A Legendary Tokyo Road
On the outskirts of Tokyo, in a city called Okutama, you can find a dam and a lake. There is a lakeside road that twists and turns through the mountains. The road is Route 206, also called “Okutama ShuyuDoro” or in Japanese 「奥多摩周遊道路」. In the 1980’s and 1990’s, you could find “Rolling Zoku” carving up these roads on their race ready 2-stroke NSR’s and other popular motorcycles of the time. I wish that I could have been there during that time.
I have ridden the road several times and enjoy it every time. You can check out one of my rides here:
It is still a popular spot for local riders. You can find bikes of all sorts, scooters, race replicas, Harleys, etc… You can find the solo rider, like myself, as well as riding groups. If you want to ride and you want to get out of the big city, this is the spot for you!
If you come from Hinohara village, the start of the road is called “Hinohara Kaido” or 「檜原街道」.
History
「ローリング族」
This video highlight and adds some commentary about the riders at the time. It’s all Japanese but even if you don’t speak Japanese, you can understand the feeling of the people at the time. I especially like the parts where they show the parking lot filled with people and motorcycles. For example, at 0:48.
News report:
They highlight the trouble that is caused by riders racing around the area. The hikers and families talk about the noise that the bikes make. This video highlights a crackdown on speeders.
The most interesting part for me is when the old man security guard said that there are as many as 900 motorcycles there at one time.
Conclusion
If you want to take a nice ride through the mountains, I recommend this road. The police do patrol it from time to time. Watch your speed. Stop and enjoy the views! Watch the riders cruise by. If you feel frisky, read the air… If it seems clear, give it a little more throttle…
Other Links:
Wikipedia: Japanese
