Anyone in Ohio wanna meet up/ ride?

Hurco550

Keep er' Between the Ditches
DTT SUPPORTER
DTT BOTM WINNER
Inviting all central Ohio Riders.

Thinking about setting up a Saturday ride down and around southeast Ohio. Its getting to be a nice time of year to ride.

I am looking at Saturday September 22. Meet up spot is not set in stone, but I'm thinking somewhere around Columbus/ Dublin would be a good place to start.

The route is not set in stone either, but tentatively I would like to try to hit up st rt 775 close to the wv line, then follow the river along 52 till around Portsmouth, then shoot back north to c bus. That loop is layed out to be about 280 ish miles.

If you would like to ride, let me know. I don't have a care to give what kind of bike your on, so long as it has at least a fairly descent chance of completing the ride lol Also, it wont be a blisteringly fast ride and im hoping to keep to 55mph roads and stay off the super slab.
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I am 2 minutes from Ironton on the KY side of the river. I have been on some of those roads heading towards Gallopolis and many of them in Kitts Hill and Ironton. Some good riding!
 
1fasgsxr said:
I am 2 minutes from Ironton on the KY side of the river. I have been on some of those roads heading towards Gallopolis and many of them in Kitts Hill and Ironton. Some good riding!

awesome. if you wanted to meet up down there that'd be cool too
 
Hurco550 said:
I don't have a care to give what kind of bike your on, so long as it has at least a fairly descent chance of completing the ride lol

I hope you didn't just jinx yourself. LOL ;)
 
irk miller said:
I hope you didn't just jinx yourself. LOL ;)

lol may have. wanting to do a couple longer rides again before I try to ride the airhead to Georgia next summer. 650 ish miles one way, hoping to split it into two days each way, so im going to see how a 300 ish mile day feels, and maybe do another one the next day
 
I'm healing up and soon rehabbing from knee surgery, but really hoping to get out on the GS750 starting around Memorial Day Weekend here come late May.

I'm somewhat familiar with those roads down Gallipolis and the Crown City Wildlife Mgmt. Area. There are some good gems there for sure.

I've spent loads of time exploring deep southeastern Ohio and plottimg routes of google maps for the past decade, and I can lead you all on a really epic all day ride out of Columbus/Lancaster/Newark etc area down to 78/668, 377, 676, etc down to 530 and then all of the really epic roads east of I-77 and south of State Route 78... That is riding heaven for twisty paved roads...
I had previously planned on a 3.5 day riding/camping weekend down that way in Wayne National Forest early/mid may, but then I shattered my kneecap & my Colorado friends wanted me to take them on a tour of the Appalachians instead, so I'm not sure exactly what my June plans will be as far as riding trips.
I'll plan to be scouting road conditions late May however, as soon as I can get enough strength back in my leg to ride. I certainly wont be able to ride dirt for a little while after that...best to stick to the street at first.

Anyone interested in killer twisty routes down that way, by all means hit me up for advice and/or company on weekend rides.

-Chuck in Columbus
 
Hurco, I think you are just northwest of me (Columbus), if I recall, correct? My buddy David (drey6) I think met up with your crew once several years ago. I haven't been on here much this year as I was totally out of commission with knee surgery in March & then Physical Therapy several times a week through July. Been riding every single weekend possible since then. Finally got back on the dirtbike, but not in prime form for that yet (Wayne season ends Dec 15th, will be getting it back in time!). Street bike season is nearing an end for me (don't want to hit another deer as deer mating season approaches as the temps drop thru Oct.),
BUT I'm trying to do one big last ride, tentatively leaving Ohio Sunday or at latest Monday to ride to Barber the "scenic route" through WV/southwest VA/western TN/Eastern NC on the twistiest mountain roads I can string together from past experiences, recommendations, etc.
If you or anyone else has similar ambitions, I'm going solo as of now (have riding buds for the express return trip from Barber to Ohio however), wouldn't mind company as long as they don't mind my very very twisty scenic mountain routes and primitive camping.
 
Also as I've advertised in the past since I first joined DTT years ago, I'm always looking for company to go point our sporty vintage bikes towards the hills and find the twistiest roads... I've got some seriously good route maps permanently burned into my brain, of the best you'll find in Ohio and West Virginia, starting about 45 minutes east or Southeast of Columbus where the glaciers stopped/Appalachian Hills start... I think when I sent the Pittsburgh crew on a scenic direct route through Southeast Ohio on the way to the Spring Thaw several years ago, they perhaps enjoyed my "easy curves" Ohio route as much or more than most of the Red River Gorge area... There are tons of amazing roads to ride in Ohio. We like to try and camp in Wayne National Forest east of Marietta / SW of Woodsfield once or twice a season and just enjoy the killer curvey roads down there. The best in the state.

Down by Gallipolis / Crown City area, there are some good roads as well, 790 to 218 to 217 - it doesn't get much better than that unless youre in the mountains! 775 and 141 are decent over there as well, and if Greasy Ridge Rd gets repaved, it'd be real fun.
78 from Glouster to 377 or even all the way to Caldwell (I-77) is probably my favorite longer stretch in the state. Marietta Rd SE to 13 to 78 E to 377 south to 555S to 676 E to Watertown Rd to Lowell Hill Rd to Lowell, then 530 to (817?) to Germantown Rd to Dalzell Rd and back up (847 or 817?) to 565 to 260 to 26 or 537... Best stuff in the state. 255 formerly was, but it was in HORRID condition when I last rode it, but I think they may have been in the midst of repairing really bad sections of sags and potholes as a precursor to repaving it?
536 northbound is amazing, do not run southbound unless you are very familiar with it - especially with one nasty decreasing radius curve in particular.... Sykes Ridge Rd, 556, 147 from Bellaire to Jacobsburg, Archer's Fork Rd. 800. 26 basically in it's entirity from Marietta to well north of Woodsfield.
To those without GPS guidance or just wanting a simple route, 78 from Glouster and east to Woodsfield, and then 26 Woodsfield to Marietta, and then 676 to 555 to 550 or just 550... that's a great and fairly simple route.

If I head out to the stuff near Marietta for a day trip, I usually rack up 9.5-10hrs saddle time + breaks, and 375-435 miles in a day. So about 300 or 340 miles of twisty roads...

I've got some good routes out east past Newark / Danville and in the Coshocton / Cambridge areas as well. more desolate, mostly less technical (except for 658, VERY TWISTY and technical/unpredictable) but still great fun in big hills on winding roads. 83, 93, 541, 209 (extremely fun & flowing from 83 to 658), Norfield Rd, New Hope Rd, 662... More up towards Killbuck and nearing Mohican. This is mostly easier riding for those looking to avoid the really tight technical stuff. Not much out this way at all other than farms and hills, very desolate, some tiny towns scattered. Not like SE Ohio with National Forests, State Forests, and other scenic spots scattered all over. Less destinations aside from trying to find small towns that have a gas station or good food...

I've got some good closer loops through Hocking and a lot of county roads north of Hocking as well. Buena Vista JUST got repaved, and is real nice to link up with Snortin Ridge Rd and Revenge Rd, Christmas Rocks Rd, and then Hamburg-Stoney Ridge-Delmont-Crumley-Mt Zion Rd - Lithopolis Rd as the nice backroads route back north coming from the real fun twisty stuff mentioned.
If I take that further into Hocking, I'll take Clear Creek (bumpy but GORGEOUS) to 33 to Buena Vista to Possum Hollow to 374 or skip Clear Creek mostly, and take Snortin Ridge Rd (--> Jack Run Rd) to the other 65% of Buena Vista to Possum Hollow to 374. More curves that way, but you miss the absolutely beautiful drive through Clear Creek MetroPark area. 374 to Big Pine Rd east (was closed a few weeks ago when I last rode down that far, bridge out perhaps?), to 664, back to 374 S, to 56 W, to 664 N, to 374 N... to Jack Run Rd --> Snortin Ridge Rd, L o Clear Creek R on Revenge... off of 374 near Rock House, you can also take Thompson Rd / Thompson Ridge Rd west to Laurelville, as it's just BEAUTIFUL with some high up 300ft tall ridgetop vistas, but leads you to the edge of the glaciated plains at Laurelville, so I generally always just turn around and run it the other way as an out and back from and back to 374.
Killer, killer routes. Just be careful as we near the cooler nights & deer mating season, to not be out in deer territory within 45 minutes of sunset. Proceed very slow and cautiously with finger and toes covering brakes! Hitting a deer at high speed SUCKS! Trust me!
 
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