Two old folks touring the US
 

Hi there,
after a few years of absence from the HUBB (my own ride is quite a while ago now Kosta unterwegs | Just another Travelwebblog) I return to the HUBB to ask the fellow HUBBers for advice.
My parents are turning 60 this year and they are bikers that wish to cruise the US bevor it´s too late.
Good children that we are, we are trying to fulfil this wish.

My questions:
Where are Bike rentals that are reasonably priced? Harleys would enhance the experience but are not necessary.
They have about 14 days of riding. Does anyone know a good tour that fits the time requirements and includes maybe a few highlights (I don´t know, maybe a few kilometers on Route66 or national parks)?
One more thing: Problably they´ll be travelling in summer, so maybe a few states in the south might not be a good idea for the temperatures.

I was very happy with all the people I met on the HUBB back on my journey. I really appreciate all the help.

Thank you.
Kosta

[QUOTE=Kosta232;452064
My parents are turning 60 this year and they are bikers that wish to cruise the US bevor it´s too late.
Good children that we are, we are trying to fulfil this wish.

[/QUOTE]

Hmm, not much chance of our children trying to facilitate our last wish before sentience fades and they bundle us off to the old folks home. It's the costs of keeping them solvent that's stopping us doing something similar.

Our original plans were to do (roughly) NY-LA on a GoldWing this summer but paying for our daughter to spend the summer in Korea (to do with her Uni course) has meant a postponement. Being over 60 myself I can hear the clock ticking but in my case it doesn't seem to be masking the sound of the Grim Reaper's footsteps. I still think I've got a year or two :rolleyes2:

What we were (are) going to do was buy a bike on the East coast, do the trip and sell it at the end. It would probably be a private sale although if something suitable from a dealer came up I wouldn't rule it out. But - we have friends on the East coast to smooth the paperwork passage and help out with the buying and selling. The best I could find for rental was around $4-5000 and I'm sure we could do better than that on the gap between buying and selling. Our trip was going to be at least four and probably closer to six weeks which is why the rental quotes were high.

Re routes, it depends where they're going to start from. If they're thinking of heading down to old person heaven in Florida make sure you hire an air conditioned Harley. It's hard work there in the summer for folks with a few miles in the clock. :rofl:

hi,

we rented 2 bikes, in 2012, from a small company in Gunnison, Colorado. We did a big loop through the Black Canyon, up to Wyoming and Yellow stone national park and continued up across Montana to Glacier National Park (awesome) then back south, stopping at Cody for a Rodeo (has to be done).
Prices or rental were reasonable I thought. It took us 3 weeks though.

All details are on my website (link below) - see page "Trip USA 2012" for email and rental company name etc.... I can't put a direct link as my site is banned at work!

They will have a blast in the US. And people are just so friendly as well!

Your folks can rent Harleys at the dealership in Rapid City, South Dakota, which is at the foot of the Black Hills, and 30 miles from Sturgis where the rally is. I don't know their rates though. (I'm a BMW guy)

The Black Hills is great for motorcycling, lots of different roads (from completely straight on the prairie to very tight and twisty on for instance Iron Mountain Road). There's Mount Rushmore (the president faces), Devil's Tower in Wyoming, etc. etc.

Disclaimer: This is the first post on the forum for me, I live in the Black Hills so I just happen to know the area etc, I am not affiliated with any business.

Like in Germany, the Autumn is often the BEST time of year. September, October and November can have beautiful weather with fewer extremes in temps. Also, fewer tourists and lower rates for some things.

Spring is OK too but weather is more variable and some places can be WINDY.

Bike rental is very expensive (IMO) at about $150 to $200 per day for a decent Harley. So figure at least $2,100 usd for 14 days. Now add insurance and "fees". :taz:

MORE TIME is needed. Do a longer ride. Maria's route (above)
seems a very good one if your parents MUST go in Summer. (June to September)

Weather in Colorado, Montana and Wyoming is good in Summer, not too hot. But her loop is a very BIG one with many thousands of Kms to cover. 14 days not enough. :nono: unless they ride HARD and FAST!

But they have many choices of different routes with various highlights that are ALL worth seeing. Most Germans I've met in the USA seem to really like Death Valley ... in Summer :eek3:... when it can be 48C ! :Beach:

Germans also like Las Vegas .:rolleyes2: (also hot in Summer) If they want to see Death Valley, Grand Canyon and Vegas, go in October. They could also travel North to Utah (best US state for motorcycle travel next to California) or head West over the Sierra Nevada mountains to Yosemite, Sequoia National Parks and onto the Pacific Coast Highway. Our Sierra Nevada is beautiful with great roads in Autumn. (Fall)

14 days is a short time to do exploring. Better to take at least a month and find a cheaper bike to rent. I would try to rent a bike from a private party (if you can find someone willing). Maybe spend half of the $200 per day rate?

Also, a Honda Gold Wing is better for touring Two-Up than a Harley.:mchappy: Contact the big Gold Wing clubs in USA ... see if someone would rent your parents a bike. You never know. bier

Everyone thinks Harley when touring the States comes to mind but knowing nothing about them my wife and I duly went to the local Harley dealer a while back to have a look at what was in the range. All the alpha males riding them in the movies make them look good but in the flesh her conclusion was that they were rattly, clanky monstrosities and there was no way she was going to spend any time at all on the back of one. :thumbdown:

Not sure what that says about me :confused1: but by contrast, the armchair on the back of a Gold Wing in a local dealers' appealed immediately and so the decision was made. Loads of other stuff to sort out before this trip happens but the bike choice is fixed. I've just got to man up enough to cope with the weight (bike not wife :innocent: )

I have rented Triumphs in Florida and you are right its very expensive. I looked at buying a bike in the US, its pretty easy to register it but insurance is the problem. Many states insist you are a resident or won't accept a foreign license. Maryland is good but otherwise you will pay a fortune.

For renting I searched around and went away from the high profile dealers and found a nice Triumph dealer. We drove an hour to a small town where the dealer was located, the $50 for the car rental was worth it as the rentals were a good price.

Check out Las Vegas Harley
 

LV Harley has a huge rental section and they treat you very well. You would not believe all the folks from Europe who come over to do a bike trip on one of their Harleys. I believe that an Electra Glide goes for about $125 per day. There are many places to tour from LV during the summer without getting cooked. Here is but a few suggestions;
Rt 66 to Flagstaff
South rim Grand Canyon
North rim Grand Canyon
Zion national park
Brice Canyon national park

I have even ridden through Death Valley in June and the only other motors there were all from Europe.
You could get one of many tour guides for them and they would be all set and there are plenty of folks here in the States that would be glad to make suggestions or even host them when in the area. I would suggest that rather than a tour.
Mikey

My brother and I just took a 2 week holiday in Arizona. We rented 2 Harley's from a dealer in Phoenix and we toured the state. We found that every Harley dealer that we stopped at had rentals and we stopped at 8 or 9 different dealers. I rented a 2014 Street Glide and my brother had a 2014 Ultra limited. Both were great on the highway, but I found them hot when riding in the city or stuck in traffic.

Several companies around the US rent bikes. I've had good experiences with Eagle Rider and local Harley dealerships.

HD will work with you on the rental prices, especially if you rent for multiple days.

Let us know how they do. There are plenty of HUBBers who would be pleased to assist them on their way.