Key West

[JT 384]

Heading to Key West in mid June with 2 buddies. We are crossing into the USA from Cornwall Ontario into New York and heading south. Is there anything we must see or roads to take ? I like to stay away from big cities. Also how hot and how windy is it going over the big bridges to Key West?

When heading back up north we will cross back into Canada in Sault Ste Marie.

Thanks

JT

O we still have snow here!

 

[MrZappo]

Must sees will be all before Florida. Florida is (IMHO) a terrible motorcycling state. Straight roads through a swamp for hundreds of miles.

The road to key West is most excellent though. It is beautiful and the heat/wind was not a factor for me at all. Just a nice relaxing ride. Try to hit it early though before the crazy traffic starts.

Once you get to key West, you must get a picture of your bike in front of the southernmost point.

And, (MAJOR) recommendation here, if you are staying in key West for a couple of days, find a way to get to dry Tortugas national park. It is a definite must see. Just amazing!

Eat at as many of the hole in the wall tiny eateries which have great foods. They are everywhere.

If you need any work done, screw the crappy Yamaha dealer down there. Find a little place called JK motorshop. A tiny hole on the wall motorcycle repair shop run by this amazing little Russian guy with a ton of knowledge, a cool shop and a great customer service attitude.

Enjoy. And as I said, get ready to be bored to tears in Florida until you hit key largo.

Enjoy the trip.

 

[101stpathfinder]

Your time frame on the way down/up? If you have the time, you will have many opportunities for some nice sight seeing on the way down.

I would avoid I-95 even if you need to make time, there are better interstates with less traffic and better scenery. Florida has some nice roads

if you have the time to get off of the beaten path. I myself have been trying to change my "Point A to Point B" style of riding. I really like this web

site for trip planning and route building: Find Motorcyle Roads, Trips and Events in Florida, USA | Motorcycle Roads and Rides | MotorcycleRoads.com.

Just click on the line of road that you want info on, and it will describe the road in question.

For locations to visit, I love this site: Roadside America - Guide to Uniquely Odd Tourist Attractions. Between the 2 sites you can plan a heck of a route

and see some unique places.

BTW- Florida may not have the best roads… but you can ride them ALL YEAR LONG!

Key West can be a nice ride, but it can also suck. Timing is everything. There are many threads that discuss riding there: Search Results - FJRForum

I like riding there in the night / early morning and timing my arrival to the "7 mile bridge" at sunrise. Have a great ride!

Oh… I almost forgot- Be prepared for heavy rain showers. They don't last long, but if you are not used to them they can be a PITA.

 

[YummYam]

It will be HOT and HUMID in June, ok if you can keep moving.

 

[majicmaker]

Keep a close eye on the weather channel radar. That one cloud will soak you to the bone in seconds. You'll be dry again in no time except for the wet diaper you'll have for the rest of the ride. You'll get used to that. :no:

 

[danh600]

Couple good points already.

It will be hot. It will probably be crowded, but it will also be great. The Keys are a cool place. I am a couple hours away and try to ride down a couple times a year.

The winds will not be bad on the bridge. In fact most days it's a relief to go over a big bridge cause you get a nice cool breeze. Of course by June we will be in our summer time pattern of rain. After about 1-2pm there will be a thunderstorm somewhere on the horizon. I would wait them out if you are going over a big bridge. Most thunder storms pass very quickly and the sun comes right back out. Wind can be intense in front of a thunder storm. In the summer we don't get days where the rain just hangs on all day. It's normally intense and over within an hour or so. The Keys are actually a little drier then the main land. You will get all the Sun you want down there believe me.

Like Tony said timing is everything. June is better if you can stand the heat, cause the crowds will be smaller. If you can stay the night

before somewhere like Homestead. Then get up very early and head to Key West. You will avoid a major amount of traffic. Also go on a week day if possible. Weekend traffic is crazy.

Keep in mind it's the Florida Keys, not just Key West. Key West is crowded and expensive. Not quite as weird and cool as it was back in the day before cruise ships. However it's still a nice destination. If you like to go out at night it's hard to beat Duval Street. However, if you are looking for a more relaxed kind of vacation there are many, many other options in the Keys.

Lastly I am going to agree and disagree with MrZappo. He is absolutely right about the Dry Tortugas National Park. It's a great place. I disagree about Florida being a terrible motorcycle state. I ride my motorcycle to the beach during January!

 

[danh600]

Keep a close eye on the weather channel radar. That one cloud will soak you to the bone in seconds. You'll be dry again in no time except for the wet diaper you'll have for the rest of the ride. You'll get used to that.

Under Armour and mesh gear!!! No need for a rain suit. You are dry after 10 minutes of riding.

 

[bigjohnsd]

Flying into Ft Lauderdale on Saturday, have a Mustang Convertible rented,

Going to hit the road South at about noon, hope to get all the way South, have dinner, watch the sunset and then head back to Ft Lauderdale, don't really care how late we get in as we can sleep in late Sunday morning. I've Never driven South of South Beach. Looking forward to the drive.

The Original Love Boat - Pacific Princess - only 650 passengers, leaves Sunday afternoon for LA. 17 days - Looking forward to the trip.

 

[JJnNC]

Good info, I love the ride on Hwy 1, after getting past Largo. Make sure you dont hit the Keys on fri-Sunday. you can save alot of money by staying around Sugarloaf Key instead of trying to stay on Key West, still close enough to ride to Key West in an hour. I was very disapointed in BO's Fish Wagon in Key West this time around. Other than that I enjoyed every minute it the trip.

 

[Bappo]

Manny and Isa's Key Lime Pie on Islamorada at Midway cafe.

Just sayin

 

[TomInPA]

I just got back from the Keys. My dream would have been to take the bike, but reality was I took the car with my adult daughter and a couple bicycles. Other than the Overseas Hwy (US 1) a motorcycle would have been mostly a waste of time in Florida. The bicycles were perfect for getting around Key West, and as a bonus, we got to ride them on the old 7-mile bridge from Marathon to Pigeon Key, and in the Everglades Nat'l Park and Pinellas Trail in Tampa. Florida is not the best motorcycle country, but any day on a moto is a good day.

Have a great time, and the real jewel in the Keys is not "West". The entire strand has a lot to offer. Find time to kayak, bicycle, snorkel or just take in the great restaurants, museums and other attractions.

 

[Mudslide Miller]

As with any state, one's opinion of whether or not it is a great motorcycling state is just that, one's opinion. I lived in Homestead for two years while stationed in th AF many moons ago & owned my 2nd street bike down there; a little custom Honda 350. I used to ride down to Key West whenever I could. That was definitely a highlight for me but after living in the mountainous desert SW, I didn't realize how boring Florida really was until I experienced riding all over the rest of the country. Twisties are virtually nonexistent there.

Hitting the Blue Ridge Pkwy on the way down would be on my list, but again, is probably one best avoided during the weekend. Good luck with your adventure planning.

 

[Wlfman]

Heading to Key West in mid June with 2 buddies. We are crossing into the USA from Cornwall Ontario into New York and heading south. Is there anything we must see or roads to take ? I like to stay away from big cities. Also how hot and how windy is it going over the big bridges to Key West?When heading back up north we will cross back into Canada in Sault Ste Marie.

Thanks

JT

O we still have snow here!

It will be HOT and HUMID in June, ok if you can keep moving.

I rode down in Oct a few years back. Left South Carolina bundled up in multiple layers, Once I got to the Keys it was shorts and t-shirt.weather.

 

[JT 384]

Thanks everyone for all the good responses!

 

[WolfCreek]

Pick a section of the Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway, it will be worth any slight detour from the southward vector.

 

[SacramentoMike]

The BRP is extremely scenic, ditto the Sheanandoah Parkway/Skyline drive all the way from VA to wherever it terminates in the Carolinas. Just know that the speed limits are 30 or 35 mph and patrolled by the National Park Police, who can be real tight. One of those roads that would be lots more fun at about double the limit. But yeah, really beautiful.

 

[FJR-Pilot]

I agree with SacMike ... Skyline Drive/Blue Ridge Parkway knocks out almost 600 miles of north/south travel and is extremely nice IMHO. This route would be a spectacular one day ride of all Skyline Dr and some of the BRP. Then knock out the rest of the BRP (most beautiful part IMHO) on this one day ride. So in two days you could tackle the entire 600 miles of beauty from Front Royal, VA to Franklin, NC and be in immense beauty the ENTIRE time.

Then do this 2 day ride from Franklin, NC to Key West. I have done about 95% of this route (at different times) to Key West. It's about two 10 hour days from Franklin NC to Key West. The route is a nice leisurely "agricultural route" as you'll be traveling through mostly farming type countryside nearly the entire time. Rural routes (when time allows) are very nice since you encounter significantly lower traffic and you get a better flavor for the areas you are traveling through. The Interstate is fine for getting from point A to point B but you will know little or nothing about the (sometime beautiful) areas you're blasting through at 85 MPH (128.7475 KPH for you Canadians).

Going over 7 mile bridge in the Keys is a challenge when the wind is blowing hard. I did it two up with 35 to 40 MPH winds on the FJR and it required complete concentration.

 

[FJR-Pilot]

The BRP is extremely scenic, ditto the Sheanandoah Parkway/Skyline drive all the way from VA to wherever it terminates in the Carolinas. Just know that the speed limits are 30 or 35 mph and patrolled by the National Park Police, who can be real tight. One of those roads that would be lots more fun at about double the limit. But yeah, really beautiful.

I usually do the parkway at speed limit & up to 10 over. Riding it that way is quite a challenge for most parts of it. Never had any trouble with the police on it (but I do run a radar det ... yes even in VA).

 

[danh600]

"Just know that the speed limits are 30 or 35 mph and patrolled by the National Park Police"

From what I remember most of the BRP is 45 with some areas 35. Most of the skyline is 35.

I haven't really seen over zealous patrols by the Park Service. The people I saw stopped had generally passed

us at a pretty high rate of speed. When we ride the BRP we normally stay around the speed limit. Not

because we are always in compliance with speed laws, but because it's just a scenic road that lends itself to

that type of riding.