use a little vacation time to make.
Keep a small notebook, of your own, personal, Great Motorcycle Roads you want to ride... and ever' time you get a day or two or three... you won't have to waste any time calculatin' where to go... you can just rip one off the list... that'll fit the time you've got available... throw your gear on the bike... fire it up...
... and Di Di!
... and, speakin' of that, your gear, keep it ready to go. Keep it so all you've got to do is throw in some clothes and your personal 'kit', load 'N go!
Now... if you'd rather follow a Great Motorcycle Route that's already been 'found', I can't think of a better place to find one than
this site right here!
I'm bettin', the more rides you make... the more rides you'll figure out a way to make... and 'fore you know it... you'll be callin' yourself a 'Long Rider'! :-) and Livin' to Ride more of the Great Motorcycle Roads!
Now... "What is" you might be thinkin', "a Great Motorcycle Road?"
Well... one thing it ain't, is four lane divided! If you're gonna ride on one of those dang things... you might as well take a car... or buy an airline ticket... you'd likely see as much.
To enter into the world of Great Motorcycle Roads... your route needs to be two lane... full of twisties and sweepin' curves... through a country side that threatens to leave you piled up in a ditch... 'cause you're so busy scopin' out the gorgeous scenery... that you didn't notice when the road took another turn! :-)
Now... some folks are all about makin' miles... and that's fine. If that's what floats your boat... go float it! But for me... a mite more leisurely pace is much preferred. With plenty of stops to capture pictures, walk up a quiet mountain trail... or snoop in some back road lil' shop.
For me it's the quality of the miles not the quantity.
I figure that if you're doin' nine oh on a motorcycle, you ain't even seein' the Great Motorcycle Roads you're on! ... or you're piled up in a ditch somewhere, like I said earlier! 'cause pushin' that hard... you can't help but be ridin' with a tunnel vision that cuts out most all of the scenery.
... and if you ain't checkin' out the scenery... why bother? So... if makin' miles is your thing... the easy way to do that is keep it on the four lane... and race from one town to the next... of course... doin' that ... you won't be on any of the Great Motorcycle Roads! :-)
I wish you well doin' that... But, you won't be seein' me... I'll be cruisin' a lot slower... on one of the two lane...Great Motorcycle Roads, and bein' able to remember all the things I saw! :-) ... with the pictures to prove it!
As I find the time to shape my thoughts and organize the pictures... I'll post a few stories here of the rides I've made...
A few of the Great Motorcycle Roads I've followed ... and plan to ride again!
- Mount Lemon, Arizona
- Sonoita and Tombstone Arizona
- Fort Collins to Yellowstone
- Bear Tooth Pass, Montana
- Fort Collins to the Black Hills
- Poudre Canyon
- Rocky Mountain National Park
Till then... get out and start followin' your own Great Motorcycle Routes!
Heading to Canada to Ride? Want to find out about the Best Motorcycle Roads in Ontario? Go take a look at Paul's
Ontario Motorcycle Rides
site to get the info from a fella who lives there!
A Touring Colorado Article by Penelope Louise
The 1st leg of Craigs trip from western Washington to Montana
Return from Great Motorcycle Roads to Motorcycle Touring on Freedom Road
