Riding in Florida in January?

[saddletramp]

I have a convention in Orlando the first part of January & since my wife is coming along it's going to be part vacation too.  We decided that we wanted to drive down to So. Florida since niether one of us had ever been there.  It was my wife that suggested we try to rent a motorcycle for the ride south so I contacted Eagle Riders & am considering renting a motorcycle for three days. Probably an ST1300 since it's close to the Concours14 that we own.

What kind of weather can we anticipate that time of year & would the trip be more enjoyable by bike or should we just rent a car?

Opinions needed.  

[mxvet57]

Anything is better than the weather here in January. When do we leave?

[Bender]

Orlando will be overloaded with Mouse chasing loonies....

Weather should be ok.

[county]

A friend of mine rented a house in the Destin area for several New Years celebrations....he would invite a few people....eat seafood, walk on the beach....I rode down there on New Years Eve several times....pretty good weather once I passed Jackson, Ms....one year I went ahead and rode to Key West, crossed FL on the Tamiami...good weather....

Just google accuweather for average temps...

[still kickin]

ST-- I live near Destin and would recommend you stick with a car.. The temps are cold for Florida--high 50's to low 60's. But the main thing is the roads. Straight as an arrow Now if you were going to Atlanta then WOW. The north georgia mountains WOW. I promise you will only ride the roads in south Florida once on a bike.

I just remembered that every year in either January or February a Canadian cold front comes down. For 2 weeks the low is in the 20's!! Damn cold.

Hope you make the right call.

[Ulynut]

Just bring the heated gear with you. Like mentioned above, it could be 30 degrees or it could be 70. Tough time of year to predict. I've been there many times at that time of year.

 Riding those long, straight, flat roads requiers a different mind set. There's nothing like cruising through the Everglades. Don't miss it, and take your time.

Don't miss Big Cypress either. Take the Tamiami Trail, stop at the tourist traps, air boat tours, all that crap. A great diversion from winter.

Traffic can suck around Miami. Watch out for the blue headed drivers.

[Cablebandit]

Yeah, it's probably no different than here in June.  

[stew71]

You'll be fine. Just...fine.

[HanksXXX]

I'd have to get out of Orlando after a couple days....
I'd reserve the bike and rent it if the weather is good.
The weather BTW, gets warmer south of Lake Okkachobie and becomes more tropical.
That time of year can be just about anything, hence my suggestion to make your mind up when you get there. Where to go:
Head west-southwest to the coast and check out Sanibel-Captiva islands, near Naples.
From there you go through the Glades and I'd recommend an airboat ride for laughs.
From Homestead, I'd head down to Key West and catch the Sunset Festival at Mallory Square and spend the night bar hopping. Use Card Sound Road either heading north or south to see the backwater of Key Largo and stop at Alabama Jacks for lunch.
Head back to Orlando via US 27 which goes up the center of the state.
I'd avoid Miami and Ft Lauderdale as the riding sux as does the traffic.
If you must rub shoulders with the beautiful people, venture over to South Beach Miami.
Have a safe and fun trip...tell Mickey and Goofie I said Hi...lol
Hank

[Ulynut]

I've been thinking about your choice of bike for this trip. I mean, it's your choice and all, and that ST1300 is a nice bike and all, and if I'm out of line just say so, and if you're only going to rent,  those roads are made for an Electraglide. Just sayin'.

[saddletramp]

We test rode a new Ultra Claasic last fall but my wife couldn't take the noise & vibration.  I explained that was part of the mystic but she didn't understand ( neither did I for that matter)!

We test rode a lot of bikes & thus chose the c-14.  So it will probably be the ST or Goldwing.

[Snowbird]

The weather should be fine, but it's more fine some years than others. Be very careful of red light runners, especially in the Orlando area.

Personally, I'd prefer the trip by motorcycle rather than car.

[playinatwork]

Weather can be cold in the mornings but usually warms up nicely thru the day.  Avoid rush hour in the big cities if possible.  Stop on Lower Matecoumbie key and hand feed the Tarpon. I think the place is called Robbie's.  They make a nice lunch too.  You might want to divert to No Name Key and have a pizza at the the No Name pub and see some Key deer.  
If you have the time, a side trip to Homasassa or Crystal Springs to swim with the Manatees might win you some points with the better half.  Homasassa reminds me of what FL used to be like before Mickey showed up.  Of course, I haven't been there in a few years so it's probably changed too.

[MK96xj]

I prefer riding in FL in the Dec-Feb time frame. Bring your cold weather riding gear and you will be fine. Yeah, the roads are straight but there are other things to see.

Asking a Floridian about temps will not work. Anything below 70 and they break out the long johns  

[falconati]

I'd get a car.  I worked for a year in Florida, and I can tell you that it's not great motorcycling road conditions.  Terrible driving, random rainfall, and straight, flat roads make me prefer a convertible instead.

[nevinfs327]

Renting a bike depends on what you want to do as much as the weather.  I truly enjoyed exploring Central FL on the back of a motorcycle, checking out roads in the Ocala National Forest and the swampy areas of the Gulf Coast and the little towns around them.  There are lots of state preserves and national forests that offer pleasant riding with little or no traffic.  In a car I wouldn't have taken the back roads or seen the original and natural FL.

When I rode there it was mid-March and I had ridden down from NYC, so I was excited to be motoring down flat, straight roads with warm sun on my back, rather than babying the bike through twisties back north where salt, debris and even ice in the shadows lurked.  

I've also been to Captiva Island a few times between Xmas and New Year's and the temps were always warm.  That said I never wished for a motorcycle since the coastal areas are like riding in a big suburb.

[Snowbird]

I'd get a car.  I worked for a year in Florida, and I can tell you that it's not great motorcycling road conditions.  Terrible driving, random rainfall, and straight, flat roads make me prefer a convertible instead.

What year was that? 1985? Today we have this thing called weather radar available on phones, so there's no excuse for getting wet when you're on a relaxed schedule.

Can't ride in a straight line, eh? It's a skill like proper braking.

[falconati]

I understand that you enjoy being an internet tough guy; however I think you'd understand if you'd use your brain a bit.  If he's going to decide whether or not to rent a motorcycle vs car, he wants to book a few weeks out.  He won't know weather at that time.  Also, you can ride in a straight line, but most people prefer curves.  The same people who like riding in straight lines are the kinds of people who care about horsepower above handling.

It's not hard to understand, but maybe you were just trying to look cool.

[Ulynut]

We test rode a new Ultra Claasic last fall but my wife couldn't take the noise & vibration.  I explained that was part of the mystic but she didn't understand ( neither did I for that matter)!

We test rode a lot of bikes & thus chose the c-14.  So it will probably be the ST or Goldwing.

Got it.  

[Snowbird]

I understand that you enjoy being an internet tough guy; however I think you'd understand if you'd use your brain a bit.  If he's going to decide whether or not to rent a motorcycle vs car, he wants to book a few weeks out.  He won't know weather at that time.  Also, you can ride in a straight line, but most people prefer curves.  The same people who like riding in straight lines are the kinds of people who care about horsepower above handling.

It's not hard to understand, but maybe you were just trying to look cool.

You're a very sensitive lady.  My apologies for offending you.