Hi {{contact.first_name}},
October is the main event in New England. The color runs from the Berkshires to the coast, the air goes crisp and clear, and a bright fall morning on an empty back road is the whole reason you keep a bike up here. But out here we know the window slams shut, one hard nor'easter strips the trees and the cold moves in for good, so October is the month you ride every dry day you get. Layer up, chase the peak color, and get the miles in before the season closes hard.
Ride of the Month: The Quabbin and the Swift River Valley
Big-water views, quiet ridgeline two-lane, and peak color over the reservoir
Point it west toward Belchertown and pick up the roads that ring the Quabbin Reservoir, the largest body of water in the state and one of the quietest corners of Massachusetts. Cross the Winsor Dam and climb to the Enfield Lookout for a view clear across the water to the hills, then work Route 202, the Daniel Shays Highway, up the west side through Pelham and Shutesbury toward New Salem. The two-lanes roll through hardwood forest that peaks in mid-October, with the reservoir flashing blue between the trees the whole way.
Ride it on a weekday morning to have the road to yourself, and gas up before you go because services are thin around the Quabbin. Watch the shaded corners for wet leaves and acorns, keep an eye on the tree lines for deer, and dress for a valley that starts a good deal colder than Boston.
For a coastal run, loop Cape Ann on Route 127 through Gloucester and Rockport with the Atlantic on your shoulder and the light gone gold. Chasing peak color? The Mohawk Trail on Route 2 up through the Hoosac Range is at its blazing best right now, and the Kancamagus Highway in New Hampshire is a short haul north for one of the great foliage rides in the region. Get the leaf rides in soon, because in New England one hard storm can end the color overnight.
Late-Fall Safety: Massachusetts Edition
October is the peak of the riding year in New England, and out here the season turns hard as the month runs out.
- The deer are in the rut. Rut season peaks now across the Berkshires, the MetroWest back roads, and the South Shore, and the deer are out and reckless at dawn and dusk along the tree lines. Scan the shoulders, cover your brakes, and never swerve blind across the center line.
- Wet leaves and cold-morning frost. Heavy leaf drop on the shaded roads plus the first frosts turn the painted lines and the curves greasy, and a bright day can start below freezing in the valleys. Give the covered corners easy throttle and long following distance, and let the sun burn off the frost before you push.
- Rotaries, potholes, and the Massachusetts left. Our roads are old, tight, and rough, and drivers here turn left across your lane the second the light changes. Ride the rotaries like nobody sees you, keep scanning the pavement for frost heaves and potholes, and always keep an escape line.
- The days are getting short. Sunset comes early now and the low sun sits right in drivers' eyes on the evening commute home. Assume they cannot see you, keep your lane position where you always have an out, and get lights and reflective gear on before you need them.
Know Your Massachusetts Law
- No-fault leaves you out on a bike. Massachusetts is a no-fault state, but the PIP that covers a car occupant's medical bills does not extend to motorcyclists. There is no PIP on your bike, so strong health coverage and uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage are essential, and the liability claim carries the weight.
- Fault has a hard cutoff. Massachusetts uses modified comparative negligence with a 51 percent bar. Your recovery drops by your share of the blame, and if you are found more than half at fault you collect nothing, so how the crash gets documented decides the number.
- Everyone wears a helmet. Massachusetts has a universal helmet law. Every rider and passenger must wear a DOT-compliant helmet, no exceptions.
- You have three years, and less against a public entity. The general injury deadline in Massachusetts is three years from the crash. If a city, the state, or the MBTA is involved, you must put them on notice far sooner under the Tort Claims Act, so do not sit on it.
Ride Nation Boston
The local chapter is where New England riders post weekend miles, call out fresh potholes and which roads are peaking from the Berkshires to Cape Ann, 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 Comm Ave. A patch of wet leaves on a Quabbin back road out past Belchertown. A distracted commuter who never saw you on Storrow. If you ever go down in Massachusetts, remember no-fault does not cover you on a bike, so you want a lawyer who knows how the fault rules get used against riders.