Roads in NY and New England.

[Formerly Known as Bigfoot]

I had to cut short a 2 week trip and will arrive home tomorrow after a week of riding in PA, NY, VT, ME and NH.  the majority of my year round riding is done in VA and WVA.  I have to say that the roads in NY and NE basically suck.  I of course try and ride just back roads but had to slab the entire way from NH to Scranton today before stopping for the night.  Interstate all the way today sucked ballz.  The majority of the side roads in the above states were in absolutely horrible shape.  I was up there in 09 riding pretty much the same area for 30 days and I recall some pretty bad roads but this trip was UFB.  I absolutely love the NE area but the winters, and lack of true maintenance, has played havoc on your roads.  I guess I've become spoiled by the road conditions in VA and WV.  

That is all.

[epconde]

What roads did you ride?

[malbojah]

You do realize a hurricane came through about a month ago and destroyed all the good back roads?

[Formerly Known as Bigfoot]

You do realize a hurricane came through about a month ago and destroyed all the good back roads?

I saw plenty of storm damage and I know some of the roads were damaged from the storm but some of these roads were just plain neglected.  

[Mr.Black]

Dude rode the wrong roads.

Our secret remains safe.

Yeah, a lot of the roads up here suck ass but we do have some gems. Next time you're up this way, hook up with some locals and take a day trip. I recommend malbojah.

[st2sam]

I gotta agree with you bigfeet, the majority of our roads suck, pavement quality wise that is.  
However, we have a ton of twisties here in PA that are almost the equal to some VA & WVa roads except for pavement conditions, that you get accustomed too.  When I ride your area roads it feels like I'm floating on a cloud.

[Cablebandit]

It is funny riding with people from the southern states that freak when there's a trace of debris on the road.  Coming from PA where the roads are covered in "anti-skid" year round, the roads to our south are like racetracks.

[Formerly Known as Bigfoot]

I pretty much slipped thru PA to start in NY and points east.  I need to spend several days riding in PA to the west. Bet it's nice

[garry]

I pretty much slipped thru PA to start in NY and points east.  I need to spend several days riding in PA to the west. Bet it's nice

It doesn't suck, but it's not as nice as WV and VA. Mostly scenic sweepers on variable quality pavement.

[malbojah]

Dude rode the wrong roads.

Our secret remains safe.

Yeah, a lot of the roads up here suck ass but we do have some gems. Next time you're up this way, hook up with some locals and take a day trip. I recommend malbojah.

Wrong side of the state. There's only 1 good road down here

[Mr.Black]

Wrong side of the state. There's only 1 good road down here

Yeah, but you are up this way a lot and know your way around.

[malbojah]

Yeah, but you are up this way a lot and know your way around.

Only made it 2-3 times this year. Trying to save as much cash as possible, and 4 hours to N.Adams gets to be tiring after a while

[epconde]

What roads did you ride? There are some good roads in bad condition in New England, especially this season. There are, however, a number of great roads that rival those in VA and WV. If you had posted to the thread tacked to the top of Region 6, I could have helped create an awesome route with good road conditions.

I had to cut short a 2 week trip and will arrive home tomorrow after a week of riding in PA, NY, VT, ME and NH.  the majority of my year round riding is done in VA and WVA.  I have to say that the roads in NY and NE basically suck.  I of course try and ride just back roads but had to slab the entire way from NH to Scranton today before stopping for the night.  Interstate all the way today sucked ballz.  The majority of the side roads in the above states were in absolutely horrible shape.  I was up there in 09 riding pretty much the same area for 30 days and I recall some pretty bad roads but this trip was UFB.  I absolutely love the NE area but the winters, and lack of true maintenance, has played havoc on your roads.  I guess I've become spoiled by the road conditions in VA and WV.  

That is all.

[slvrsprint]

The winters here lead to a lot of pavement deteriation.  They can't all be re-paved every year.  My favorite rides depend on the latest road work.  There are always enough good roads to keep me happy in the Hudson Valley, Adirondacks, Catskills, Poconos, Green Mountains, White Mountains and lots more.  They're not all great roads every year, but it's not difficult to find enjoyable rides anytime.

[Mr.Black]

Several roads in my area have been oiled and graveled.  

[myke_w]

I saw plenty of storm damage and I know some of the roads were damaged from the storm but some of these roads were just plain neglected.  

Coming from riding WV, VA, TN, NC roads, the roads in new England indeed suck, funny considering the amount of wealth up here and the almost absolute lackthereof in the aforementioned states.  

There are a few well kept secrets, but most roads are full of frost heave and massive cracks. Just takes the fun out of it after having ridden on well cared for roads for so many years, especially if you like to go fast.

Even great byways like the flagship Kancamagus highway are intolerable in many spots.  Being new to the area, I still cant wrap my head around the disparity. Hopefully I just arrived here on an "off year" and theyll repave it all next year.  

[Formerly Known as Bigfoot]

Coming from riding WV, VA, TN, NC roads, the roads in new England indeed suck, funny considering the amount of wealth up here and the almost absolute lackthereof in the aforementioned states.  

There are a few well kept secrets, but most roads are full of frost heave and massive cracks. Just takes the fun out of it after having ridden on well cared for roads for so many years, especially if you like to go fast.

Even great byways like the flagship Kancamagus highway are intolerable in many spots.  Being new to the area, I still cant wrap my head around the disparity. Hopefully I just arrived here on an "off year" and theyll repave it all next year.  

Not so sure.  I rode there in 09 and found the same thing as just now.  I absolutely love the New England area so I want to continue riding up there.  But it would seem the roads don't receive the care we see down in our area in VA.  

[TuffguyF4i]

I'm not gonna disagree with the OP.

I rode constantly when i lived down south.  Around here i just don't get the itch as much.  

[Formerly Known as Bigfoot]

I'm not gonna disagree with the OP.

I rode constantly when i lived down south.  Around here i just don't get the itch as much.  

That's a shame since the New England area has some beautiful scenery.  I just talked to a friend who was riding here locally when he stopped at a gas station in Front Royal, Va.  He was approached by a guy who was part of a duo who hailed from N'amshire.  Their bikes were on a trailer.  They told my friend that since the roads are in such bad shape back home they trailer to Va. then ride VA, WV, TN and NC before trailering back home.  At first I thought that was dumb but in reality your riding options suck from parts of NE to this area.  95 which I can't imagine in NY City.  I 81 which also sucks at times and Rt 15 which is ok at times and not so much at others.  If you're on a schedule trailering may make sense for some.  I just thought it ironic they had to come south for better riding roads.  

[ConPilot1]

All this discussion is exactly why I'm craving a big dual sport for my next 2 wheeler.

I'm sure a GS or something with a nice long travel soft suspension would be much nicer on our crap PA roads. ST2Sam is right however, we do have some beautiful roads
up here through deep forest and mountains, but the freeze/thaw cycles really raise hell with the pavement and the state's road repair program is seriously underfunded.

[Cablebandit]

Riding the Vstrom, the roads were not that big a deal.  The bumps and cracks were soaked up pretty well even with it's crappy suspension.  Riding the same crap on the Pig and my spine needs realignment afterward.

[myke_w]

I just thought it ironic they had to come south for better riding roads.  

Tell me about it. I just moved up here to NH and was looking forward to riding every mile of the state. once you get off the interstate its sketch city, and incredibly inconsistent. One of the cool things about riding the mid - south Appalachians is that almost every tiny stretch of road is paved, so you can really go on some crazy deep woods adventures even with a sport bike. Up here in New England, where each little hamlet is responsible (taken lightly) for county and country roads, you'll often find nothing but dirt roads.

I'm seriously considering unloading my VFR just so I can actually ride here without constantly being turned around on roads turned cowpath. Anybody got a GS for trade?

[carpe_diem]

Tell me about it. I just moved up here to NH and was looking forward to riding every mile of the state. once you get off the interstate its sketch city, and incredibly inconsistent. One of the cool things about riding the mid - south Appalachians is that almost every tiny stretch of road is paved, so you can really go on some crazy deep woods adventures even with a sport bike. Up here in New England, where each little hamlet is responsible (taken lightly) for county and country roads, you'll often find nothing but dirt roads.

I'm seriously considering unloading my VFR just so I can actually ride here without constantly being turned around on roads turned cowpath. Anybody got a GS for trade?

I am fairly certain the lack of tax dollars in NH probably contributes to the poor road quality as well.

In other NE states its a little better (before the big hurricane anyway).