MO/AR routes

[ninjaridaz]

Anybody have good routes for these 2 states?

[Orson]

I've read good things about MO-160 along the bottom of the state.

[jeepinbanditrider]

In Arkansas pretty much anything with the number 4 in it  

You've also got the "pig trail" up there which is usually touted as the "Dragon of the west" so to speak.  It's a good road.  I left Paris, AR and littelry rode all day taking a break for lunch for about an hour spent a lot of that day leaned over though corners and managed to get back just in time for the dinner we had at the Paris Inn  

One word of advice if you plan your trip with GPS software in AR avoid roads that aren't state highways.  The first time I went up there I tried to take country roads.  Basiclly every road I got on that had an actual name and not a number like "Billy Bo Bob Rd." or something like that was dirt.  I rode a lot of dirt on my FJR while I was there lol.

Linked below is the route I rode for the one weekend day I was up there.  Like I said with the lunch stop thrown in it took me all day to ride this and this was on a FJR and not stopping a whole lot to smell the roses so to speak.

http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Paris,+AR+72855&daddr=S+7th+St+to:AR-23+N+to:AR-23+N+to:AR-74+E+to:AR-43+N+to:AR-123+S%2FAR-74+E+to:AR-123+S+to:AR-123+S+to:AR-109+S+to:AR-109+S+to:E+Walnut+St&hl=en&ll=35.594786,-93.337097&spn=1.132306,2.463684&sll=35.384572,-93.487473&sspn=0.283823,0.615921&geocode=FYCDGgIdg8tp-ikVG32aQXnMhzF2xndczxnIcQ%3BFcJ4HQIdXDxo-g%3BFa6VHgIdkMJn-g%3BFSjJJQIdZjBq-g%3BFfYSJgIdOQVt-g%3BFeEKJQIdYchu-g%3BFa7CJAIdZNVz-g%3BFVe9IQIdDaRz-g%3BFXtLHwId8X1w-g%3BFa6XHAIdbtps-g%3BFXKPGgIdxuFs-g%3BFS6DGgIdMPhp-g&vpsrc=6&mra=mi&mrsp=11&sz=11&t=m&z=9


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[ridingfar]

Really? Get out the map....

For MO pretty much anything south of I-44 is good, with 8, 19 and 125 as personal favorites; there are lots of others.

Northwest and west central AR are heaven. Look north-south at 21, 23, 7, 123, and 341. East-west 14 and 16 are great. There are many, many more.

Travel will be sloweer over these roads; 300 miles can be a full days riding.

Pick some routes and go explore as you can almost not go wrong.

Happy riding!

[FJRmgm]

ok, are you ready for this?

Stay in Eureka Springs Arkansas as that is a great central place plus there is a great road that goes through town that has all kinds of curves.

Missouri:125 and 160 east of Branson - both of these are awesome, 86, 112 and 90 west of Branson

Arkansas: take 23 north out of Eureka Springs to 86 in Missouri up to Cassville then back down 37 to Washburn then 90 west to Noel and back. 86 and 90 are fabulous.  Missouri 86 and 90 are like a roller coaster and 90 is one of my top-10 road.

Take 62 east out of E.S. to Berryville to 21 south all the way down to Clarksville then take 123 back north to 74 to Jasper (eat there on square) to 43 to 21 and back up. This is one of my favorite loops.

These are MUST RIDE roads in the NW Arkansas area: 7,14,16,21,23,43 74,123,125,143, 221,311,341

I have ridden all of these roads many times. Any secondary road you take out of Eureka Springs, Berryville, Harrison, Jasper will be excellent.   Stay north of I-40 in Arkansas for the best riding.

You can spend a week riding in this area and have a different and great route every day.

Damn, now I am all jacked up to go riding up there...

[mxvet57]

And don't forget to put new tires on. The roads will eat up a tire in no time.

[bomber]

PM me for some GPS routes - also, see the state's tourism site (really!) --

[Yankee Dog]

I've read good things about MO-160 along the bottom of the state.

+1. I have ridden it. It is a roller coaster of a road. Waay fun.

[jeepinbanditrider]

PM me for some GPS routes - also, see the state's tourism site (really!) --

Stop and pickup a map fromthe visitor center on your way into the state.  The map is actually fairly detailed.  I still have mine from last year.

[FJRmgm]

Check the Region 2 forum - the STN National is in Eureka Springs in June.

NW Arkansas and Southern Missouri has some of the best, if not the best, roads and routes to ride on in this entire region....

I go there every chance I get. Between the motorcycle and the car I have ridden this area at least fifteen times...

Roads are great, scenery is excellent and varied and people are friendly.  

Go there.

[garry]

ok, are you ready for this?

Stay in Eureka Springs Arkansas as that is a great central place plus there is a great road that goes through town that has all kinds of curves.

Missouri:125 and 160 east of Branson - both of these are awesome, 86, 112 and 90 west of Branson

Arkansas: take 23 north out of Eureka Springs to 86 in Missouri up to Cassville then back down 37 to Washburn then 90 west to Noel and back. 86 and 90 are fabulous.  Missouri 86 and 90 are like a roller coaster and 90 is one of my top-10 road.

Take 62 east out of E.S. to Berryville to 21 south all the way down to Clarksville then take 123 back north to 74 to Jasper (eat there on square) to 43 to 21 and back up. This is one of my favorite loops.

These are MUST RIDE roads in the NW Arkansas area: 7,14,16,21,23,43 74,123,125,143, 221,311,341

I have ridden all of these roads many times. Any secondary road you take out of Eureka Springs, Berryville, Harrison, Jasper will be excellent.   Stay north of I-40 in Arkansas for the best riding.

You can spend a week riding in this area and have a different and great route every day.

Damn, now I am all jacked up to go riding up there...

+1 to this advice. I had a great time at the 2008 National riding all those roads and would like to hit them again for this year's national (if I can swing the time off).

[stk0308]

And don't forget to put new tires on. The roads will eat up a tire in no time.

This is very, very good advice!  Ask me how I know  

As for routes.  Depends on where you want to base out of, and where you want to end up.  Many of the best roads are already mentioned here.  I would also like to reitterate that, even though it's a small state, you can easily wear your self out over one day trying to squeeze in a bunch of good roads.  300 miles can be real work.  You'll also want to plan gas stops carefully in some areas of AR.  Not every town on the map has fuel.

[FJRmgm]

You'll also want to plan gas stops carefully in some areas of AR.  Not every town on the map has fuel.

+1 to that..

[mxvet57]

You'll also want to plan gas stops carefully in some areas of AR.  Not every town on the map has fuel.

+1 to that..

Thanks for reminding me about that.

If you have a half a tank and see a station. STOP!  I didn't and couldn't find any gas. I went 58 miles on reserve. The gage was so far down on empty it was hitting my nuts. I was even killing the engine and costing down hills to save fuel.

When i found a station i filled up with 6.5 gal. The tank is a 6.6.  

[Jetpilot5]

Lots of great routes listed in this thread.

http://www.sport-touring.net/forums/index.php/topic,25600.0.html

I'm hoping to get down there again this summer.

[agent9]

Being on a bike again after a few years off I just asked a friend who goes to from StL to Bentonville often for business if she knew of some good roads I'd like to ride. Her reply was "all of them". I like that. I'm looking forward to wasting weekends down that way.

[jeepinbanditrider]

+1 on the gas station thing.   On the loop after I left Paris I saw 1 gas station before I jumped on 74 and filled up.  The next time I saw a gas station again was sometime around hwy 123.  

[Liquidsilver]

That's how you know you're on the really good roads down there, you don't see people or gas stations.   I carry an emergency bottle of fuel.
 
I go down 3 or 4 weekends a year.   I always leave with a new Pilot Road2 on the back, and when I get home on Sunday night, it's almost bald from edge to edge.   A Pilot Road2 front tire will do two full weekends.   The tires are worth it.

[leanin]

One more warning on gas stations in small Arkansas towns, they're often closed on Sundays.  

[HipGnosis]

Stop and pickup a map from the visitor center on your way into the state.  The map is actually fairly detailed.

Or you can go to  the AR tourism site and they'll send you one (for free).  Then you can drool over it and highlite the good and MUST RIDE roads.

I started street riding in MO.  That was back before the internet and GPS.  I didn't know I was 'sport-touring' on my KZ650, KZ750 and then GPz750 when I rode to the Ozarks.  I found a few good roads and mostly road them.
The 'Fav state to ride in' thread got me reminiscing and then wondering how many great roads I missed.  Now I'm planning a trip...
Thanks to all for the great info in this thread!

[MacGyver]

I have a deal in the works with Butler Maps in their support of the 2012 National Rally.  If the planets align, they might have a 'special' map made up just for the attendees. Amongst other things I have lined up.  

[bomber]

Butler Maps are very good folks indeed!

[MadOzodi]

Gawd...reading this thread makes me wanna take a weekend down through AR and back!