Why I Effing *Loathe* Riding In Ontario

The trouble is Daught that rides that are marked in red as twisties really aren't compared to say Pennsylvania - sweepers yes and fairly continuous.
We did 507 today and while it was fun, 550k to do a loop to "okay"road is a fair bit of work and pavement was not the best.
550k in PA would have been an entirely more enjoyable ride.....better pavement in most cases and way more elevation changes.

This is PA - much shorter distances and way more elevation - lots of choice tho 44/144 are standouts as is Wycoff



Windy as hell today but nice chatting with riders at the Forks as a close off.....pretty stiff and damn shoulder still aches but I'll take it for mid- May - wind off of Lake Simcoe was sure chilly.
 
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Yes roads down south are better, but Peterborough is just over one hour from Toronto. From there on it's all fun.

All curves are fun provided you go fast enough :p


PA is awesome because it doesn't send convictions to ON. Never got caught speeding there, but what happens if someone gets caught doing 2x the limit?
 
It could be worse. I'm from Regina, Saskatchewan... I wouldn't even want a sportbike there.

Besides, I don't know what you'd do for work in rural PA or in the middle of Arizona...
 
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daught said:
You covered 1% of Ontario
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Thanks, I have all of these, and more, on my Mapsource software. For my first ride around the continent I spent 3 months non-stop scouring that map of North America, trying to identify every good road imaginable, all selected based on their curviness, topography, and road surface/condition/width/etc. Of course I couldn't ride them all, but I based my waypoints on interesting features and picked the absolute best roads near those features along the way.

Once you've seen those roads, every single one of the roads deemed "good" in Ontario become tame and pointless in comparison.

All tongue-in-cheek Ontario-bashing aside (I really do loathe Ontario), I can't think of one single road here that makes me excited or salivate with anticipation to go and ride, here.

:(
 
Just came back from a trip to Myrtle Beach, and yes, we having nothing that remotely compares to the roads through Pennsylvannia, West Virginia, and North Carolina. The best way to deal with this sucky reality is to get on your bike and ride down there every so often. It's not that far! BTW, if you loathe Ontario, you will loathe where I live: Hamilton. It didn't get its nickname "the armpit of southern Ontario" for nothing. ;)
 
But but ....you have a mountain :D

Seriously tho - you are closer to the US for a fast jump and a few roads at least

But yes more of us need to be comfortable slipping down to the US.

One thing I'd like to see is a New York Roads thread as that's mostly terra incognita to me....just a pass through on the way to PA
 
MacDoc said:
But but ....you have a mountain :D

Seriously tho - you are closer to the US for a fast jump and a few roads at least

But yes more of us need to be comfortable slipping down to the US.

One thing I'd like to see is a New York Roads thread as that's mostly terra incognita to me....just a pass through on the way to PA
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I bought a GPS, now I have no fear... I just ride and explore.
 
Mount Evans was my first time riding up a mountain. Bike didn't even feel a thing, up all 14,000 feet. Fifteen Celsius with 12 foot snowbanks on either side, what an awesome experience.
 
Zion National Park in Utah looks amazing. Great photos. I remember all the elevation changes in Colorado messing with me. I also made sure to always get hydrated on the advice of my friend. Colorado is dry.
 
Brian said:
Move to Northern California. I moved to the San Francisco bay area, and I can ride all year, and have hundreds of miles of twisty mountain roads within a 50 mile radius of my house. Going a few hours more gets me to roads that rival/surpass Deals Gap.
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In my travels, there were not too many places I found more disagreeable than Toronto. San Francisco was one of them (another was Atlanta, wow, how on Earth did that place ever beat Toronto for the 1996 Olympics? Must have been one hell of a bribe).

California remains my all-time favorite state to ride endlessly through, however. It's like a never ending ridegasm.
 
Hey Viper,

Not sure if you answered this already - this thread sure has stirred up a good amount of talk - but have you ridden Centennial Lake Road?
 
This is my first post on this forum, had to actually sign up to do it. It's worth it just to say:

I EFFING LOVE DEAL'S GAP and riding in Ontario sucks.

I just bought a new (to me) bike after not having one for 4 years. I've been out 3 times in the past few weeks and if it weren't for the audiobooks playing in my headphones I would fall asleep.

I also love the Cherohola Parkway and the Blue Ridge Parkway, but Deal's Gap is just the cat's behind of riding in Eastern North America.

I put 50,000km on my first zx6r, in the first year i owned it. I rode to Newfoundland via the Cabot Trail. I did the Kangamungus (sp?) in New Hampshire. every stupid road in and around the GTA in a 5 hour radius. and then....Deal's Gap.... The angels sing. If you haven't been, just go. Then you'll understand.
 
I've ridden on southern Ohio, West Virginia , Virginia and PA roads and many of these are great. Really enjoyed them. But there are many very good Ontario roads. If you're willing to ride 10+ hours to get to US roads then you should be willing to ride 2 - 4 hours to get to the 507, Elephant Road, 118/121, Calabogie area and other great roads we have. Last weekend I did a 1,000km tour that included a number of these good roads, rain, hail and an f'** snowstorm, thank God for heated gear.
 
MacDoc said:
Long way to Deals - short hop to PA twisties. Some fine riding there and not crowded with anything.
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This:
From where I live, PA is the same distance as Barrie...I can be there in 1 tank of gas....but, unlike The Muskokas and Kawarthas that are overrun with motorhomes, cottagers, and OPP officers, PA is deserted, beautiful, good asphalt, freindly people, cheap gas and motels, and if you get caught speeding, you just get a ticket...not and impound and jail sentence.

I have done many single day jaunts thru PA....leave home at 8 am, arrive back 10 or 11 pm....with 800-1000 kms of mostly twisties at my back.....except the hour of QEW each way to the border.
 
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Yep - just don't go on a long weekend.

I prefer a half day down. two days of riding or 1 1/2 and then the return which can be late. Nice ride was with a big tailwind at midnight. Best gas mileage ever. $100 in motel and $100 in gas and lots of pleasurable riding.

I would still like to explore some of the New York roads that are really in easy riding distance of the GTA tho the lure of PA is unmistakeable.

•••

Gotta comment that 507 is nothing special in my view except as a cop trap with decent onion rings at the end.
Elephant Road I enjoyed last year and would go back as that was first time on it and would like a redo.
River Road up Airport Road is decent and there is another nearby with lots of up and down the moraines and some big sweepers.....better than Hockley

I think Quebec is the ticket for some good riding....always enjoyed the riding there but not enough of it....still you gotta get there.

When I get back from Spain in mid June I want to do some regular mid week to PA laving at 5.30 am - I always have issues sleeping before a long ride - get up too early and then figure might as well get moving.


Anyone doing The James Bay Road this year??? :D
 
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