Hi {{contact.first_name}},
November in Western New York is a gamble, and every rider out here knows it. The leaves are mostly down, the clocks went back on Sunday, November 1, and the first lake-effect bands can roll in off Lake Erie any week now. But there are still a few dry, mild days in the mix, and when one shows up, the roads are nearly empty. Watch the forecast, keep the ride close to home, and take every good day you get.
Ride of the Month: The Erie Canal on Route 31
Canal towns, old stone locks and an easy road home before dark
Run north from Buffalo on Transit Road, Route 78, to Lockport and stop to see the Flight of Five, the old stone locks that carry the Erie Canal up the Niagara Escarpment. Then pick up Route 31 east across flat farm country to Gasport and Middleport, and from Middleport take Route 31E, which hugs the canal most of the way into Medina and its red sandstone downtown. A couple of miles east of Medina, turn north onto Culvert Road and ride through the only place on the whole canal where a road passes underneath it. It is one narrow lane, so take it slow. Finish in Albion and head home.
It is a short, flat ride with no climbs and plenty of places to stop and warm up, which is exactly what you want this month. Watch for wet leaves on the canal bridges and slow farm equipment on the back roads. Leave late morning, dress for a cold start, and be heading home by mid-afternoon.
Only have an hour or two? Loop Grand Island on the East and West River Roads, an easy, flat cruise along the Niagara River close to home. On Veterans Day, Wednesday, November 11, take a minute to thank the veterans you ride with. A lot of this community was built by them.
Late-Fall Safety: Western New York Edition
November gives WNY riders only a handful of good days, and each one comes with its own hazards.
- Deer are still the biggest threat. Western New York sees a lot of deer strikes, and November is one of the worst months for them. They move at dawn and dusk, which now lands right in the ride home. Slow down near tree lines and farm fields, cover your brakes, and never swerve across the center line.
- You are riding home in the dark. Since the clocks went back, the light is gone before most of us are off work. Drivers are not looking for a single headlight after dark. Run your lights, wear something reflective, and give yourself extra room at intersections.
- Lake effect and cold pavement. A lake-effect band can drop rain, sleet or snow on one town while the next one stays dry, and morning frost hangs on bridges and shaded curves. Check the radar right before you leave, give cold tires a few easy miles, and cut the ride short if the sky over the lake turns dark.
- Thanksgiving week traffic. Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 26. The Wednesday night before is one of the worst nights of the year for drunk driving. If you ride that week, ride early in the day and stay off the road that night.
Know Your New York Law
- No-fault leaves riders out. New York is a no-fault state for cars, but motorcycles are left out of basic no-fault benefits. There is no PIP on your bike to pay your own medical bills and lost wages, so good health coverage and UM coverage matter, and the claim against the at-fault driver does the heavy lifting.
- Blame gets shared, but it never shuts you out. New York uses pure comparative negligence. Your recovery goes down by your share of the fault, but it is never barred outright. Insurers still fight hard to pin blame on the rider, so how the crash is documented matters.
- Helmets are the law for everyone. New York requires every rider and every passenger to wear a DOT-compliant helmet. No exceptions.
- Three years, and sometimes much less. The general deadline for an injury claim in New York is three years. If a city, a county or the NFTA is involved, you may have to file a Notice of Claim within 90 days. Get advice early.
Ride Nation Buffalo
The season is winding down, but the WNY riding community never goes quiet. The Buffalo chapter is where riders post their last good rides of the year, call out potholes, deer and the first salt on the roads, and swap tips on putting the bike away for winter. Share your November miles and tag us. It is your scene, run by riders who actually ride these roads.
Final Weeks for the $20,000 BikeWin Giveaway
You are already entered for a chance at 20,000 dollars toward any motorcycle you want, and the winner is drawn December 10. That is only a few weeks away. Know a riding buddy who has not entered yet? Entry is free, so send them the link before it closes.
Enter the giveaway
A driver who never saw your headlight in the early dark on Transit Road. A deer jumping out on a Niagara County back road. A frosty bridge on the first cold morning. If you 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.