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November is still riding season in Georgia. The color is fading in the North Georgia mountains, but the hardwoods hang on longer in the lower hills south of the city, and the air is cool and dry. The clocks went back on Sunday, November 1, so the light is gone by the time most of us leave work. Plan your rides for the middle of the day on the weekends, and November gives you some of the most comfortable miles of the year.
Ride of the Month: Pine Mountain and FDR State Park
A ridgeline road, late fall color and the view FDR loved
Head southwest out of Atlanta on I-85 and make your way down to the town of Pine Mountain, then pick up GA-190 as it climbs onto the Pine Mountain ridge. The road runs along the top of the ridge through F.D. Roosevelt State Park, the largest state park in Georgia, with long views off both sides. Take the short spur out to Dowdell's Knob, the overlook where Franklin Roosevelt liked to picnic, then follow the ridge east toward Manchester and drop down into Warm Springs, home of his Little White House.
Down here the oaks and hickories usually turn later than they do in the mountains, so you can still catch color in November after the leaves are down up north. It is roughly 80 miles from the city, which makes it an easy day trip in the short daylight. Fuel up before you climb onto the ridge, watch for leaves and pine straw in the shaded curves, and keep an eye out for deer in the park.
Want something closer? Loop the roads around Lake Allatoona and Red Top Mountain State Park near Cartersville for an easy half day with lake views. 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: Georgia Edition
November riding in Georgia is mild, but the season still brings a few hazards worth respecting.
- Deer are on the move. Deer are active across much of Georgia this month, and they move at dawn and dusk, which now lands right in the commute. Slow down near tree lines and fields, cover your brakes, and never swerve across the center line to miss one.
- You are riding home in the dark. Since the time change, the ride home on the Connector and the Perimeter happens after dark. Drivers are not looking for a single headlight at night. Run your lights, wear something reflective, and keep a lane position with an out.
- Cold mornings and slick shade. Clear nights leave frost and fog in the low spots, and leaves and pine straw in the shaded curves stay damp until midday. Give cold tires and shaded corners a few easy miles before you lean on them.
- 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 Georgia Law
- Fault gets split, and there is a hard line at 50 percent. Georgia uses modified comparative negligence. Your recovery goes down by your share of the blame, and if you are found 50 percent or more at fault, you get nothing. In plain terms, you have to be less than half at fault to recover, so how the crash is documented decides a lot.
- Helmets are the law for everyone. Georgia requires every rider and every passenger to wear a DOT-compliant helmet. No exceptions.
- The minimums are modest, so check your UM. Georgia requires only 25/50/25 in liability coverage, and plenty of drivers on the road have no insurance at all. Uninsured motorist coverage is your real backstop, and whether yours is add-on or reduced-by coverage changes how much it can pay.
- You have two years. Georgia generally gives you two years from the crash to file an injury claim. If a city, county or the state is involved, the ante litem notice deadline is much shorter. Evidence fades fast, so do not sit on it.
Ride Nation Atlanta
Georgia riders do not park the bikes in November. The Atlanta chapter is where riders post their weekend miles, call out gravel, leaves and deer from Pine Mountain to the North Georgia ridges, and share the shots from the last of the fall color. Post your November ride 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 the Perimeter. A deer stepping out on a Pine Mountain back road. A lane change into you on the Downtown Connector. If you go down in Georgia, remember you have to be less than half at fault to recover, so you want a lawyer who rides these roads and fights the fault game hard.