The Personal Blog Of
Boston Motorcycle Lawyer

Cruise Woodward Avenue in the Motor City
November 5, 2009

Detroit is the Motor City and Detroiters love their cars. Unfortunately, the Motor City moniker does not extend to motorcycles. With long Michigan winters and less than pristine roads, Detroit is not a major motorcycle destination. While Detroit is the home of the great American automobile, Milwaukee, WI still remains the home of great American motorcycles.

Every year, Detroit celebrates classic cars during the Woodward Dream Cruise. Every August, classic cars travel the 27 mile distance from downtown Detroit to the outer suburbs reminiscing on Detroit’s automotive glory days.

Woodward Ave has also been a favorite cruising road for Detroit bikers. As one of the foundational roads in Detroit and the first mile of concrete paved road in the United States, Woodward Avenue provides a great way to see all of what the Detroit area has to offer.

Along the route, some of the sites include Joe Louis Fist Statue, the Spirit of Detroit, the Boston Edison Historical District, and the original General Motors Building. Also along the route, some of the now closed original automotive plants can be seen as deserted behemoths of Detroit’s industrial past. Not far from Woodward Avenue, a quick detour can take you to the Hitsville USA Motown Museum.

From the Hockeytown Café in downtown Detroit to Gusoline Alley in Royal Oak and dozen’s of locations in between, Woodward Ave cuts right through the heart of the Detroit area. This unique view of Detroit presents some of the best and worst of Detroit’s storied past and present.

Detroit will always be attached to its automotive roots but Detroit is slowly beginning to gain a reputation within the biker community.

In 2010, the Discovery Channel will air a new show called Motor City Motors. The show, featuring 5 day custom vehicle builds, will be hosted by the Detroit Bros. James and David Kaye started Detroit Bros. Customer Choppers in 2002 and have established themselves in the biker community as innovative fabricators of extreme motorcycles. The Biker Bros. Custom Cycles Showroom is located on Woodward Avenue in the city of Ferndale.

Unfortunately, Detroit is not what it used to be. However, this makes for an interesting motorcycle ride through the city and into the suburban areas. On a motorcycle, this cruise gets you closer to the blue collar soul of the city and provides a great way to experience Detroit’s unique landscape and history.