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AMA Announces AmericaÔÇÖs 15 Best Motorcycling Roads

Wow, four on the list are in California.
I've ridden all but CA36 (of the Cal roads listed). And next time I'm up that way, it's on the list!

I was kinda surprised that CA120 (Sonora Pass) from Bridgeport to Sonora wasn't listed. It's a really beautiful ride, and the Eastern portion is fairly technical.
I totally agree with CA58, I grew up near the West end of this one. Great road, and it was my very first exciting road experience on a bike. I was a passenger on my roommate's old R75. We also took that bike up Hwy1 to Big Sur a few times.

I'm lucky, sort of...
I work nights/weekends, so most of the time I get on these roads when they're deserted. Last September, I rode the Sonora Pass with my brother on a Tuesday. We saw maybe 8 or 9 cars the whole way, and stopped in Strawberry for a break with a bunch of other riders.

I'm thinking about shutting down this damn PC and heading for CA2 right now...the weather is perfect.
See ya!
 
Actually, CA-120 is Tioga Pass through Yosemite. Beautiful, but 45mph limit and can be very busy and heavily enforced.

You're thinking of CA-108 over Sonora Pass, which is excellent. The other Sierra passes are nice, too: Ebbetts Pass CA-4, Monitor Pass CA-89, Carson Pass CA-88, even Echo Summit on US-50 is nice. It was only a few years ago I finally rode over Sherman Pass in the southern Sierra (not a state road). A little further south is CA-178, Walker Pass, the route many take to Death Valley.

(Do I have to mention I-80 over Donner Summit?)
 
Not a single mention of any road here in Illinois


I feel your pain. But then again, HWY 33 thru Wildcat Mtn. State Park here in WI didn't get any Golden Globe either.

Problem is, it's the "15 Top Roads" - not "115 Top Roads."

Many other good rides in the USA - this is just somebody's subjective list of interesting routes -nothing more, nothing less.

I've enjoyed some, will seek out some I haven't.

Ride well and often! :thumb
 
The best road(s)?

When you pull into the next gas station and whip off the helmet and say:
"Whoa! Wasn't that great!?

Glad none of mine are listed. Surprisingly none in the Adirondacks.
 
Actually, CA-120 is Tioga Pass through Yosemite. Beautiful, but 45mph limit and can be very busy and heavily enforced.

You're thinking of CA-108 over Sonora Pass, which is excellent. The other Sierra passes are nice, too: Ebbetts Pass CA-4, Monitor Pass CA-89, Carson Pass CA-88, even Echo Summit on US-50 is nice. It was only a few years ago I finally rode over Sherman Pass in the southern Sierra (not a state road). A little further south is CA-178, Walker Pass, the route many take to Death Valley.

(Do I have to mention I-80 over Donner Summit?)

DOH!
You're right, it's HWY108. Duh! I should know this, I've spent every summer since age 3 up there...oops!
 
That is an interesting list but isn't the best motorcyle road just like the best food you ever ate?

We all like things a certain way. The BRP is very nice and beautiful for sure but that is not my favorite type of riding. Deals Gap is a nice peice of road but most of you all know of the pitfalls that come with it.

Lets face it, we are the "high and mighty" crowd when it comes to motorcycling:brow.

I have my own list of primo roads but I also like to hear what others like too.
 
And don't forget in about a year there will be AMA's 2012 list of the 15 Best Roads again and it will most likely be a totally different list.:thumb
 
US 129 Dragon is ok, but there are a lot better roads around there without all the squids.

Million Dollar highway in Colorado is outstanding !

Going to the Sun road in Glacier National Park is a stunning ride.

BRP is ok, but too much green. Nothing like out west !


Pretty good list anyway.
 
I must question this supposed rating system since no Arkansas roads were included. Have the AMA "raters" never ridden the Pig Trail, the Talimena Skyway, or Highway 7 just to name a few? Their opinions are like a certain body part, everyone has one, but the other guy's smells bad. :dunno

I agree!

Arkansas, in my opinion, has the best riding in the country...but don't tell anyone.
 
US 129 Dragon is ok, but there are a lot better roads around there without all the squids.

Million Dollar highway in Colorado is outstanding !

Going to the Sun road in Glacier National Park is a stunning ride.

BRP is ok, but too much green. Nothing like out west !


Pretty good list anyway.
Agreed. There's nowhere like West Coast and Rocky Mountains. Nowhere on the East Coast can't even hold a candle plus weather sucks during summer if you are riding ATGATT. BRP is a 45mph boring ride, ride 20 miles on it and you've seen it all. Cruiser crowd might like it but not for me.
 
Somebody's already said it.......

Somebody referred to CA 1 between Leggett and Hardy here recently and I can't remember the thread but after careful research I must concur. :) CA 1 between Leggett and Hardy was more entertaining and challenging that the Dragon. While the Dragon includes some unique combinations, CA1 (between Leggett and Hardy) went on for two or more times the Dragon's distance and at the end we popped out of the woods to see the Pacific Ocean.:thumb

CA1 from Eureka to Bodega Bay was sure a great ride with some technical stuff too. The steepest switchback we encountered on our trip was somewhere between Fort Bragg and Jenner.

CA299 between Redmond and Eureka was awesome. That was a full afternoon of twisties.

CA245 was lots of twisty fun on our way to the north entrance of Sequoia National Park from Three Rivers.

CA49 between Coulterville and Mariposa was great as was J132 between Coulterville and CA120. We visited with a few BMW club riders in Mariposa for the rally while we lunched at Happy Burger.

CA120 was fun, too. The decent down from Yosemite to Oakdale was interesting.

CA58 from CA101 to Bakersfield was cool, too.

To these I'd add General's Highway, King's Canyon, and the ride through Yosemite.

All of these would be on my list of best rides. And they're all in CA. Lucky dogs.
 
Always liked Utah 12 from Escalante to Grover. Rode it when it was still dirt (1984) and a couple of times since it was paved. No traffic and great high mountain road!

Now I kinda like US191 in AZ from Morenci to Alpine. Here is the straightaway:

5645746649_ab44905d09_z.jpg
:thumb

Have been on all of the CA roads and would like to get back on Blue Ridge (on my bike) someday. CA36 is a real trip and the best of the CA bunch!

Keep riding.... Bob
 
Now that I've ridden both (this year) I sure agree they are great rides. Even got to help a rider with a dead bike at mile marker 215 north of the mine. He had relplaced a 'bad' battery the day before that ended up really being an alternator issue. Yes! It was a Harley and the guy was very nice and was on a day off from working at the mine. Anyhow that ride was a weekly thing for him. Very cool!
 
A sampler of the portion of Ca SR 58 leaving McKittrick. I ran out of video storage before I hit the pretty part filled with sweepers in the west. This video was shot mid-April 2011.

<iframe frameborder="0" scrolling="no" width="640" height="360" src="http://api.smugmug.com/services/embed/1349174591_cszpRCq?width=640&height=360"></iframe>
 
Wow! I consider myself a close-to-home, casual rider, and I've done 3 of them - 1, 9, 15

Marty in Spokane Valley, WA
 
Unbelievable picks

Must be politically motivated. How could souther Utah and about 5 other roads in Colorado be left off. Or am I wrong?
 
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