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What is Your Favorite Road to Ride in Texas and Why?

When I used to to the East Texas Butt Burner riders, the fun usually started just outside of Onalaska as we headed East. FMs 3152, 350, 942, 1745, 352, 1987, 256 to US 190, then FM 777 into Jasper, FM 1012 to Newton, FM 1414 up to Burkeville, FM 692, cut back to Hwy 87 and run up to Hemphill, FM 2784 up to Hwy 21, then FM 330 up to Hwy 87 again, FM 353 back into San Augustine, FM 1277 SW out of town to FM 1196 (up to 21 and back on this one or skip over to FM 95 to get back down to Hwy 103), get over to FM 1818 South of Lufkin, then down US 59 to FM 357 and head over to FM 2262 and run into Groveton, FM 355 South to FM 356, run into Trinity and pick up FM 230 West to FM 3478, and finally back down to FM 980 into Huntsville.

Depending on the exact route it was anywhere from 400-475 miles on top of whatever miles people did to reach the start point at my home in Huntsville and then to get home afterward. For folks coming up from Houston, it was often a 600 mile or more day. When I did these rides, we almost always had at least 10 riders bikes or more show up for them. I can't remember the last time I did one...
 
Pretty much all of the FMs around Center, Tx., are fun.

At one point, I loaded up on my VFR 800 and set out into East Texas to ride ALL of the FMs. I spent three days just blasting up and down every single road, taking pics and notes. This was back when I was starting my Backroad Motorcycle Tours endeavor. I saved all that info so I could have a reference for planning future rides. I think I did over 1700 miles in three days of riding.

I did something similar up in Arkansas. I started at Hot Springs and hit every highway North of there, all the way up and into Missouri. That was three days of HAULING all over the place. I did the same thing taking pics and notes so I'd be able to remember details about all the various roads, places to eat, places to get gas, hotels, etc,... Once you get North of I-40, it's kind of hard to pick a bad road.
 
FMs 315 & 314 North of Palestine up to Edom are a lot of fun.

From Madisonville up to Buffalo, there are a bunch of fun roads on the East side of I-45. FMs 2346, 1119, 579, 811, 1511, and 831 to Oakwood or Buffalo.

FM 977 cuts West from 1119 through Leona at I-45 and keeps going all the way over to FM 3. This is a really nice ride, especially when the flowers are blooming! FM 3 is fun all the way from Normangee up to US 79 just South of Marquez. If you head West of there, most of the FMs around Franklin are also nice. Once out in that area, I usually start hitting dirt roads to make my way back over toward Bedias to get back to Huntsville.

If you get over on the West side of College Station, there is FM 166 over to Caldwell, FM 908 to Thorndale, FM 696 through Lexington over toward Elgin. Good BBQ at Snow's in Lexington! FM 112 between Lexington and Taylor is fun.
 
said no one ever.

I like sand :mrgreen:

Would you be up to riding around some of those old roads sometime? I'd like to see the best of what East Texas has to offer.

I was thinking I might have to plan another ETBB ride since it has been so long. I just don't know when. I have pretty much no control over my work schedule so I tend to ride on short notice and not venture very far anymore :-|
 
Sand is not bad, except the constant crashing part when one first learns to ride it. I always liked the section near Hamilton road and then Josserand - I think...

This is Hamilton road the year the ET was rained out. Me Doug and Kevin made it all the way around that year and only Doug, or actually Doug's bike ridden partly by RollingJ managed to get through that legendary muddy section. This is kind of misleading since the rain had the sand packed down. It's about two feet thick and like sugar with it's dry.

 
I like a bunch of the roads above that other riders have mentioned. Most of my favorite roads are the goat paths that Mr2mch leads us around on. Not sure what the names of all of them are but he seems to find the best ones. The sisters are three favorites that are hard to ignore. Real close to me there is FM 580 towards San Saba and the opposite side of FM 580 from Lampasas to Pidcoke is sweet. I never get tired of riding 580. Also PR 4 between Burnet and Marble Falls although short is a neat road. FM 1431 is an nice wide road with good pavement. I went on one with Zephyr once a few years back that was excellent but I do not remember the number.
 
If it was out by his place.....it was prob FM590 from Comanche to Zephyr.. or mabe FM572 from Golthwaite to Moline... We rode that the other day after lunch
On the way to his place from a meet and greet and eat, came out near or maybe in Zephyr.
 
I call it the Lexington Loop, though you could start in Taylor too.

Lexington to FM 112, left onto FM 619, left on FM 696, then stay on 696 to Lexington.

Leaving Taylor, it'd be Taylor to 112, right onto 619, left onto 696, left onto 112, then stay on 112 to Taylor.
 
I was riding a road several years ago somewhere west of Hamilton that came out close to zephyr that had a heavy construction equipment grave yard on it , there were machines there 60 and 70 years old I had to slow way down to check all that stuff out , wouldn’t mind snooping around there sometime .
 
You were prob on FM218 which goes west thru Pottsville & Indian Gap...where you saw all the old machinery. The road runs thru Priddy ..then on to Zephyr

If memory serves me...there are several old International pick ups out there too
 
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I was riding a road several years ago somewhere west of Hamilton that came out close to zephyr that had a heavy construction equipment grave yard on it , there were machines there 60 and 70 years old I had to slow way down to check all that stuff out , wouldn’t mind snooping around there sometime .

Kid in a candy store :-P
 
This is my favorite just because it is right behind my house. This is Petter Bonner Rd. It ties into Noonday Rd and some others that aren’t even on a map North of Hwy 80 between Longview and Hallsville.
 

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Hwy 195 from Paris to 37 North to Idabell, OK.

Larry
Tinkerer
 
Tough to pick a favorite. I have ridden many of the roads already mentioned and they are fun. I tend to like roads will lots of twist and turns.

Some others I like:

FM1002 from Rhonesboro to Big Sandy.
FM2225 just east of Lake Fork between 515 and 154.
FM1805 from Van to Jamestown
FM858 from Ben Wheeler to Martins Mill
FM813 from Rocket to Palmer (although there are getting to be to many houses along it)
FM813 from Rocket to Waxahachie when the traffic is not to heavy.
 
West from 281 south of the little blanco creek 473 goes east on the north side of the creek , that’s part of the route too . Computer maps call it little blanco rd . But I remember seeing the Cr 1 sign at the east end years ago . There was a picture of me stopped in the road about 10 feet from a long horn steer standing there looking at me with horns wider than the road in Banjos picture thread on ADV years ago . I would follow it thru and end up on 473 again headed to sisterdale then west . back in the ride to the hill country days .
 
West from 281 south of the little blanco creek 473 goes east on the north side of the creek , that’s part of the route too . Computer maps call it little blanco rd . But I remember seeing the Cr 1 sign at the east end years ago . There was a picture of me stopped in the road about 10 feet from a long horn steer standing there looking at me with horns wider than the road in Banjos picture thread on ADV years ago . I would follow it thru and end up on 473 again headed to sisterdale then west . back in the ride to the hill country days .


Yes, that is Little Blanco Rd, it is a cool little road that I ride quite often, it runs from Old Blanco Rd (nice road) to 281. In the same area is Crabapple Rd that is worth riding also.
 
Thanks. I found that last year and Multisurface Rider and some others rode that. I think it was the coolest road we took that weekend. I just wish it was longer.
 
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