During this time of year more so than others, I will only ride off campus due to so many inattentive drivers rushing around. As you're already aware as a motorcycle rider, I always have my head of a swivel more so here than any other places I've ridden. I relocated from NoCal where the foothill rides were spectacular but I have found many beautiful scenic routes here. Just be damn careful while riding on property.

Best ever
 

I agree, we're from southern IN, Louisville KY area. The best riding ever was E Tenn, Va, W Va, E KY, NC., beautiful country, exciting rides. I love to drag the floorboards thru the Dragon & run the high banks of 421 the Snake!
As for riding here, mine generally sits in the garage! No one to ride & you have to be so defensive, I choose to not be the smartest rider out there, but I don't blame anyone who wears a helmet or long pants whatever floats your boat! I keep saying I'm going to sell it because of all the idio,..., Inattentive old people around here, (me included), but then I take a little ride ..., come home and put it back in the garage! Whatever you decide, be safe & Enjoy!!

Many scenic roads around the Villages
 

If your goal is to ride scenic curvy and hilly roads, there are plenty around here.

As mentioned the Ocala Forest area, 44 to DeLand, Ormand Loop, areas between here and Weeki Wachee and especially around Clermont which has extremely hilly roads.

Just avoid high traffic roads and stay alert and enjoy the ride!!!

We have zero issues around here on either bike. The issue you'll be dealing with is the learning curve - knowing where to go etc. There is a ton of great riding Which roads is the key to everything. Fairly easy. I'd bring it.

There are lots of back country roads around Ocala with horse farms. Also there is Ocala National Forest. Have Fun.

You are correct. You must drive defensively and expect the unexpected.

Wear a face shield; the bugs can be excessive!

Yes, highway 441/27 is terrible for motorcycle riders, and 466, 466A, 44, and 301 through and near The Villages can be dangerous. However, the riders killed on those roads—and there are quite a few—are generally young guys who are probably riding way over the speed limit. If you follow the speed limit and pay attention and keep your lights on, you are much safer.

Get off those roads, however, and there are hundreds of miles of two lane roads through beautiful scenery—farms, forests, swamps—interspersed with occasional tiny towns. There isn’t much traffic on those roads. Fifteen minutes from the center of The Villages will have you out on those roads, ready for hours of cruising—north, south, or toward either coast. Just plan a route away from cities and stay off the highways.

I am a motorcycle rider (2018 BMW K1600 GTL) . I moved here from California in 2017 I belong to the Villages Nomads motorcycle club. I can attest to the fact that there are hazards of riding a motorcycle in The Villages as there are in riding a bike anywhere in the USA. Riding a bike is not a "death wish". One has to exercise due diligence and caution. With the exception of the traffic circles (please get familiar with the rules) , I have not found riding here much different than riding anywhere else in the country. As noted above, the roads are fairly straight here with somewhat lush vegetation. The horse country in Marion County is truly exceptional as is riding along A1A and the Gulf. Not sure for your background, but the traffic around here is not truly oppressive, but again I hail from the environs of San Francisco/San Jose CA. I would say that if you are going to spend a week + here, it might be worth it to bring your bike and expect to get lost several times. Otherwise bring it when you can spend more time. I would also direct you to have a discussion with the President of the Nomad Club, Bob Kerfin (847-366-7888). I hope this is of some benefit.

Once you get out of The Villages, the county roads are fine. Be careful when approaching small towns and stay off to RTs. 75, 95, Turnpike, and Rt. 4.

I sold my motorcycle when I moved to The Villages. Going through a two-lane round-about with a motorcycle is a form of suicide. If you bring your bike, be darn careful. There are some decent country roads once you get out and away from here.

I ride a 2008 HD UC Electra Glide
 

Like many areas of the country you need to be a defensive rider. I try to avoid the bubble as much as I can. Watch out in the circles, stay in right lane unless your planning to turn left. I see too many people making left turns from the right lane cutting off people in left lane going straight. I do enjoy riding in FL.

1. Git out of the bubble ASAP
2. LOUD PIPES SAVE LIVES.

Motorcycles in retirement
 

I've been a motorcyclist for decades, but when I retire and move to TV, I'm also going to sell my bike. Like many of you comments, I have good road skills, but I just DON'T trust the other guys! There are too many distracted drivers....I've worked all my life to get to retirement, I'm not going to get killed once I get there.

I'll have my memories and that will have to be good enough.

Clinton, Freeport, Maine

Motorcycle
 

I have been riding for 45 years and would n ever ride in TV. I’ve had 2 close calls in the traffic circles. Two too many for me!

Looks like some of these puss er uh people have a lot more to live for than me.
I ride my RGS almost everyday. I moved here from the Ocala Forest where the riding is awesome.
It's probably my greatest joy in life at this point.
It may kill my ass one day but, I want to live and not necessarily live long.

Hi, if you are interested in motorcycling during your visit, please visit the “ Village Nomads” Facebook page. Lots of good information from people that actually own and ride.
They do a lot of group rides. If you are not familiar with riding in a group, they offer a training class.

If you don’t use Facebook, bring your motorcycle, contact me via messenger and I’ll
take you to a ride and introduce you. ( you must have a valid motorcycle endorsement)

Looking forward to meeting you!

I would love to do more low speed training.
I don't want to scratch my 800lb bike tho.

We sold our Harley two months ago for the reasons you mentioned.

Bringing motorcycle to Villages
 

We had a Harley for years. Two yrs after purchasing a home here, our two very best friends were killed on their motorcycles in Buffalo. We had just come home for a visit and tired so didn't go with them. My husband brought the Harley down here, but after a few rides, he sold it. Riding is a real challenge-even when my husband was at a circle, a bike was in his blind side and that sealed the deal. . My husband said he was a safe driver-unfortunately, others on the road are not. Good luck

Agree with Ocala Forest, Husband rides every day, we also like the ride county 314a to Route 40 to Daytona Beach.

True, the Ocala National Forest is interesting to explore and a 2 wheel vehicle allows a rider to get a better "feel" for the area than in a car. However, I would NOT bring one for just one week. Not worth the extra driving energy and anyway someone might rear-end you. Basically, the negatives seem to outweigh the positives.

There is nothing to be gained by having a LOUD exhaust except to scare squirrels and rabbits. The seniors almost all ride in their vehicles with the windows up and the a/c or heat on (depending on temperature). And most have hearing loss. Actually, modern cars are designed to force people to have their windows up. Jeep Wrangler may be (?) the only modern car with vent windows. So no one can hear loud motorcycles anymore. The main selling point for the Harley machines is that they are a giant VIBRATOR.
.........I would NOT bring a motorcycle for only a week. As for being a resident, I would prefer an Electric motorcycle or if I had to have a gas vehicle, it would be a quiet Honda or a 3-wheel Italian Vespa type, which would seem to be a nice cruising ride.
.........Another point that has yet to be made (not read all pages) is older folks' lack of good balance. If you live here long enough, you would have to buy a new 3-wheeler or modify your current one. That is IF you are LUCKY enough to live long enough and without accidents and injuries until your balance deteriorates. Sorry, to be so negative, just trying to "keep it real"!!!!!!!

Loss of hearing no doubt. :22yikes:

I am sure the homeowners would not love you and your motorcycle noise I know you would not be welcome to homeowners living there. unless they are hard of hearing. Let me know where you will be renting so I can be far away when you come down This is a big negative when buying a home there.

Loud exhaust pipes DID ONCE save lives, "a long time ago in a place far, far away" - in about 1950 before automobile A/C when car drivers rode with their windows open and NOT in a LARGE retirement area with older people with deteriorated reflexes, awareness, and brainpower.

Old saying. If you think loud pipes save lives, you should see how many are saved from experience. Loud pipes saving a life has always been a fallacy.

Interesting philosophy. One problem is that when hit on a motorcycle, people don't always die instantaneously. Many more get brain damage and/or become vegetables that outlive their ability to pay for an assisted living facility. They become a financial DRAIN on their family or eventually the greater society. And they may NOT be able to even remember their motorcycle DREAMS.

Obviously, a similar situation could happen when riding in a car or truck. The difference is a car or truck does NOT require the balance capability of a young person. And are more easily seen than a motorcycle. Also, a car has real steel surrounding the occupants.

Some people may NOT mind leaving this earth sooner than needed, but what about those other people in their lives that feel they wanted to be around them for a few more years? What about the person on the back of the motorcycle that was not so philosophic about an early death?

I think we’re pretty far off topic.

Actually, I don't like LOUD motorcycles particularly, but they are NOT as loud as the mufferless riding mowers that the commercial yard dorks use. Also, their loud gas blowers and gas weed eaters are OBNOXIOUS. At least, I can take the motorcycle noise better knowing that they are ridden by real Villages seniors. The LOUD motorcycles come by my house once or twice a day and I only hear them for 1 minute, at most. The loud obnoxious grass and yard manglers spend twenty minutes or more torturing me about 4 times per week at the neighbors close to me.

I hope that in the future people use electric lawnmowers because the cost of electricity is SO MUCH cheaper than gasoline. If I were in charge of The Villages...........things would be different.
...........What a world, what a WORLD .......what a VERY LOUD world !!!!!!!

Did you know the louder the pipes on a Harley, the smaller his anatomy.

Pretty much people are talking about LOUD motorcycle mufflers. One poster offered that loud mufflers on his motorcycle might be objectionable to the neighbors near his weekly rental. Myself and other people responded to that, which seems to me to be within the scope of the original thread.

Motorcycling
 

Sorry about all the naysayers. Lot of fun rides. Generally, I find NW of The Villages most scenic. As an introduction, join the Nomads every Wednesday and Saturday morning. They do a 3 hour and 5 hour ride from Colony Rec Center at 8:30 a.m. (I think has to be above 50 degrees) They ride, eat and ride. Just show up to join them. There is also a Honda Goldwing group that I haven't participated in yet. Enjoy

Wow
 

After reading this last page I have found out how my neighbors Really feel about me 🤣🤣!
I'm a tiny weenied obnoxious old twit who trashes up the place😜🤣!
GOOD FOR ME 😊

I’ve ridden in St Petersburg for 14 years (very crowded until you get out of town) and in the Village for 9 years. I had headlight modulator and auxiliary light installed up front. Increased my awareness to incoming traffic. I also recommend a louder horn. I guess I’d been lucky- no accidents. Also took a defensive driving course. Sold my Harley two years ago due to medical back issues.

Loud pipes have saved me on several occasions, but I am not an expert.....just someone that really rides a bike and doesn't arbitrarily give advice WITHOUT real life experience on the subject. I have driven a Harley (as well as other brands) for most of my legal driving age. On my bikes, even though I do not enjoy constant loud pipes/sounds, I modified them for safety. A baloney cut facing outward allowed the noise to be focused against the quarter panel of cars on my right so that they would realize that I was in their "blind spot." The noise bouncing off their side of the car has saved me on numerous instances where I might have been forced off the road or crushed. "Trying to keep it real?" So many folks have OPINIONS that come from hearsay and not from experience.
The OP asked about bringing his bike down for a short period. He was asking for opinions, and probably did not expect lectures on safety or why you shouldn't ride in Florida. Someone suggested first enjoying the Villages and then return with his bike for riding. Some good advice was to contact the local motorcycle club here. Because I have driven(?) bikes in other countries, I do not fear the inattentive seniors in the Villages as much as some that probably have driven primarily in the U.S. on nice roads with less traffic and physically impaired drivers than we have accumulated in the Villages. If you are worried about bothering your neighbor for a few seconds as you pass their home while leaving or returning from a ride, then you simply drive slowly and do not rev your engine. It's as easy as that, IF you have driven a motorcycle before and really understand it's function. An "electric bike?" Hmm, that's a matter of preference. I don't have experience with an "electric bike" and the OP did not mention owning one. He simply asked the question of whether or not he should bring his bike with him for a one week visit. I have been to bike meets in other states and other countries that lasted only a week or so. I have driven hours to get there or have rented a bike while there. If he wants to bring his bike and enjoys riding more than golf, tennis, pickleball, etc. that his choice. I can relate to that.
For those that make recommendations without intimate subject knowledge, why?
To the OP: some on here have good advice on this subject, especially those that still ride, with or without the local bike club. I do not know how much riding experience you have, and it is none of my business. Riding IN the Villages is going to require constant attention and defensive driving techniques. Florida law does not require you to wear a helmet. I do wear a helmet, boots and long pants (most of the time). Florida law does not require motorcycle insurance, but I also have insurance. What you are allowed to do and what you choose to do is your choice. I have children and grandchildren that have visited here on their bikes and enjoyed it with no accidents...so far.
Enjoy.

OK. I respect that opinion. I rode often for over 5 years. I NEVER dropped my bikes. I did have to roll upside down once to void death when I was in Nebraska in a thick fog and some dork in a car tried to pass on a 2 lane road and ended up in my lane at about zero visibility. My life stopped for a long minute as I looked UP at my feet on the pegs as I rolled over on my back. This was one of the 3 near-death occurrences in my life, very exciting.
.......Truth be told, I could never afford a Harley as I always could purchase motorcycles that I considered better built and engineered that met MY NEEDS for MUCH less money. To me, truly, a Harley is just a big vibrator that I never needed. I never needed a cycle that went faster than 60 MPH because I never wanted a windshield and even at 60 MPH the wind force was like a hurricane that would slap around your clothes.
........The fastest cycle that I ever owned was a 2-stroke Yamaha 300 (or 400, I forget)that could go 80, but I never went above 60. It was a new one-year-older model Yamaha that was in a crate when I picked it up (save big bucks). I also owned several 4 strokes that same-same I kept under 65. Every cycle that I owned got at least 60 miles per gallon. The most that I ever paid for a cycle was about $5,000 in today's dollars. So, my concept of a motorcycle was to get from A to B in the least expensive way. I was NOT about to pay $30,000 for a heavy, vibrating Harley because I could only justify taking a chance with my life IF I got GREAT CASH VALUE for going from point A to B.
.......Different strokes for different folks (that was the old saying). And now you know the rest of the story!
........OH yes, there is another old saying. Honda and Yamaha owners RIDE their bikes from up north to bike week in Daytona......BUT Harley owners put theirs on a trailer and pull it down to Daytona because they are AFRAID that it will BREAK DOWN !!!!!!

Too dangerous
 

Far too dangerous for me. I'm from the Philla. area, and I have never seen such inattentive drivers as I have seen here. Many reasons, mostly age related problems. Not only for motorcyclist, but for bicyclist as well. I rode motorcycles for about 40 years, after what I have seen here, and after almost being killed while riding my BICYCLE, decided not to ride a MC here. I am now a certified cager, but my "cage" is a 6 speed performance enhanced Porsche. However, bottom line, your body, your choice.

These 35mph speed limit roads in the Villages must be rough on a Porsche...:)

Motorcycle
 

You are correct sir! I don’t ride anymore, people here the eyesight and reflexes aren’t as good as they once were, and contractors (lawn care people) are in a rush getting from one job to another, and the locals and younger people don’t care for us.