Hi {{contact.first_name}}, August is Tulsa's furnace month, but the heat is exactly why you point the bike east. Out toward the Arkansas line the Ozark hills throw shade over the pavement and the lakes hold a breeze the flatland never sees. Ride early, chase the water and the timber, and Green Country stays a good place to be in the saddle even when the thermometer climbs.
Ride of the Month: The Grand Lake Run
Shoreline miles up in the Ozark corner
Run northeast toward Grove and pick up the roads that wrap Grand Lake O' the Cherokees. Highway 59 and the county roads out around Monkey Island and Ketchum roll and bend along the water with the Ozark foothills rising behind them, and there is almost always a cool draft coming off the lake. It is one of the few August rides around Tulsa where you actually want to be out at midday.
Take the long way in on Highway 10 through the Ozark timber above Spavinaw and Eucha, two spring-fed lakes tucked in the hills. Grove has plenty of places to fuel up and cool off, so plan a stop before you loop back the shady way instead of blasting the interstate home.
If you want big water closer to town, State Highway 51 out to Keystone Lake gives you a fast, breezy run west with the dam and the reservoir opening up on both sides. For a proper day trip, drop south on Highway 82 along the eastern shoulder of Lake Tenkiller down into the Cookson Hills, some of the shadiest, twistiest asphalt in the whole state. And a morning loop up US 75 to Bartlesville and back down through the Osage crosstimbers is a clean way to beat the heat before the sun gets mean.
Summer Heat Safety: Oklahoma Edition
August in Green Country is about outlasting the heat, not fighting it.
- Heat exhaustion sneaks up. Triple-digit afternoons and hot wind dry you out faster than you feel it. Drink before you are thirsty, carry water, and if you get dizzy or stop sweating, park in the shade and cool down before you ride on.
- Blistering pavement and soft tar. Late-August asphalt gets slick where the tar bleeds up in the heat, especially on patched county roads. Give yourself extra room and easy inputs through hot, shiny stretches.
- Tire pressure climbs with the temperature. Check your pressures cold in the morning, because hot pavement and highway speed push them higher and a stiff, overinflated tire trusts the road a lot less than you do.
- Lake and dam-road traffic. Grand Lake, Keystone, and Tenkiller pull heavy weekend crowds hauling boats and campers, and those drivers are watching the water, not for you. Ride like you are invisible around every marina turnoff.
Know Your Oklahoma Law
- Helmets are required under 18. Oklahoma law mandates a DOT-approved helmet for any operator or passenger under 18. Riders 18 and up may legally choose, but going without does not bar your injury claim and a helmet is still the smartest call on every ride.
- Minimum insurance is 25/50/25. That is 25,000 per person and 50,000 per crash for injuries, 25,000 for property. It is often not enough after a real motorcycle wreck, so carry uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage if you can.
- Oklahoma uses modified comparative fault. You can still recover as long as your share of the blame is not greater than the other side, though your award drops by your percentage of fault. How the crash gets reconstructed decides everything.
- You have two years. Oklahoma gives you two years from the date of the crash to file an injury claim. Evidence disappears long before that, so move early.
Ride Nation Tulsa
The local chapter is where riders post weekend miles, call out fresh gravel and road conditions on the byways, and share the photos worth putting your helmet on for. Post where you rode this month and tag us. It is your scene, run by riders who actually ride it.
Still Time for the $20,000 BikeWin Giveaway
You are on this list because you entered, which means you are already in the running for 20,000 dollars toward any motorcycle you want, drawn December 10. Got a buddy who would want a shot? The entry page is open and free.
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A car turning left across your lane. Gravel on a Ouachita switchback. A distracted driver who never saw you. If you ever go down, you want a lawyer who actually rides these roads.