When discussing the idea of motorcycle touring in Muskoka, the conversation quickly turns to twisty pavement and lakeside attractions. I can’t dispute Muskoka's stellar touring potential for pavement craving riders, but what if your idea of a moto good time has less to do with the quality of the road surface, and in fact depends on just the opposite, a good dose of gravel, dirt and rocks? Can Ontario's premier cottage country deliver the goods for a memorable big bike adventure ride? Only one way to find out. We load the GPS with a loosely strung together track of local knowledge, been-there-done-that and I-think-you-can information, and point the bikes north.
There is a price to pay when starting a ride in the GTA. In this case, it’s an hour plus in the company of hundreds on HWY 400 and HWY 11, but as soon as we make a right on to Coopers Falls Road, it’s so long traffic. We meander north along country roads, some paved others not, a few grand sweepers on HWY 118E and then it’s hello Black River Road, let the fun begin.