In our Powersports article (Spring 2008), we asked customers to write in with suggestions for great motorcycle rides. Here's what you had to say!
- Beach Drive and Rock Creek Parkway provide a low-conflict and pleasant route into Washington, DC from Maryland that avoids most of the traffic. Rock Creek Park is a national park and offers some pleasant scenery, as well. There are many exits from Rock Creek Parkway that allow easy access to many of Washington DC's most popular hot spots.
- courtesy of J.B.F. from Silver Spring, MD
- A great ride resource, www.pashnit.com, is a motorcycling resource site that started as photography essays of the 'best motorcycle roads in California'. It has since expanded to a motorcycle touring business, a motorcyclist forum, and of course, guides on practically every set of twisties in the state.
It is a pay site ($20 per year) but Tim Mayhew, the proprietor, photographer, writer, editor, webmaster, and rider, says that this cost is necessary to defray the expense of all the bandwidth he needs to serve the site to all the folks who want to read up on California's roads.
-courtesy of G. E. from Irving, TX
- The fourth annual Arizona Rip's BAD Ride (Bikers Against Diabetes) is coming up on October 26, 2008. More than two thousand bikers across Arizona starting from multiple sites converge at Pinal County Fairgrounds in Casa Grande for a giant festival, featuring a concert, the Victor McLaglen Motor Corps, bike show, bike games, exhibits, food and fun. ALL bikes are welcome! If you don't ride, drive to the Festival at the Fairgrounds in Pinal County. For more information: www.ripsbadride.com.
-courtesy of B. A. from Buckeye, AZ
- From North Carolina to Tennessee, check out the Tail of the Dragon at Deals Gap, with 318 curves in 11 miles. It is America's number one motorcycle and sports car road. The nearby Cherohala Skyway is quickly becoming number two with its remote 60 miles of scenic mountain highway. Check out more information at: www.tailofthedragon.com/.
-courtesy of M.E. from Springfield, VA
- Ruidoso Aspencade or Golden Aspen Rally - This is an event that is held in Ruidoso, New Mexico and involves some amazing riding through the mountains of New Mexico. However, great riding can always be enjoyed in the mountains around Cloudcroft and Ruidoso, NM which takes you through parts of the Mescalero Apache Indian Reservation and Lincoln National Forest. This is a great riding destination area with many different camp sites, scenic overlooks, and resorts like the Inn of the Mountain Gods. An approach into the mountains from El Paso, Texas to Alamogordo, NM via Hwy 54 incorporates a long, stretch of relaxing desert riding before climbing into the cool, shaded mountains via Hwy 82.
-courtesy of M.E. from Springfield, VA
We'd like to thank everyone who submitted ideas and suggestions!
To learn more about great rides, participate in online networking, meet up with local riders or share your own experiences, visit www.mygreatrides.com -- where the bikes rule and the riders reign.
