Best Motorcycle Rides Near Dallas-Fort Worth and Across Texas, and How to Ride Them Safely

There is a reason riders settle in North Texas. You roll out of the DFW metroplex and within an hour the strip malls fade, the road starts to bend, and the Texas you came here for opens up in front of your front wheel. Whether you ride a cruiser, a sportbike, an adventure rig, or something you wrenched together yourself, the metroplex puts some of the best pavement in the state within a tank of gas. This is the Ride Nation Dallas Fort Worth guide to where to point it, and how to come home in one piece every time.

Best Rides Within an Hour of Dallas-Fort Worth

Lake Grapevine and the Northern Loop

If you only have a couple hours after work, the roads ringing Lake Grapevine, Lewisville Lake, and Grapevine Lake are a North Texas classic. You get water views, easy curves, and plenty of places to pull over with other riders. It is a perfect shakedown run for a new bike or a new rider getting comfortable in traffic before tackling anything bigger.

Denton County Back Roads

North of Denton the farm-to-market roads start to breathe. FM routes through the rolling country around Pilot Point, Aubrey, and Sanger give you long sightlines, light traffic, and the kind of open running that makes a Sunday morning feel like a reset button. Watch for gravel on the shoulders and the occasional tractor pulling out of a field.

The Fort Worth to Glen Rose Run

Head southwest out of Fort Worth toward Granbury and Glen Rose and the terrain gets more interesting. The country around the Brazos River and Dinosaur Valley delivers genuine elevation changes and sweeping curves, with small-town squares perfect for a coffee or barbecue stop. It is one of the most rewarding day rides you can do without leaving the greater metroplex behind for long.

The Bucket-List Texas Rides Worth the Trip

The Texas Hill Country and the Three Sisters

Every Texas rider should make the pilgrimage to the Hill Country at least once. The legendary Three Sisters, also called the Twisted Sisters, are Ranch Roads 335, 336, and 337 west of San Antonio. Think tight switchbacks, dramatic drops, and roughly a hundred miles of the most technical pavement in the state. It is a long haul from DFW, so plan an overnight in a town like Leakey or Medina and ride it fresh.

Big Bend and Far West Texas

For the adventure crowd, the run out to Big Bend National Park and along the River Road between Lajitas and Presidio is a once-in-a-lifetime ride. Endless desert, mountains on the horizon, and almost no traffic. Carry extra water and fuel, because services out there are thin and the distances are real.

Caddo Lake and the Piney Woods

East of the metroplex, the rides change character completely. Tree-lined two-lanes around Caddo Lake and through the Piney Woods near Jefferson trade big sky for shade and atmosphere. It is a slower, more meditative kind of ride, and a great group destination for a weekend.

How to Ride These Roads Safely

Great roads invite spirited riding, and spirited riding is exactly where things go wrong. A few habits keep the fun side up and the rubber side down.

• Ride your own ride. Group runs turn dangerous when someone tries to keep up with a faster rider through corners they cannot read yet.
• Watch for the Texas hazards that do not exist up north. Gravel washed across rural curves, deer at dawn and dusk, and sudden heat that wears you out faster than you think.
• Gear up for the slide you hope never happens. In Texas summer heat the temptation to ride in a t-shirt is real, but mesh jackets, gloves, and over-the-ankle boots have saved more skin than luck ever has.
• Plan fuel and water stops on the long routes. Stretches of the Hill Country and West Texas run far between gas stations.
• Stay visible and assume drivers do not see you, especially at intersections where most car-versus-motorcycle crashes happen.

The Texas Laws Every Rider Should Know

Knowing the rules of the road in Texas is part of riding smart. Here is what actually applies when you throw a leg over in this state.

Helmets

Texas requires a helmet for any rider or passenger under 21. Riders 21 and older can legally ride without one only if they have completed an approved motorcycle safety course or carry health insurance coverage. Legal and smart are not the same thing, and a helmet is still the single best piece of gear you own, but know where you stand.

Insurance and Liability Minimums

Texas sets minimum liability coverage at 30/60/25. That is 30,000 dollars for injury to one person, 60,000 dollars total per crash, and 25,000 dollars for property damage. Those minimums are low for what a serious motorcycle crash actually costs, so most experienced riders carry more, and adding uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage is one of the smartest moves a Texas rider can make.

Who Pays When It Is Partly Your Fault

Texas follows modified comparative negligence with a 51 percent bar, also called proportionate responsibility. If you are found partly at fault, your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault. If you are found 51 percent or more at fault, you recover nothing. This is exactly why insurance companies work so hard to pin blame on the rider after a crash, and why what you say and do at the scene matters.

How Long You Have to Act

The statute of limitations for most personal injury claims in Texas is two years from the date of the crash. That sounds like plenty of time, but evidence disappears, memories fade, and witnesses move. The sooner you protect your rights, the stronger your position.

If the Worst Happens on a Great Ride

Even the safest rider can get taken out by a distracted driver. If you go down because of someone else, get medical attention, document everything you can, and do not give a recorded statement to the other driver's insurance before you understand your rights.

Ride Nation Dallas Fort Worth is presented by Manuel Diaz and the Diaz Law Firm, an established Texas injury firm with offices in Dallas, Fort Worth, Denton, and San Antonio, and a member of the National Academy of Motorcycle Injury Lawyers. If you or someone you ride with has been hurt in a crash, you can talk it through with the Diaz Law Firm at (214) 800-2086. No pressure, just straight answers from people who take riders seriously.

Now go enjoy the roads. Texas has plenty of them, and they are better with you on two wheels.

This article is general information only and is not legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Attorney advertising.