The Back Roads "Myth"

[919Maniac]

One thing that comes up over and over on motorcycle travel boards is "take the back roads, they're so much better". I have to disagree.

Those people obviously never lived in the northeast.  I've tried this philosophy on a few of my trips and ended up getting back on the interstate in frustration.

With the congestion we have out east, it's VERY hard to find a back road without a lot of traffic.  That means droning along at 35-45 mph the whole time.  I'm physically incapable of going that slow for long periods of time, it's horrendous.  I get really frustrated and bored.  I like to drive at a spirited pace.  

What do you guys usually do?  I usually slab for hours at a time to get where I'm going and THEN I hit the back roads b/c I know they will be fun to ride (down in NC, TN, VA, WV for example).  But to get there I take the slab.

[Paul Barnard]

In the southeast, the backroads are normally the way to go.  I can go for long periods of time without encountering a cage.  You do get the occasional piece of farm machinery to go around, but on the bike it's a cinch.  As I start approaching a major metro area, I'll jump on the slab to avoid the traffic lights.  If all I had were the super slabs, I wouldn't even ride.  It's all about the escape for me.

[1moreroad]

It all depends.

Nothing can beat interstates for making time.  A few of them, like I70 in Colorado or the brief stretch of I15 across Arizona, even have scenery.

You need to know what you're looking for and what pace, find roads where you can achieve that, and accept the fact that you may still be stuck behind someone slower.  As the country's population grows, those "good roads" will be farther and farther away from major population centers as suburbs absorb more and more land.  What may have been isolated just 5 or 10 years ago now has a few houses popping up.  Then it will be schools and school zones then it will be strip malls.  All add traffic and all lead to many of us having to travel farther (via interstate) to reach the good roads and still be back by dinner time or by the end of the weekend or by whatever time constraint we have.

[MK96xj]

Who cares about the NE anyway. America starts at PA. There is a sign that says so when leaving NJ.

The thing that gets me as of late is Mass's approval to use the breakdown lane during rush hour. WTF is that

65-70mph in the breakdown lane? try to merge onto the highway.

[cbsnbiker]

It depends on what your priorities are. (That's not meant as a snarky comment.)

There's no denying that, stastically speaking, the Interstates are some of the safest places to operate a motor vehicle. They're also efficient at getting from place to place quickly and expeditiously (assuming no congestion, etc.).

But they're usually not as much fun as a back road.

[Sport]

"That's not meant as a snarky comment.)"

Snarky?  I thought Eric's mom on That 70s Show was the only one that used that term.

[Mookie]

Your back roads aren't back enough  

[Thor]

When I think of "back roads" I think of roads out in the middle of nowhere with a few small towns smattered about.  I take major highways to get there.

Very little traffic, very few stop signs.  

I avoid secondary road in the city at all costs.

I ride 80 miles to get to the back roads.

[RBEmerson]

919Maniac, you found out the awful truth about those roads, so you might as well as leave them alone. 


















Oooooh! Is he gone yet?   Good!  One less bike clogging things up! 

[CBRXXBLACKBIRD]

The back roads rock where I am at.

[kendenton]

919maniac - just where in the NE are you?  I'm in NJ (southern), and the back roads are fine.  Not curvy, by any stretch, but infinitely more interesting than slabbing.  I do hit the interstate to make some time if I have to, but it's something to endure rather than enjoy.

[gmicklus]

I am in CT (ride VT,MA,RI and NY regular) there are amazing back roads up here this time of year its hit or miss for sand or shade (read ICE) but IMO 35-45 on curvy hilly roads like up here is way better then the slab at 100

[919Maniac]

I'm in PA and we also have some amazing back roads with little traffic.  The thing is that if my destination is VA or NC or something, the back roads take FOREVER to get there.  The BACK back roads are nice, but it's hard to piece together a route on them that will get you to your destination in a reasonable time frame.

Like I said, I just hate roads like RT15 in VA, or 202 in PA, etc...

[FlowBee]

In Chicagoland (the 5 county region of NE Illinois) you have to take the interstates to get the heck out of this area ASAP in order to get to those mythical back roads.  Riding in the 50 mile sprawl perimeter really sucks, so you fold space/time in order to get out to the sticks in a reasonable time.  Its pretty much the same in all cities, but I'm sure in the NE its tougher to get "away".

If you live in a small town the back roads are only way to get around.  

[RBEmerson]

Er, US 202 in PA is not a back road.  It is, to be kind, bigger than that (actually, limited access in parts) but best avoided except for local travel.  

Agreed that back roads aren't meant for making time; they're very much "the journey is the destination" roads.  I'll be heading out to Lancaster, PA next week and once I get west of Phoenixville, I'll put my GPS into "get me lost" mode (the 2610 can be set to ignore all but minor roads in building a route - last time I did this, I all but wound up in either Farmer Zook's or Farmer Stolzfuss' driveway to reach a via point).  Sure I could run down 202 (yeah, that 202)to 30 and get there in no time flat.  I'll take wandering down back roads, take forever doing it, and lovin' it!  

[FiremanBob]

If it's rush hour in the Boston area, no one is going more than 25 and you'd be lucky to go that fast on the shoulder. It's almost as bad as Los Angeles.

[919Maniac]

Er, US 202 in PA is not a back road.  It is, to be kind, bigger than that (actually, limited access in parts) but best avoided except for local travel.  

Agreed that back roads aren't meant for making time; they're very much "the journey is the destination" roads.  I'll be heading out to Lancaster, PA next week and once I get west of Phoenixville, I'll put my GPS into "get me lost" mode (the 2610 can be set to ignore all but minor roads in building a route - last time I did this, I all but wound up in either Farmer Zook's or Farmer Stolzfuss' driveway to reach a via point).  Sure I could run down 202 (yeah, that 202)to 30 and get there in no time flat.  I'll take wandering down back roads, take forever doing it, and lovin' it!  

Yeah, I know 202 really isn't a "back road", but you could argue that 30 is a back road- and it's HORRIBLE!  I guess I'm not a "smell the roses" kinda guy.  I want to ride the best possible roads at a high rate of speed.  I have no interest in dawdling along soaking in the sights on my way to those nice roads.  It's fine if that's what one likes, but I enjoy "sport" touring.  WHen I do the BRP I usually go 65-70 the whole time - there's no way I could ride along a road that nice at 45 all day long.  I usually am there mid-week and "knock on wood" no speed awards from the feds yet.  

[RBEmerson]

   Ride your own ride.  I think you're missing the good bits, though.

That trip to Lancaster I mentioned?  I've done it a couple of times and the last time, on my way back, I passed a group of Amish kids riding huge push scooters (think 19th century razor scooters).  The furtive wave I got from one kid was, all by itself, worth the ride.  

Don't misunderstand me, when it's time to get down the road in a hurry, I'm there.  But running the slabs at speed does wear out after a while and it's the little views and scenes that are next to two lane roads that wind through the landscape that make the trip interesting.  

[DNA]

Like I said, I just hate roads like RT15 in VA, or 202 in PA, etc...

Welcome to my morning commute.
42 miles of Rt 15.  Most days it really sucks.
At night in the rain it always sucks.

[R Doug]

Your back roads aren't back enough  

well put.  

I hate interstate, it's too boaring for me.  But, if I had nothing but traffic on my backroads, I would be frustrated too.  cbsnbiker, have you posted under your region asking where some good "backroads" are located around you?  Someone has to know where the good stuff is.