The best time to ride a motorcycle in Delaware

Delaware has two riding zones. The hilly Piedmont north of Wilmington runs a little cooler, gets more snow and has the fall color. The flat coastal plain that covers the rest of the state, from Dover through Sussex County to the beaches, has milder winters, sea breezes and the summer crowds. Most riders here ride from April into November and pick their dry winter days.

Because the state is small, you can usually find a good ride somewhere on any decent day. The trick is avoiding the beach routes on summer weekends and the wind on the open bayshore. The Delaware riding overview covers the regions, and the best motorcycle roads in Delaware lists the classics.

The Brandywine and Red Clay valleys are at their best in late April and May, when the gardens and estates along Kennett Pike are in bloom, and again in October, when the color usually peaks in the middle to second half of the month. Garden and museum traffic picks up on nice weekends in both seasons, so start early.

Summer is warm and humid, with afternoon thunderstorms. In winter, Wilmington gets more snow and ice than the beaches, and the low, shaded creek roads hold black ice longer than anywhere else in the state. Red Clay Creek and the Brandywine can also flood after big storms, so check before you ride the valley roads after heavy rain.

From Memorial Day to Labor Day, the Coastal Highway and the routes leading to it fill with beach traffic, and Rehoboth, Dewey and Bethany are slow going on summer weekends. If you have to ride the coast in summer, go early on a weekday.

After Labor Day, everything changes. The water and air stay warm into September, the crowds thin out, and DE 1 becomes a pleasant ride again. October is quieter still. Afternoon sea breezes keep the coast cooler than inland in summer, but the wind on the Indian River Inlet Bridge and the open stretches of Delaware Seashore State Park can be strong any time of year.

The bayshore and farm country are best in spring and fall. Migrating birds fill the refuges at Bombay Hook and Prime Hook in both seasons, and horseshoe crabs spawn on the bay beaches in late spring. Summer days out here are hot and exposed, with little shade, and the marsh roads bring biting flies.

Fall is harvest season, so expect slow farm equipment and dirt on the road, and poultry trucks run year-round in Sussex County. The wind off the bay never really stops, so pack a layer even on warm days.