June 2010 trip

I began my 5 day adventure at MC Tours experiencing Monica's and Gabor's excellent paper work efficiency and immaculately prepared Honda Goldwing. I left Phoenix and traveled in the 100+ F heat via Wickenberg and Kingman to Boulder City, NV where I saw the new Hoover Dam Bypass bridge under construction.

Be sure and stop at the Cowboy cafe in Wickenberg for an excellent breakfast or lunch. This trip will be the last one in which I or anyone else will be able to cross the Colorado river from AZ to NV atop the Hoover Dam since the dam road will be closed to vehicular traffic once the bypass bridge is opened in early 2011.

I rode the next day to Zion National Park via I-15 out of Vegas and SR 9 thru Hurricane, UT. Zion is spectacular and well worth the time to get there. The road from Zion east to Mt Carmel Junction is currently under construction/renovation and is gravel surfaced for quite an extent. The National Park Service web site for Zion has construction schedules and road closure schedules for this part of SR 9 eats. If you have a heavy touring rig, I suggest you avoid SR 9 going east from Zion NP and take UT SR 59/AZ SR 385 out of Hurricane to get to Kanab, UT.

Third day was the trip from Kanab to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. AZ SR 67 to/from the Rim is a delight to ride on a motorcycle and the views from the North Rim are spectacular (even better than the views from the South Rim). Be sure to take the short hike from the GC Lodge to Bright Angel Point overlook.

From the NRGC, I rode to the old/new Navajo Bridges at Marble Canyon on the way to Page, AZ for the night.

I took the Glen Canyon Dam tour (about an hour) and highly recoomend the tour if that is your cup of tea. Fourth day was the ride from Page, AZ to Holbrook, AZ via Tuba City and US 264 thru the Navajo and Hopi Reservations and then south via AZ SR 87, east on BiA15 thru Dilkon, then south on Bia6 and SR 77. Very windy day, but the 'Wing was steady as a rock at 65 mph and the wind protection was great! I stayed at a Route 66 roadside icon in Holbrook called the Wigwam Motel. This was a "bucket list" stop for me and the room rate was very reasonable at about $53 a night. The "teepee" I stayed in was cool, clean and comfortable. The proprietors were very warm and welcoming, so I recommend you stay at the Wigwam if/when you get to Holbrook. You will need reserve a teepee at least 2-3 weeks prior to the date you wish to visit and the motel desk does not open for business until 3:30-4:00 each day.

The food at Romo's Mexican Restaurant in Holbrook was excellent. I could not eat all of the portion they served and I'm a hearty eater! The museum at the old county courthouse in Holbrook is free and very interesting, especially the old jail in the courthouse.
Day 5 was the trip from Holbrook to MC Tours in Scottsdale via SR 377, Sr 277 and SR 260 to Payson, AZ and then via SR 87 (the Beeline Highway) to Scottsdale. I especially love the route from Heber to Payson as that road is on the Mogollon Rim and is one of the best motorcycle roads in AZ. Just slow down and enjoy the sights and smells of the high country pine forest.

Monica and Gabor once again provided me with a great motorcycling experience and I highly rrecommend anyone who is wanting to ride AZ, UT or NM that they rent from Monica and Gabor. You will not be disappointed in either their personal service or the bikes they rent. Thanks Monica and Gabor! Hope to see you again next year!

  

AZ Ride

We had a great ride despite 40 mph winds that felt like we were driving down the road at a 30 degree angle the entire time. The BMW outperformed my fellow Harley's despite its higher ride position. The winding roads and hills were awesome and we did the North and South rims of the Grand Canyon in the same day. Lots or riding, not problems with the bike, and AZ Ride was accomodating and helpful.

Jim and Dan

We had terrific time!

The top picture is hikig the Gila trail at Estrella regional park. The bottom one speaks for itself. I loved the bike and the rental experience from the very first call to the check out was honest, helpful, and warm.

Take care,
Minerva

We really had a great ride from May 3 to 7 on your rentals. The prep on the bikes was superb, and they performed perfectly. We had a Gold Wing and a BMW 1200 RT, and both are excellent for touring. The BMW was better in the cross winds and much more fuel efficient, but the Wing is unmatched for overall comfort and performance. Both had lots of room for gear, but we did bring cable locks to secure our riding jackets and helmets when we parked, something for others to consider. Our trip took us through Wickenberg, Oatmen, Laughlin, Vegas, Zion, Page, Grand Canyon, And Sedona. Laughlin is very cheap for lodging in the casinos as they are desperate for visitors. We loved Jerome, and met lots of other bikers there at breakfast, then hit the twisties for some fun on the road to Prescott.

I can certainly recommend that others rent from you, we will again soon.

Rod and Jay,
Calgary Alberta, Canada

Monica & Gabor

Julie and I want to thank you both ! Our one day rental went fantastic as you know ..... the bike ran great and the route you mapped out was perfect for us !

During our ride we stopped to watch wild horses run free in the desert, checked out the Roosevelt dam and of course ate lunch at 'Mas Diner' !

We also had the rare misfortune to ride smack dab into a huge swarm of bees ..... yes bees ...... never seen anything like it in 30 yrs of riding ! No harm done....... followed by a few miles of nervous laughter !

We traveled with confidence because you two covered every aspect of the rental thoroughly before we hit the road.

We will be returning in Arizona in the very near future and you will be hearing from us to rent another bike and head on down another highway ...... Thanks again !

Michael & Julie ...... from Canada eh!

Paul from France

I arrived home two days ago but it already seems like it has been a long time since I was riding in Arizona. It's almost as though I have awoken from a wonderful dream. What a great way to have spent a week!

Tombstone

Hwy 366

Hwy 191

Greer Lodge

Humphrey Peak

Grand Canyon

The ride to Sierra Vista was done via the freeway in the interest of time, but most of the rest was done on backroads. I passed through Tombstone and then found state highway 366 just south of Safford. Twenty-five miles of mountain twisties, although the last nine were a 'no-go' zone of dirt. The next day I made my way to US highway 191. The ride from Morenci to Springerville is a rider's fantasy, good road and lots of curves for over 100 miles, with almost no traffic. That night I stayed at the Greer Lodge Resort in Greer, west of Springerville, a delightful setting overflowing with atmosphere and staffed by great folks. Payson was my next stop. Unfortunately, it was still too early in the season for exploring the Mogollon Rim area but a nice substitute was the Tonto Natural Bridge.
I had planned a relatively easy ride for the next day, perhaps near Sedona-Oak Creek but instead I found myself in Flagstaff before noon so decided to head for the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, which I reached around 3 o'clock, helped along by 60 mph tail winds. 44 degrees the next morning as I headed south and reached Prescott in time for a ritual visit to the Outback Restaurant for perhaps the best BBQ ribs anywhere. It was nice to drop back down to the valley and 80 degrees for my last riding day.
From my first contact with you I suspected I was in the hands of true professionals and this was confirmed when I arrived at your shop. The welcome was warm and genuine, the paperwork was ready, the bike was spotless, and you and Gabor had thought of everything down to the smallest detail. The return was also handled quickly and thoroughly, you even called a taxi for me.
I would not hesitate to recommend MCTours to anyone with even the slightest thought of biking in Arizona or the surrounding states. Dealing with you was a real pleasure.
Best regards, Paul

Had a great time riding in Arizona over the weekend. The bike worked perfectly and you and Gabor were very friendly and helpful.I will definitely be coming back to AZRide and next time I will bring a few more people along with me.

Regards,

Rob
From BC Canada

Tom from Florida

Monica, Our time in Arizona was much too short. I have been to the Scottsdale and Sedona area twice before, with my wife, but visiting there on a motorcycle with Dane was a whole new experience. I hope to make the same trip with my wife some day.

Since I've never rented a motorcycle before I had no idea what to expect. When I mentioned it to several people they said I was crazy because the motorcycles would be a bunch of beaters. Walking into your shop was like walking into a showroom, the bikes were perfect. Your communication with us before hand was very helpful and made getting on the road quick and efficient. We stayed at the Hampton Inn in Sedona where they said we could leave the bikes under cover and they would keep an eye on them, pretty nice. Only one mistake was for me to buy winter gloves in Florida, my hands nearly froze while riding through snow flurries on the way back from Sedona.

You and Gabor are truly professionals and I wish you continued success with AZride.
Tom Johanning
Sarasota Fl.

You guys were great to deal with, thank you so much!
I will be sure to refer you whenever I can.
Dave from Apache Junction, AZ

AZride

Thanks to Monica and Gabor I had an excellent exeprience. Upon arrival Monica and Gabor quickly completed the required paperwork, gave me a through tech review and I was off in less than half an hour. I rented a GS and rode up to nothern Arizona, eventually making my way to Prescott for the AMA Flat Track event. The ride was specatcular and Arizona offers some of the best motorcycle rides in the country. I would reccommend anyone thinking of a trip out west use AZ Ride, the cusotmer service is fantastic and the bikes are flawless. Their business let me save the time, money and effort of hauling my own bike out. Great company to do business with. I will defininetly use AZ Ride again for my next trip. Thanks!

BMW 800ST & Yamaha FZ6R

Fantastic Experience with AZ Ride. Thorough, professional, friendly AND the bikes were in spotless, mint condition. The prices were extremely reasonable, MUCH better than many other motorcycle rental places.

Our excursion through the Tonto National Forest up to Payson was great and our rides were smooth and perfect.

My ride, the FZ6R was wicked fun. Want to feel like a kid again? Go for this one!

Great experience with a great company

My decision to purchase a new bike this year came at a difficult time with many commitments already established. Two of my choices were BMW's, and knowing this would be a major investment I felt I needed a bit more exposure than the typical demo ride would accomplish. After doing a bit of research, and knowing the weather in Chicago wouldn't be good until my commitments were in full force, I looked for a company to rent the bikes from. AZride.com came up, and not having been to Arizona before I decided to take a short weekend to rent their motorcycles.

The red eye into Phoenix was delayed, but thanks to Monica's recommendation I had a good hotel location walking distance from their shop. Arriving at the shop early, I was first presented with very organized paperwork from Monica, making a potentially painful process stress free. After the paperwork, Gabor introduced me to the first motorcycle, the F800ST low frame. The technical briefing was very thorough, accomplished quickly and efficiently, and allowed time for questions. With the weather rapidly warming, Gabor asked me if I had any ideas on where to go. Not having a good one, he recommended a route northeast out of Scottsdale on a loop that could be anywhere from 200 to 250 miles.

The bike rode great, and was in perfect mechanical condition. The ride itself was pleasant, without much traffic and with a lot of scenery. I stopped at a couple outlooks including the Roosevelt dam to take some photos and enjoy the day. Feeling a bit hungry, I stopped at a restaurant in Globe for lunch. $8 bought me a great burger, fries, drink, and ice cream, a feast non existent at that price anywhere near Chicago. With time winding down, I headed back to the shop. Returning the bike was just as easy as renting it. We arranged the rental for Sunday, and I headed off for a shower and sleep.

Sunday was more of the same, except better. My choice for today was an R1200RT low frame, a bit more motorcycle than the 800. The paperwork was even faster than Saturday, and Gabor's tech brief on the bike was just as detailed. I decided to go apples to apples on the route to get a good comparison, except I went for the longer route this time, making it to Payson, then Globe, then around the long loop before heading back to the shop. I met a couple oil workers on Harleys in Payson, and they tagged along from Payson through the loop. It was the first time I had an opportunity to ride in a group, an experience I hope to repeat back in Illinois. We ended up eating at the same family restaurant since they hadn't been there. With time winding down again, I left my new friends on the loop to get back to the shop in time for check in.

Having never rented a motorcycle, I didn't know what to expect. The experience was so positive at AZride I wouldn't hesitate renting from them again. In fact, I began planning my next trip there in my mind for the fall. Many of my friends own bikes, and although we haven't had a chance to ride together yet, I would definitely recommend AZride for the rental to them. If for any reason they can't go, I would happily head out there again myself to rent a bike for myself. Regardless of your options, if you want a memorable experience from a reputable, experienced company, AZride is definitely the place to go.

Death Valley Days

When I told my wife I wanted to ride a bike out to Death Valley during our spring break trip to Phoenix, I think she thought I was crazy. After doing a little research though, I found AZRide and the planning started in earnest. We have a 2002 BMW R1150RS at home and we knew we wanted something similar. The RT seemed to be a logical choice especially since the lowered suspension was available to help with my in-seam challenges. I made the arrangements on-line and shipped our gear to Monica to hold until we got there. When we arrived, Gabor had the bike ready to go and we were quickly on our way. The first stop was Lake Havasu City. We didn't want to have a super long ride on the first day, so Lake Havasu seemed like a nice place to stop for the night. The bike was great to ride. Does anyone want to buy a nice used RS? :-) Our next day was an even shorter ride to Vegas to visit my cousin (oh yeah and do some gambling). So, we had some time in the morning to look around Lake Havasu before we needed to leave. Despite what the song says, London Bridge is NOT falling down. If you haven't been by there, I recommend you take a look at Lake Havasu. It's a pretty place and there is plenty to do there. After we looked around and took some pictures we hopped on the bike and headed to Vegas. We had gotten a GPS with the rental which was a big help as we were getting into the traffic around the city. If you're going to Vegas, get on-line and go to this link https://clubgrazie.venetian.com/SignUp/SignUp1.aspx. When you sign up for Club Grazie, you get a $15 credit on your club card which you can use to get you started with gambling at The Venetian. If you're playing with their money, anything you win is pure profit and you can't lose! After a great visit with my cousin and a little gambling, we headed off to Death Valley the next day. Unfortunately there was a cold front moving through the area producing 30-40 mph winds out of the south. Since we were heading predominately west, that meant heavy crosswinds most of the way. Temperatures dropped to 46 deg going through the mountain passes. Certainly not what we had expected for late Mar weather. Even in Death Valley the high was only in the mid-60's. But, once again, we were glad we were on the RT because it was very stable and the fairing provided good protection against the chill. Despite the, less than optimum weather, we had a good ride and got some good pictures in Death Valley. We stayed in one of the cabins at Furnace Creek Ranch. It was small, but comfortable.

The wind died down (no pun intended) overnight, but it was still a little cool for Death Valley. We headed to Laughlin, NV that morning. Why Laughlin? It was about halfway between Death Valley and Phoenix and the rooms were cheap. We stayed at the Aquarius (formerly the Flamingo Hilton) for about $40/night. The room was great, the riverwalk was nice and the buffet was good. Overall, a good place to stop for the night. Getting back to Phoenix from there was a breeze. When we arrived at AZRide, Monica greeted us with 2 bottles of water and had packing tape ready for us to prepare our gear for shipping. Once we completed the paperwork, she called us a cab. We could not have asked for a better experience! The service was outstanding and the motorcycle was in perfect condition. If we get the chance to do this again, we'll certainly use AZRide. We can't thank Monica and Gabor enough for making this a really fabulous vacation!

Thanks!!!!!

OK, so . . . I don't ride alot anymore and it doesn't make sense for me to own, insure or maintain my own bike; I did plenty of that when I was younger. So, to be able to call with relatively short notice, have all the paper work ready, the bike maintained, handed a bottle of water whether picking up or dropping off, to be given maps of great rides . . . I just can't imagine a greater experience.

AZride runs a great business; that it happens to be in the renting of motorcyles is great if you're renting a motorcycle. So, thanks for really knowing your customer; being treated like I am your only customer is just incredible!

THANKS!!!!

Bud