Best place to ride in the U.S.?

[warp9.9]

Yes sir I've watched your and other videos of areas like that. Brown and dead is depressing to me. All of that dead area is where I'd tow my bike through to ride near the coast where it's green.

We have that brown in Illinois, right after the combines get done stripping the fields.

The C


Amigo,
I have ridden all of CA many times. There is a lot of beautiful "green" and great twisties thru central CA. Besides, I enjoy and appreciate all colors, not only green. Have you checked out my short vids of UT? Little green if any, yet totally awesome!

Ya there is a lot of red fire retardant in California ya might want to let things grow back first.

 

[Mad Dog]

Realistically, is there really a bad ride? I can't think of any place I have ridden and said, "Man, that was ugly scenery and a horrible ride. It's all good on a Rocket.

Great attitude, it’s obvious you’re enjoying your bike...As it should be!

There is another side to riding that isn’t quite as ideal. I went some years with a bike only. The heat, the cold, the rain and snow, pre-dawn commuting, traffic, idiots drivers etc.. can all wear on you when it isn’t an option. I’m sure I’m not the only one here with that experience. @1olbull Don’t I recall you were a motor officer, you ever have a day you weren’t excited about crawling on the bike?

BUT, that isn’t the conversation here. The question is great places to ride in the US. I can speak with knowledge about the Midwest. Consider the time of year and heat when traveling the Gulf coast, Texas and Southern New Mexico. Biloxi is an overlooked destination and New Orleans at Mardi Gras might be a consideration if you think you want to go to Sturgis.
Central Texas and the hill country is breathtaking in the spring when the bluebonnets and Indian paint brushes are blooming, especially early in the morning when the dew is still on, just pick a twisty secondary road and you will find them. Austin and San Antonio are top shelf destinations and that trip could be tied to the Twisted Sisters ride. There is also Palo Duro Canyon in NW Texas that is the #2 rated motorcycle road in Texas.
Sounds like @breeze is the expert in NM and would encourage listening to him there, but I will offer the Ballon Fiesta in Albuquerque, Taos and Santa Fe as places worth taking the time to see that are going to have good motorcycle roads around them.
The Ozarks in Arkansas and Missouri are great, miles and miles of twisty roads, if you get off the interstates anywhere you’re on them.
The Talimena byway in SE Oklahoma is a prime motorcycle road, try to hit it during the week to avoid traffic. It ends in Mena, Ark., which is not far from Hot Springs, which offers what the name implies and is a popular destination. You can head north on about any road from that area and find nothing but curves, the challenge will be finding one that isn’t twisty if you are trying to make time. The pig trail starts just east of Fayetteville Ark., which has been rated the #2 motorcycle road in the US, it leads north towards Eurika Springs and Branson both good destinations. Make sure and go to the leather shop on the main drag in Eurika, lots of nice stuff cheap there. If you like country music and live shows don’t miss Branson.
Kansas is a good place to contemplate how far the horizon is while you find out how fast your bike will go and how long you can hold it there.
Colorado is killer, big mountains and more twisty roads than can be ridden in a season, most of my favorites there have already been mentioned, top of my list is the Trail Ridge Road in the Rocky Mountain National Forest.

Places I would add are Yellowstone Park, Mount Rushmore, which would both fit with a Sturgis Trip. The Grand Tetons, The Grand Canyon and Highway 1, which I believe is the Pacific Coast Highway, and has already been mentioned, it’s been 50 years since I was there, could’ve changed some since then.

 

[Dr.D]

In general I prefer mountain riding due to curves, elevations and scenery. I ride TN, NC, GA, and VA regularly so I am partial to them. When I want something different I he’d west to NM, AZ, CO, and UT. These desert mountain states are super gorgeous but areas are remote. Lately we did Wyoming and Montana, wow!

I hate to say some of the central states lack features I regard as great motorcycling roads. Haven’t been to the north east yet. California is a mixed bag state and some areas way to crowded.

Good luck sampling this country in a short time.

 

[1olbull]

Great attitude, it’s obvious you’re enjoying your bike...As it should be!

There is another side to riding that isn’t quite as ideal. I went some years with a bike only. The heat, the cold, the rain and snow, pre-dawn commuting, traffic, idiots drivers etc.. can all wear on you when it isn’t an option. I’m sure I’m not the only one here with that experience. @1olbull Don’t I recall you were a motor officer, you ever have a day you weren’t excited about crawling on the bike?

BUT, that isn’t the conversation here. The question is great places to ride in the US. I can speak with knowledge about the Midwest. Consider the time of year and heat when traveling the Gulf coast, Texas and Southern New Mexico. Biloxi is an overlooked destination and New Orleans at Mardi Gras might be a consideration if you think you want to go to Sturgis.
Central Texas and the hill country is breathtaking in the spring when the bluebonnets and Indian paint brushes are blooming, especially early in the morning when the dew is still on, just pick a twisty secondary road and you will find them. Austin and San Antonio are top shelf destinations and that trip could be tied to the Twisted Sisters ride. There is also Palo Duro Canyon in NW Texas that is the #2 rated motorcycle road in Texas.
Sounds like @breeze is the expert in NM and would encourage listening to him there, but I will offer the Ballon Fiesta in Albuquerque, Taos and Santa Fe as places worth taking the time to see that are going to have good motorcycle roads around them.
The Ozarks in Arkansas and Missouri are great, miles and miles of twisty roads, if you get off the interstates anywhere you’re on them.
The Talimena byway in SE Oklahoma is a prime motorcycle road, try to hit it during the week to avoid traffic. It ends in Mena, Ark., which is not far from Hot Springs, which offers what the name implies and is a popular destination. You can head north on about any road from that area and find nothing but curves, the challenge will be finding one that isn’t twisty if you are trying to make time. The pig trail starts just east of Fayetteville Ark., which has been rated the #2 motorcycle road in the US, it leads north towards Eurika Springs and Branson both good destinations. Make sure and go to the leather shop on the main drag in Eurika, lots of nice stuff cheap there. If you like country music and live shows don’t miss Branson.
Kansas is a good place to contemplate how far the horizon is while you find out how fast your bike will go and how long you can hold it there.
Colorado is killer, big mountains and more twisty roads than can be ridden in a season, most of my favorites there have already been mentioned, top of my list is the Trail Ridge Road in the Rocky Mountain National Forest.

Places I would add are Yellowstone Park, Mount Rushmore, which would both fit with a Sturgis Trip. The Grand Tetons, The Grand Canyon and Highway 1, which I believe is the Pacific Coast Highway, and has already been mentioned, it’s been 50 years since I was there, could’ve changed some since then.

I sure did have days I didn't want to ride! When you ride 8 hours every day - well at least 5 hours, discounting doughnut breaks, riding & writing reports sux in the rain and cold! The nice summer days in short sleves flirting with the hot babes working downtown made it all worthwhile.
Best job I ever had!

 

[FE_rex]

Realistically, is there really a bad ride? I can't think of any place I have ridden and said, "Man, that was ugly scenery and a horrible ride. It's all good on a Rocket.

City driving, or long straight highways with lots of cross streets. Watching out out for left turners can ruin any ride. Might be a personality disorder of mine - leftturnerocondriaphobia

 

[Landstar]

Gentleman,

There may be some debate about this, but as an Aussie considering visiting the U.S., what would be you consider to be the best bike area to ride/visit in the U.S?

Thoughts?

Blue Ridge Parkway.

 

[BillyIndiana]

We had a rally last year in Dubuque Iowa. It was funny there were a number of Harleys heading to Sturgis. They were not used to being outnumbered by Triumphs.

It was a beautiful place to ride.

 

[FE_rex]

Anywhere there are small towns and great people like those in Texas.

 

[sonny]

Don't come to Oklahoma. Ain't a **** thing to see or do. We got a saying around here "Come vacation in Oklahoma and leave on parole" We incarcerate more people per population than any other state. Ain't a **** thing here. Roads suck. Gas is dirty. Weather flat sucks. To hot in the summer and way to cold in the winter. The one or two days of spring are nice. Way to many Rednecks and church people. No one heading west stopped in Oklahoma and sayed "Hell this will work they just kept heading west" Good reason the place sucks that's why they moved the Indians here. Think about it.

 

[1olbull]

City driving, or long straight highways with lots of cross streets. Watching out out for left turners can ruin any ride. Might be a personality disorder of mine - leftturnerocondriaphobia

Seriously, ALWAYS remain on constant lookout at locations that allow potential path intrusions!
I be most paranoid about those!
READ the roadway you are riding upon!