Roads Ready For Bikers

By Tony Hernandez

Posted: September 25, 2011 at 5:42 a.m.

Andy Shupe
Longtime motorcycle mechanic Bill Bryant works Friday, Sept. 23, 2011, to replace the rear suspension on a custom motorcycle for a customer at Happy Trails Motorcycle Connection in Fayetteville.

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Northwest Arkansas’ scenic views along curvy roads are one of the major attractions for the tens of thousands of motorcyclists visiting the Bikes, Blues & BBQ rally, which begins Wednesday.

While the rally offers plenty to see and do, many visitors to the region spend a part of their days taking to the highways that snake through the Ozark and Boston mountains.

The temptation to take in the view has to be balanced with keeping a watch on the roads for anything that can cause a wreck, said Joe Stevens, a local resident.

Stevens says he gets “in the zone” when he’s riding his Harley-Davidson Street Glide, keeping his senses alert for anything that can turn a fun ride into a wreck.

“When you ride a motorcycle, it’s real dangerous,” Stevens said. “If you’ve ridden for a while, you’re on attention, looking for cars pulling out in front of you and paying attention to surroundings. ... You enjoy riding, but you’re kind of on the edge.”

Daniel Williams and Stevens both own motorcycle repair shops in Fayetteville and have seen the damage road conditions can do to a motorcycle and sometimes its rider.

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Williams, who rides his Ducati 996 sports bike, looks out for potential hazards that can cause his motorcycle to crash, such as gravel and potholes.

“I look for bumps and whether there are changes in the asphalt,” Williams said. “A new patch of asphalt will be different than old stuff. They’re both tacky enough, but whenever you’re cornering and going onto a different patch of pavement, the bike will steer a little bit differently.”

Thousands of bikers will fill the hills of Northwest Arkansas this week with the start of the rally on Wednesday. Events for the 11th annual rally span between Dickson Street, Washington County Fairgrounds and Randal Tyson Track Center/Baum Stadium.

For the first time this year, organizers are bringing in AMXA Arenacross exhibition at Springdale’s Parsons Stadium.

State officials and organizers of the rally said the roads are ready for hundreds of thousands of bikers, except for one of the most popular stretches of road.

Ben Handford, rally president and CEO, said the stretch of U.S. 62 between Gateway and Eureka Springs could be slick because of recent repairs to the road. They issued a statement to rally-goers to advise them that they may want to avoid the area.

“We thought it best to put a warning on the website just to let people know,” said Handford.

A landslide during heavy rain in April and May damaged about 1,000 feet of road near Eureka Springs, said Mitch Archer, district engineer for the state Highway and Transportation Department.

Road crews have diverted traffic around the damaged road with plenty of signs warning motorists about the damage, he said.

Road crews have worked to repair popular motorcyclist routes damaged from severe weather in preparation for the rally, said Glen Bolick, spokesman for the state Highway and Transportation Department.

“It’s certainly had an impact on our roadways,” said Bolick. “Most of the damage that we’ve had has been repaired. Any challenges are going to be pretty limited.”

Motorcycle accidents involving a single bike are mostly caused by a rider’s speed on curvy Arkansas roads, said Arkansas State Police Capt. Lance King of Springdale’s Troop L. Most of the single-bike accidents during the rally involve visitors from out-of-state, he said.

“Lots of people take trips to Carroll County and to Eureka Springs,” King said.

King said unfamiliar riders need to know the curves along many roads in Carroll County can come up pretty fast.

While motor vehicle accidents in Arkansas have declined since the mid-1990s, motorcycle accidents have increased dramatically. Five people in Arkansas died from single-motorcycle accidents in 1994 compared with 35 in 2009, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The Arkansas State Police recorded 1,585 total crashes in 2009 involving motorcycles, including wrecks with more than one vehicle, compared with 871 in 2000.

With tens of thousands of bikers rumbling their way into Fayetteville for Bikes, Blues & BBQ and to cruise the roads of Northwest Arkansas, King and Handford are urging other drivers to use their mirrors and be aware of motorcyclists.

“I think being aware of the surroundings and driving appropriately ... Sometimes it’s hard to see them,” Handford said. “When I’m in my truck, I give motorcyclists plenty of room. I don’t ride them.”

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