Hi {{contact.first_name}}, September is when riding in the Triangle finally turns the corner. The worst of the summer heat and humidity breaks, the afternoon thunderstorms start backing off, and the first hint of color creeps into the Piedmont hardwoods. It is also the front edge of deer season and hurricane season at the same time, so you keep one eye on the tree line and one on the tropics. Time it right and September gives you some of the best, quietest miles of the whole North Carolina year.
Ride of the Month: The Uwharrie Mountains Loop
The oldest mountains in America, Piedmont two-lane, and a lake at the turn
Point it southwest out of the Triangle and drop into the Uwharrie National Forest, some of the oldest and most worn-down mountains on the continent. Run NC-24/27 through Troy and thread the forest roads and county two-lane out to Badin Lake, where the water opens up and the hardwoods start to turn. It is real elevation and real curves inside easy reach of Raleigh, and on a September weekday morning the forest is nearly yours.
Loop the lake, let the bike cool at one of the overlooks, and take the backroads home through Asheboro before the afternoon builds. Watch the shaded corners for the first wet leaves and the gravel that washes onto the forest roads after a storm.
For a shorter morning, run the Falls Lake and Jordan Lake loops on the county roads north and west of town, shaded, rolling, and close to home. Chasing color? Point it out US-64 west toward Pittsboro and the Haw River country, or save a full day for the Blue Ridge Parkway once the mountains peak in October. All of it stays cool and green in the river bottoms while the rest of the state is still warm.
Early-Fall Safety: North Carolina Edition
September in the Piedmont is the handoff from summer to fall, and it throws heat, storms, and wildlife at you all at once.
- The deer are starting to move. Rut season is ramping toward its October and November peak, and North Carolina is one of the worst states in the country for deer strikes. They are out at dawn and dusk along the forest roads and rural two-lanes. Scan the shoulders and tree lines, cover your brakes, and never swerve blind across the center line.
- Watch the tropics, not just the afternoon. September is the peak of hurricane season, and the remnants of a Gulf or Atlantic system can park heavy rain over central North Carolina for days. Check the radar before you roll, and never ride toward a sky that is stacking up dark and green.
- The first wet leaves are as slick as ice. Early leaf drop plus morning dew turns the shaded Piedmont curves and the forest roads greasy. Give the leaf-covered corners easy throttle and long following distance, and stay off the painted lines when it is damp.
- Morning fog and a low sun. Cool nights settle thick fog into the river bottoms at first light, and the low fall sun sits right in the eyes of the drivers behind you on the east-west roads. Ride with your light on, and assume the car back there cannot see you.
Know Your North Carolina Law
- North Carolina's 1 percent rule can end your claim. North Carolina is one of just a few pure contributory negligence states left in the country. If you are found even 1 percent at fault for the crash, you can recover nothing at all. Fault is everything here, which is exactly why insurers work so hard to pin a sliver of blame on the rider.
- Everyone wears a helmet. North Carolina has a universal helmet law. Every rider and passenger must wear a DOT-compliant helmet, no age or coverage exceptions, and a non-compliant helmet can be twisted into a blame argument against you.
- The minimums are modest, so lean on UM/UIM. North Carolina requires 30/60/25 in liability and mandates uninsured motorist coverage. Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage is your real backstop when the driver who hit you carries the bare minimum or nothing at all.
- You have three years. North Carolina generally gives you three years from the date of the crash to file an injury claim, longer than most states. Evidence and witnesses still fade fast, so do not sit on it.
Ride Nation Raleigh
The local chapter is where Triangle riders post weekend miles, call out fresh gravel and leaf-slick corners from the Uwharrie to the lake roads, and share the shots worth putting your helmet on for. Post where you rode this month and tag us. It is your scene, run by riders who actually ride these roads.
Still Time for the $20,000 BikeWin Giveaway
You are on this list because you entered, which means you are already in the running for 20,000 dollars toward any motorcycle you want, drawn December 10. Got a buddy who would want a shot? The entry page is open and free.
Enter the giveaway
A driver turning left across your lane on Capital Boulevard. A deer on a Uwharrie backroad. A distracted commuter who never saw you on the Beltline. If you ever go down in North Carolina, one sliver of blame can end your claim, so you want a lawyer who rides these roads and fights the fault game hard.
| Follow the firm |  |  |  |  |