Fits like a glove
Since we brought the motorcycle with us on this trip I’ve been hoping to get a ride in, and since we unloaded the bike to make some extra room and do some needed cleaning I finally got the chance.
Unsurprisingly, there are lots of little – and a few big – differences riding here.
The good news is that Austin drivers are comparatively civil and biker-friendly. I’ve yet to experience any aggression, and plenty of caution and civility. Not one person has cut me off, made a last second turn in front of me, or drifted into my lane. Every time I stop somewhere, someone wants to ask me about my bike – and, surprisingly, I’ve seen a lot more BMWs here than I expected – though not nearly as many as Harleys – and far fewer super sports. I don’t exceed the speed limit if I can help it, and it seems almost no one here does either, which makes for a much more relaxed ride – no angry Prius drivers passing on the right at 90, no one riding my ass when I’m already doing ten-over.
Drenched
The bad news, if it is so for a big, pothole eating beast like my bike, is that the roads are in a lot rougher shape, but this also makes for a more interesting ride, so I’m not sure this counts. I definitely prefer these roads on my bike – often rapidly narrowing, with steep or shoulders – over driving the truck, but that’s a matter of space and agility.
The mixed news is that, like most places in the country, there’s no lane splitting or filtering. I can live without splitting, especially as the traffic has been really mild and short-lived even at its worst – compared to Southern California – but I’ve had to stop myself from filtering up at long, backed up stoplights, of which there are many, and instead patiently wait my place in line, inhaling the diesel from the inevitable 3/4 ton in front of me. C’est la vie.
Overall, riding all over Austin has been pleasant: motorcycle parking abounds, civilized driving is the norm, and everything is a quick 15-20 minute trip, it seems.
Now if only I had remembered to buy a rain suit like I’ve been promising myself for years.
To residents who so proudly love it Austin is a boom town, a rapidly expanding sprawl, droves of noobs gentrifying its charm away with huge shiny towers, McMansions where there were once woods, and skyrocketing rents. For a visitor from the biggest sprawl in the U.S., the scale is lovely, easy to navigate, dense with art, culture, food – ohhh, glorious food – where rush-hour traffic from downtown to just about anywhere is still measured in tens of minutes, not hours. In a city that’s seen 30% population growth just since the last census, both impressions can be right.
