Does riding in Florida suck?
Road Captain
Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 561
Likes: 311
From: Depends on the season
But yes, Florida is flat as hell, and from June to October hot as hell.
I also has one of the worst hit-and-run rates in the country. NM is high on this list as well.
Road Master
Joined: May 2019
Posts: 953
Likes: 954
From: Daytona Beach
Daytona Beach here. Been here since 90' and yes it sucks riding here.
Unless I head west on RT92 to Ocala or up across RT100 over to Putnam county its boring as hell. I do like to go west over to Deland with my SIL and hit some nice twisty back roads there.
The summer heat and humidity is terrible. You'll burn up in the sun and sweat like hell. Early morning or late afternoon is bearable. There are tons of bikes here all going somewhere I guess. The fall and winter months are the best for riding. It does get cold some days in the winter. I ride for pleasure, if the weather is not pleasant I stay home. The "blue hairs" down here will scare you to death and there are tons of those driving around.
Forget the interstates. Too many cars and too many idiots. Forget going north to Jacksonville, that place is a hell hole. Like said earlier, Jacksonville is dirty and crime is high. I drove from Daytona to Jacksonville for 12 years for my job. I was never so happy in my life to retire from that place.
Go over to Orlando? NEVER EVER! That place is a "mad house" and the traffic on I-4 is insane. Constant construction and grid lock. Also crime in Orlando is out of control as well.
Unless I head west on RT92 to Ocala or up across RT100 over to Putnam county its boring as hell. I do like to go west over to Deland with my SIL and hit some nice twisty back roads there.
The summer heat and humidity is terrible. You'll burn up in the sun and sweat like hell. Early morning or late afternoon is bearable. There are tons of bikes here all going somewhere I guess. The fall and winter months are the best for riding. It does get cold some days in the winter. I ride for pleasure, if the weather is not pleasant I stay home. The "blue hairs" down here will scare you to death and there are tons of those driving around.
Forget the interstates. Too many cars and too many idiots. Forget going north to Jacksonville, that place is a hell hole. Like said earlier, Jacksonville is dirty and crime is high. I drove from Daytona to Jacksonville for 12 years for my job. I was never so happy in my life to retire from that place.
Go over to Orlando? NEVER EVER! That place is a "mad house" and the traffic on I-4 is insane. Constant construction and grid lock. Also crime in Orlando is out of control as well.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 2,816
Likes: 1,718
From: Jacksonville, FL
Thanks, gonna give it a try.
Oh stinger1... Try to look on the bright side, you'll enjoy life here more if you try.
(Calling Jacksonville dirty compared to Daytona is pretty funny... I enjoyed that)
Last edited by Dan D.; Jan 12, 2020 at 09:32 PM.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 10,232
Likes: 9,325
From: Georgia
Thanks. Thats an option we are going to look into. Seems as we get older its always the trip home that is getting harder.
Club Member
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 1,533
Likes: 439
From: Texas
Club Member
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 69,901
Likes: 18,590
From: South Florida
Great question, hard to answer.
I will keep this brief and figure that you're winding up somewhere around Orlando (Melbourne) because I think that is what you are considering… Melbourne.
When you are in Central Florida, you can get out of the state by going north in a handful of hours. So that is good. There is so much nice riding north of us in the mountains as you get out of Florida.
The weather is such you can literally ride 365 days a year as I do. So I can attest to that. Albeit, in the summer time it will definitely be hot.
Also in central Florida North, you have hills that are good enough so you are not as bored with the non-hilly country south of you.
But whether it really is great or sucks depends upon where you draw the line. I say great simply because I can ride every day.
I say it sucks because it is flat and hot.
Come down for a spell my friend. Ride down or rent a bike here for a while and give it a "test ride".
I will keep this brief and figure that you're winding up somewhere around Orlando (Melbourne) because I think that is what you are considering… Melbourne.
When you are in Central Florida, you can get out of the state by going north in a handful of hours. So that is good. There is so much nice riding north of us in the mountains as you get out of Florida.
The weather is such you can literally ride 365 days a year as I do. So I can attest to that. Albeit, in the summer time it will definitely be hot.
Also in central Florida North, you have hills that are good enough so you are not as bored with the non-hilly country south of you.
But whether it really is great or sucks depends upon where you draw the line. I say great simply because I can ride every day.
I say it sucks because it is flat and hot.
Come down for a spell my friend. Ride down or rent a bike here for a while and give it a "test ride".
Road Master
Joined: May 2019
Posts: 953
Likes: 954
From: Daytona Beach
It's the riding that sucks and I believe that was the OP's question.
On the bright side, we have wonderful weather, humidity, lots of rain, hurricanes and tornadoes.
And yes, Jacksonville is a "Hell Hole". 12 years of that place convinced me of that. It was 78 here yesterday and is looking like 80 today with no rain so that's good. Now, I do like riding up A1A along the coast up to St. Aug and looking out over the ocean along the way. Bike Week is good. Speedweeks is good as is the Turkey Rod Run at Thanksgiving.
The wife loves the beach. I can get there in 5 minutes. She goes there alot with my daughter. Then there's Disney, yea that's a real jewel. Hot as hell, standing in line for hours, shoulder to shoulder sweaty people. It's how much to get in there now? Sea world is the same as Disney.
I lived in WV for the first 30 years of my life. Talk about good riding! Came to Fl for my job and retired here. Yea, I could go back to WV but I just can't take the winters there. My home here is paid off, and the cost of living is good. At least everything is air conditioned here. Hell, the last few times I went to WV to visit family in the summer time it was as hot there as it was here!
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Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 5,487
Likes: 2,532
From: Lititz Pa
So...
A former manger reached out to me to see if I might be interested in transferring to Melbourne, FL. Although it's unlikely that I'll accept the offer, I can't dismiss it out of hand. So I've started doing a little bit of research into Melbourne - if for nothing more than I'll know what I'll be saying no to (if I say no). One thing I noted is that all roads there appear to be straight (run North-South/East-West) and flat. Seems one would be hard pressed to encounter anything remotely resembling a "twisty". IDK, but when it comes to riding, the map screams "BORING!" I also wonder about scenery. My recollection of driving through Florida is that unless you're along the coast, don't expect much for scenic drives. Playing around with Google Maps street view seems to support that perception. Not all is lost though, they do have warm weather year around - so there's that.
In contrast, there is hardly a straight, flat road anywhere near where I live. Scenic drives are in abundance. Yes, we do have winters here. But all told, I ride most of the winter anyway (heated gear). Yes, the coldest two months of the winter can persuade me to park it for a few weeks here and there, but for the most part, I ride year around. I'd have to wonder if the hottest months of the summer in Florida would limit the desire to ride some. So, in terms of weather, perhaps it would be sauce for the goose.
So does riding in Florida suck? Or does the riding environment in Florida have other redeeming factors that I'm missing?
A former manger reached out to me to see if I might be interested in transferring to Melbourne, FL. Although it's unlikely that I'll accept the offer, I can't dismiss it out of hand. So I've started doing a little bit of research into Melbourne - if for nothing more than I'll know what I'll be saying no to (if I say no). One thing I noted is that all roads there appear to be straight (run North-South/East-West) and flat. Seems one would be hard pressed to encounter anything remotely resembling a "twisty". IDK, but when it comes to riding, the map screams "BORING!" I also wonder about scenery. My recollection of driving through Florida is that unless you're along the coast, don't expect much for scenic drives. Playing around with Google Maps street view seems to support that perception. Not all is lost though, they do have warm weather year around - so there's that.
In contrast, there is hardly a straight, flat road anywhere near where I live. Scenic drives are in abundance. Yes, we do have winters here. But all told, I ride most of the winter anyway (heated gear). Yes, the coldest two months of the winter can persuade me to park it for a few weeks here and there, but for the most part, I ride year around. I'd have to wonder if the hottest months of the summer in Florida would limit the desire to ride some. So, in terms of weather, perhaps it would be sauce for the goose.
So does riding in Florida suck? Or does the riding environment in Florida have other redeeming factors that I'm missing?
Last edited by touchdown; Jan 13, 2020 at 08:53 AM.
