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.  

[RBEmerson]

The above raises a good point.  Although an extreme example, think about The Dragon, now so mobbed LEO is all over it like a fat kid on cake.  I have a few good rides around here that, truth be told, I won't talk about.  They're public roads and anyone with a map or the urge to do "wonder what's down this road" will find them fast enough.  But I won't advertise them.  I don't want to have apply for an access permit or tee-off time to ride them.  

[dalan]

I live in NE (north-central MA, near the NH border) and I've got a large number of favorite back roads and secondary routes that are really quite good.  The key is just to stay the hell away from any city, the congestion is just unbearable.  If I have to go anywhere near Worcester,  I just blow through it as quickly as possible on 190/290, the backroads are a nightmare.  And I never venture inside Rt.495.  Cities in NH suck too; Nashua and Manchester both suck to ride anywhere near.

There are some great secondary routes in CT and RI too.

That said, I also enjoy long freeway blasts on open highways like the MA pike west of Worcester, I-91 north of Springfield, etc.

If you don't have a GPS, get one.  It's the key to unlocking riding freedom and finding those great roads.

[jschmidt]

It's where you live. Eastern PA, NJ, NY are pretty much out of backroads. They only have cities and suburbs. Maryland and Northern Virginia are nearly there.

[Grainbelt]

Backroads in Saskatchewan aren't even paved.  

[livetoride]

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.

Yuck, sounds nasty.. My only advice: Move West!!
-Peter

[Doug Just Doug]

Where are you, 919Maniac?  I have no problem at all finding back, backer and back-est roads in PA, MD, NJ, NY...yup, even in DE.  I can go out on most Sunday mornings and go for 150 - 200 miles and see more Amish buggies, motorcycles and furry critters than cars.  Most of the best roads I've found by accident.  Ignore your GPS and maps sometime and just turn down  whatever road looks interesting.  The best roads often aren't on state-level maps anyway.  When you're good and lost (oops, I mean when you're finished "exploring") and need to head home, go ahead and pull out the Navaids.  

[Orson]

If you're in a hurry to get from point A to point B, yer missing the whole zen thing about motorcycle travel  

In the words of Lao Tzu: a good traveller has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.

 

[RBEmerson]

It's where you live. Eastern PA, NJ, NY are pretty much out of backroads. They only have cities and suburbs. Maryland and Northern Virginia are nearly there.

   One PA back road that's well known: Creek Road starting Street Road near Pocopson, PA and running south to become Montchanin Road in DE.  

[Y.B Slo]

In the N.W. the back roads are the way to go. The slab is for making time, back roads are for enjoying the the ride.

[Global Rider]

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.

What do you guys usually do?

I take the back roads because they are so much better. As you can see, no traffic...

[bikerfish1100]

hmm. i used to be a "back roads only" rider. that philosophy created a 2 month x-c trip of 14,000 miles, with only 2,000 (most of that was CT to FLA on I-95) of that on interstate. it has since evolved into "sometimes, ya just gotta hit the slab, otherwise it'll take 2 forevers to get where the roads are good". that generally means near large cities. i'll still choose something like US 36 acrosss Kansas rather than interstate.
Interstates are safer, but infinitely more boring. sometimes time dictates the shortest route, not the best.
with that said- i still try to plan routes that do not include letter/number combos, like "I-somethingorother". surprisingly, America still exists, but ya can't find it along the Interstate.

I just chanced upon these, getting ready for a July 4th parade in Small Town, Ohio

[Kootenanny]

Several years ago, my sister and I were talking and she said, "You don't know how envious I am of where you live!"  

I answered, "Well, why don't you move out here?"  

Her reply: "But what would I do?"

To which I said, "Well, those are the choices we make."

She and her husband still live in a condo in the middle of a major urban center.  I live on an acreage in the mountains, between two small cities of about 12,000 people each.  "Ski country."  Sure, they make more money than my wife and I do--but my wife and I are willing to compromise money for lifestyle.  We only get to go around once; we''d rather make less money but live where we want than make a lot of money and only get to visit the places we like for two weeks a year, or hope to retire there sometime in the nebulous future...

So, my advice?  Move to where you want to be!  This pic was taken about a half hour ride from my house (note the heavy traffic):

[keystonejenks]

Yeah, I know 202 really isn't a "back road", but you could argue that 30 is a back road- and it's HORRIBLE!  

Parts of 30 are bad but not all. AVOID 30 THROUGH CHAMBERSBURG at all cost. However, Rt. 30 between Breezewood and Chambersburg  

[garry]

Parts of 30 are bad but not all. AVOID 30 THROUGH CHAMBERSBURG at all cost. However, Rt. 30 between Breezewood and Chambersburg  

+1000 on the avoid 30 thru Chambersburg, but go out of your way to hit Breezewood to Ft Loudon on your way there. I usually head north at that point on 75 to 641 and then south again on 233 when working my way east toward Gettysburg. No shortage of fine backroads in PA in my experience, but I don't spend much time in eastern PA.

[county]

I agree that "back roads" is some kinda myth.  

If you look at your maps you'll see roads marked, two lane, four lane divided four lane etc.  And when traveling I like interstates.  I don't like slowing down every 20 miles for a gas station and and a post office, and a police station.  That's what you get in the South.  I don't care for stopping at the one stop sign or stop lite either.

However, that said, some of my best riding has been on two lanes out West, in AZ, NM, NV and CO. And quite a bit of that was done at serious speeds.

Mostly it just depends on where you are in the United States.    

[knobby]

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

I have to agree with this as well. I also live in CT, and unless I absolutley, possitively have to be somewhere in a hurry, I may use a little slab, but try to keep it to a minimum.(read: almost none) I enjoy the curvy roads, can deal with with what little traffic I do encounter, and/or sand/shade/bumps. Just gives a little bit more of a challenge on the way to make it interesting in a different way.

[RBEmerson]

+1!

[LENSMAN]

In Pennsylvania, once you get past the cities and large towns, the back roads are the way to go. Near Bloomsberg, for instance, you have good roads, and only the occaisional village, with no light, to slow down as you go. Get a state atlas, it will help.  

[Doug Just Doug]

   One PA back road that's well known: Creek Road starting Street Road near Pocopson, PA and running south to become Montchanin Road in DE.  

   I'm fortunate to be able to use some of that route on my work commute if I want  

[RickC1957]

I stick with backroads :bigok:An I'll get on the interstates when I want to be terrified

[cworley5150]

I guess I'm lucky to live in WV. (first time I've said that one!)  I'm right on the WV/VA border in the southern most county of WV.  I can be in NC via several different routes within about an hour on backroads or slab.  I live near some good riding.  Only a little over an hour to the BRP from my house, slab or no slab.  I can be at Deal's Gap area within about 4-5 hours of slab too.  I usually take back roads everywhere, but sometimes I enjoy getting on the highway and cruising along and listening to some tunes.  The highway is even relaxing to me sometimes.  Depends on the traffic.  

Backroads are the way to go for me.  About the only time I hit slab is out of necessity.  That is usually when I have bitten off more than I can chew and end up riding farther from home than planned on a day ride.  I will hit the slab home to make up some time once in a while.  When planning a multi-day tour, I avoid slab at all costs.  But I don't ride in the NE very often.  

[airborneXX]

   One PA back road that's well known: Creek Road starting Street Road near Pocopson, PA and running south to become Montchanin Road in DE.  

That stretch of road is awful. Everyone stay away  

[kendenton]

You know, I never thought the back roads story was that it's all an empty racetrack there for the taking.

I always thought "back roads are better" meant there was scenery to see, not clogged with traffic, doesn't all look the same, might actually meet someone to talk to, good places to eat, etc.  

While there are certainly some back roads that are like private racetracks, I don't think that's why motorcyclists in general favor riding the 2-lane instead of the interstate.  For many of us, it's just a more enjoyable way to spend our riding time than droning along the turnpike with the truckers.

I would much rather spend a weekend riding around county roads in Lancaster County, PA (and adjoining areas) than zooming on the NE Extension for hours.  Sure there will be some traffic, and lights, and some crappy roads, but I'll discover some great sections of roads, see cool farms, have a great lunch at a mom-and-pop place, and probably meet some other bikers along the way to chat with.

If the only thing you're looking for is max speed/unhindered riding, perhaps a track day would be a good idea.  Especially here in the NE, you're not going to find huge areas of unpopulated roads you can rip it up on.  Some, yes, but certainly not the rule.

But that's just my opinion.

[livetoride]

All of this wraps up in a simple difference of opinion about the nature of riding.. For some it's all about the ride, for others it's all about destination. If you are destination focused then the variable traffic and road conditions of the "back roads" would be a drag.

The Back roads are where the journey is the destination..
-Peter

[1moreroad]

I always thought "back roads are better" meant there was scenery to see, not clogged with traffic, doesn't all look the same, might actually meet someone to talk to, good places to eat, etc.

I think this is the original poster's point.  If you sit the most beautiful road in the world next to one of the most crowded metro areas in the world (NYC, LA, Chi, etc.), you will inevitably run into traffic that will be traveling much slower than you, traveling erratically (not holding the lane or speeding up and slowing down), and showing a general lack of awareness and/or courtesy to other road users by refusing to use turn outs, accelerating 20 mph in passing zones, etc.

There are plenty of twisty roads that I would take lots of satisfaction traveling at the speed limit and just never slowing down for the corners.  That can be difficult when you find yourself behind a row of 7 or 8 cars yo-yoing between 20 under and 5 over, even though CA law says that you are supposed to pull off with 5 cars behind if you can't go the speed limit.

All of this wraps up in a simple difference of opinion about the nature of riding.. For some it's all about the ride, for others it's all about destination.

I absolutely disagree.  I go ride some roads just to ride those roads.  But if I do, I want it to be at my pace, not the pace of an RVer doing 20 under the speed limit and braking into and through corners either oblivious or uncaring of anyone behind him.  I'll pull over if someone is faster than me, and I wish others would extend me the courtesy.

[SLK50]

The OP's premise that backroads are not the best way to get to a destination is correct. If one is budgeted for time then faster routes are preferable. He wasn't implying one shouldn't take the scenic route if out for a ride, just that touring the countryside wasn't an efficient way to travel long distances. You can ride from Kansas City to St Louis in about 4 hours. To ride that same distance in PA would take all day if you avoided interstates. Not practical if your destination is hundreds of miles away.
However, like some other posters, I too got the impression that speed weighed too heavily for the OP and that perhaps a track would be a more appropriate place to temper that need. Back roads often are not suitable to "make time".

[Thor]

On back roads I average 43 MPH with stops, on the highway I average 63 MPH with stops.  If I'm riding 100 miles that means I have to ride for an extra 45 minutes (if my math is correct)  on the back roads.  

I'm O.K. with that.

Less traffic, less cops, better sights, better food, more fun roads, less road grime coating my bike.

[CafeTBird]

 I don't want to have apply for an access permit or tee-off time to ride them.  

LOL - I doubt you have much control of that just by not posting here.  If they are that good, the word is going to get out whether you like it or not.

919 - you simply need to move.

[SLK50]

Thor, that may be fine if your only going 100 miles, but what if your going 600 or 800 miles? That extra 45 minutes becomes 5-6 hours, maybe each way. That then becomes an additional day on the road that could have been spent otherwise: sightseeing, visiting friends, riding local roads, etc. At a back roads pace it would take 2-3 days just to ride across Nebraska. Too long if what you really wanted was to spend some time in the Black Hills, SD. Without a time table or agenda back roads are a fantastic way to see this country. ( I know, I've ridden most of Route 30. ) But if your riding to a destination then Interstates are fine and allow a more productive use of time.
Personally, I prefer to Interstate out and back road back. This allows a more relaxed pace as I have a better take on how much road I have to cover and how much time I have to do it.

[919Maniac]

The OP's premise that backroads are not the best way to get to a destination is correct. If one is budgeted for time then faster routes are preferable. He wasn't implying one shouldn't take the scenic route if out for a ride, just that touring the countryside wasn't an efficient way to travel long distances. You can ride from Kansas City to St Louis in about 4 hours. To ride that same distance in PA would take all day if you avoided interstates. Not practical if your destination is hundreds of miles away.
However, like some other posters, I too got the impression that speed weighed too heavily for the OP and that perhaps a track would be a more appropriate place to temper that need. Back roads often are not suitable to "make time".

Actually - yes & no.  Yes in that my original premise is that back roads can take too long to get to your destination.  No because I would be cool with a longer ride if I didn't have to be limited by the bozos you often find on these back roads (at least in congested areas of the country).  They don't go the speed limit many times, they go under the limit.  Then there's the 18 wheeler, the winnebago, etc... crawling along.  I'm not really interested in scenery while I'm riding, I want to become one with the road, slicing back and forth, back and forth - getting into a rhythym.  You can't get into a rhthym if someone is always stopping the music. I love scenery when I'm ready for a break, but I don't ride along "taking it all in", I concentrate on the road in front of me.  I'm sure in the southwest you can take all back roads and encounter very few of these problems, but not where I live.

I have a set of awesome back roads I ride around my house, but they are more of a loop then a way of getting somewhere far away (RT100, 82, 841, 842, 162, are all very nice).

Track days - sounds awesome.  Do you know of one that doesn't cost $100 or a lot more?  Unlike most motorcycle owners, I currently don't have hundreds of dollars to throw around on track day fees, new tires for one day, etc... If you do - can you lend me some!  

Finally, I guess it's in the blood.  I'm Italian so going slow behind a chain of cars going 35mph grates against every fiber of my being (plus I just moved back from living in Italy and old habits die hard).  It's really hard for me to re-adjust to the "american" style of driving.  In Italy, people in cars pass slower traffic on back roads that are WAAAAAYYYY hairier than most over here, an no one thinks anything of it.  You pass someone on a motorcycle here and everyone is like "ooohhhhh" "aaaahhhhhhh"  "You are such a risk taker!!".  Oh well, like many of you said - to each his/her own!

[Doug Just Doug]

I have a set of awesome back roads I ride around my house, but they are more of a loop then a way of getting somewhere far away (RT100, 82, 841, 842, 162, are all very nice).

I've been riding those roads for many years.  Often I have them all to myself it seems.  Of course, I'm one of those "on the road at sun-up" types.  

[Geezer]

I live in NY, in the Catskill Mountains and the back roads start at the end of my driveway. Yes, we have more traffic and more LEOs than you will see in rural West Virginia, but there are plenty of interesting back roads in the northeast.

[shah269]

Ride where your happy dude.
Where ever you find the best roads and the safest conditions ride.

[CafeTBird]

In Italy, people in cars pass slower traffic on back roads that are WAAAAAYYYY hairier than most over here, an no one thinks anything of it.  You pass someone on a motorcycle here and everyone is like "ooohhhhh" "aaaahhhhhhh"  "You are such a risk taker!!".  Oh well, like many of you said - to each his/her own!

... why do you care about that?  Ride your own ride..... don't ride for "everyone else"

Gotta agree that track days are still the best way to go if you want to ride like that.  Sounds like your lifestyle demands a better job!  

[Dichotomous]

I find that 50% of the time there is one dickwad traveling at 5-10 below the speed limit (the onespeeders who ONLY drive 40mph, ever) with 5-80 cars lined up behind them and they dont notice or pull off.  thats whats frustrating about back(ish) roads, the slow drivers.  back roads are often harder to pass on, so you are doubly screwed

[RBEmerson]

No doubt these roads can be a crap shoot.  Creek Rd/Montchanin Rd (mentioned above) can be a great ride or "lean on the horn and just scream in frustration" slow.  I thought I was about to get the latter when I pulled onto the part below US 1 and saw a bright red BMW 3 series convertible, top down, in front of me.  And then the driver put her foot in it and we had a great chase down the road!  At the end of the stretch, at a stop sign, the Bimmer signaled a turn and I hollered "Thanks for the great ride!" but either the driver didn't hear me or get it.  Oh, well... it was good for me!  

[gritsngravy]

As the weather gets really nice here in gold country the back roads are choked with bikes, mainly cruisers.    Still , the roads are beautiful but I definately don't like to ride exclusively on the back roads.   I agree with 919, sometimes the slab is nice for getting a speed fix and getting to a destination.   Not all interstate highways are boring, try riding from San Francisco to Reno Nevada on I-80.    Great ride.      On the way up there are many two lane roads that are incredible if the scenery along I-80 gets boring.    Just be careful on some of those rural back roads, if you crash help may not get to you in time to save your life.    

[Bodhi]

"Backroads" is indeed a relative thing. The backroads in LA County or northeastern New Jersey are probably not as satisfying as the backroads in Arkansas or West Virginia or Tennessee or Montana... Also the backroads at 7:30 am on a weekday are quite different from the same backroads on a Sunday afternoon. Personally, I have never really enjoyed riding the superslab, even when traffic is sparse. Sure they get you from point A to point B, but it's not an enjoyment to me. Interstates are to riding what Pabst Blue Ribbon is to drinking.

[MisterEd]

Aw, come on, there's plenty of neat backroads in the northeast ...


Near Otis, Mass. - on a saturday afternoon - in June.  I passed three cars in about 30 miles.

But yeah, I have to admit that I've discovered that I'm a child of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Interstate and Defense Highway System.  There is no better way for getting from "A" to "B" to "Q".

To appreciate the back roads, however, one cannot consider something like route 1 in Wiscassett, ME or route 16 in North Conway, NH to be among them.

[RBEmerson]

Guys - take it to Off Topic or Politics or PM, huh.  

[ninjadad66]

Brat and Brochen $5.00
Tank of gas $10.00
Night in a cheap hotel $45.00
2005 ZX-12R  $10,000.00
Back roads from Kaiserslatuern Germany to Altodorf, Switzerland...Priceless

[Bigfoot]

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...

I'm not familiar with 202 but RT. 15 in VA. is not a back road.

[Corbeau]

Two NE backroads from hell stories...

Returning from the National in 05, I was under the impression it would be possible to do a Bethesda, MD (just outside the Beltway) to Upstate NY (think Canadian border) using only backroads, save for the first bit, obviously. Excerpt from my ride report:

I was gasing up at 8 a.m., at the corner of Maryland highways 32 and 91, I made a wrong turn at the northern edge of Maryland (and discovered wonderful highway 82 by mistake), then tracked my way to Pennsylvania thanks to my GPS, and then the nightmare began.

It was just after 10 a.m. when I crossed into Pennsylvania, where I lost my mind. There was a lot of church traffic, but the problem was one of geographical settlement, not circulation or religion. In that corner of Pennsylvania, between York and Lancaster, up to the small towns of Manheim, Cornwall, Lebanon, there's an even smaller town, often not on the map, that pops up, one or two miles after you've left the previous town. The longest stretch of 55 mph I saw was about three miles long. Then it quickly reduces, for no reason, to 45, then to 30 and, right when you see a curve that could be fun at 50, the sign says "25 mph" -- as in speed limit, not recommended corner entry speed.

By the time I reached Pine Grove, PA, after the only tight turns that were worth it (on Pennsylvania Hwy 645) I had made 217 miles in four hours and 39 minutes, with a moving average of 46 mph and dropping. At that rate, it would have been past dusk that I would have been in the Bambi reserve that is the Adirondacks Park .

The second horror story relates what happen after hundreds of wonderful backroad miles in NY, coming north to south through the 'dacks, down NY30   I make my way over to Hancock, NY, then down NY97 to Port Jervis (and I found Eagle's Nest overrated, but that's just me). I'm in Port Jarvis and my goal is to meet the rest of my family, vacationing in VA Beach. It was noon on Sunday. I took US 209 and some other roads that were just as full of tourists from Philly on their way to check out the Poconos. Four hours later, I had covered 100 miles or so and was, finally, on the NE extention of the PA turnpike...  

[DredheadV2.0]

Guys - take it to Off Topic or Politics or PM, huh.  

If anyone's curious about the OT and political fight brewing in this thread, those posts have been moved to OT in their own thread.

Enjoy!  

[livetoride]

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.....

(EDIT)

.....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.

I must confess, I missed this bit on my first pass through.. Of course I slab to get to the killer back roads, I live in California. Due to the shear size of my state the slab is often the only choice.

The problem I think you're having is that you've assumed that "take the back roads" is an all encompassing statement. It should read "take the backroads, whenever possible ". Or to put it another way what they are really saying is "take the road less traveled when you can"

-Peter

[Global Rider]

Finally, I guess it's in the blood.

Thank God for that!

I'm Italian so going slow behind a chain of cars going 35mph grates against every fiber of my being (plus I just moved back from living in Italy and old habits die hard).  It's really hard for me to re-adjust to the "american" style of driving.  In Italy, people in cars pass slower traffic on back roads that are WAAAAAYYYY hairier than most over here, an no one thinks anything of it.  You pass someone on a motorcycle here and everyone is like "ooohhhhh" "aaaahhhhhhh"  "You are such a risk taker!!".  Oh well, like many of you said - to each his/her own!

I know exactly what you are talking about. What is it with the need for a 1/4 mile of straight road for anyone to make a pass...anything less and "ohhh, you're such an irresponsible driver".   What a sterile world we live in here.

And I don't know what the big deal is with passing cars on back roads with most of the mega-powered motorcycles owned by forums members. I have gobs less horsepower than most on here and all I have to do is give it a gentle twist.

[919Maniac]

I'll give ya'll an example:

One year I decided to ride from SE PA to upstate NY for Americade.  I pulled out my maps determined to do the old "back roads are best" routine.  I knew nothing about these roads at the time, but knowing what I know now I would never go the same way.  I think I took 202N or something up to 209N (it was a few years ago, hard to remember).  209, which looked on the map to be very scenic (and it is), was also AMAZINGLY frustrating!  Everyone was crawling along at a snail's pace.  It does run through the Delaware Water Gap park, so you have that to contend with.  There was no where to pass, etc... Eventually I just got on the northway (I87) rather than continue b/c it was so boring.  I actually found that I enjoyed that.  I moved along at a healthy pace, never had to sit behind someone for long, etc...

Anyway, that is just one instance that I recall distinctly.  I know that there are prob 1 million different better ways I could have gone, but that's what I chose that time and it didn't work out.  Would I try something different in the future?  Sure, and if it was anything like the long stretches of awesome roads down in NC, VA, TN, then I would have a blast!  If not, I would soon be hunting the the nearest Interstate....

I never said taking the back roads sucks everywhere and all the time, it just hasn't been the best option for me when travelling here in the MidATL/NE.

[FJRmgm]

Move somewhere else - there are lots of backroads in the USA with no traffic.

[ctfz1]

Need map reading lessons.

[wonderings]

I bought my Garmin Zumo to specificly avoid major highways/interstates. I love the avoidance option in my Zumo. I will be using it from Buffalo to Gettysburg PA for our May long weekend. I only like the major highways to get out quick, like many have posted already. The small country back-roads are the cows meow for me.

[BHW]

I'd rather take a well planned route through backroads and enjoy the ride. Booming down the interstate at 75mph or more is ok in a car, but on a bike it's boring, and extremely tiring. I do not buy motorcycles to fly down the highway for hours on end in a zombie state.

[foosnut]

Wow, you couldn't find a good Route to Lake George using back roads!!  

You do need map reading lessons!!  

Seriously, I live in NEPA, there are empty back roads all over up here, but I am more of a traveler, even in the cage I take backorads to see new things.

I don't know much about southern PA but from what I can tell from a few rides there it is much more congested than northeast pa..

[Canuck]

I don't know much about NE US, but I live for backroads. When travelling I stay off the interstates (and their Canadian equivalents as much as possible) unless doing an IBA run, when time is everything. Backroads usually have way fewer cops too. Even if it is straight, a big, lonely, empty prairie backroad can be a lot of fun for testing out your bike's higher speed capabilities.

[STI-51]

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

+1

I try to avoid the highway unless absolutely necessary or when I just want to get to my destination expeditiously.  For me, traffic on the backroads is still preferable to open slab.  Besides, there's a simple solution to traffic that involves your right hand (no, not that solution  ).  Of course, this often requires passing on double yellows which is another topic altogether.