Riders Rented Motorcycles from Us,
Then Sent Us Their Motorcycle Touring
Stories and Photos
Our rental customers often write back to us with stories about their Harley Davidson motorcycle rental or their Honda Goldwing rental experience: they report on the road conditions in San Francisco city traffic, they describe the scenic vistas along the Pacific Coast Highway or marvel at the heat, riding a motorcycle across the California desert in summertime.
Our rental riders also share their photos of the Pacific coastline, California redwood forests, Yosemite Valley and other scenic wonders that California has to offer. In fact, so many of our motorcycle rental customers have written stories (almost magazine articles, some of them) that this page of motorcycle touring stories had become way too long.
So this page is now just an index into some well written stories about
- renting a motorcycle from California Motorcycle Adventures
- and then actually having a motorcycling adventure in California.
Enjoy reading these motorcycling adventure stories:
- Two Sportbike Riding UK Couples Rent Harleys to Tour California, Nevada
by Cliff Barrett - September 2011 - These riders from the UK were drivers of a ducati sports bike and an aprilia adventure pegaso strada, but they rented a Harley Davidson Electraglide and Softail to take a motorcycle tour of picturesque small town California and also the big city of Las Vegas, Nevada.
- Riding Electra Glide to Yellowstone, then a Goldwing through California
by Merrill Andrews- August 2011 - A three week tour has Merrill riding his rental Elctra Glide through the Northwestern United States (Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Oregon) to reach Yellowstone National Park. For the final week, he swapped his Harley for a Honda Goldwing and took that on a tour throughout California.
- Father & Son Tour Pacific Coast Southwest National Parks by Harley
by Carl & Lars - April 2011 - It was father-son trip of a lifetime. 2 men, 2 Harleys and 2000 miles of pure pleasure. From the Pacific Coast through the heat of the Death Valley to the grandiosity of the Grand Canyon and Zion National Park. From the craziness of Las Vegas to the Giants in Sequoia and Kings Canyon NP and the most beautiful Yosemite Valley - we got the motor running. (Stunning Photos!)
- Six Riders from Poland Take Trouble-Free Harley Tour of Western States
by Janusz, Michal, Artek, Tomek, Artek, Walter - April 2011 - A dream vacation come true for six friends from Poland taking six Harley Davidsons for 2200 miles through the Western US. They proudly flew their Polish flags everywhere they went and appreciated the personal approach of Scott and Ilene over some big, impersonal rental business.
- BMW K1300GT & Honda ST1300 take on NINE National Parks in 24 days
by Chris and Carmen Daly - September 2010 - In 24 days during September 2010, we visited nine National Parks: Glacier, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Grand Canyon, Death Valley and Yosemite. All up, we travelled 4,275 miles (7,250 km) in California, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah and a little bit of northern Arizona. Our longest day was 300 miles and the shortest was 120 miles and we rarely travelled on interstates. We had half a day of rain, were stopped by snow for a day and had 110 degrees (43 degrees Celsius) of sizzling heat in Death Valley, but otherwise the weather was nice and cool and excellent for riding.
- iPhone videos from a Honda Goldwing Tour through the Sierra Nevada Mountains
by Dick and Janet Lafleur - July 2010 - My husband and I hopped on a Goldwing and headed for the Sierra mountains in Northern California and Nevada. We saw it all: deep forests, wide open desert, rocky cliffs, and cool streams. Three days and 700+ miles later, I was sad to get off the bike... but we have lots of photos and videos to share. (You can watch 10 of those videos right at the link above.)
- Honda ST1300 Tour through Yosemite Valley, Lake Tahoe, Big Sur, Giant Sequoias
by Mal and Mary- June 2010 - Two people, two wheels, two weeks: 14 days on the road, over 2500 miles. Not only did Mal and Mary (from the UK) experience SO much on their two-up ST1300 tour, they took fabulous photographs and wrote back to us with a professionally laid-out seven page (!) travelogue that makes you feel like you were riding right along with them.
- Harley Davidson Adventure through Southwest National Parks and Grand Canyon
by The Four Dutch Guys: Gert, Dirk, Karl and Jerry - May 2010 - Four Dutch friends take a dream visit motorcycle touring vacation to see the sights of the American Southwest and numerous national parks on four Harley Electraglide Classics. They travel over 3,000 miles in three weeks, encounter 115 degree heat, torrential rain, detoured by snow and love every minute of it.
- Exploring the California Coast, Culture AND Night Clubs on a Honda ST1300 Tour
by Lance and Sue Warren - April 2010 - It took Lance 30 years, but he came from England to California to explore not just the mountains, desert and coast, but also the culture. He and Sue took time out from their ST1300 tour of California to stop by Cozy's Bar in Los Angeles on Blues Jam night, borrow himself a Stratocaster guitar and get up on stage and jam with the band. Lance's story has so many colorful details and photos and videos... stop reading this summary and go read about how a California Motorcycle Adventure can be a lifetime dream come true!
- Riding a Harley RoadKing though the Valley of Fire, Death Valley, Las Vegas
by Peter and Dawn Cawthorne - March 2010 - Husband and wife tour the HOT SPOTS of the Southern California and Nevada deserts on a Harley Davidson Road King. They followed an itinerary by Ilene that "was superb, the choice of roads and timings between different locations were spot on and without them, we are quite sure that we would have missed some wonderful riding."
- Honda ST1300 Tour of Lassen Volcanic, Crater Lake, Tahoe and Yosemite National Parks
by Chris and Carmen Daly - September 2009 - Australian riders, Chris and Carmen Daly, share a detailed travelogue (with photos) of their tour of West Coast National Parks on their rented Honda ST1300. They covered 3000 miles in 21 days and describe their riding route choices (like 49S near Coulterville, 120E over Tioga Pass, 89N up Monitor Pass). They share informative commentary on road conditions, weather to expect, majestic views and friendly locals they met along the way.
- Touring the Pacific Coast Highway on a Harley-Davidson Road King Classic
by Dave Shipton - May 2009 - Dave's first-class writing describes his impressions of scenic California coastal towns like Half Moon Bay, Santa Cruz, Carmel, San Simeon, Hearst Castle, as well as Pinnacles National Park. At three pages and with a half a dozen photos to illustrate his Harley Road King tour of California, this really is quite a travelogue.
- Four Harley-Davidsons through Death Valley, Mojave Desert, Las Vegas, Carmel
by Mark Currie - April 2009 - If you've seen the movie, Wild Hogs (with Tim Allen, John Travolta, Martin Lawrence and William H. Macy) then you might understand why this foursome from Canada, Australia and the USA called themselves Wild Hogs 2. With four Harley Davidson motorcycles rented from California Motorcycle Adventures, they took a 1,500 mile wild motorcycle road trip through California and Nevada and sent great photos back to us.
- Two-Up on a Sport-Touring Honda ST1300 through Big Sur and Sierra Nevada Range
by Peter and Diana - October 2008 - Peter and Diana from England share some photos and their experience of riding a Sport-Touring motorcycle (Honda ST1300) through Big Sur and the Sierra Nevada mountain range. To quote: "I have ridden some roads in Europe nothing comes close to America."
- Riding a Harley-Davidson Electra Glide to a cozy cabin in the Big Sur redwoods
by Roy Artman and Kathy Black - September 2008 - A cozy ride to a cozy cabin in the redwoods: Roy and Kathy rode their Harley-Davidson FLHTCI Electra Glide Classic through the rugged and scenic Big Sur area of the Central California coast and ended up at a rustic resort they thought other motorcyclists would appreciate as well.
- Two-Up on a Harley-Davidson Electra Glide see the coast and giant redwood trees
by Kevin and Jane - August 2008 - Kevin and Jane from England realized a lifelong dream: "to ride a Harley in America."and they realized riding a Harley-Davidson FLHTCI Electra Glide Classic rented from California Motorcycle Adventures for 1500 miles ("never missed a beat") throughout the Central California coast and the giant Sequoia Redwood forests.
- Incredible Honda Goldwing Journey: Big Sur, Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, Napa Valley
by Jim and Patti Snyder - June 2008 - Jim and Patti rented their Honda Goldwing GL1800 and explored the California coast, Yosemite Valley, Mono Lake, Lake Tahoe (even played the casinos), Sacramento and the renowned Napa Valley wine country (where they saw the Old Faithful geyser in Calistoga, CA shoot off some steam). Seven days on the road, over eleven hundred miles, and not even a hint of a problem from the Honda Goldwing rented from California Motorcycle Adventures.
- Englishman's Advice on Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Touring 2900 miles of California
by Bob Cocksedge - June 2008 - Bob wrote this article for his motorcycle club back home after he toured almost 3000 miles just in California on the Electra Glide he rented from us. His advice: drink water when riding through Death Valley and the Mojave desert on 120 degree days. (and wear sunscreen if you ride in a T-shirt). Hire a Harley (that's what the English say, we would say Rent a Harley). Oh, he also advises: Speak the Language – that’d be American.
For more testimonials and reviews from our motorcycle rental riders, check out the links below: