Best Area for Riding?: Austin TX or Memphis or Nashville TN

[ChrisNYC]

Howdy All

 

I'd like your input on a thought that's been clanging around my head -

 

Austin TX

Memphis TN

Nashville TN

 

If you were going to relocate and had to choose one of those three locales based on proximity to "good motorcycle ridin' ", which would it be? (Feel free to include other "quality of life" thoughts, but I'm most interested in mc ridin')

 

 

 

I'm still in NYC for the foreseeable future, but, y'know, I daydream sometimes

 

 

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Chris (aka Tender Vittles )

Little '77 KZ400 in the Big Apple

Black '99 RT for Everywhere Else, such as ...

 

[** Chris **]

Austin you can ride most of the year. There are occasional flurries of winter, but they don't last long.

 

Wait a minute, I just remembered Austin is already too crowded. So forget everything I said. It is a terrible place to live!

[Marty Hill]

Hey Chris,

 

Nashville is closer to more great roads than the other two cities. Be great to have you in the area.

[David]

Memphis is a complete disaster save for some good stuff in the NW part of Arkansas.

 

Austin has great riding, but outside the Hill Country, you have to go a looooooong ways to find the next bunch.

 

Nashville is the best of the three.

[Rinkydink]

Nashville, hands down. Austin is too hot and crowded, Memphis just plain sux. It's no contest.

 

Take a trip to NW Arkansas once you get settled in Tenn.

 

[hopz]

I have lived in northwest Houston, so I know Austin and surrounding. I was born and raised in Memphis, college in Koxville, Tennessee so I have been through Nashville in all directions for years...

 

My vote is Nashville...

 

No wait, not really Nashville but in one of the surrounding nice communities to the East of there... Tennessee is a beautiful place, except for....(insert your own list here)

[Fugu]

I agree w/ hopz. Nashville for sure.

 

Get up there on the Natchez Trace parkway and then go ride East of there.

[ChrisNYC]

Thanks everyone!

 

My idea-of-the-moment was to combine my music-life and motorcycle-life, and choose a city that possibly had access to more of both ... no immediate plans but I do like to scheme

 

 

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Chris (aka Tender Vittles )

Little '77 KZ400 in the Big Apple

Black '99 RT for Everywhere Else, such as ...

 

 

[David]

Come on down, Chris, grab the guest room and I'll show you around. It would be good to see you again. The last time was at the W. Seems like a decade ago.

[philbytx]

Balancing love and money....

 

I love Memphis and Nashville BUT.....gotta go with Austin

 

Texas voted top state for business....

Economically, Texas is one of the top 5 states....

Austin consistently listed in top cities in U.S. (It was voted one of Top 10 cities 2008 and 2009 in Kiplinger).

No personal income tax. No tax on food.

 

Unlike some States, Texas is generally "Yankee" or "Out of Stater" friendly

"Weren't born here but got here as quickly as you could"

 

Motorcycling....

Great riding starts minutes from downtown Austin....365/24/7.

What's a "Winter"???

70 75 and 80mph Interstate and rural highway limits

Way better highway maintenance than most other states......!

 

 

[Lone_RT_rider]

What's a "Winter"???

 

Winter can be defined as: "A season in which people are forced to stay in a climate controlled environment in order to escape extreme temperatures that are unfavorable for human existance".

 

Funny, sounds a lot like that thing they call "Summer" in Texas...

 

Shawn

[hopz]

Well there's that... that philby said... and I enjoyed Texas while we were there. All he said was true, and I can add-in that Austin is about - what- 600-800 miles closer to the true West, which is a good thing. Bib Bend, Northern New Mexico... Colorado, Utah etc... Now that is good riding.

 

On other thing Austin had, humidity that will choke a horse, bugs the size of your fist, I-35 traffic that will induce heart attacks or old age, and bats... lots of bats.

[ChrisNYC]

**Chris** said Wait a minute, I just remembered Austin is already too crowded.

 

 

I'm kinda used to "too crowded"!

 

 

 

David said grab the guest room and I'll show you around.

 

Thanks for the invite, David. I just need to find some, uh, you know, time ...

 

 

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Chris (aka Tender Vittles )

Little '77 KZ400 in the Big Apple

Black '99 RT for Everywhere Else, such as ...

 

 

[philbytx]

Hi Shawn, you Northern Weenie you

 

It's 70 in the morning and upper 90's here in the PM and I'm riding my R1100R 40 miles each way to work !

 

70mph speed limits and uncrowded roads sure do help keep you cool

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[tallman]

Nashville, or in the general area.

 

When people have to use the speed limit on an Interstate as a quality of life factor...

 

I'd suggest finding the time and spending some time in the Smokies and surrounding areas to experience not only the roads, but the people and communities.

You do like BarBQue, right?

[Vicious_Cycler]

Memphis is a complete disaster save for some good stuff in the NW part of Arkansas.

 

Austin has great riding, but outside the Hill Country, you have to go a looooooong ways to find the next bunch.

 

Nashville is the best of the three.

 

+1. Can't really speak to Austin, but David's right about the others. Nashille is convenient to lots of good rides (and eats : ): Natchez Trace, Sewanee/Monteagle/Beersheba Springs, Ocoee River Rd, Big South Fork, Devil's Triangle, Tail of the Dragon, Cherohala Skyway, on and on! Memphis, not so much; good BBQ though, just make that a short trip from Nashville.

[Knifemaker]

Nashville gets my vote

[RTme2]

Knoxville, TN

 

Dave

[philbytx]

Hey! Cut me a break....I said Interstate AND rural roads

 

You mention BBQ!!! C'mon, this is TEXAS man...get real!!!

 

We love TN (and the Carolinas)...even know some nice folks there . Ridden the Smokies, Gaps and all those great roads.

Very nice and all that but they DO have er, waddyacallit?, er, um..Oh Yeah! Winters?

[Eric the Blue]

Living outside of Austin, I have to say our riding is awesome! You never seem to run out of lightly travelled rural roads. As we're currently hitting 100 degrees in the heat of the day, it is pretty hot in the summer. I have this theory that most places have crappy weather 4 months of the year. Ours is in the summer.