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forks of the credit

ifiddles

ifiddles

Well-known member
so i've been here as a passenger but not riding my own bike and i'd like to try it...however, i remember it being twisty with a steep incline in a few places (if memory serves me correct which it probably doesn't because that ride was a few years ago)...i ride a 500 cruiser and have no problems riding roads like SR15, RR97, SR20, Geulph Line, Cedar Springs, SR10, i just slow down to the posted limit on the bends...any advice for someone wanting to try the forks for the first time...which is the best way to go, travel eastbound towards hwy 10 or westbound away from hwy 10?
 
For a first timer the Westbound route is easier in my opinion as the steep switchback is easier going up rather than dipping down and to the Right sharply and staying out of the other lane.
 
Yes - there is nothing difficult on the entire route at sight seeing speed EXCEPT the hairpin going downhill inner lane east bound.

The only similar hairpin is Appleby by Rattlesnake downhill and both are subject to straying cadgers.

I can't give you much tip other than a little feathering on the rear brake usually makes a hairpin a bit easier.

Uphill on the other lane is much easier tho once past the hairpin going west bound don't gun it as the turn at the top is off camber and can have traffic coming. I'd enter from HWY 10 on a quiet time and run it carefully the first time. It's a nice little bit of road aside from the hairpin.
 
Lots of traffic and police...they had speed bumps in there last time I went thru..not sure if they are back since they were the removable type..at least they left a space so you can ride between them on a bike and not have to go over them.
 
Downhill on the hairpin near the end of last fall- friend and i were behind a driver who had their passenger decide to show them something on an ipad or some tablet thing right as they took the turn- they almost came to a complete stop in front of us 3/4 of the way around it.
We are both fairly conservative riders and had a few car lengths space as a buffer- so we both kept the bikes up- but just barely. Make sure you keep a lot of room in front of you for the inevitable retards you might encounter.
 
I take that hairpin at about 10km/h both ways. The other week I saw a truck drift around it going up hill, lol.

Sent from my SH-02E using Tapatalk 2
 
- they almost came to a complete stop in front of us 3/4 of the way around it
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HAd the same thing happen to me on the uphill at Rattlesnake....nasty because of the camber - liberal use of horn started the ditz moving again.
Rattlesnake is bad for drivers taking the entire turn in the middle of the narrow road - at least at the Forks with the re-design there is ample room on the turn.

OP just don't do it on a busy weekend as there will be literally hundreds of bikes and cars and motorcycles using the road in the area not to mention lines of fishermen.
I actually like the Grange going east from 10 and then up any one of the NS roads to HWY 9. You'll enjoy Hockley and River Road in the area and no hairpins to worry about.
Forks is fun but short.
 
The speed humps are back. Saw them being installed last week.

Westbound is easier. Good advice about the right hander after the hairpin! As noted it is off camber and the pavement has been polished by wheel spin from autos. In addition, it is usually wet, which makes it even more slippery. I watched a cruiser rider spin the rear end out from under him last season. Take it slow, first gear and don't accelerate hard until you have completely exited the turn.
 
Sounds like you're in Burlington. Go up and down Rattle Snake point a few times. The hairpin is about as tricky as the one at the forks.
 
The Rattlesnake Point hairpin and 90-degree at the top are similar configuration to the Forks but tighter, steeper, and in worse condition ...
 
YUP and cagers that realllllly treat it as a single lane.....THEIR single lane and you can't always see them.
At least the Forks has visibility and good pavement.

I've been not even bothering with Rattlesnake hairpin lately as it's more annoyance than it's worth and the road just to the east is nice and then go left at the top to pick up Appleby above the hairpin.
If the OP is a new rider I'd not recommend practicing on Rattlesnake downhill due to condition and poor viz. Going up is not too bad tho.

You could loop up Appleby across at the top and then back down the escarpment to Derry and back across west and do it again.
Gonna hit the Forks shortly.
 
Downhill can be a pain--that newish Jersey barrier blocks your view of upcoming traffic and crawling around the hairpin isn't my idea of fun. The camber dips quite a bit too, so stopping to put you foot down is hazardous (DAMHIK). Why would I stop? Uphill car just over the line. FOC is basically the suburbs now, which is a shame. Probably nicer on weekdays, right?
 
OP - as I was saying about busy :D

http://www.gtamotorcycle.com/vbforu...e-Forks-some-cool-bikes&p=2006538#post2006538

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I don't consider that kind of hairpin fun under any circumstances down hill and marginal uphill good practice on smooth cornering on a tight turn. Exercise in throttle control is all and with my whacked shoulder even that is annoying and having to hit the brake a bit even more so. Right hand motor control is nowhere near back to normal. :(
 
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Flywheel said:
Probably nicer on weekdays, right?
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That depends on your reason to ride. If you like hanging out with lots of other riders, go on the weekend. If you prefer to just ride without crowds and with very little other traffic, go on a weekday. I'm usually working on weekends and don't like the crowd scene, so I do most of my riding on weekdays.
 
I don't mind chatting with interesting people with cool bikes/cars during a break, but I'm not much of a poser. Can't keep my gear clean and I ride an old scratched scooter.
 
I actually washed mine and patched the hole in the riding pants. Too many cracks about the protein load on the front. :D
The bugs were getting layered and kept catching my toe in the riding pants making it worse.

I like the chat and the odd bikes - if it gets too silly and I can't get a decent chair outside I move on. Been lucky so far this year.
Was funny on the weekend.....jammed....then it all clears out....then another wave comes.....
 
I fully endorse MacDoc's Grange Sideroad suggestion. I ride that way almost every day commuting to/from work, and it is a very pleasant ride (though it is kinda straight and has a slow speed limit) from HWY10 all the way over to Torbram Rd (called Mountainview-north of Old Baseline). There is a golf course with a few curves as you pass by it if you go north up Bramalea Rd (called St.Andrews up there) though any of the N/S roads are pretty good.
If you don't know the area and are looking for a nice route, go all the way up to HWY9- turn right on 9 and go to Airport- turn left (north) and take a left onto Hockley. Once you hit HWY10 at Hockley- turn right and head north to Mono Centre Rd. Turn right and it will eventually take you back to Airport. Head north again and keep going well past 89 till you see the signs for Tera Nova (your turn will be on the left -think it is 20 Sideroad?). That will bring you to River Road. Take that all the way across to Horning Mills (Main Street) and go left/South- at County 124- back to Shelburne and grab some grub at a local shop and enjoy the town.
 
knucklesound said:
Take that all the way across to Horning Mills (Main Street) and go left/South- at County 124- back to Shelburne and grab some grub at a local shop and enjoy the town.
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Up to this point you were doing great and if you have gone this far you might as well turn right in Horning's Mills and continue north on 124 to Maple Valley. Turn right there and follow that road over to Creemore. It is one of my favourites up this way and I find it far more entertaining than The Forks.
 
Thanks for that - one more zig-zag to add to the area.

Do you know the name of the road north of Hockley off Airport? - there is a restaurant at the corner on the NE ( has a big porch ) and a stop light - go left and across towards 10 ( 17 rings a bell but not sure )- lots of up and down and big sweeps - one in particular swoops down and just about a full 180 at speed then up the other side of the moraine - there are 90 degree sweeps at the top on both sides of the small valley.

well past 89 till you see the signs for Tera Nova (your turn will be on the left -
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note: this is an easy turn to miss.

The zig zag loop being discussed is 300-400 km round trip from Mississauga.

You can add more by heading up further to Eugenia Falls ( decent burger joint there and the falls are worth a look ) and then up Beaver Valley Road - again nothing difficult but a nice touring ride and a break from the boredom HWY 10.

If it's a fluffy white cloud day then hit York Soaring around 11 am just west of Orangeville and do some 3D motorcycling. :D

http://www.yorksoaring.com

Do the aerobatic intro flight for the thrill of a lifetime. This is a wing over

clubhouse.jpg
with the field below.

You'll pull some serious Gs in these high performance sail planes.
 
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I do a lot of riding around Grey county/Beaver Valley as my family's cottage is up there. There's a ton of nice, well-paved, fairly-empty roads up there, if you're willing to go the extra distance. The road from Eugenia Falls north (Grey Rd 13) to Thornbury is one of my favorites; nice sweeping curves through unpopulated farmland.

Also, Dufferin County Rd 21 from Honeywood (Hwy 10/24) to Airport Rd has some nice curves and one of the best panoramic views I've seen in Southern Ontario.

I study Google Maps to find interesting roads. Although you end up at a lot of gravel roads/dead ends. And most of the time, I can't even remember the names of the roads I was on!
 
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