Hi {{contact.first_name}}, North Texas in September is a season turning. The worst of the heat is finally cracking, the first weak cool fronts start sliding through, and the evening rides get good again. Those fronts also mean wind and the odd hard storm, and the deer start moving along the lake roads, so ride smart. September opens the best stretch of riding on the whole calendar.
Ride of the Month: The Possum Kingdom Lake Run
Canyon lake water, the Hell's Gate bluffs, and real elevation for North Texas
Point it west out of Fort Worth on US-180 through Weatherford and Mineral Wells, then drop onto Park Road 33 as it winds down to Possum Kingdom Lake. This is about as close to Hill Country riding as North Texas gets, real elevation change, tight lake curves, and the limestone bluffs of Hell's Gate opening up over blue water. Roll it on a weekday morning and the road is yours.
Grab a burger at the lake, let the bike cool in the shade, and take the long way home through Palo Pinto county before the afternoon wind picks up. It is a full day, but it is the ride North Texas riders cross the whole Metroplex for.
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 instead? Loop Grapevine and Lewisville lakes on the FM roads early, before the weekend boat traffic clogs the ramps. Both stay quiet if you beat the heat and the wind.
Early-Fall Safety: Texas Edition
September in North Texas is a month in transition. The heat, the wind, and the wildlife all want your attention.
- The deer are on the move. Rut season is ramping up, and North Texas has plenty of them along the lake roads and rural two lanes. Dawn and dusk are the danger windows. Scan the shoulders, cover your brakes, and never swerve blind into the other lane.
- Cool fronts bring wind and grit. The first fronts kick up hard gusts that shove you around on open highway and the high bridges over the lakes. Loosen your grip, weight the pegs, and expect a crosswind every time you clear a tree line or an overpass.
- The evening sun sits low and mean. As the days shorten, the westbound 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.
- Fronts can still stack a storm. A September cool front can fire a fast, hard cell with little warning. Check the radar, and if the sky goes green over the Metroplex, get off the highway and under cover.
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.
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 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.
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