Campground motorcycle restrictions?

[bluwtrman]

Hello all - new member here. I'm on the verge of buying a 5th wheel TH and was told just today by a RV salesperson that I should verify how many campgrounds will allow motorcycles to be ridden to & from campsites. He says he has ran into several that forbid them inside the camping area.

My main reason for getting a TH is to take my Harley along with me and the wife as we tour. If that's not a practical expectation, I need to reconsider my RV choice.

Thanks in advance for any feedback!

[azdryheat]

Ductape wrote:
Salesperson was referring to off- road bikes. Many CG prohibit unlicensed vehicles like ATV,UTV and dirt bikes.

I guess I missed it in the OP's post that the salesman was referring to off-road bikes. Care to show me where I missed it? Especially since the OP has a Harley. Thx.

[Bedlam]

I have been to campgrounds where any fueled motorvehicle is restricted from cruising the grounds but electric was fine. I have had a couple campgrounds want to charge me for an additional vehicle if the motorcycle was left out (solved by keeping in my enclosed trailer until ready to ride). None have restricted me from driving in and out.

[OH48Lt]

Not any worse than some nimrod firing up his diesel truck early in the morning and letting it sit there and make noise for 20 minutes and stink up the place while he gets his trailer ready to go.

And no, my Harley isn't very loud ...until I get on it. 🙂

[fj12ryder]

I've seen a few campgrounds with "No Motorcycles" signs, but it's never been an issue. I don't own a Harley so that helps, my Honda sportbike is fairly quiet and not obnoxious. I wouldn't re-visit a place that told me I couldn't ride my bike out of the campground and back in. No sense in patronizing places with such an attitude.

[Chuck_thehammer]

private campgrounds.... the more children friendly the more likely NO motorcycles.

I have seen a few where there are special parking OUTSIDE of the campgrounds JUST FOR MOTORCYCLES...

been riding for 48 years... and yes I take my motorcycle camping all the time..
and 48 years with Stock Exhaust systems. I ride a 110 cubic inch bike, 110 horsepower... and almost as low of a sound as a CB350

Load Pipes save lives is a complete LIE.

[Desert_Captain]

I have only run into a few parks that restrict motorcycles from being ridden in the park itself. Anyone who fires up a cold Harley and revs it is an idiot. It takes a while for the oil to disperse and they should not be revved at start up. At that point I put it in gear and idle out to the street and still don't jump on it for a mile or two.

Yes my Harley sounds like... well a Harley, about as loud as Diesel pusher but I don't let mine idle for 20 or 30 minutes first thing in the morning. I've run into a lot of so called high-performance trucks that also make an inordinate amount of noise...not to mention kids, dogs and cranky old people. (o;

If I am traveling with the bike and Class C then the bike is on my Kendon trailer, just under 10' and I always fully disclose that my rig includes a motorcycle and a trailer. If they insist it stay on the trailer I decide whether or not that is a deal breaker or not. I've towed my bike over 8,000 miles in the last couple of years and never had a problem.

It is hard to beat having a nice Harley for a Toad!

[DutchmenSport]

If you camp in State Parks or State Forests or National Parks you won't have any problems. The problem is with private campgrounds, you just never know.

When I use to "ride" I never had a problem with any campground (I tent camped), except once. The approximate year was 1980, near Raleigh, NC. My dad was riding his also. The campground would not let us ride to the campsite, but the campground manager loaded all of our stuff into the back of his pick-up truck and took us to the campsite. Next morning when we were ready to leave, he picked us up and took us back to the office, where both motorcycles were secured. That was the only time I ever encountered a such an experience.

Every campground I've ever been to (and I'm 62 years old now), there have been motorcycles somewhere.

[BB_TX]

Have not been to a park that prohibited them. But have been to some that restricted them to be ridden only to/ from gate to site. No doubt due to the Harley riders in love with their extra loud pipes.

[atwowheelguy]

Trackrig wrote:
I for one, applaud campgrounds that won't allow motorcycles, especially the parks with work campers. Nothing like a workcamper that heads off to work at 6:30AM blasting through the RV park on his Harley waking everyone up. And then as soon as they get a little further out they really open it up so they can make even more noise.

Now, if you're just a camper, riding it at reasonable hours and at reasonable noise levels, then I don't have a problem with it but it seems like most Harley riders ride them for the noise!!!

I have three uncles that ride Harleys and I've asked them all if they'd still ride them if they didn't make any more noise than a stock Honda 350 and the answer from all of them was not only NO, but HELL NO!

Now let's get out the popcorn.

Bill

^^^This right here is the reason ALL motorcycles are banned from some resorts, condominiums, golf clubs and other private property, controlled access recreational areas. The straight pipe Harleys (and others as well) are the culprits. I ride stock exhaust motorcycles, with quiet EPA certified silencers, and have been excluded from a resort because of the noisy straight pipe cruisers. I own six motorcycles. I am an "enthusiast", and I am able to enjoy them with stock silencers. I wish others would do the same. I don't blame the property managers for the ban. It seems that only the riders of the loud bikes want that earsplitting cacophony. Maybe they are already deaf. It's unfortunate for the riders of the quiet bikes that the property managers won't just ban the loud ones. Sorry for the rant. This is one of my hot buttons.

[Sam_Spade]

Trackrig wrote:
I for one, applaud campgrounds that won't allow motorcycles,

I think you left out the word LOUD.

If you think it is OK to ban ALL motorcycles just because of the irresponsible actions of a few....then I couldn't disagree with you more.

[Sam_Spade]

bluwtrman wrote:

My main reason for getting a TH is to take my Harley along with me and the wife as we tour. If that's not a practical expectation, I need to reconsider my RV choice.

Well you may not like my feedback.

IF.....your bike is still stock and has a working actual muffler on it, there should not be a problem even in some places that ban bikes.

OTOH.....if you have loud pipes and/or no real muffler.....I wouldn't want you riding through a park where I was staying either.

I don't have a LOT of experience yet but taking my legal bike out to ride hasn't been a problem in any campground yet.

[westernrvparkow]

DownTheAvenue wrote:
If campgrounds have a rule, it probably is just to prevent motorcycle joyriding throughout the campground. Directly riding to and from the campsite should not be a problem, but you could find the rare campground that will prohibit motorcycles altogether.

That is our take. To and from is fine. Cruising around, or idling and revving in the site isn't. If that is a problem, we gladly will allow you to relocate to another park. But, it hasn't ever been an issue that wasn't solved by a polite request from us to the rider to please follow our policy. Maybe if we catered to the one percenter crowd that would be a different story.

[donn0128]

The general restrictions apply to off road and noisy bikes. If your hog is quiet your more than welcome in most parks. However if your bike is as a lot of Harlies and very loud you may at the least rile a lot of people up. At worst you might be asked to leave. No one wants to hear a really loud motorcycle starting up and then drive thru the camp ground.

[bluwtrman]

Thanks for the quick replies guys! It's a relief to hear this isn't a prevalent problem.
Trackrig - I agree regarding the obnoxious types you reference. Seems there's always a few folks that necessitate rules and restrictions on us all. That said, I'm in the latter group you mentioned and always make my best attempt to arrive and leave as politely as possible, given it is a Harley!
No butter on the popcorn please!

[Trackrig]

I for one, applaud campgrounds that won't allow motorcycles, especially the parks with work campers. Nothing like a workcamper that heads off to work at 6:30AM blasting through the RV park on his Harley waking everyone up. And then as soon as they get a little further out they really open it up so they can make even more noise.

Now, if you're just a camper, riding it at reasonable hours and at reasonable noise levels, then I don't have a problem with it but it seems like most Harley riders ride them for the noise!!!

I have three uncles that ride Harleys and I've asked them all if they'd still ride them if they didn't make any more noise than a stock Honda 350 and the answer from all of them was not only NO, but HELL NO!

Now let's get out the popcorn.

ADDITIONAL INFO: I have traveled on bikes, it's not that I don't like them. I've been across the States twice (back in the day) on Honda 750s - nice quiet bikes that could get down the road. No one ever complained about noise from them.

Bill