USA Tour

[JaKS]

I am seriously considering a Harley-Davidson motorcycle tour in America next year (2009)
I would rather go on an escorted and package type holiday.
Milwaukee would be good to visit, especially with the new museum!
The point of the thread is, does anybody have any recommendations please?
Many thanks in anticipation for your help.

[Tony Cross]

Send a pm to Rod Bod. He is out there now but is still using the site. He won't mind. Tell him it was my suggestion.

I would say it depends really what you want and where you want to go. Even with all best intentions, you can't do it all. Route 66 was something we thought about last year. But then I was too knackered and still too inexperienced on my wheels. The Black Hills are great. Great Lakes provide great scenery and are near St.Pauls / Minneapolis with a great dealership and loads of other entertainment. The list could go on forever.

A suggestion could be to think about the region you want to go to and then to surf the net for a few hours to see what it's known for, good at, does best etc. That should give you a good idea of what to expect and if you really want that.

[Scotty]

Get your arse over to the west side of the States, Calif, Arizona, Monument Valley, Sierra Nevada mountains, Death Valley, Grand Canyon, Yosemite National Park, Kings Canyon, Giant Redwoods to name but a few places, trust me mate, its a trip of a lifetime if you aint been.
Oh yea, and the sun shines all day long.........

[phssthpok]

Originally Posted by JaKS

......I would rather go on an escorted and package type holiday.

......you'll regret it.

[Scotty]

Originally Posted by phssthpok

......you'll regret it.

+1 on that, ties you down to much, couple of people i know have done it that way, wont do it again.
Do your own route at your own pace, you can just book into motels as you go along, there's millions of em everywhere you go. Been a couple of times, pick the bike up and off you scoot, on your own little adventure

[Ulysses]

Jaks, done a few trips in California and its great. Other good advice already given. One suggestion I would give, check out HOG membership becuase you get a good bike rental rate as a Hoggie which includes insurance. If you simply hire from a dealership you probably won't get any insurance cover at all ! There are companies who will provide insurance.

Just a thought for you to investigate.

[JaKS]

Many thanks to you all for the tips and advice.
I like the idea of just doing my own thing!
Not having been before, it's a bit daunting!
I just thought that going with a group would be extra security!
I'll do some serious homework over the next few months and get a proper plan in mind.
Thanks again all.

[Simon_Y]

JAks,

My wife & I did our first mororcycle trip in the states in 2000 when we hired a couple of road kings from Scotsdale in Arizona, rode up to the Grand Canyon via flagstaff , onto monument valley, down to 4 corners and onto Tombstone & the Mexican border via the pertified forest natioanal park before returning the bikes via Phoenix.

I would recomend that you try and limit riding to between 300 & 500 miles/day else you won't see any thing and will be so saddle sore you won't be able to walk. Also be aware that some of the distances in the states are mind numungly long, California is longer than John o Groats to Lands End end to end so a hop from yellowstone to san fansiaco is not really practical in a 3 day holiday. Have a rough route you want to follow planned out and rest assured that every town will have at least one motel and will be able to offer secure parking, contact the dealers a long time in advance to ensure you get the bike you want as local events can mean you'll be dissapointed.

I have have done a couple of vacations from the UK renting & riding bikes in the US and we now now live in Miami after living for 4 years in LA so if you need any pointers please drop me a PM.


BR

Simon

[Panhead Boris]

I would also advise against organised tour. I have used HOG several times, and also Eagle Rider. HOG is best if you want an Electra, but Eagle offer most models.

Distances are vast - my preference is Arizona / Nevada for excellent riding.
One time we rented from Phoenix and rode to Milwaukee in 4 days, but I wouldn't recommend it! Apart from the cities, riding a bike over there is much safer than here IMHO, other road users are generally very bike aware....avoid big cities, especially Vegas unless you have a deathwish!