My first street riding was in central MO. I've ridden thru the Ozarks - but I didn't know about sport-touring yet.
The Ozarks are on my bucket list. Here are my notes, swiped off the internet - please note that these aren't very recent.
NW of Arkansas is considered the best riding in the midwest!!
Arkansas / Missouri Route 1: - if you only do one - DO THIS ROUTE
Go east out of Eureka Springs Arkansas on HW 62
At Berryville, go northeast on HW 21 almost to the Missouri border to Blue Eye
at Blue Eye go east/south on HW 311 to County Road 91
Go left on CR 91 to CR 16 which turns into Denver Road to Burlington
at Burlington, turn north on HW 65 to HW 14 and turn/vere right
Go east/NE on HW 14 to Lead Hill (gas stop) and go through town on 14 to HW 268
Turn left/East on HW 268 about six miles to HW 125 and turn left (east/NE)
take HW 125 N to Bull Shoals lake and cross the lake on the small ferry (worth the trip)
Take HW 125 in Missouri north until HW 160
Go Left on HW 160 (BEST ROAD IN THE AREA?)
At intersection of HW 160 and Road "O" there is a small cafe on the right that has EXCELLENT food and a nice view.
Continue on HW 160 to HW 76 (gas stop) and turn left on HW 76
Take HW 76 to Road "J" and turn left (south)
Take Road "J" to "JJ and turn left on JJ
Take Road JJ all the way back down south to HW 14 in Arkansas
At HW 14 turn right (west) back to HW 65 and turn right (north)
Take HW 65 north to HW 86 and turn left (west) on HW 86
Take HW 86 west all the way to Road "P" (Ark 23 - gas stop) and turn left (south)
Take Road "P" (Ark 23) south back to Eureka Springs - you will ride up through town to HW 62
197 miles total.
Ark highways 7, 16, 21, 23, 43, 74, 103, 127, 311 are all EXCELLENT.
7 is considered one of the top MC roads in the country
town hwy(s) to/toward/notes
Jasper 7 74
Mt Judea 123 Piercetown the Ark. Dragon
Sand Gap 7 16
Berryville 21
Brashshears 16 23
compton 43
piercetown 74
rudd 103
Green Forest 103 311
alabam 127 (short!?)
Push Mtn 341 Push Mtn Rd
Fifty-six* 14 Yellville * - Yes, it's the name of a town
Do not run low on GAS!!
Marble Falls AK is a riding resort / hub
nice place. Rooms about average in condition and below average in price.
The restaurant is very good maybe even excellent. Located in a dry county
breakfast at Granny's in Huntsville.
Avoid 412 - main thorough fair, so lotso traffic
Mt. Magazine. a nice rip of a road up the mountain. Overlook At the top
Model Cafe just off the square in downtown Ozark
fuel, eat (huge tasty hamburgers and great steaks) drink, the Oark General Store
- Missouri -
MO 32 east(?) of Bixby fantastic
P out of Potosi is one of my favorites. It starts out pretty mild and then gets better as you get closer to DD.
County DD, Palmer L S to Maxwells Mill fantastic!
Gas stations are a bit rare in the area
Y from Viburnum MO north is good.
A between 19 (Timber) and 72 (Bunker) is good.
19 from Salem to Eminence
106 between Eminence and Ellington has some nice roller hills, and twists. Hopefully the chip and seal from much earlier in the year(or was it last year?) is bedded in.
106 west of Eminence is good .
49 E & S from Bixby to 72 and almost to 21(Glover) is fun.
If running it south, turn off on N and head toward 21. Then cross 21 to W, thru Iron Mountain Lake, to N into Bismarck. Because 21 through Arcadia and north is kinda boring.
49 between cherryvill and bixby - Ed
D from 21 into Van Buren(on US Hwy 60) crosses a lot of little ridges, causing some cresting blind entry 25-30 mph corners
KK Red Point S Bunker repaved 09
Rt.160 in Missouri absolutely blew me away! from east of Forsyth (actually from Branson, but you don't wanna go there) to Doniphan (where things flatten out). just N of Ark
1. Very little traffic—we saw almost nobody along here on a Thursday, and there are plenty of passing opportunities if you come across anyone.
2. Great road surface—for the most part (especially in the twistiest part) it was smooth and clean.
3. Beautiful scenery—I loved the scenery along the first half: wide-open vistas of green rolling hills dotted with mature hardwood trees, ponds, old barns, etc—I couldn't get enough of it.
4. Sweepers—in the first half, miles and miles of sweepers. Great fun. (I love sweepers.)
5. Twisties—in the section (roughly) between Alton and Doniphan (36 miles) the twisties are world-class, and seemed near-perfect to me: 4th gear and high revs all the way baby! Not too tight, not too open...just right!
6. Overall length: the entire good part of 160 stretches 150 milesIt's 2-3 hours (depending on how fast you ride it) of sheer bliss!
I loved this road so much I'd seriously consider renting a cabin near there and just riding this road back and forth for several days! It's the "BRP of the Midwest," or at least has got to be one of the greatest roads in the midwest.
if time allows; take Route 95 out of Lutie/Theodosia north from 160 to Long Run and Thornfield to Wasola and Brixley, then N & 18 S to 160 - as good or better than 160.
MO 79 between Louisiana and Hannibal - a great road with smooth pavement and good sight-lines through all the sweepers.
MO 76 from 3 miles east of Cassville East to Reed Springs. (watch out for one tight .5 mile section where DOT has purposely placed chip seal to reduce speed)
MO 86 south of Cassville to Eagle Rock.
MO125 north of US160 is okay but watch out for randomly placed sections of chip seal.
MO-19 from Steelville all the way down to Eminence is pretty good.
49 South of Cherryville is also pretty nice
DD, 32 around Bixby. KK
Y from Vibirnium north is good.
A between 19 and 72 is good. Pavement is pristine, it's a fun road.
106 between Eminence and Ellington has some nice roller hills, and twists.
106 west of Eminence is good too.
49 from 32 to 72 and almost to 21 is fun. If running it south, turn off on N and head toward 21. Then cross 21 to W, thru Iron Mountain Lake, to N into Bismarck. Because 21 through Arcadia and north is kinda boring.
D from 21 into Van Buren (on US Hwy 60) was a nice run last year. It crosses a lot of little ridges, causing some cresting blind entry 25-30 mph corner complexes.
MO rt 125 to Arkansas (remains 125) crosses Bull Shoals Lake via a free ferry.
MO Hwy 160 is a roller-coaster of a ride.
Beware that Branson MO (and near it) traffic is almost always a traffic jam of RVs
The General Store in Bixby MO is also a great place to stop for a sammich.
http://www.cowgirl-cafe.net/ Bismarck MO Good food, good portions, very good deserts. Parking lot is gravel
Smith's cafe near Collins Mo. Where highway 13 crosses 54 North West corner.
Nice place, big tenderloins lots of different pies
Moms K.C.MO 66 omelets!! GREAT hash
