So we finally reached Charlotte last week and have been absolutely loving the city so far! A few parts of the city still have fall colors left on trees and it's beautiful. I am missing the Austin weather but the scenery here in Charlotte more than makes up for it.

My job is in Charlotte downtown area but mostly will involve heavy travelling so that leaves only weekends for riding. I am hoping to connect with local riders here and possibly join any meetup groups for weekend rides.

My bike is still in transit so anxiously waiting for it to start exploring the city and surrounding area.

I know the whole of Carolinas is pretty amazing for riding but are there any specific back roads/towns that are absolutely worth-exploring?

 

A nice run is Hwy 321 from Gastonia up to Blowing Rock/Boone in the mountains. This time of year it might be a challenge as the weather up in the 5K ft range can change real fast. I'd get out of Mecklenburg County as fast as possible, not much good riding there, very congested. Hwy 49 from Charlotte to Asheboro is a nice ride too. I've taken Hwy 74 (off of I-85) from Kings Mountain to I-26 and then up to Asheville, can't go wrong anywhere in the mountains.

 

Go to your local Harley Dealer and join their HOG Chapter. Should be just what you are looking for.

 

Ditto this! You are only an hour or so from the mountains and The Blue Ridge Parkway, absolutely beautiful scenery. You may want to wait for the spring to head up there as winter has already set in and the leaves are gone and the roads can be dangerous with icy spots. Come spring that is a must and is easily a day trip from where you are.

 

Also check out Meetup.com here in Florida there are a lot of motorcycle riding clubs on Meetup, I've met some great people that way and done some great rides.

 

Riding opportunities from the Piedmont region of NC are limitless. The BlueRidge Parkway has already been mentioned and is an excellent suggestion, a few others are:

1.) Day ride to Lake Lure have lunch and explore roads beyond. Many different way to arrive and exit Lk Lure. If you like the twisties, try the Buffalo Shoals road that goes over the dam or Hwy #9 out of town heading you toward I-40.

2.) Back roads to Chesnee SC, lunch at Strawberry Hill (just outside of Chesnee on Hwy 11).

3.) Back roads toward Camden SC, lunch at the River Deck (Hwy 97 just outside of Camden SC) then take the long way back home.

These will get you started and if you choose you can break up some of the trips with Interstate travel.

 

You are in a good neck of the woods for some great riding. Head out towards South Carolina, lots of country roads to travel. Upper SC/ NC mountains aren't far at all. Also if you head down to Myrtle Beach or the coast in general hop over to Hwy 9 in SC, runs sort of parallel to NC 74 but is a nicer ride.
I lived in Gastonia for 3 years while going to UNC-Charlotte, lots to do down that way. Have fun, ride safe.

 

Wow! Amazing info ... thanks a lot guys. I am bookmarking this page to keep it handy to use in coming spring/summer.

 

Is that St Andrews in your avatar?

 

Welcome to the area. We live out in Concord near the speedway and I grew up about 30 miles away in Albemarle. There are some great rides around here, many of them very obscure. I have been riding for 42 years in this area and I am still finding little twisty back roads to explore. You asked about groups and there are some around, but I have been a little disappointed with the number and quality of organized rides and events in the Charlotte area. I enjoy solo rides but also like a good group ride or well organized poker run once in a while. There seems to be a lot more of that going on from Raleigh & east. Check out Full Throttle Magazine (http://www.carolinamcevents.com/) for a decent calendar of events in the area. Head up toward Concord right off I-85 to Iron Thunder Saloon and Twin Peaks to meet fellow riders. In May you can check out Myrtle Beach Bike Week (a nice 3 hour ride down) and, our favorite, Boone Bike Rally (http://www.boonebikerally.com/). I ride pretty much 12 months a year around here. As long as it's above 35 or so (that's most of the time) you can get out there without much fear of hitting ice. Feel free to give me a shout and I will be glad to show you some of the local country roads.