Riding in Arizona

[cdneh]

Later this month around the 17th of October, a friend and I are flying to Arizona to rent two motorcycles and tour around for 5 days. I haven't been there for 30 years.
So I have a few questions for readers who live or ride in Arizona and I hope you can help. We start in Pheonix and hope to go to Sedona, Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon.
1. What kind of riding gear do we need given the weather? Does it rain much? Do we need leather jackets and chaps?
2. Can you recommend any great roads or routes to take or places to see that are fun on a motorcycle?
3. Are there enough hotels that we can ride and stop versus booking ahead?
4. Can only rent HD - Electra Glide Classic or Std or Heritage Soft Tail?
Any other tips are appreciated.
It is getting colder here in Toronto, the leaves are changing colours and soon will fall which makes corners slippery when wet. This should be a great trip as our riding season comes to an end.
Thanks
Clyde

[dank]

Rode through part of the state the summer before last. Can't say I'm knowledgeable of the state as a whole, but one of the nicest rides I have ever been on was going south out of Holbrook (west of Petrified Forest National Park on 40) on 77 then onto 377 to 277 to Heber then 260 to Payson and 87 on to Phoenix. Beautiful flowing two-lane roads, little traffic, and scenery to match anything in the country. I'd love to ride it again. Could be a nice way to loop around back south to Phoenix after you swing north through Grand Canyon.

[trip]

CactusJack and others can probably give you a better idea of what you need, but as far as riding apparel for the trip.....I rode through Utah and Arizona two years ago about this time of year.

Wore jeans and a long-sleeved shirt most of the time. Had my leathers on during the morning, but shed them off as the day got warmer. Sunshined most of the time I was there. Morning temps were in the 30's....afternoons in the 60's.

[ccmjr77]

Up near the Grand Canyon is can be cold in the mornings this time of year.
Possibly 30s at night and highs in the 60s up north.
Phoenix weather has started to get very nice. 60s overnight and mid 80-90s during the day.
I would suggest Yarnell hill up to Prescott and Sedona via 89
Check out this site for several great day rides around Arizona. www.cyclerides.com (http://www.cyclerides.com)

Depending how far you want to go, I would suggest going to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. much nicer views and you can go up into Utah if you want to ride there.

[cactusjack]

Later this month around the 17th of October, a friend and I are flying to Arizona to rent two motorcycles and tour around for 5 days. I haven't been there for 30 years.
So I have a few questions for readers who live or ride in Arizona and I hope you can help. We start in Pheonix and hope to go to Sedona, Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon.
1. What kind of riding gear do we need given the weather? Does it rain much? Do we need leather jackets and chaps?
2. Can you recommend any great roads or routes to take or places to see that are fun on a motorcycle?
3. Are there enough hotels that we can ride and stop versus booking ahead?
4. Can only rent HD - Electra Glide Classic or Std or Heritage Soft Tail?
Any other tips are appreciated.
It is getting colder here in Toronto, the leaves are changing colours and soon will fall which makes corners slippery when wet. This should be a great trip as our riding season comes to an end.
Thanks
Clyde

Clyde, you will love the weather here. I don't know what conditions you're used to as far as traffic, but avoid I-17 north of Phoenix if you can. There is major construction going on and it drops from 4 lanes to two just outside of Phoenix. It also tends to bottleneck coming back into Phoenix, especially on Sunday afternoons. All it takes is a car wreck, and you are parked for hours. There are alternate ways to get to/from Sedona, etc., that are much more scenic (and safer) than I-17.

Chance of precipitation should be fairly slim, our monsoon has ended for the year. Having said that, I always carry rain gear when I travel north. There's a greater chance of showers in the higher elevations than there is in the city. Temps may be lows in the 30's-40's in the Sedona/Flagstaff area, highs in the 70's or 80's. Flagstaff is 3,000 feet higher than Sedona, so it will always be cooler. Bring layers, so you can pile the clothes on in the morning and peel them off as it warms throughout the day. I'm sure anything may seem warm to you. 40 degrees is cold to me.

Hotels? I honestly don't know. Typically, people from the Phoenix area head north to Prescott, Sedona and Flagstaff on weekends to get out of the heat and to enjoy the leaves turning and so forth. It may be hit or miss. It may also depend on if there is a football game at NAU (Flagstaff) on Saturday. Williams is a short ride (30 miles or so) from Flagstaff and is an old railroad town on Historic Route 66. This may be an alternative if Sedona or Flagstaff is booked. Jerome is SW of Sedona and is an old mining town built on the side of a mountain. These towns are all fairly close. Jerome is 30 miles from Sedona, Sedona is 30 miles from Flagstaff.

Roads? Lots of them. Yarnell Hill, Mingus Mountain, Lake Mary Rd and Oak Creek Canyon are a few that come to mind. All are very scenic this time of year. Of course, the Grand Canyon is a no-brainer, unless that isn't in your plans. I can help you with online maps and so on.

I'm pretty sure all you will be able to rent are Harleys in this area. I think in Sedona you can rent little scooters...and have no dignity. http://s2.images.proboards.com/grin.gif

Let me know if I can help you out. MarkG, Toophun, CCMJR, or any of the other AZ members may be able to offer more suggestions as well.

[MarkG]

Clyde, the weather is finally starting to cool down. CJ is correct about the construction on the Interstate going north from Phoenix. Went toward Camp Verde in a cage a week ago and it was a real pain. Best suggestion is take the longer routes to Flagstaff. Either through Wickenburg, Prescott, Jerome, Sedona, Flagstaff or Payson to Flagstaff. The scenery is better and the traffic is not insane.

Just finished a nice little jaunt from Chandler to Show Low and back this last week. The daytime temperatures were ideal for riding, around the mid-70s. In the higher areas NE of Payson it was 60. Early morning and night temperatures will probably be in the high 30s to low 40s. Near the Grand Canyon it will be much cooler at night. Warmer in the Phoenix area.

Long range weather predictions are mid-60s to low-30s in the Canyon area, 40 to 70 in Sedona, and mid-60s to high-80s in Phoenix.

There are several HD dealerships that rent in the area. Your best bet will be to check them out on the web for the locations closest to wherever you are staying.

Motels are problematic depending on the university functions in Flagstaff. Take a look on the web and see if things look like they are empty or they are telling you no vacancy. The other indicator as to a busy weekend are the inflated prices. Mid-week it will probably be easier to find something without too much trouble.

Mobile and fixed photo radar is a gigantic pain down here. Saw six of the mobile units the other day when I was riding. Favorite speed traps are construction zones and any place the speed limit changes suddenly. They are not supposed to ticket unless you are 10 over (I think). However, that is not always the case. There is a town east of Payson that will send you a ticket for being one mile over. There are also supposed to be signs before you get to these areas and that doesn't happen all the time either. The problem is the cagers, they drive like a bat out of hell until they get to these areas and pile on the brakes to slow down. Give yourselves plenty of room so you don't run into anybody.

Weekend traffic will be heavier in all areas. Mid-week traffic will be pretty light, or at least that was what I encountered when I was out for my ride last week.

[skeeter]

4. Can only rent HD - Electra Glide Classic or Std or Heritage Soft Tail?

Thanks
Clyde

I think the question is for those with Harley experience. Which one would you rent from your experience? Which is most comfortable? Roomiest? Storage? Performance?

[toophun]

I see I'm the last one of the AZ. boyz to chime in. Good points so far, check the Canyon's web site, I thought they close the N. Rim after the 15th, but it may be just the lodge. There are plenty of places to stay @ the S. Rim village. Don't think you'll have any problems in Flag or Sedonna either. You're going to be in the Mtns. so like CJ said "layer" and leathers 4 sure in the mornings. One point not made yet, you'll be in deer & elk country so caution. All the HD dealers around here have rental programs, as far as which bike, depends on your preference. The Heritage is most simular to the Nomad, but I'd go Electra, nicer touring + the trunk for xtra gear. I've had a Heritage, and ridden the Electra many times. Check back w/ CJ for maps! You're in for a great time!

[billz410]

Everything everyone else has said.

You may need/want leathers in the morning; may need to shed them in the afternoon.

The closest motel you'll be able to book at the Grand Canyon will be Williams, AZ, which will likely be more expensive than in Flagstaff. They like to jack up the rates the closer you get to the park.

Many are of the opinion that the north side of the Grand Canyon is much more scenic, but if you've never seen it at all, any part of it is good. Most likely you will not be able to reserve a hotel at the north side on such short notice- they're often booked a year in advance.

If you want to be comfortable, rent an Ultra. I've rented from both Chester's HD in Mesa, and Chandler Harley in Chandler and had good results.

Have a good trip!

[desertdog]

This time of year the Canyon is fairly busy. (My son lives and works there), There is a nice motel that is reasonable outside of Williams, off of i-40. We stay there when we visit our son.

Its the Quality Inn Ranch and Resort. Its about 20 miles to Flag also.

Its an hour drive or ride up to the Canyon from there, if you ride, you are going to want to get back out of the Canyon before sundown.

This time of year the deer and elk are in rut, and night riding can be very interesting, especially close to the Canyon.

Food and restaurants at the Canyon and Tuscyan outside the canyon are limited and rather pricey.

If you need more info about the canyon e-mail me. It would probably be too late to book a room at the Canyon itself. They are usually sold out at least a month in advance.

[cdneh]

Thanks everyone for the help. The company we were going to rent from has gone out of business so we are now looking into Fun Time Rentals for a couple of Electric Guides or Soft Tails. It will be interesting cruising around on a Harley. Thanks for the great tips on roads etc and for addressing my questions. It is wonderful getting such a great response.
Cheers,
Clyde