Motorcycling Alabama: 50 Ride Loops through the Heart of Dixie

By David Haynes

A much-needed guidebook for one of the most beautiful states to explore on two wheels   David Haynes offers fifty ride loops of between 75 and 150 miles in length throughout every region of the state. The start and stop points for each ride are identical and easy to locate. This handy guide, which is designed to fit in a tank bag, features both streetbike and dual-sport rides. Also included are detailed, color-coded maps of the routes and turn-by-turn directions. Stunning full-color photographs accompany each ride description, highlighting scenes and points of interest along the way. There are introductory chapters on motorcycle safety, gear, and the use of global positioning devices, as well as pointers on motorcycle camping. The companion website, motorcyclingalabama.info, offers sample rides and downloadable GPS codes for all fifty rides, and hosts an author blog.   Motorcycle touring is one of the fastest-growing outdoor recreational pursuits in the country. For both the in-state and out-of-state motorcycle enthusiast, Motorcycling Alabama is a valuable and complete guide to a state rich in diverse types of scenery and with many unsung treasures yet to be discovered.

Published in cooperation with the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum, Birmingham.

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: University Alabama Press
• Release date: May 1, 2011
• ISBN: 9780817381578

Book preview

TRIP

1

MAPPING YOUR TRIP

THIS GUIDE INCLUDES A MAP with turn-by-turn directions and a brief description of each ride. However, road names frequently change, and particularly with the dual-sport rides, rural and forest gravel roads may change.

When planning a ride, I recommend obtaining the DeLorme Alabama Atlas and Gazetteer, a book that divides the state into sixty-four map pages measuring 11 by 151½ inches with much more detail than any single foldout state road map. If space is available on the motorcycle, this is great to carry along on any ride.

Another excellent resource for planning a trip is Google Earth and Google Maps online. These offer zoom-able views of road maps, terrain, and satellite imagery as well as street-level photos of some areas.

Each of these resources will help give the rider a sense of the character of the area through which a ride loop passes.

I also recommend having a Global Positioning System (GPS). These days most everyone knows about GPS, and more and more navigation features are being added to everything from dedicated GPS devices to cell