Avid motorcyclist
 

Renting a home in the Villages next week, thinking of trailering my motorcycle down to ride around the area. My concern is, from my limited experience, the Villages and surrounding area, are not really good riding areas due to heavy traffic and inattentive drivers. Looking for opinions from local riders. Tks

I think you have hit the nail on the head.

I have never driven or ridden on a motorcycle, but I have had 3 close calls while driving a car where in every case the motorcycle disappeared from view. I try very hard to be extra careful when there is one around. I agree with your assessment of the situation, and as I recall there were several reports of serious injuries or death over the last 2 to 3 months. If you decide to ride, be very careful of oncoming traffic turning left if front of you, this seems to be the leading cause of accidents.

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I'm a rider ( Gold wing ), there are plenty of roads away from TV that are good country roads. I have found that riding here is NOT like up north (Pa. ) roads are flat & straight (boring ) but the scenery is great. I'm a snowbird my bike won't be back next season.
There are bike groups here maybe 3. Have been with the GW group great rides & people.
If you're only going to be here for a week leave the bike at home. There are plenty of other things to do. You can learn the aera then bring the bike later for a longer stay.
Enjoy your visit. Get in touch if you think I could help more.

Don't even think about it, leave your bike at home.

I don't know where you're coming from, but consider that the average age in FL & The Villages, is probably much higher. You have a zillion old people driving around, playing with their Cell Phones. It's not you, it's the cage drivers. I brought my Harley to FL for one season and never again.

nearby Ocala Forest is a beautiful ride. in regards to safety, i always try to get behind the cyclist so i can keep my eyes on you, & allow plenty of space. if you're out of sight, it could be trouble like VT said

And now we have non-riders chiming in with their expertise. Thousands of motorcycles in The Villages and a lot of good roads and areas to explore

You can take country roads like 475 N , 42 E, 19 N, 314 West, 315 N, 315C, 315 South all the way to 40 then 314A (not 314) South to 25 and then back to 42 W to the Villages. These roads will take you up into Ocala National Forest. You will be riding in less populated areas. You will go through small towns like Salt Spring, Fort McCoy, Orange Springs, Interlachen, and Grandin. Just check the roads and put a nice country route together. I often take a side trip off 19 to Alexander Springs then back to 19N. I love the country up there. I take that run at least three times a month. My ride out of the Villages is around 250 miles round trip. You can also ride out to the Green Swamp (South) or Cedar Key. (West.) Cedar Key is a super place. Old Florida. Good restaurants. You have to be careful around population centers down here, but that is nothing new. Weather is perfect for motorcycling!

There are deed restrictions about where trailers can be parked, and for how long. Each district is slightly different. You may need to put the trailer in the garage.

I was an avid motorcyclist (Minnesota and upper Midwest) before moving here. I had my bike shipped here and rode it for about a month before selling it. I had more close calls in one month of riding here than I had in probably five years before the move.

The Villages is primarily composed of older adults who (even though there seems to be a certain amount of denial) suffer the inevitable deterioration that comes with age. Narrowing peripheral vision, lessening depth perception, lapses in judgment, incorrectly judging the speed of other vehicles, and just not seeing things in or near the roadway that may present a hazard seem to be common here. Couple that with a perceived attitude on the part of too many that laws apply to other people but not so much to them, and motorcycling in and near The Villages constituted a risk that I was just not going to take, regardless of how much I love riding.

Like most threads the “experts” chime in with their “I thinks”.

Always Alert
 

I am an avid "two wheel nut." I try to get 80-90 miles on my road bike a week and regularly ride my 21 HD SG to work and afternoon rides through central Florida with the wife. I used a bike and motorcycle in Pa for thirty years. I have seen terrible drivers (including golf cart drivers in Florida) in both states. I do think Florida wins out due the distracted drivers, substance impaired drivers and diminishing mental status with decreasing sensory acuity. I practice my motorcycle maneuvers, such as panic stop and tight space turning, regularly. So I think you can ride here in Florida if you are skilled and very defensive. It is a beautiful state to ride especially here in central Florida with each coast just a one to two hour ride away. As we know, no where is safe as the Bruce Rossmeyer death story will testify. Welcome to Florida.

Your right about non-riders, with many negative opinions, but I was a rider.
I brought my Goldwing down from Wisconsin 7 years ago when we move here full time.
Cycle riding gave me a high every time I rode, but people need to accept the consequences of what can happen at our age.

Well here's my thoughts:
Find a different pass time down here, seriously.
Traffic in Florida is nuts even in a car/truck

You don't heal very well at age 60, 70, or 80 after sliding across the blacktop.
Also, I didn't want my family feeding me through a straw for the rest of my life.

Your Life, Your Choice

Swap out the factory horn with a super loud one. My factory one didn't get anyones attention.

Duplicate.

Maybe you should get rid of your car then. Here is the AUTO fatalities in FLORIDA from only 2021:


Florida 3,863 auto fatalities

Deaths From Motor Vehicle Crashes - Florida Health CHARTS - Florida Department of Health


Florida 593 motorcycle fatalities

In 2021, the most recent year with complete data, 593 people died as the result of a motorcycle accident in the State of Florida

How Many Motorcycle Deaths Are There Per Year in Florida?.

How many motorcycle riders are in Florida?

620,077 registered

With Florida's warm and sunny weather, it's no surprise that many residents choose to ride motorcycles. In 2020 there were an estimated 620,077 registered motorcyclists in Florida

Loud pipes and loud horns, and don't be afraid to upset folks. Better to be a victim of angry seniors than to be a dead or injured victim of unaware seniors. I rode in other countries where traffic was much worse and one had to be defensive ALL the time. Once you get away from mass populated areas, you can have a peaceful and enjoyable ride. BUT/BUT riding in the Villages is dangerous for EVERYONE. You can't even be remiss in your defensive travel while walking, biking, golf carting, etc. Seniors are not inherently evil, just seem to live with tunnel vision and deafness.

I have been riding motorcycles since my teenage years and can say there are lots of good rides in the rural areas away from the bubble. Just be very careful and defensive riding in and around the Villages, the area has without a doubt the highest concentration of bad drivers per capital of any area I have ever experienced, and I am from Massachusetts where drivers are referred to as massholes. And please, regardless of the law, wear a good full face helmet. There are way too many future organ donors riding around these parts without helmets.

Sooo Helmets are the cure all. :shocked::shrug:
What about your legs, arms, back etc.

Helmets are like having a peeing section in a swimming pool.

Op, the above post is spot on!
Both my wife & I have been into bikes (choppers, cruisers & bobbers), riding building and teaching others to ride for nearly 2 decades.

Wear your helmet and ride VERY defensively at all times.

The worst will be the round-abouts, there are even multiple threads here, regarding them. Some have blatant disregard for anyone else, the laws, common courtesy, etc. Always be prepared for nearby cars & carts to do exactly what they shouldn't, this is true when you are on 4 wheels or 2.

2nd most common issue I've witnessed, is major intersection turn lanes. I cannot tell you how many near misses, accidents and folks locking up mid intersection, I've seen here.
If you are a good rider, you'll be fine, if you are not, this is going to be a sharp learning curve.
Be safe and enjoy your trip!

Leave it at home. I have my memories but gave up my license eight years ago because I desperately want to live. Down here you want more metal surrounding you not less. You'll be too busy with other stuff anyway.

:thumbup:

Good advice.

I had a 117 dB monstrosity of a horn on my bike. I don't know if it was legal in MN...just on the line, I think. Maybe not down here either. But man did it work. I didn't use it much (got lots of attention from people it wasn't intended for), but when it did, it got results. Sounded just like a locomotive horn. I used it once on some ditz woman coasting through a stop sign with her head buried in her phone. One short blast and I thought she had whiplash her head jerked up so hard! But she got the message.

Never used it down here but I don't think it would have quite the same results, given that hearing is one of the first things to start going away when you hit geezerhood.

Nice :confused:

Husband sold FAT boy after two close calls in round-abouts

I am originally from Pennsylvania, but I live in the villages currently. I had a Harley Davidson for 50 years, but recently sold it, because the villages is much too dangerous for all the reasons stated in this thread.

As a full-time resident, and avid motorcycle rider, I can tell you there are a lot of good rides available here. You just need to get out of the bubble. And, you do need to be careful. Dress for the crash, not the ride. Wear your helmet, even though you don't have to. I frequently see one particular guy around our neighborhood riding a HD ******. He is always wearing shorts, tank top, flip flops, and no helmet. I wonder if he is out looking for Charles Darwin. When I ride, it is all about situational awareness...head on a swivel.

I would avoid riding a cycle.

Not a rider here, but I see so many crazy drivers running red lights, not doing their stops, not using turn signals, or worse, using or leaving a WRONG turn signal on, I'd be extremely weary for you.

Trailer it to the country then unload and ride;) I live in East Tennessee in summer and ride VA, NC, KY and TN! I brought it down to Florida one season and rode twice never to bring back. Straight flat roads aren’t my thing… Enjoy and stay safe!

After riding a Goldwing for 15 years and 160,000 miles, I decided to sell my bike up north and enjoy the great weather on a golf cart.

A lot depends on how passionate you are about riding, how long you are down here, and what other interests you have. There are a lot of things to do down here and if this is your first time here my initial thought would be to leave the bike at home. Distracted driving is a problem everywhere and I don't find Florida to be much worse in this regard. I am an avid motorcyclist and vigilant in paying attention no matter where I ride and I have found plenty of decent areas to ride nearby. I don't ride as much here as I do up north mainly due to so many other things to do in The Villages.

Be careful in the roundabouts, while riding or driving, as far too many folks have no concept on how to correctly navigate them. The number of folks turning left from the right lane is staggering.

All that stuff you hear about "Florida Man" goes double for "Florida Driver".

NOT A PLACE FOR A BIKE! I sold my motorcycle after too many close calls… I still hold my motorcycle classification but The Villages and surrounding area is not the place for a motorcycle..

Why would your hubby sell his ice cream sandwich after two close call’s. Just kidding, I get it. Very smart man.

The way I see it is a person has to know their limitations and look at their surroundings. Have a motorcycle in The Villages might not be the best idea for may lifelong otherwise very successful riders.
Hold on to your good memories of riding and dream another dream.

Ride all the time
 

I have ridden bikes since 2005 all around The Villages area, lots of flat straight rides, but this time of year is perfect weather. Last year my wife and I did 6700 miles and 25 states on our 2 bikes, we had more concerns all around the country with bad drivers than in the Villages. We ride defensively and don’t try to jump around people in traffic. Plenty of forest outside The Villages easy to get to and enjoy.

I don’t ride a motorcycle, but I’ve rented in the Villages many times for short stays.I don’t think it’s a good place for a motorcycle, as they can be loud and it might be a distraction to neighbors. But I’d ask the owner of the house you’re renting for his/her thoughts first.

Yes do this.
 

There are many roads that are perfect for riding in Florida. I might recomend a club that I find enjoyable, "The Southern Cruisers"

What do you "think" so far ?

Yeas ?
Nays ?

I'm no "expert" but the volume of "Nays" appears to be in a clear majority. Shall we call for a recorded vote ?