'I promise we'll make it back in time. This road is short, and I've heard it's a lot of fun.'
'If we're late, you're gonna hear some other things from me and they won't be good.'
'I promise, no longer than 45 minutes and we'll be back on our way home with plenty of time to spare. We'll only run it once, out and back.'
'This better be a fun road.'
OH 763 was just begging me to ride it. My motorcycle naturally seemed to lean towards it. How can I deny such a strong pull - time constraints or not? A squiggly little line on the map just a little bit off the cruisin' straights of river road OH 52, this road had a lot of promise. If I was ever going to convince my wife of anything in the future, this road better be fun. I had faith.
I had faith. Even though as we were sitting at the start of the road, it looked a little rough and ran straight as a board into the valley below. But, the map I was looking at earlier today said otherwise. My GPS was confirming it as we sat there and I was trying to use every tactic I could remember from debate class to convince my wife we had more time (I wish I had paid attention more).
When you're searching for those hidden gem motorcycle roads, sometimes all you can go on is faith. So we kicked the kickstands back and rolled down the straight road into the valley below. At the bottom of the valley, one half mile from the start, I knew my faith was going to be rewarded.
The road dropped down into a flood plain, which apparently floods quite often from number of water markers placed along the road. If you come to try this road during a lot of rain, you better bring your waders.
Twisties were definitely in abundance on this little road. And what the road lacked in distance, it certainly made up for in fun. The whole road is less than 12 miles, one way.
Of course, with every positive, you need to have a little bit of negative. That's how things stay balanced, right? In this roads case, it's negative is that the pavement on the southern end and parts of the northern end is a little on the rough side. Nothing to be overly worried about, I've been on much worse. But, it is something to be aware of. You can still maintain a brisk pace and not overly worry about it. Just keep on your toes.
One great thing about this road is that it gives you a break, throwing in some straights every once in a while with some great views. It's almost like the road is telling you to take a little break before I throw the next set at you.
The scenery is great, but it is a Ohio rural area so expect the usual amount of dilapidated trailers and such. If you've ridden much at all in the Mid-West, this should come as no surprise. There are a couple of great quilted barns along the road which makes the ride all that more enjoyable.
Finally, as you get to the end of this route (in our case the northern section). The road will continue to throw as many twisties as it can at you. With a fair number of creek crossings, one lane bridges, and hills to make things just that much more interesting.
The road almost begs you to ride it with some 'gusto' in the throttle. I'd strongly suggest you give the road what it wants, you'll be missing out on some serious fun if you don't. Just watchout for some of those rough spots that we talked about above.
When all things are done the road ends at OH 125 and offers up it's final little gem. The East Bend Twin Drive-In Movie Theatre. Drive-In's are such a rare thing nowadays, to find one like this and out in the middle of nowhere is a rare treat. Even though we didn't have time to catch a movie this time, I'll definitely be back to take advantage of this find another day.
After we turned around and finished heading back to the start of the road I was talking with my wife.
'Did you like the road?'
'Yep, it was a lot of fun.'
'Me too, it was a good find.'
[Silence]
'Mind if I loop back and try that section again?'
You guess who said what. ;)
Final Thoughts
Hilly, twisty, scenic and the potential to see a movie at a drive-in theatre at the end of the road - what more could you ask for? In my case, the only thing I could ask for was more time to do the road a second time. I'll definitely be back.
Things to Consider
The road was free of gravel, but the pavement was a little rough. It wasn't so rough that you couldn't keep a good pace going comfortably, but it was rough enough that you need to be aware of it.
This is a rural road, traffic was minimal but you will pass the occasional tractor. Keep an eye out.
Elevation Profile
Nearby Things to See
East Bend Twin Drive-In Movie Theatre. It's at the northern end of the road, about 200 feet up OH 125.
Ripley, Ohio. An outstanding river town with some great places to eat and river views that are absolutely incredible. The town is along OH 52, just a few miles away from the start of OH 763.
Maysville, Ohio. Another great river town that is worth riding up to see. It's only a few miles away and has a lot of historic sights, a few places to eat and a variety of stores.
Other Roads to Consider
The Great River Road (Ohio 52)
KY 8 - Another great river cruising road, runs along the Ohio River from Maysville, KY to Cincinnati.
Tobacco Farms and a Motorcycle Paradise: Kentucky 10
Additional Pictures
This is a motorcycle ride in the state of Ohio. This motorcycle route has 4 scenery characteristics and other road conditions to help you plan your road trip. This motorcycle map was created by OpenRoadRider in July. Click here to see other Motorcycle Roads by OpenRoadRider