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Thread: Adventure/Touring Rides in the USA

  1. #1
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    30th September 2007 - 21:34
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    Adventure/Touring Rides in the USA

    I'm looking for advise on Adventure Touring Rides in the USA.

    Especially organised rides or self guided rides anyone could reccomended.

    Also recommendations for Motorcycle and Gear hire etc.

    Appreciate any help anyone can give

    Cheers
    Pete
    Arguing with an Engineer is like wrestling a pig in mud.

    After a while you realise the pig is enjoying it.

  2. #2
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    21st February 2006 - 07:52
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    Try ADVRIDER.COM and check their regional forums for where you want to go. Or WWW.GOOGLE.Com
    The quiet scares me cause it screams the truth.

  3. #3
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    18th January 2005 - 10:49
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    Where would I start?

    Its a bloody big place, with a completely differant adventure around most every corner( Except Kansas and Nebraska....'cause they don't do corners!!!!)

    There is so much of your parameters left out, that no practical advise could be given atm.

    ADVrider is great and Mr Google is also a wonderful resource.

    My advise so far? 1) Do it.
    I'm no gynaecologist, however I would be happy to take a look......................

  4. #4
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    19th January 2013 - 16:56
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    How much time do you have?

    You could easily spend a month in the Pacific North West and not run out of places to see and roads to ride that are reasonably traffic free... then you can get off the "state" roads and onto the back roads...
    Last edited by Moi; 22nd June 2017 at 16:04. Reason: Poor spelling... D'oh!

  5. #5
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    19th March 2005 - 18:55
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    Quote Originally Posted by Moi View Post
    How much time do you have? You could easily spend a month in the Pacific North West and not run out of places to see and roads to ride that are reasonably traffic free... then you can get off the "state" roads and onto the back roads...
    Oh yeah P38 - there is soooooo much to see. Brainflex also nailed it; ADVRider is a terrific one-stop resource.

    My advice is of course worth what you're paying for it :-), so please don't take it too literally; also I have no financial interest in any of the companies I mention (although they've had a fair amount of my money over years before I decided to buy and store bikes in the US).

    Long-distance touring is in my opinion, best done with a bike made for it. A lot of people swear by BMW's newer tourers, I can't speak for their utility as not ridden one long distance.

    I've had excellent rental bike service from the Harley-Davidson shop in Santa Monica when I have arrived in LA, and then when I've needed at other times to pick up bikes in cities I've headed for the nearest Eagle Rider franchise. For Phoenix, Scottsdale Harley-Davidson is outstanding in terms of service for rentals. (A lot of people bag Harleys, I won't get into that discussion here, except to say the only time a Harley ever let me down on the road in 15 years was 10 years ago when a coil failed).

    Personally if I'm going to be having to hit the slab from time to time to cross a big country quickly, I'd opt for something like a Road Glide / Road King. You don't have to buy supplementary luggage bags with the room they've got. Gas mileage is good. Performance is adequate but that's not usually a concern with touring. (In more recent years my main tour bikes have been a nitrous-boosted V8-engined bike and a turbo Vrod bwahaha but you can't rent those - that I know of anyway).

    The Pacific Coast Highway from LA to San Francisco is just outstanding. (Last I heard it was blocked south of San Fran due to a large slide). Ride it south if you can as that way you get the great ocean views (and it's the safer direction w.r.t. oncoming traffic). Carmel. Moro Bay. Malibu, baby!!!

    As Moi said, if you don't have much time, (continue up to) the Pacific Northwest and then going up through Oregon and Montana and Highway 50 ("the loneliest road in America") and circling back (if you have time) down through the Dakotas (Belle Fourche, Custer territory, Deadwood, and Sturgis, baby!!!) and a fast run back through Utah is great.

    Riding around Utah etc. if you want to go off-road, consider leaving your tour bike and renting a KTM or similar. There are many and reputable hire companies that will supply a ride and safely store your tourer at no additional cost.

    I know of no Kiwis who don't stop off and take a look at the Salt Flats. The World's Fastest Indian baby!!! When I can I like to end up at Bonneville Salt Flats at dusk. Magic time.

    Of course, gotta spend some time around Moab, Monument Valley, and south-east of Phoenix to hit Tucson and Tombstone.

    The 'olde' Route 66 is very worthwhile spending time on; at least part of the way. Don't miss Oatman.

    If you've got a month, I highly recommend the big circle, I've done it both clockwise and anticlockwise, going to all four corners of the states.

    Texas, Louisiana, Florida (especially but not only Daytona Beach & the Everglades).

    Traffic along the north-east corridor / I-95 sucks very badly, but if you want to go through New York I'd suggest ride your bike in their early in the morning, use one of the 24 hour Manhattan parking garages (they invariably have good security and five bucks at the start will ensure that they watch your bike vigilantly), start walking and check into the hotel later.

    Washington. The Wall. Iwo Jima and Arlington memorials.

    Then if you still have time, turn left and head out towards Michigan / Milwaukee, and head west to pick up the places you miss the first time.

    If you are really really lucky with time, take a good set of paper maps, and see where the road takes you on any particular day.

    I have no experienced at all of organised rides.

    Useful things to know IMO when you are touring on rental bikes:

    - New Zealand license, international licence, proof of insurance and registration handy for when you get pulled over (not that you will speed of course). BTW if you do get pulled over, don't reach inside your jacket for the paperwork and don't get off the bike until you are told to.

    - Don't rely on the fuel gauge, always keep the fuel tap turned to main tank so that you've got a good reserve.

    - A GPS with updated maps is very handy to find the nearest gas station but they do close / disappear without the GPS manufacturer updating their maps. Don't rely too much on them. I always carry a bottle of gas with me.

    - Take bungees and a cargo net and a small toolkit. You can pick up a cheap and very comprehensive toolkit at any Harbour Freight franchise in the US.

    - If you are using a nationwide franchise like Eagle Rider, you can get some good deals sometimes to ride/return a bike from a remote place to the coast (of course you have to get to the remote place first).

    - If you're not used to riding in the States, stick some letters on your screen so that every time you get back on the bike you are self admonishing to Keep Right. When I'm renting a bike I usually buy a cheap set of 9 chrome letters at 2 bucks a pop and stick them just below my line of sight.

    - Make sure you understand what the rental people will cover if the bike breaks down it or you get a flat or you run out of gas. Joining the AMA for a year even if you are only riding in the US for a month is absolutely worth it - not just for the roadside assistance which you probably won't need, but for the significant discounts on motorcycle related services and above all motel accommodation.

    If you haven't done any US touring before, may I also suggest

    - Vegas baby!!! and Bourbon Street.

    - Best to book a motel on the road before about 4 p.m. You don't have to arrive there at 4 p.m. of course, and you won't want to / there is so much to see, but ring ahead to a hundred miles down the road so you'll have a bed for the night especially when the US colleges are out and everybody's going on family vacations.

    - If you going to stay in a big city, and keep going in the morning, I always get motel at the exit to the city not at the entrance, so when you get up you don't have to deal with the rush hour traffic to hit the road again.

    - A cheap and lightweight bike cover like those made by Oxford or Aerostich is really useful to start off with a dry seat in the morning when it rains, and to cover the whole bike when you park it at night, most people won't bother ferreting under the cover to steal the gas bottle you left in the saddle bags or coins and stuff in the windscreen bags.

    - The very very very best roads are the ones less traveled by the masses of cages. The slab is great for getting to and between those roads quickly.

    - US 129 and surrounds, on a weekday. Just because.

    I've missed out so much, but this is already too long. If your focus is primarily off-road riding, then mos. def. ADVrider is the best place to look.

    Good luck!!

  6. #6
    Join Date
    10th September 2007 - 15:31
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    I'm picking up an Eaglerider Harley in Vegas at the end of August and going Death Valey, Zion, GC north rim, Bryce, Moab (3day stopover), Monument Valley, Oatman and back to Vegas and home,
    15 days on the bike

    Been 18 months from casually mentioning "I'd like to...." to Mrs Mac to departure, can't wait.

    Not exactly Adventure riding as the OP asked but it will still be an adventure.
    Check out www.motorcycleroads.com

    Oh yeah, my my calcs, a 25 day hire of a Streetglide would have cost about the same as shipping my bike over.
    That included carnet, insurance and getting my bike to/from port. Any shipping delays, or paying for storage in LA would have blown that budget.

  7. #7
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    24th July 2017 - 16:18
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    Good replies and advice. Having done several US adventure rides I would suggest you try and decide where you want to go, and how much off road or on road you would like to do. Very different bikes.
    I would suggest if you are going for more than three weeks or so it is probably better to buy bike in US, rental gets real expensive. Fantastic place to ride. I'm returning in Sept for three weeks.
    Just my two cents worth.

  8. #8
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    18th January 2005 - 10:49
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    USA does not use the Carnet system, imac.
    Taking your NZ bike costs around 3.5-4K depending on size(return) + 600 for insurance approx.
    How much hire does that buy you?
    I'm no gynaecologist, however I would be happy to take a look......................

  9. #9
    Join Date
    10th September 2007 - 15:31
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    Thumbs up

    Quote Originally Posted by ducatijim View Post
    USA does not use the Carnet system, imac.
    Taking your NZ bike costs around 3.5-4K depending on size(return) + 600 for insurance approx.
    How much hire does that buy you?
    I think I budgeted $500 for the carnet so a few days.
    I just got back on Monday. Fucking epic trip. Will post some pics when I get some time. Hot though, cracked 40°C coming back from the Grand Canyon but was in a car with Mrs Imac and a/c

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