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October is peak season for Chicago riders, and it does not last long. The color comes on hard through the river valleys and the driftless country, the air turns cool and clean, and the crowds finally thin out on the good roads. But the clock is running. The deer are thick, the first hard frosts are close, and the daylight is disappearing fast. Get the miles in now, because every October weekend you skip is one you do not get back until spring.
Ride of the Month: The Great River Road to Galena and the Driftless
Real hills, river bluffs, and the best fall color within reach of the city
Point it northwest to Galena and the driftless country, the corner of Illinois the glaciers missed, where the flat prairie finally gives way to steep wooded hills and limestone bluffs over the Mississippi. Run US-20 through the ridges into Galena, then drop south on Route 84, the Great River Road, as it hugs the river past Savanna and the Mississippi Palisades. In mid to late October the bluffs light up in full color, and the two-lanes twist and climb the way nothing else in Illinois does.
Go on a weekday to beat the leaf-peeper traffic, fuel up before you head out into the ridges, and watch for gravel and wet leaves in the shaded corners. Stop in Galena or Savanna to let the bike cool, then take the ridge roads home with the color burning behind you.
Closer to home, Starved Rock and the Illinois River bluffs around Utica are peaking now and worth the short run southwest. Want a half-day north? The Lake Michigan shore up into the Wisconsin Kettle Moraine rides beautifully in the cool light. All of it drops fast once the first hard frost hits, so do not wait on it.
Fall Riding Safety: Illinois Edition
October is the best riding of the year in Northern Illinois, and it hands you a fresh set of hazards as the season closes in.
- The rut is peaking. November is the worst of it, but October is when the deer really start moving on the county and river-valley roads and out in the collar counties. Dawn and dusk are the danger windows. Scan the shoulders and tree lines, cover your brakes, and never swerve blind across the center line.
- Wet leaves hide the road. Fallen leaves pile up in the shaded curves and over the painted lines, and once they are wet they are as slick as ice. Give them easy throttle and long following distance, especially on the wooded backroads and the river bluffs.
- The first freeze is close. October fronts drop the temperature fast, and a cold morning can leave frost on the bridge decks and the shaded pavement long after the sun is up. Dress in layers, and give the cold tires a few miles before you lean on them.
- The days are short and getting shorter. Sunset comes early now, and the low sun sits right in the eyes of the commuters behind you on the east-west roads. Run your light, wear something bright, and ride like the car back there cannot see you.
Know Your Illinois Law
- Fault gets split, and there is a cutoff. Illinois uses modified comparative negligence. Your recovery drops by your share of the blame, and if you are found more than 50 percent at fault, you collect nothing. How the crash gets documented decides the number, and insurers push blame onto riders.
- Illinois has no helmet law, and that cuts both ways. Illinois is one of the very few states with no helmet requirement for any rider. That is your choice to make, but going without gives an insurer an opening to argue your injuries, so gear up and ride like it matters.
- The minimums are low, so lean on UM/UIM. Illinois requires only 25/50/20 in liability and mandates uninsured motorist coverage. Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage is your real backstop against the many uninsured drivers on Chicago roads.
- You have two years. Illinois generally gives you two years from the date of the crash to file an injury claim, with shorter notice rules when a government entity is involved. Evidence and witnesses fade fast, so do not sit on it.
Ride Nation Chicago
The local chapter is where Chicago riders post weekend miles, call out fresh potholes, deer, and which roads are peaking from the Great River Road to Starved Rock, 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.
Last Weeks 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 Milwaukee Avenue. A deer on a river-valley backroad. A distracted commuter who never saw you on the Kennedy. If you ever go down in Illinois, you want a lawyer who rides these roads and knows how the fault rules get used against riders.