Route 66 - Ducati.ms

Willy_Mac · Nov 7th, 2006, 1:47 am

A bunch of us from Cape Town are planning to ride Route 66 during 2007. This has been a lifelong ambition of mine - probably after a heard The Rolling Stones do the number!
While the internet lists a large number of HD rental outfits, could anyone suggest from where I can rent a Ducati ST. Also, any advice as the which direction, best time of the year to ride, places to avoid, etc. would be much appreciated.

Bill_Anderson · Nov 7th, 2006, 2:17 am

Sounds like a great adventure. There is not much left of the actual Route 66, as it has been surplanted by Interstate 40. Most Americans over age 50 can probably remember the old TV series "Route 66" with "Tod" and "Buzz".

Maximus-Speedicus · Nov 7th, 2006, 4:26 am

But they opened it up again.. I saw it in the movie CARS...

Surely Lightning Mc Queen wouldn't lie...

NOOOOOOOOO Tell me it's not just make believe...

Mal

Royb · Nov 7th, 2006, 6:52 am

Rt 66 is a fantastic ride..............But I suggest you do it solo as there are hundreds of places you will want to stop and explore and most folks on a tour might not want to join you.

That said, I did the route two years ago. Forget about Chicago to southern Missouri. Really nothing to see and just about no RT 66 left. The adventure really starts in Oklahoma. OK really embraced the whole Rt66 theme. A couple of GREAT museums and LOTS of roadside attractions.

Texas, New Mexico and Arizona are also really good at preserving the experience. Plan on side trips to Grand Canyon, Vegas, and Sedona Arizona is a MUST SEE!

Once into California there are tons of great mountain roads off of Rt66 to explore. Highly recommended.........

Plan on eating a lot! Great honky-tonk dinners and bars line the road.

We did it in August and the weather was perfect. Not too hot (except for the desert portions) and only got a little cool at nights at higher elevations.

Do a bunch of reading before you head out. There are dozens of books available on Amazon.com. This road was used for the largest human migration in history. Millions of folks traveled from the east and midwest to California from the 30s to the 50s. Very interesting reading.........

You can check out my son and my trip here...

http://www.sbertalotto.com/xcountry/

Strog · Nov 7th, 2006, 9:29 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Royb

The adventure really starts in Oklahoma. OK really embraced the whole Rt66 theme. A couple of GREAT museums and LOTS of roadside attractions.

Unfortunately the only rentals around here in OK are the Harleys.

I'd probably look at starting on the CA side and working back since you'd have a better chance at finding an ST there. The only downside to heading east would be that you wouldn't be riding into all those sunsets.

Another option is to start in the east and pick your way until you get to the western leg. You could also get the bike from where ever and have Eagle One Express (or another carrier) deliver the it to your starting point of choice.

Any way you do it, sounds like a great trip to take. Good luck and have a great time.

v8dave · Nov 8th, 2006, 11:34 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Willy_Mac

A bunch of us from Cape Town are planning to ride Route 66 during 2007. This has been a lifelong ambition of mine - probably after a heard The Rolling Stones do the number!
While the internet lists a large number of HD rental outfits, could anyone suggest from where I can rent a Ducati ST. Also, any advice as the which direction, best time of the year to ride, places to avoid, etc. would be much appreciated.

Best time---

Well, the bad times are January-March for riding East of Arizona/New Mexico due to Snow. New Mexico will be cold and possibly could have snow.
Next is: it will be HOT from Late June through September on most of the old Route 66.

Good times are late September through October (Autumn) and March through May (Spring) for entire route. Not too early in March though. Probably the best two months are October and May and maybe April.

USA holidays:
Memorial day--last Monday in May. National start of the vacation season.
Labor day--first Monday in September. National end of Vacation season. Lots of people on the road these two weekends.
July 4th week. Independence day, week before and after 4th will have lots of people travelling.
Easter--whenever it happens. Week before and after are typically school holidays and most resorts/hotels fill up with travellers.
Thanksgiving--4th Thursday in November. Entire week extremely heavy traffic. Impossible to book air travel less than two or three months in advance. The national go to grandma's house and eat and eat and eat.

Have any of your group ever travelled in the USA? If you haven't, it's difficult to comprehend the distances involved in riding across the country. A forgetable trip can be done in a week. A non-forgetable trip would be a month.

If you want to do some sight seeing and your time is limited, narrow your trip to a couple of states and don't try to cover a lot of straight line distance. Spend two nights per state and you'll do a lot of sight seeing. Spend one night per state and you'll do sight seeing in the nice places alongside the Interstate highways. Spend one night every other state and all you'll see is the Interstate highway system.

If you plan on ending up in California, allow some time for riding between Los Angeles area and San Francisco. Actually, between Santa Barbara and Monterey is where you want to go. It is amazingly beautiful and quite surprisingly low population.

Driving in the greater Los Angeles area is not fun, neither is the San Francisco Bay Area. You will encounter very heavy traffic moving at fast speeds with not much distance between vehicles. You do get used to it as a native, but I'd never describe it as fun. For out of town riders, it is mandatory to have a local lead you through the highway system. You DO NOT HAVE TIME to make decisions and change lanes when routes cross and you'll get lost--guaranteed. There is no daylight time the where the traffic "gets better." It'll take 3-4 hours to cross the entire length of either of these on a good day. Yeah, there are ways through that aren't so mad, but that's why you need the local guide--just ask, you'll get help.

Bill_Anderson · Nov 9th, 2006, 3:16 am

Does SA follow the UK tradition of driving on the left side? If so, be very careful once you land in the US. I heard of a rider from Australia who got killed in a head-on collision because he instinctively started riding in the left lane after departing Sturgis.

The altitude of Northern New Mexico and Arizona is quite high. These areas can see snow in April.

Willy_Mac · Nov 14th, 2006, 8:37 am

Yup, we follow the UK convention and drive on the left-hand side of the road. In my case I have driven quite extensively in the US and Canada, as well as in Western Europe, so I feel quite at home on the RHS within a couple of miles or so of arrival. While saying that, I understand what you mean about instinctive reactions. While holidaying in the south of France a few years ago, my concentration lapsed slightly after too many wine tastings - a friendly word from the wife as to the local road laws was required to remind me what country we were visiting!

sushinav · Dec 28th, 2006, 12:09 pm

A curious question from one who lives here. What do folks from outside the US hope to see and experience when they come to do route 66? Tell me what your ideal trip would be and what you would see.

And if you're going to do it, I'd say do it on a Hog. That can only add to the "Americana" experience.

Oilhed · Dec 28th, 2006, 12:17 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by sushinav

A curious question from one who lives here. What do folks from outside the US hope to see and experience when they come to do route 66? Tell me what your ideal trip would be and what you would see.

And if you're going to do it, I'd say do it on a Hog. That can only add to the "Americana" experience.

I have never ridden 66 and only have a few miles on a HD but think the two would be a good marriage. A Ducati I would take to New England, upstate NY, the Blue Ridge Mtns. and north Georgia.