E
EXPATRIATED
Guest
While Indiana may conjure up a few images--corn, basketball, the odd reference to John Mellencamp or David LettermanÔÇötwisting motorcycle roads are generally not something that pops to mind when discussing the Hoosier State. Most roads appear as if they were designed by someone with a colossal 100-mile straight-edge. But there are some very decent, if hidden, routes in Indiana.
I spent 300 miles yesterday seeking out a few of them and thought IÔÇÖd post some ride ideas for those visiting Indy next week as part of the MotoGP weekend. IÔÇÖve taken away a LOT of info from this forum in a short time so now I'll try to contribute something in this post.
First of all, I have to apologize for the lack of photos. I had the best of intentions. Really! I had all of my equipment and lenses packed but in the end, I was having so much fun on the curves, I just couldnÔÇÖt be bothered to stop and snap a few. What can I say? You'll just have to see it for yourself.
As sort of an orientation for those not familiar with Indy, I-465 is the loop around the city. At about the 6 oÔÇÖclock position of the loop, youÔÇÖll find State Road 37. Take that south about 20-25 miles (depending on where youÔÇÖre coming from) to Martinsville. ItÔÇÖs a divided 60 mph highway with a handful of stop lights. Very straight, but rest assured, this is the worst part of the ride. Once you pass through Martinsville, take a left on Old State Rd 37. Word of cautionÔÇöthis is VERY easy to miss but you donÔÇÖt want to. Wow, what a ride! Canopied covered 2-lane with curves and/or changes in elevation every tenth of a mile or so. Speed limit is a reasonable 40 on most sections of this and a good portion has new tarmac.
At the dead-end of Old 37, turn left on Walnut Street and head south into Bloomington, IN, the home of Indiana University. Being a college town, there is no lack of options for food or drink and depending on the time of day you get there, it may be worth parking and taking a gander around town. While not exactly traditional motorcycle road food, I had a delicious Thai meal at the Saim House.
Leaving Bloomington, you head east and have two options: State Road 45 or State Road 46. They both take you to the next stop but 45 does it with a few more twisties. Frankly, the eastern portion of 45 beats the Dragon (in my opinion) due to the curves allowing a slightly faster speed and no fear of oncoming semiÔÇÖs crossing the centerline. Either way, you will travel through Yellowwood Forrest and some great scenery. YouÔÇÖll also start to get tired of waving at oncoming motorcycles at this point in the day.
Regardless of the road you take, youÔÇÖll end up gorgeous Nashville, a small town full of antique shops, craft stores featuring local artists, wide sidewalks with ice cream and carmel corn vendors. An absolutely fabulous place to walk around a bit and get a few refreshments. Park your motorcycle next to the dozens of others that line the street on the summer weekends. For those of you looking at staying outside of Indy next week and are in to that sort of thing, there are some decent Bed & Breakfasts in the area.
When finished, take 46 East out of Nashville to State Road 135. Right (South) on 135 to arguably one of the best motorcycling roads in the state. YouÔÇÖll encounter good tarmac, decent speed limits and curves ranging from tight to long, sweeping affairs. There isnÔÇÖt a lot of traffic on this road and several cars I got behind pulled over to let our motorcycles pass. About 15 minutes into this leg of the journey, youÔÇÖll come to the quaint little town of Story, Indiana. Again, another fabulous place to stay at a bed and breakfast or just stop for a great meal. [
Heading out of Story, stay on 135 south, skirting Hoosier National Forest, past Freetown and right (East) onto 58. About 14 miles later, head North (Right) onto 446 into the Hoosier National Forest. The first part of the ride is straight with rocky cliffs on both sides but develops into some looooooonggg sweeping turns at about 50 mph. The road goes over beautiful Monroe Lake, filled will pleasure boaters on both sides. Eventually, 446 loops back and hits 46, the road running east and west from Bloomington to Nashville. From there, you can head back through Bloomington up 37 back to Indy.
Total mileage from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, through the roads listed and back is somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 miles. I did a lot of backtracking, though so my mileage was much greater. The route listed is very flexible and contains many roads that can easily be substituted to either extend the ride or cut the day short if youÔÇÖre in a hurry. There is generally only a moderate amount of traffic on these back roads (Bloomington being an exception-be careful of the college students driving!), with motorcycles making up about half of the traffic I saw yesterday. I saw a 5 or 6 BMWÔÇÖsÔÇöanyone on this board down in that area yesterday???
Anyway, if there are some folks coming to Indy next week and thinking of getting a ride in, I hope this helps. If anyone has any questions about this route or anything related to visiting Indy, send me a message. Due to some family commitments I donÔÇÖt think IÔÇÖll be able to get out to the Speedway but IÔÇÖm planning on taking my boy to the flat track races Saturday night so I wouldnÔÇÖt mind meeing some of you if youÔÇÖre around there.
Ride safe
I spent 300 miles yesterday seeking out a few of them and thought IÔÇÖd post some ride ideas for those visiting Indy next week as part of the MotoGP weekend. IÔÇÖve taken away a LOT of info from this forum in a short time so now I'll try to contribute something in this post.
First of all, I have to apologize for the lack of photos. I had the best of intentions. Really! I had all of my equipment and lenses packed but in the end, I was having so much fun on the curves, I just couldnÔÇÖt be bothered to stop and snap a few. What can I say? You'll just have to see it for yourself.
As sort of an orientation for those not familiar with Indy, I-465 is the loop around the city. At about the 6 oÔÇÖclock position of the loop, youÔÇÖll find State Road 37. Take that south about 20-25 miles (depending on where youÔÇÖre coming from) to Martinsville. ItÔÇÖs a divided 60 mph highway with a handful of stop lights. Very straight, but rest assured, this is the worst part of the ride. Once you pass through Martinsville, take a left on Old State Rd 37. Word of cautionÔÇöthis is VERY easy to miss but you donÔÇÖt want to. Wow, what a ride! Canopied covered 2-lane with curves and/or changes in elevation every tenth of a mile or so. Speed limit is a reasonable 40 on most sections of this and a good portion has new tarmac.
At the dead-end of Old 37, turn left on Walnut Street and head south into Bloomington, IN, the home of Indiana University. Being a college town, there is no lack of options for food or drink and depending on the time of day you get there, it may be worth parking and taking a gander around town. While not exactly traditional motorcycle road food, I had a delicious Thai meal at the Saim House.
Leaving Bloomington, you head east and have two options: State Road 45 or State Road 46. They both take you to the next stop but 45 does it with a few more twisties. Frankly, the eastern portion of 45 beats the Dragon (in my opinion) due to the curves allowing a slightly faster speed and no fear of oncoming semiÔÇÖs crossing the centerline. Either way, you will travel through Yellowwood Forrest and some great scenery. YouÔÇÖll also start to get tired of waving at oncoming motorcycles at this point in the day.
Regardless of the road you take, youÔÇÖll end up gorgeous Nashville, a small town full of antique shops, craft stores featuring local artists, wide sidewalks with ice cream and carmel corn vendors. An absolutely fabulous place to walk around a bit and get a few refreshments. Park your motorcycle next to the dozens of others that line the street on the summer weekends. For those of you looking at staying outside of Indy next week and are in to that sort of thing, there are some decent Bed & Breakfasts in the area.
When finished, take 46 East out of Nashville to State Road 135. Right (South) on 135 to arguably one of the best motorcycling roads in the state. YouÔÇÖll encounter good tarmac, decent speed limits and curves ranging from tight to long, sweeping affairs. There isnÔÇÖt a lot of traffic on this road and several cars I got behind pulled over to let our motorcycles pass. About 15 minutes into this leg of the journey, youÔÇÖll come to the quaint little town of Story, Indiana. Again, another fabulous place to stay at a bed and breakfast or just stop for a great meal. [
Heading out of Story, stay on 135 south, skirting Hoosier National Forest, past Freetown and right (East) onto 58. About 14 miles later, head North (Right) onto 446 into the Hoosier National Forest. The first part of the ride is straight with rocky cliffs on both sides but develops into some looooooonggg sweeping turns at about 50 mph. The road goes over beautiful Monroe Lake, filled will pleasure boaters on both sides. Eventually, 446 loops back and hits 46, the road running east and west from Bloomington to Nashville. From there, you can head back through Bloomington up 37 back to Indy.
Total mileage from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, through the roads listed and back is somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 miles. I did a lot of backtracking, though so my mileage was much greater. The route listed is very flexible and contains many roads that can easily be substituted to either extend the ride or cut the day short if youÔÇÖre in a hurry. There is generally only a moderate amount of traffic on these back roads (Bloomington being an exception-be careful of the college students driving!), with motorcycles making up about half of the traffic I saw yesterday. I saw a 5 or 6 BMWÔÇÖsÔÇöanyone on this board down in that area yesterday???
Anyway, if there are some folks coming to Indy next week and thinking of getting a ride in, I hope this helps. If anyone has any questions about this route or anything related to visiting Indy, send me a message. Due to some family commitments I donÔÇÖt think IÔÇÖll be able to get out to the Speedway but IÔÇÖm planning on taking my boy to the flat track races Saturday night so I wouldnÔÇÖt mind meeing some of you if youÔÇÖre around there.
Ride safe
