OH 555 **Warning**

[2Pokey]

Ohio SR 555 from SR 550 (Barlett) to SR 125 (The River) is TREACHAROUS! Be very careful.
ODOT seems to have graveled the berms recently. The gravel has migrated to the middle of the curves. Almost every curve in this stretch has buckets of gravel through it. All of the other 500 miles of roads that i did last week in SE Ohio seem to be fine.

Is this a conspiracy to keep down the bike traffic?

[thompsonian]

I don't think I ever seen 555 clean!

[Playinthestreet]

It was in July of 2000

[matkal]

And Sept '06. A co-worker just got back from SEO and reported the same thing, lots of gravel

[2Pokey]

I kept hearing that 555 was such a great road and I had never heard of excessive gravel problems. Obviously this road is way over rated due to its hazards. Its certainly just another squiggly line on the map to be avoided in the future. I found several comparable roads over my three days in SE Ohio that were worthy of future road trips. They may not have had a new coat as some of 555 did, but at least they were clean.

Never ride faster than your IQ

[kam]

I've been wanting to ride this road for a long time...and now this.  The local riders have reported widespread, judicious use of gravel throughout the SE Ohio area.....

[matkal]

  Just because the conditions suck one time doesn't mean they'll suck the next.
It is a great road to ride when it's clean.

[MilleArp]

Y'all get together, gather up the brooms, get to work !  

[thompsonian]

I wish they would pave some more of the roads round this way. 676 would be awesome if they would repave as well as redo 26. Last time I was out it, it was a tire eater..

[nickybcareful]

I agree with everyone who has posted!  But I just love riding these roads - 676 is my favorite and then 26, 555, 78 near Burr Oak.  IMHO, you take what's in front of you.  Nail it if the conditions are right, slow and cautious when they're not.  But the beauty of the countryside cannot be missed.  BTW - I just got back from Deal's gap.  I can say honestly, this is a kick-ass road

[matkal]

I agree with everyone who has posted!  But I just love riding these roads - 676 is my favorite and then 26, 555, 78 near Burr Oak.  IMHO, you take what's in front of you.  Nail it if the conditions are right, slow and cautious when they're not.  But the beauty of the countryside cannot be missed.  BTW - I just got back from Deal's gap.  I can say honestly, this is a kick-ass road

 

I would kill to have those roads in Mi.
(78near burr oak)did you visit Big Muskee?

[nickybcareful]

Hi matkal - you asked if I have been to Big Muskee - Oh is that the really big earth moving thing???  No, but a lot of riders have mentioned it.  If you want good riding and want to venture into Ohio, I would highly recommend slabbing it to either Burr Oak, Salt Fork, or Shawnee State Park, then enjoy yourself from there.  These resorts are very reasonable during the week.  But of course, the icing on the cake for me is white water rafting the first weekend after labor day on the upper Gauley in WV, then catching the Sternwheel Festival in Marietta on the weekend - Life is good.

[thompsonian]

Soo...you must of been one of those idiots I got some pics of last week?!?!? Rafting is one thing you will NEVER catch my fat ass doing!

[nickybcareful]

Hi thompsonian, you wrote:

[Soo...you must of been one of those idiots I got some pics of last week?!?!?

Well, actually NO! I'm not sure how you knew the people you took pics of were idots? Gauley season starts in September.

http://www.aceraft.com/rafting/gauley-pop-cal.html

But I would say rafting is equivalent to riding in terms of an adrenaline rush.  I always go with a company (normally ACE!)  A novice doing it alone - well that's a risk...

[2Pokey]

I found Big Muskie last week I must have pasted it a dozen times over the last 2 years.  Always focusing on the corner to much to notice whats right beside me.[/img]

[Playinthestreet]

 

I would kill to have those roads in Mi.
(78near burr oak)did you visit Big Muskee?

Shame they cut if up save for the bucket.  Largest land machine ever built, 28 million lbs. +/-.

[nickybcareful]

Hi 2Pokey,

Are you riding a Yahama FZ6?  Don't know, but that's looks like a great ride for the twisties!

[thompsonian]

What the hell and where the hell is Big Muskie?!?!?

[matkal]

been to burr oak very nice.


My Big Muskee pic


Its on 78, east of 555

[2Pokey]

Are you riding a Yahama FZ6?  Don't know, but that's looks like a great ride for the twisties!

Yeah its an 07. It handles the twisties really nice. Although Im am still learning to keep the Rs up, I am used to big CCs.  The ergos better than I expected 3 - 300+ mile days with 8-10 hours in the saddle with no aches or pains.

78 @ Burr Oak is awesome. I will regularly ride 3 hours for that 12 miles of adrenalin.

[nickybcareful]

Hi 2Pokey, you said:

Although Im am still learning to keep the Rs up, I am used to big CCs.

Yea, that's the trick.  My Ducati redlines at about 8,000.  I try to enter turns at 5,000, that way I have plenty of engine braking if I come in to hot, but can ripe out of the apex in the middle of the torque curve. Great fun!  I suppose your FZ6 revs higher - cool!

[Bjorn Toulouse]

What the hell and where the hell is Big Muskie?!?!?

Check out:  http://little-mountain.com/bigmuskie/

The ultimate sandbox toy!



Rex

[thompsonian]

Hmm...to think. All this time I've lived here I never noticed it!

[gremor]

Been there!
Great roads in all directions!
[img][/img]

[thompsonian]

Yeah, I've ventured out MANY of the roads out that way, but I had never heard of Big Muskie...

[MilleArp]

I would kill to have those roads in Mi.

   ME too !!!

[skibum]

No Way!
I was just down 555 south of Bartlett (550) to 7 on the 9th of this month. The road was clean and very enjoyable except for the weird patching they had done. 100yards of patch followed by 100 yards unpatched. That went on for a while. Didn't affect the riding, but just felt weird. 536 had some gravel in some of the curves on the northbound side, but that was being swept out by traffic. That was from 7 to 78.
What was a surprise was 556 from 7 northbound. I thought I was going to enjoy the road to myself until about the fifth turn, a right -hander. I went out a little in the groove and saw myself looking at the grill of a semi coming at me. I thought I was going to be bug-snot on a Peterbuilt radiator. It was just one rig after another. I stopped at a 1 pump town and talked to the guys. It turns out there was some work being done on a local bridge and the coal company rerouted it's trucks down that road. Bye-Bye 556. I KNOW where that gravel is coming from. Every time one of those trucks would come through a curve, a back wheel would go off the road and pull the gravel into the turn.

[MrSnrub]

I rode part of 555 about a month ago. The stretch from 37 to 78 was freshly paved with no gravel. Good times!  But 78 near Burr Oak does kick some major ass too.  

I'd also like to know where exactly is this Big Muskie is located.  

[thompsonian]

Big Muskie is somewhere off of 83 I think off of 78. I looked it up on the link that someone put up on this post and it should be near Reinersville. I might try to swing by it today on my way home on the FJR.

[matkal]

Not having a map in front of me.......

Big Muskee is on 78 west of McConnelsville.
East of 555

[nickybcareful]

Hi matkal, gremor, 2pokey, et al...

Thanks for your tips.  I too have joined the Big Muskie club...



After 800 miles, I finally found a straight road!!!



BTW - 555 is in excellent condition, but there are sooooooo many good road to chose from in SE Ohio.  

[Bjorn Toulouse]

The Big Muskie bucket is in Miner's Memorial Park.
If you are coming South on SR83, turn right onto SR78.  Less than a mile West on SR78 on your right.


Rex