Motorcycling in New York

Every sense comes alive as you climb, bank, and cruise through mountain and farmland, lakefront and forest. Spend a few hours or days motoring the state’s Scenic Byways for new vistas with every curve of the road. 

Favorite Routes

Shadowing the St. Lawrence Seaway, the Great Lakes Seaway Trail, a 518-mile national scenic byway, rolls by Niagara Falls into the Thousand Islands region with 29 lighthouses along the way. The Lakes to Locks Passage between Manhattan and Montreal and the Mohawk Towpath Byway are drive-through history museums of canals, battlegrounds, and stately architecture. Between Rochester and Buffalo, vast Letchworth State Park is called the Grand Canyon of the East. Lakes country cruisers can circumnavigate Cayuga Lake for glittering views, rolling through Taughannock Falls State Park and past the tallest shear-drop waterfall east of the Rockies. Route 10 between Walton and Deposit is one of the most scenic stretches in the state.

Themed Runs

Websites like Motorcycle Roads suggest themed runs from day outings to several-day odysseys. The Montauk Lighthouse Run from Holbrook to Montauk Point passes wineries and vineyards, orchards, and farms with plenty of Long Island wildlife and ends at Montauk Point Lighthouse. You can spend several days exploring haunted roads on a Sleepy Hollow tour with a stop at the infamous cemetery, through Washington Irving country’s misty back roads and covered bridges.

Rallies and Events

Few sporting groups are as social as the motorcycle community, and special shows and events, rallies, and poker runs line the state. One of the biggest is Americade, which annually sees Lake George swarming with bikes; the world's largest multi-brand motorcycle touring rally offers guided mini-tours, parades, and plenty of noise. Other events include the Warrensburg Bike Rally and Thousand Islands River Run Motorcycle Rally.

New York State Motorcycle Safety Program

New to motorcycling? The New York State Motorcycle Safety Program (NYSMSP) offers basic to advanced instruction that can get you wheeling in no time. The program trains 18,000 motorcyclists each year at over 40 training sites throughout the state.