Orlando area riding?

[BigInSeattle]

Hey all Florida riders!

I'm thinking of moving from the PNW to Florida sometime in the early summer. How is the motorcycle riding in the Orlando area? I have always heard Florida is great for straight line riding or bar hopping. Is that just people being cynical or is there some decent riding in central FL?

[Tundra]

Orlando is population overload, crazy busy traffic and interstates, jammed with international Mickey Mouse people. I don't know what your accustomed to, I won't even drive my vehicles through there anymore. Not to be a Debbie Downer, but you should know the truth if your thinking it's good riding.
  Much good riding north of Orlando throughout north central Florida. Keep any eye on the Florida board and Valkyrie riders of Florida Facebook for rides, meets and events. They are pretty active.

[Farside]

You need to look above Ocala and west. North FL is a great place to live and enjoy some beautiful roads. Hint: Look up Tallahassee and surrounding area. Not the population of South / Central FL.  

[Tundra]

Correct Keith, we enjoy that area actually some hills and large evergreens. (and Caverns) We want to get into the Florida country. Concerned about the Hurricane alley in the pan handle. We are looking North of Ocala and central but South of Gainesville. Terry knows where I'm talking about, small town, not yet ruined by growth and tourists.
  We looked at moving to Ga., N.C., Tenn. although a move within Florida would be the most cost effective without impact fees, vehicle registration fees, no state tax. I've seen several with large property, attached garage with additional detached garage/shop with apartment and kitchen/bath. That will be my motorcycle shed  One day, we still have our Mothers to care for.

[Steel cowboy]

Like with any state, you have your city areas and country areas. Patti and me ride north of Orlando, there is a lot of country riding in that area. As far as mountain riding or lots of twistie’s you have to travel to Georgia. Farside could point you in that direction. But the weather makes for all year riding, if you don’t mind 90’s for a few months

[ridingron]

They're pretty much finished up on I-4 through Orlando. We have a few new hills and curves to ride! Best if you do it after midnight and before 6AM, less traffic. 

As mentioned, north and west of Orlando it gets a little hilly. Sugarloaf Mountain rises to a majestic 312', highest point on the Florida peninsula. Florida highest point is in the panhandle, near the Alabama line, somewhere between Pensacola and Tallahassee.

[Pappy!]

Am also thinking about re-locating to the North Central Florida area. I currently live about 35 miles North of Orlando and the traffic is getting worse. I live in Lake County and the area is full of lakes and ponds. Over 900 I think. Just above me is the Ocala National Forest. Centrally located and about an hour to the Daytona area and maybe 45 minutes to Orlando.
I really would not consider Orlando as "Florida". East Coast either. If you want old Florida the North Florida and NW Florida is what you are after. Slower living, Suwanee River, Santa Fe River, lakes etc. Probably a few more weeks of cooler weather up closer to the border.
Am looking around the High Springs area over through the Big bend area of Florida and down as far South as Old Town on the Suwanee.
Will be a while before the big cities catch up to me out there!
By the way.....I lived over in Kirkland for a year or more. This was back around 1969-1970 or so. Was a nice area then. I bet it is all concrete and roof tops now,.

[Thunderbolt]

ssssssshhhhhhhhhhh nothing to see here in North Florida.  But let's just say I agree with Doug on Orlando.

[John Schmidt]

Terry likes his seclusion so I think there should be an orgnaized camp-in. It would include loud motorcycles, loud music, and wild & loud all night parties. Burn-out competition at 2:00am would be nice, would help lull he and Iris back to sleep. I'd travel back down just for such a gathering. 

Anything to help you out Terry. 

As for ideas for a place to live....stay away from central Florida; Orlando metro in particular and anywhere from the east coast to 50 miles west of Orlando. South isn't too bad below the Kissimmee area, but you need to be generally north & west of Ocala to start enjoying some space to live. I moved to Orlando in January '67 and it was a nice area, not too crowded and not a real cosmopolitan feel. Then along came Dizzy World, Sea World, and Universal Studios. I-4 had recently been completed and you could drive from the Sanford area to past Orlando in 15-20 minutes tops. None of the 4+ lane highways through and around Orlando existed except I-4, highway 436 was a quiet 4-lane that ended at what's now Howell Branch Road. Before Disney, the Orlando population was a little over 200,000 which was around 1960-61. By the time Disney opened around '71, the population was over a half-million and grew to over 2 million by the end of the teens decade. Those are figures for just Orlando proper and doesn't include the total metro area. In 2019 I had to move to the Green Bay area, not even half the spread of Orl., I can drive to the airport 7 miles away in about 15 minutes at rush hour. Or another a/p 25 miles south in less time than it took to drive to Orl. Int'l. 12 miles away. My point is...the Orlando metro area is analogous to 10 lbs. of crap in a 5 lb. bag. Nice hospitals though. 

[BigInSeattle]

Thanks for the tips everyone. It looks like I'll be moving down the Orlando area the 1st or 2nd week of May.