Red Hook to Coney Island: The Ultimate Brooklyn Moto Road Trip

This is a real route. Approximately 12 miles from the Red Hook waterfront to the Coney Island boardwalk, along the western and southern edges of Brooklyn. Early morning on a weekend, before the traffic builds, it is one of the best rides in New York City.

Start: Louis J. Valentino Jr. Park, Red Hook

The ride starts at Valentino Pier, the waterfront park at the end of Coffey Street in Red Hook. There is no subway here. The pier extends into the Upper New York Bay with an unobstructed view of the Statue of Liberty and Governors Island. It draws riders, cyclists, and waterfront regulars who know about it.

Park on Coffey Street or the surrounding blocks. The neighborhood is quiet at 7am on a Sunday. Take a few minutes at the pier before you leave. The view is worth it.

South Through Sunset Park

Head south on Van Brunt Street through the Red Hook industrial waterfront, past the old warehouse buildings and the Erie Basin. Cross under the Gowanus Expressway and pick up Third Avenue through Sunset Park.

The Brooklyn Army Terminal sits on the waterfront between 58th and 65th Streets in Sunset Park — two massive connected warehouse buildings constructed in 1919 to support military logistics during World War I. The scale of the complex from the water side is worth a look if you have not seen it.

Bay Ridge and the Belt Parkway

Continue south on Third Avenue into Bay Ridge. At the foot of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, pick up the Belt Parkway heading east. Motorcycles are permitted on the Belt.

The waterfront stretch through Bay Ridge is the best sustained riding on this route. The parkway runs along the edge of the bay, with the Verrazano visible to the south and open water to the right. Early morning, the lanes are clear. The Belt through this section is why people ride in Brooklyn.

Through Bensonhurst and Gravesend

Take the Belt east past the Dyker Beach Golf Course and exit into Bensonhurst. Work south through Bensonhurst and Gravesend on surface streets — 86th Street to McDonald Avenue is a clean line. The neighborhoods here are dense and residential, a different register than the waterfront. You are covering ground, not stopping.

Finish: Coney Island

Pick up Stillwell Avenue south to the boardwalk. The ride ends at Nathan's Famous, corner of Stillwell and Surf Avenues. Nathan Handwerker opened the original location here in 1916 and undercut his competitors by half. The global franchise traces back to this corner. Order the hot dog. It is the correct way to end this ride.

After Nathan's: walk east on the boardwalk to the Cyclone, the wooden roller coaster that opened in 1927 and was designated a New York City landmark in 1988. The Wonder Wheel, a Ferris wheel with swinging cars, has operated since 1920. Both are still running every summer.

Best time: arrive at Valentino Pier by 7am. You will be at Nathan's by 9am, ahead of the Coney Island crowds, with the boardwalk mostly to yourself for the first hour.

Wear the Red Hook Motorclub tee on this one. It was made for exactly this route. Shop it at BklynMotors.com.