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October is the whole reason downstate riders put up with everything else. The city cools off, the humidity is finally gone, and the parkways and ridges north of town hit their peak color all at once. This is the best two-lane month of the year within an hour of the five boroughs, and it does not last long. Get out early, beat the leaf-peeper traffic and the bridge crush, and use every clear October Saturday before the first hard cold shuts it down.
Ride of the Month: The Shawangunk Ridge on Routes 44 and 55
The best cliff-and-hairpin road in reach of the city, and October lights it on fire
Run up the Thruway to New Paltz and climb Route 44/55 as it twists onto the Shawangunk Ridge. The road hairpins hard at the base of the Trapps cliffs, then rolls along the top past Minnewaska and the white conglomerate ledges with the Wallkill Valley dropping away below. It is the closest thing downstate has to a real mountain road, and in mid-October the hardwoods below the cliffs turn every shade there is. This is the ride to save for a clear, cool weekend.
Go early because New Paltz and the ridge fill with fall traffic by late morning. Watch for wet leaves and sand in the shaded hairpins, keep an eye out for deer along the wooded stretches, and drop into Gardiner or back through New Paltz for lunch before the crowd stacks up.
For more Hudson, run the Storm King Highway on Route 218 out of Cornwall, a cliffside ledge road hanging right over the river, then cross to Route 9D and thread the Hudson Highlands down to Cold Spring. Want fast sweepers? The Taconic is peaking now, but respect the deer and the troopers up there. Long Island rider? Take the North Fork on a weekday out to Orient Point while the farm stands and vineyards are in full harvest. All of it is best early, before the color crowds find it.
Fall Riding Safety: New York Edition
October is prime riding across the downstate metro, and it stacks city hazards on top of the seasonal ones as the leaves come down.
- The city never stops trying to left-hook you. Taxis, for-hire cars, and rideshares dive for fares and curbs without warning, and left-turn crashes are the number one killer of riders. Cover your brakes at every intersection and never trust a gap.
- Wet leaves and metal are as slick as ice. Peak leaf drop on the parkways plus the metal grate bridges, steel plates, and painted crosswalks all over the city turn greasy the moment it is damp. Give them easy throttle and stay off the paint when it rains.
- Deer are at their worst right now. The rut peaks in October along the Saw Mill, the Hutch, the Taconic, and up on the Gunks. Scan the shoulders and tree lines hard at dawn and dusk, cover your brakes, and never swerve blind across the line.
- The days are getting short and cold. Sunset creeps earlier all month and the low sun sits right in drivers' eyes on the east-west streets and the bridge approaches. Mornings start cold enough for frost up north now, so dress in layers and assume the car next to you cannot see you.
Know Your New York Law
- No-fault does not cover you on a bike. New York is a no-fault state, but the no-fault law leaves motorcyclists out. There is no basic PIP on your bike for your own medical bills and lost wages the way there is for a car occupant, so strong health coverage and UM are essential, and the liability claim carries the weight.
- Fault is shared, not a wall. New York uses pure comparative negligence. Your recovery is reduced by your share of the blame but never barred outright, even so, insurers fight hard to pin blame on the rider, so how the crash is documented matters.
- Everyone wears a helmet. New York has a universal helmet law. Every rider and passenger must wear a DOT-compliant helmet, no exceptions.
- You have three years, sometimes far less. The general injury deadline in New York is three years, but a crash involving the City, the MTA, or another public entity can require a Notice of Claim in as little as 90 days. Do not wait to get advice.
Ride Nation New York
The local chapter is where downstate riders post weekend miles, call out fresh potholes, steel plates, and leaf-slick corners from the boroughs to the Hudson Valley, 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 cab cutting across your lane on the FDR. A driver turning left in front of you on a Bronx avenue. A distracted commuter who never saw you at a bridge approach. If you ever go down in New York, remember no-fault does not cover you on a bike, so you want a lawyer who rides these roads and knows how the fault game gets played against riders.