One of the best driving and riding roads in the United States is Ohio State Road 555, better known as the “Triple Nickle”. This is not just my opinion it is also from Car and Drive and many other publications. Also 555 is also one of the Ohio “Windy9” roads and is heavily promoted, by the state, in many motorcycle publications.

Well, the Triple Nickle use to be a great motorcycle riding anyway!

Starting at the southern terminus of the road the road Ohio has “repaired” by the “Chipseal” method (or Tar and Chip where I grew up).  SR 555 is a ROYAL MESS.  I cannot recommend you ride a motorcycle on this road at this time, maybe in a year?

Gravel chips are everywhere.  Tight turns, and this road has many, can be dangerous along with every driveway and intersection.  When it gets hot the tar may become slippery if the chips have been removed by traffic or weather.

I don’t know how far north the chipseal goes as we turned off after about 10 miles. State Route 555 is just unsafe for motorcycles.

So, to answer the question, “How do you ruin a great motorcycle riding road?”  Just chipseal it, you could ruin it for years!

*****

Ride on, Ride safe

Comments
  1. Sadly this sort of cheap road repair is common this side of the Atlantic too Warren. I’ve also encountered it on my travels in mainland Europe as well. On my Route des Grand Alpes trip, Col de Turini was turned into a dangerous nightmare due to tar and chip works; I had been so looking for to its seductive curves!!!😭😭😭☹️
    Only this week, the same nasty chipping process has happened to sections of the A39 Atlantic Highway local to me in Cornwall UK! 🤬🤬🤬
    Ride safe my friend,
    Dookes

  2. Liz Hardy says:

    Oh, that’s so annoying, Warren. I hear you! Here in New Zealand (aside from road works that go for 2 years upwards) we often come around a corner on a motorcycle only to find fresh wet tar seal – no notices or warnings. No way to turn back. And so you have to ride through it and you can hear the little sticky stones flicking up and sticking to the whole underside of the bike. About an hour’s careful cleaning when you get home to get them all off. Nightmare!

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