Southwood Road. Condition???????????
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Rode it 2 weeks ago. Overall condition is good but there is a few hairy spots.
1.5-2km of gravel/construction sorta between the two railway track crossings.
There is a lot of new pavement in great condition but be mindful of the older areas. A couple of the corners had bad cracking, loose gravel, etc. Might have been my imagination but it seemed like most of the tighter blind corners had some sort of hazard. Should be fine if you stay in a tire track.
YMMV but I had a bit of problem with yellow line crossers when I was there (on a Saturday). Seems most of the trucks towing boats think it’s a license to use half of the oncoming traffic lane. Fellow riders were a bit of a nuisance too. Few sport bike guys really pushing it over the limit and a pile of “Harley couples” doing 10 under side by side and holding up traffic.
If you’re in the area its worth doing a run or two. If you have time check out Big Chute road near Coldwater. Probably the closest to perfect pavement there is in Ontario (think it was done last year). Great sight lines, wide shoulders, and no real hazards until you reach the locks.
1.5-2km of gravel/construction sorta between the two railway track crossings.
There is a lot of new pavement in great condition but be mindful of the older areas. A couple of the corners had bad cracking, loose gravel, etc. Might have been my imagination but it seemed like most of the tighter blind corners had some sort of hazard. Should be fine if you stay in a tire track.
YMMV but I had a bit of problem with yellow line crossers when I was there (on a Saturday). Seems most of the trucks towing boats think it’s a license to use half of the oncoming traffic lane. Fellow riders were a bit of a nuisance too. Few sport bike guys really pushing it over the limit and a pile of “Harley couples” doing 10 under side by side and holding up traffic.
If you’re in the area its worth doing a run or two. If you have time check out Big Chute road near Coldwater. Probably the closest to perfect pavement there is in Ontario (think it was done last year). Great sight lines, wide shoulders, and no real hazards until you reach the locks.
Thank you "[U]r3r3r3"[/U]
Seems to be very much the same as before. Gagers, trucks thinking it is a one way street. Had many a hairy moment. Does not seem that exciting as you have to watch every corner, etc. Think I will skip it and continue on my original planned route. Should have plenty of fun there.
Seems to be very much the same as before. Gagers, trucks thinking it is a one way street. Had many a hairy moment. Does not seem that exciting as you have to watch every corner, etc. Think I will skip it and continue on my original planned route. Should have plenty of fun there.
justride
Well-known member
did it like 3 weeks back for the first time. it's like a little roller coaster. gotta slow down over the tracks or you will be airborne. gravel some part as mentioned above, a little bit of broken up asphalt here and there. you can practice your throttle control- nice and smooth. the triumph scrambler xe would be perfect for that road. but I guess it depends more on the rider!
sburns
Well-known member
I rode it this past Tuesday from Port Carling down to Washago. r3r3r3 description is accurate. It's a mix of good, loose patchy bumpy spots, and gravel, with a mix of sand patches. I slid in a corner, that was fun. For me it was ok, my first time on it. I didn't feel I could go all that quickly on it with all the little curves and road conditions (little roller coaster is excellent description). Plus all the shade from the trees makes it a bit tricky to see stuff. I did a couple of corners really bad, but luckily I had the road pretty much to myself. Otherwise it's a neat road away from it all.
Thank you for that.
I also take into consideration the past weather conditions. Which applies to most roads.
Getting the latest information is helpful.
Going to hijack your thread a little bit. Does anyone have any suggestions for other roads to check out in the Southwood area? Not really looking to go much further north / east than Port Carling. My usual “sightseeing” route up to the cottage is get off the highway near Orillia > Southwood road > 169 to the 400X south > Big Chute road > 400X North > Honey Harbor road.
sburns
Well-known member
Muskoka Beach road and Santa's Village are similar to Southwood, maybe in better condition though.
You can get to southwood from just north of Barrie. 2166-1922 Forbes Rd to 1959 Peninsula Point Rd. It's a nice ride.
Also Muskoka Rd 38 west out of Bala towards the 400 is a nice road with fast sweepers. Mortimers Point Rd / Foreman road is also good to get to the 118 off the 169. Also Peninsula Rd leading to Rosseau is nice and so is High Falls Road and Coopers Falls Road, but that is just east of Hwy11.
Check the sticky in the cruising forum for other roads in the Muskoka area for some others.
Also Muskoka Rd 38 west out of Bala towards the 400 is a nice road with fast sweepers. Mortimers Point Rd / Foreman road is also good to get to the 118 off the 169. Also Peninsula Rd leading to Rosseau is nice and so is High Falls Road and Coopers Falls Road, but that is just east of Hwy11.
Check the sticky in the cruising forum for other roads in the Muskoka area for some others.
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justride
Well-known member
take 26 (mortimers point rd ) from hwy 169 to Port Carling. it's a decent fun paved road. you won't be disappointed.
btw you can google street 26
Rode Southwood again last Saturday. Seems to be in better shape than it was in Early Aug. Also took Shanekingsley’s suggestion and took Forbes/peninsula rd to get there. Muskoka rd 38 was a nice finish to loop back to the 400. Thanks for the suggestion.
Construction /gravel section is still not complete. Looks like they may have sprayed some sort of tar down or its been compacted heavily by traffic. Much easier to ride now and you can cruise through it at the posted limit without issue.
Two new construction spots where it looks like they are installing drainage pipes – gravel covering. One is in the middle of a straight. The second is halfway through a turn and might catch you off guard. They did do a decent job signing it.
Overall road was a lot cleaner. Few sandy spots but very predicable (lowest elevation sections, edge of the road).
Watch out for the railroad tracks on the North side where it connects into 169. I must have been stuck behind a car the first time I rode it. Ended up carrying way too much speed and launched my poor r3 like it was an MX bike.
Construction /gravel section is still not complete. Looks like they may have sprayed some sort of tar down or its been compacted heavily by traffic. Much easier to ride now and you can cruise through it at the posted limit without issue.
Two new construction spots where it looks like they are installing drainage pipes – gravel covering. One is in the middle of a straight. The second is halfway through a turn and might catch you off guard. They did do a decent job signing it.
Overall road was a lot cleaner. Few sandy spots but very predicable (lowest elevation sections, edge of the road).
Watch out for the railroad tracks on the North side where it connects into 169. I must have been stuck behind a car the first time I rode it. Ended up carrying way too much speed and launched my poor r3 like it was an MX bike.
