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Suggestions for trip to austin?

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hey all, I'm new to this board. I saw a post that tourmeister put up at houston sportbike network and decided to register here. A group of friends are riding up to austin this coming weekend. The group consists of 01 bandit 600s, 01 svs, 97 zx9r, and some harleys (yes harleys :) ) This will be thr first trip for some of us so what suggestions do you have for us new butt-burners?
 
Howdy,

:tab Are you guys actually going to be staying in Austin? There really isn't any good riding in Austin proper. There are some fun roads, RR 2222 being the first that comes to mind. But there is just so much traffic in town. North of Austin off of Hwy 183 there is FM 1431 that runs West to Marble Falls. It is a fun ride. You will need to watch for cattle guards at corner apexes, patrolling LEO's and a few nasty corners. When you get out to Marble Falls, a great place to eat is the Blue Bonnet Cafe Once in the area of Marble Falls, you might want to run up US 281 to Park Rd. 4 and run it North up to Hwy 29, then double back and run it to FM 1431 and head back to Marble Falls. This is a really nice ride.

:tab The best riding is out SouthWest of Austin. Roads like FM 3238 to FM 962 or RR 12. You can run 12 South to Wimberly and then come back up on 3237, 150, and 1826. You might still get a bit of traffic on these roads though.

:tab If instead of turning South on 12 you keep going straight on 3238, it becomes 962 and eventually comes out at Round Mountain on US 281. As you approach the Pedernales river, GO SLOW. There will be a sharp left going down hill immediately follwed by a sharper right that drops down as you round the corner, followed by an even sharper and even steeper left, and then another right. Basically you come right down off the hill top striahgt down into the river valley is a series of tight bumpy switch backs. You should probably not be going more than 15-20 for the first few corners and then first gear for the rest. You'll cross the river and then start climbing back up on the other side. You will reach an intersection that is a tee well after crossing the Pedernales river, go right.

:tab Other noteworthy roads include FM 473 and 474 Northeast of Boerne. FM 1323 Northeast of Fredericksburg between US 281 and Hwy 16, tons of Blue Bonnets. If you are heading as far as Kerrville, pretty much everything on the Southwest side of I-10 is fun. Special roads in the area are Hwy 16 between Kerrville and Bandera, FM's 335, 336, and 337, Hwy 39 West of Kerrville and RR 187 South to Vanderpool or even to Utopia, and FM 470 between Hwy 16 and RR187.

:tab My biggest piece of advice is BE CAREFUL! There are lots of cattle guards, open range with cattle right on the roads, TONS of deer right now, and basically a butt load of people because those are the popular roads for riders on the weekends. Chant these two phrases to yourself over and over... "slow in, fast out, slow in, fast out...", and "look, lean, believe...look, lean, believe..." That will save your bacon more times than you will be able to remember.

:tab Have Fun!
 
If you are just coming up to Austin from Houston then I would suggest taking a look at some of the small town roads on the way up here. Look at Park Road 1 through Buescher and Bastrop State Parks between Smithvill and Bastrop north of 71. This is one of my favorite rides.

Scott listed a bunch of the good rides around here if your intent is to ride up and then stage out of AUstin for some hill country rides, its just a matter of what your plans are. Fill us in and you will probably get a lot more info.
 
Scott and Andy nailed it pretty well.

I'd also humbly submit the following:

* 1174 from 1431 to Bertram, turn around, come right back to 1431. The turn is roughly 1/2 way between Lago Vista and Marble Falls. Coming back south, you crest a hill. Besides the road dropping off to the right a bit :), you'll be treated to a very nice view of the hill country.

* 165 from 290 (just west of Dripping Springs) to Blanco. Sportbike riders LOVE this road, which is a pretty main route to the 33x roads around Leakey, etc. Nice fast sweepers, and wonderful views cresting a couple of hills. There's one particularly nice sweeper that I think Scott commented on in an earlier ride report. In Blanco, there are a couple of rider-friendly restaurants (the Sunset Restaurant on the south side of the courthouse has an awesome breakfast), and from Blanco you can ride out to Luckenbach.

* Lime Creek Road, left turn off of 1431 just west of Cedar Park. I've not actually ridden this road (I'm the State Chicken Rider of Texas), but it's been described as having been constructed by road engineers on acid. Others can elucidate, but aside from nice twisties, there's a lot of weekend lake traffic, and a bit of gravel at inopportune spots.

All the best,

Paul
 
Just got back from Austin & area (see other posts), and Lime Creek Road was an absolute blast--took it up in 3rd gear, down in 2nd. Lots of 15-35 mph twisties. Wasn't ANY traffic, bike or otherwise, before noon, when heading back around 4:00 pm Sat., light to moderate cage traffic. It was a great way to hook up with FM 1431.
 
:tab Glad you had a good time. You will really want to get on out West of Kerrville for some really funs stuff. Or, come up for one of my East Texas rides if you like fast sweepers mixed with some tight stuff. ;-)
 
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