Hi {{contact.first_name}},
October is the payoff month in North Texas. The heat finally breaks for good, the cool fronts roll through clean and dry, and the evening rides stretch long and comfortable again. The color comes on late here, but the Cross Timbers and the lake country start to turn, and a cool October morning on a North Texas backroad is exactly why you ride. The deer are thick and the fronts bring wind, so ride smart, but October is the best stretch of riding on the whole calendar.
Ride of the Month: The Red River Ranch Country Run
Rolling ranch country, German heritage towns, and quiet two-lanes toward the Red River
Point it north out of the Metroplex toward Gainesville, then run US-82 west into the Cross Timbers, through the old German towns of Muenster and Saint Jo and out to Nocona near the Red River. This is the prettiest ranch country in North Texas, rolling pasture and post oak, quiet FM roads that rise and fall through the hills, and towns where you can stop for smoked sausage in Muenster or a cold one in Saint Jo. In October the light goes long and gold and the pastures finally green back up after the summer.
Fuel up in Gainesville, the country roads run far between towns, watch for cattle guards, gravel, and grain trucks on the FM roads, and give the deer a wide berth near the river bottoms. Loop back through Bowie and Decatur with the ranch country glowing behind you.
For a shorter morning, run FM 455 and the two-lanes through Pilot Point and the horse country north of the Metroplex, where the fences and rolling pasture make for easy shaded miles. Want water and real curves? Point it west to Possum Kingdom Lake and Park Road 33 for the Hell's Gate bluffs, or loop Lake Texoma and the Red River up US-377. All of it rides best now that the heat has finally broken.
Fall Riding Safety: Texas Edition
October is prime riding in North Texas, and the turning season brings its own set of hazards.
- The rut is on. The deer are moving hard now along the lake roads and the rural two-lanes, and dawn and dusk are the danger windows. Scan the shoulders and tree lines, cover your brakes, and never swerve blind into the other lane.
- The fronts bring wind and a fast temperature drop. October cold fronts can drop twenty degrees in an hour and kick up hard gusts that shove you around on open highway and the high bridges over the lakes. Check the forecast, dress in layers, and expect a crosswind every time you clear a tree line or an overpass.
- The first cold mornings are here. A clear October dawn can leave frost on the bridge decks and dew on the shaded pavement long after sunup. Give the cold tires a few miles before you push them, and take the shaded corners easy.
- The days are getting short. As the days shorten, the westbound evening commute puts the sun right on the horizon for the drivers behind you. Assume the car back there cannot see you, and keep your lane position where you always have an out.
Know Your Texas Law
- Fault gets split, and there is a cutoff. Texas uses modified comparative fault. Your recovery drops by your share of the blame, and if you are found more than 51 percent at fault, you collect nothing. How the crash gets documented decides the number.
- The minimums are low, so lean on UM/UIM. Texas requires only 30/60/25 in liability, which does not go far after a serious motorcycle wreck. Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage is your real backstop when the driver who hit you carries the bare minimum or nothing at all.
- Helmet rules turn on age and coverage. Riders under 21 must wear a DOT helmet, no exceptions. If you are 21 or older, you can legally ride without one only if you completed an approved safety course or carry at least 10,000 dollars in medical coverage for crash injuries.
- You have two years. Texas gives you two years from the date of the crash to file an injury claim. Evidence and witnesses fade fast, so do not sit on it.
Ride Nation Dallas Fort Worth
The local chapter is where Metroplex riders post weekend miles, call out fresh construction and debris on I-35 and the LBJ, 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 Central. Gravel on a lake-road corner out past Weatherford. A distracted commuter who never saw you on the LBJ. If you ever go down, you want a lawyer who rides these roads and knows how Texas fault rules get used against riders.