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Question About Riding Through Chicago


TimC

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Greetings from Ohio! I'm planning my next Great Lakes tour, this one being around Lake Michigan, and I would like some input from Chicago-area VFRD members.

I'll be riding north through Chicago during my trip, probably on a weekday, and would like to know whether I should follow I-90 to I-94 through the city, or divert to I-294 to miss downtown traffic and exits. I-294 looks longer on the map (plus there is the expense of the tolls) but there seems to be far fewer interchanges.

I'm not afraid to ride in urban areas, as I've done it many times, but crossing town in the suburbs with less traffic sounds more appealing than dealing with exits every 0.5 to 1.0 miles through downtown Chicago.

Advice and opinions are very welcome here. Thanks in advance for the help! :smile:

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Do you know what time you'll be driving through downtown? If it's around rush hour you might be better off avoiding it. Otherwise, it can surprisingly quick and easy to go through downtown.

One thing to consider is riding along N Sheridan Road which is part of the official Great Lakes Circle Tour. If you want to do that I would recommend taking I-94 to Lake Ave; Lake Ave to Sheridan Rd and then take Sheridan Rd north.

It goes through some of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the nation with some amazing mansions lining up the road. It is also pretty much the only twisty bit near Chicago. Calling it twisty is being very generous actually.

I have gone as far as north as Kenosha, WI along N. Sheridan Rd. If you go there, Moto Rider is a motorcycle shop worth a stop. They have an amazing collection of rare sportsbikes on display.

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Thanks for the tips, Ashok. :smile:

I'm hoping to hit Chicago in the early afternoon, maybe 2 pm. Really hoping to avoid rush hour, so I'd like to be leaving town by 3 pm.

I'm planning to ride from home (in NE Ohio) to Sheboygan, WI, the first day. It's a long day and almost all slab, but it would make the next couple days of my tour much more manageable. I hate slab, and hate the thought of doing an entire day of slab, but in this case it's necessary. :sad:

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+1 to Ashok on his recs to stop at Moto Rider. they have an amazing collection of bikes including an RC30, NC35, R7 and Bimotas of every flavor. Make sure you stop in and say hi. Totally worth it.

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Just avoid the South side - its the baddest part of town, and if you go down there you better just beware of a man named Leroy Brown.......

Sorry - nothing to really contribute - but have fun Tim - I enjoyed our tour around Lake Ontario couple summers ago - hope this one isn't as hot and humid for you!!!

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Driven into Chicago alot in a car, have family there. Might want to get there a little earlier. There definition of traffic and ours is a bit different. And above all else avoid on Fridays. Last time took an hour and a half to get to north side via 90.

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TimC,

When is this trip happening? If you hit Chicago about noon or so, just stay on 94 (or the Skyway to 94) through downtown. 94 and 90 split on the north side of the city, stay on 94 and it will take you to Milwaukee, then take the lakeshore the rest of the way to Sheboygan.

Will you have time for lunch in Chicago?

Tim Carey aka TC Rides

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TimC,

When is this trip happening? If you hit Chicago about noon or so, just stay on 94 (or the Skyway to 94) through downtown. 94 and 90 split on the north side of the city, stay on 94 and it will take you to Milwaukee, then take the lakeshore the rest of the way to Sheboygan.

Will you have time for lunch in Chicago?

Tim Carey aka TC Rides

Thanks for the tips, everyone! :smile:

I'm planning to hit Chicago in the mid-afternoon on Thursday. Exact time depends on what time I actually leave the house, but I'm hoping to be through mid-town by 2 pm (Central). That's too close to rush hour for my taste, but since I'm not a morning person I can't see leaving home before 7 am (Eastern).

Thanks for the offer to meet for lunch, TC. I would love to do it, but unfortunately I think I'll be too late getting to town.

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Looks like I may not leave until early Friday morning, as we are expecting some heavy weather in NE over the next 24 hours. I thought about leaving this afternoon instead, but it's not going to work out. :sad: The timetable doesn't matter that much to me, but both the bike and I are ready to go, and I hate to wait. Oh well.

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Just a quick post to thank everyone above for their input. I'm planning to leave early tomorrow morning. I expect to hit Chicago early enough that I miss the afternoon rush hour. I know it will start a bit earlier on a Friday, but I still think I'll beat it.

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Just a quick post to thank everyone above for their input. I'm planning to leave early tomorrow morning. I expect to hit Chicago early enough that I miss the afternoon rush hour. I know it will start a bit earlier on a Friday, but I still think I'll beat it.

Unfortunately, in Chicago, Friday afternoon's rush hour starts Thursday morning.

God speed and travel safe

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FYI - I hate Chicago. :angry:

I don't know that it would have been any better taking I-294, but I got stuck in the worst rush hour traffic of my life on I-90 to I-94 on Friday afternoon in Chicago, starting at 2 pm. Switchblade was right - avoid 90/94 like the plague. I got to town a little later than I wanted, but was hoping to avoid full-on Friday afternoon rush hour.

I thought about getting off the freeway and heading around to try I-294 instead, but after awhile I was committed. I might have even been better off taking Lake Shore Dr. I think I moved 10-15 miles in about 90 minutes. Horrific to say the least. Roasting in the sun in my riding gear, and that was at just the upper 60sF. Even the 'express lanes' were backed up. Absolutely ridiculous, and the worst experience I've ever had while riding. (Not counting when my stator fried in the fine town of Middle-of-Nowhere, KY, but that's a completely different kind of experience.)

I might have fared better by choosing a right-side lane since they were moving faster, but I felt safer in the left-most lane, which was where I needed to be for my exit later anyway. It's easier for me to watch for cagers on only one side, plus I can safely bail out to the left if I have to, which is why I chose that lane Friday. Also, if the bike overheated (which it did not), I'd be able to push it to the berm until it cooled off.

A couple of the overhead electronic signs spit out stats that read 426 lives lost on the roads so far this year. I'd be willing to bet a few of them were people who took their own lives, maybe already contemplating the act, then pushed over the edge while waiting in rush hour traffic. (Yes, morbid, I know, but it's what my cynical mind was thinking during my long, slow slog through town.)

On the plus side, I think I've found a reason to buy a bike with a DCT if I ever live in a metropolis. My clutch hand really started to hurt.

Anyway, I made it out unscathed, then stopped for dinner before I got to Milwaukee so I wouldn't have to suffer through their rush hour, too.

If there is one real positive, I think it's that most of the drivers around me were cool. A couple jerks, but most of them were good, conscientious drivers. Hopefully a few of them felt for me while I was baking in the sun. :laugh:

I guess I can say is thanks again for the input, everyone, and I'll never, ever do that again. :wink:

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  • 4 months later...

stop by motoworks chicago i got a bike from them and they were great and so far no issues.. now time to pop that airbox off and check them carbs

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