How much of the year can you ride a motorcycle? (Bend: sales, insurance)

[firefly74]

I'm doing research to find a suitable new home. I currently live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and I've grown very tired of the cold, snowy winters. I'm looking for a decent sized city (50,000+ people) with little to no snow, but not overly hot. I want to be able to ride my motorcycle a majority of the year. And I should mention, my requirements for riding would be dry roads and temps above 50. So, wonderful people of Oregon, how many days a year would you say I could ride a motorcycle in your hometown?

Thanks for the help.

[StealthRabbit]

150 days / year free from drizzle, optimistically. (west of Cascades) 200+ east of cascades, but colder.
Maybe Bend / Prineville (central) or Lagrande / Joesph area of OR (NE) = sun + dry + not too cold OR hot.

The BIGGEST hurdle in OR, is that drivers don't see motorcycles, as there are very few of them AND it is VERY dark at night, and poor reflectors marking roads. It is dangerous to crash into animals that you don't see. Getting wet just adds to problems (slick and hard to see / foggy face masks)

Do yourself and your riding desires a favor and move to northern AZ, NM, NV, or Colo. You didn't mention need for jobs / city / school / taxes / shopping / recreation. Big difference in choices of states (economies...jobs, no income tax in WA, WY, NV. No Sales tax in OR or MT. BIG difference in vehicle and property taxes as well as insurance costs) WIDE roads in WY & Colo. There are 70F days in Jan and Feb in Colorado, with intermittent days of blizzards, which dry up in a couple days.

I rode everyday but 3 that last yr I lived in Loveland, CO. (banana belt, with great access to Mtns, WY, and SD, which are all GREAT places to cycle). I never ran short on places to ride, or partners if I wanted them. I spent many weeks alone on the open road.

I would look to Reno, NV, or Las Vegas, NM, Williams, AZ or Ft Collins, Co

Throw the bike in a trailer or pickup and drive out to OR for Sept / Oct riding... it is only a day's drive (22hrs) from Ft Collins, CO. Then go back and enjoy a mild winter with frequent riding, and probably better job potential (& MUCH better taxes for retiree)

[Cornerguy1]

As mentioned above, the combination of dry roads and temps around 50 is going to be hard to find in an Oregon winter.

Your best bet is somwehere on between the Cascades and the coast, but that region gets its milder temps from a maritime influence which tends to mean a fair amount of drizzle/rain.

Also be aware that driving a motorcycle in Oregon in the winter months brings into play restrictions due to Oregon's Chain law TripCheck - Road Cams, Road & Weather Conditions in Oregon - ODOT

Basicly, motorcycles are not permitted to drive through any Snow Zone during the winter season regardless of road conditions. Snow Zones can be found on the interactive maps available on the Tripcheck site.

[Leisesturm]

All things considered I suspect there are more riding days possible in any part of OR vs Milwaukee, WI. I have to think though that if riding were the prime motivation in a relocation that a city in the SE would have even more of the kinds of roads motorcyclists drool over: VA, NC, SC, KY, TN etc. But this is the Oregon forum right, my bad. I think Oregon drivers might be the best I've seen and a bikers lot is certainly better here than quite a lot of other places. Certainly one could reasonably expect excellent riding conditions daily from mid June through late October. No sudden downpours in the middle of an otherwise incredible July afternoon. I don't know any other part of the country that offers that and roads to die for (literally), you know the kind, lots of decreasing radius off camber apexes... whoo hoo...

H

[tbrenan]

As a Canadian do not let the locals turn you off, we are farther north and rode Sunday for a while, Oregon and Washington had more "supreme" rides than you can imagine, and some loonies ride all year round. Hwy 101 --will fine tune your skills.

[justcarol]

Horay for the Canadian! He's correct. However, so are the other good people. I would never move to Oregon to ride a motocycle. There are glorious days here, roads off the beaten path and for the most part, drivers are aware of motocycles and do try to share the road BUT...we are wet, we are foggy, what others call "light rain" we consider a "mist".

The late sping and summer days are heavenly for riding, serious riders of the state ride in all weather (except snow), lots of places to enjoy.