[1Adam12]

Has anyone booked a trip, particularly overseas, with a motorcycle rental/touring agency, such as Eagle Rider, Edelweiss Bike Travel, etc?

One day, I'd like to go riding overseas, like in Europe or New Zealand or elsewhere. Or heck, do a route within the US. Obviously, I could go through the whole process of getting a bike shipped there and back and all...

Or, I could just pay a considerable amount of cash and get a rental and join a tour group - route preplanned, hotels prebooked, a support vehicle meeting you at each stop with your luggage.

Sure, it's touristy, but I'm still riding, seeing new places, and a considerable amount of logistics is handled for me, providing peace of mind. I'd just need to worry about airline tickets and visas/vaccinations.

Has anyone done this? What was your experience like? If you went solo, how was that? What advice would you give to someone who has never done it? What about a self guided tour where they make your reservations and provide you a GPS, but otherwise you are on your own?

 

[Critter]

Adam, there is a woman on here who is a riding instructor out west. She did exactly what you are talking about. There is a thread on here and it has all the information you are asking about. I believe her name is Missy or something close to that.


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[Kiwi Steve]

Adam, I see you included New Zild on your list. Most people who visit here are recommended to buy a bike locally, insure it and sell it before they leave. If you want to check prices visit TradeMe.co.nz, you could Google motorbike rentals - most probably you would fly in through Auckland and there are a couple of sites which offer solo, guided and accompanied tours.

NZ is a biker's paradise, we have motorways out of our major cities, but our main roads are often single lane each way, asphalt. Maximum speed on the open road is 100 km/hr (60 mph) and you'd average 80 km/hr (50 mph) on a trip. A good day's ride would be 300 km/200 miles, there's just so many things to stop and see and so many roads to take. Within 200 km of Auckland there is the Coromandel Peninsular, a great circuit close to the coast including a beach where you dig a pool and it fills with geothermal hot water - great for weary biking bones. Do this during the working week - during the weekend it becomes sportsbike madness. There is the Waitomo Caves (stalagmites/stalactites/glow worms/underground rafting), tramps across volcanic areas, geothermal areas, beaches, Hobiton, white water rafting.

There's two main islands, named aptly the North Island and the South Island. I'd take at least three weeks to do each island if not more. South Island has spectacular scenery, not that many cars on the roads but a larger proportion of foreign visitors so you have to watch for people driving on the wrong side of the road. By the way, we drive on the left hand side of the road down here and most corners are signed with a suggested speed - if it says anything under 40 km/hr then do slow down to the recommended speed.

 

[Stablefull]

Has anyone booked a trip, particularly overseas, with a motorcycle rental/touring agency, such as Eagle Rider, Edelweiss Bike Travel, etc?

One day, I'd like to go riding overseas, like in Europe or New Zealand or elsewhere. Or heck, do a route within the US. Obviously, I could go through the whole process of getting a bike shipped there and back and all...

Or, I could just pay a considerable amount of cash and get a rental and join a tour group - route preplanned, hotels prebooked, a support vehicle meeting you at each stop with your luggage.

Sure, it's touristy, but I'm still riding, seeing new places, and a considerable amount of logistics is handled for me, providing peace of mind. I'd just need to worry about airline tickets and visas/vaccinations.

Has anyone done this? What was your experience like? If you went solo, how was that? What advice would you give to someone who has never done it? What about a self guided tour where they make your reservations and provide you a GPS, but otherwise you are on your own?

My friend did a trip through Europe a year or two ago. I think it was about 10 days or so, and they all rode rented Harleys from a local shop. He said it was amazing. I could get the info from him if you would like

 

[vito]

I've been dreaming about such a trip for years, and I fear I waited too long. The high cost made me hesitate more than once (I estimated the New Zealand trip, for myself as the rider and my wife as the passenger, to end up about $20,000 for a two week vacation), and more recently concerns about too many hours for me in the saddle for too many consecutive days. What sounds like a rider's paradise, gets less attractive as you get older and reach the point that up to about 6 hours a day of riding is all that I can do and truly enjoy it. I had looked into a European tour through the Alps but found out it would be more hours per day of hard riding that I think I can handle anymore. Now my wife is having problems that probably preclude anything more than a two hour lunch ride, and at my age of 75 things can and do change quickly. So if you are really interested in doing this kind of trip, just go do it and don't wait until you might be too old to enjoy it. I think I have waited too long, and to be honest, I probably will not make this "dream" trip. Do it while you can and have memories for a lifetime.

 

[Kiwi Steve]

Adam, Vito, I wouldn't ride for six hours a day in New Zealand. At an average speed of 80 km/hr that'd be nearly 500 km/300 miles and from the top of the North Island to the bottom of the South Island is only 2000 km/1200 miles. You'd want to do just one island at a time, check out Google maps and put in directions from:

Auckland

via:

Coromandel
East Cape,
Napier,
Wellington,
Whanganui,
New Plymouth,
Taupo,
Tauranga

To:

Auckland

There'd be some side trips I'd recommend on that, from Napier across to Taihape, up to Taupo and back across to Napier, I'd overnight in Taihape, though the Napier/Taihape road is only 160 km/100 miles it is three hours riding or so up through the central range. Wonderful ride, sealed single lane each way, but rather a technical ride - kind of a 100 mile Dragon's Tail. The road Taihape/Taupo/Napier is about 250 km/150 miles and is a nice day ride with a break at Taupo on the lake side before the ride across the plateau and down to the coast.

And to follow the Waikato river downstream from Mangakino to Cambridge. And from Auckland to North Cape and Back.

I'd set aside at least a couple of weeks to just do the North Island, and though gas and accommodation is dearer here the NS$ is only 60c US!

Best time would be late February and March, end of summer and after school holidays. I'd recommend buying a bike and having the bike shop offer you a buy back deal. I'd expect bike rental to be about $NZ100 or more per day, $NZ2000 to $NZ3000 for a fortnight, motels about $NZ120 per night. Gas is currently $NZ2.50 per litre, $US6.00 per gallon.

So, if you did three weeks and 6000 km/4000 miles, then that'd be:

Bike hire $NZ4000
Accommodation $NZ 3500
Gas $NZ2000
Food $NZ2500

Total NZ$12000/$US7500

 

[BMWMCOGA]

Lots of good reports about Edelwess Bike Travel