Great Day Trip!

Sunday Feb. 10th, 50 deg at 8:30 am departure, back Scottsdale 5:30.
I don't have any heated gear, and you w'ont need any for any part of this 385 mile day trip.
H87 “Beeline” to Payson, straight ahead, 60-70 mph easy cruising to wake up. Keep on 87N,, and met up with 4 Phoenix BMW riders in Pine,, for the rest of the trip. Snow on the roadsides in the elevations,, no ice, great road conditions, little or no traffic, continue on 87 to 260 west trough Camp Verde, lots of nice sweepers, keeping it under 90mph on this leg,, fantastic scenery,, Flagstaff snowcapped peaks in distance, fabulous,, 260 ending at 89, then to Jerome. Jerome is a little postcard kind of place,, switchbacks up into town,, lots of history, artsy place,,, try the fudge,, 20-40 rides there at mid day, so must be popular destination for riders,, bar on the corner of downtown has great character,, walked around for maybe an hour. Stay on 89 climbing out of Jerome on Twisties, then descending towards Prescott. Great twisties, some sand in centre track,, road a bit chewed up from sand and snowplows,, but still great,, hardly any traffic so nothing to hold you back from having a blast! Sand will be non-issue after winter and rain washes it away. Into Prescott for a mid afternoon coffee,, Staying on 89 and back into twisties,, no sand this leg and road is great, twisties are cleaner>safer>more challenging>fantastic!,,, vehicular traffic picked up only marginally,, but still easy enough to get in front of 4 wheeled stuff. Out of the elevation back into some sweepers and then straighter stretches where we are cruising at 100, and at times around 130-140 mph for what seem like 10 mile stretches,,, the Kawi concours14 is running about 7500rpm in OD at this point,, but I'm not out here to see how fast it goes, but it definately goes,,, just keeping up with the lead bikes,, and after that well pretty monotonous heavily trafficked from Wickenburg to Scottsdale on hwy60, where I get my ride to AZRide by 5:30, total is 385 miles.
There are few places that rent other than Hogs Wings and big Beemers. Azride have a small fleet, but pretty good variety of rides, very proffesional and knowledgeable couple run the joint. 9 out of 10 recomendation.
Kawisaki Concours 1400 is a sweet ride. Ridding position is upright, but it is so stable that I almost feel that I let my guard down tracking curves,, it just wants to carve right in and back out and handles those twisties like nothing,, but feedback is there and it still lets you know you have to push on the bar.. Could have kept riding for hours,,, didn’t squirm my butt around in the seat once, no joint pains, not tired at all. At 650 lbs, the weight distribution makes moving the bike around dead slow, seem like it's a lot lighter of a ride. Power band is impressive, distribution is consistent rpm dependent,, so the only downside to this ride is heat generation,, which I only notice from Wickenburg to Scottsdale, riding at 55-75 mph in 75 degrees,, and yep it's giving it off.
For 160 dollars rental 400 free miles, plus gaz, insurances, etc,, it works out to a pretty cheap couple of hundred dollars to trial a great ride on a route that I think described above as offering, well,,, everything.
There is absolutely nothing here,, close by where I live,, that compares to what you have there for riding,, so I'm not envious,, I'm outright jealous!
This is a great route for anyone from outside of the area too. lots of hotels, great AZ hospitality, so come in to the area, ride the route the next day, overnight and back home.
There is a ton do do other than Golf in Arizona!
Peter
(Ontario, Canada)

1600 miles in and around Arizona

I am grateful to be among AZRide's satisfied customers. Monica and Gabor have created something special and I highly recommend it to anyone who shares a passion for motorcycles and great scenery. Their approach and their fine stable of bikes make it easy once you stop dreaming and pick up the phone. The bikes are first rate and worthy of your confidence. I truly get the impression that Gabor treats each one of them as it were his only bike. Monica makes sure your questions are answered and that your needs are met. Arizona and the neighboring states take care of all the rest, providing unlimited options for magnificent views and memorable experiences.

I booked my trip for late September, 2007. Riding Harleys around Florida is nice but I always wanted to throw my leg over a BMW and I can never get enough of the West. I made the call and in no time had arranged for 7 days on a R1200GS. With my 6'5" frame and the kind of riding I had it mind, it turned out to be a great choice. Great at speeds and in turns. Sixty days to plan, gear up and anticipate the trip were put to good use and I spent many an evening in Google Earth trying to plan the perfect route.

My trip ended up covering 1600 miles of Indian reservations and mountain roads. After checking out Prescott and Jerome in AZ, I spent a night in Sedona and headed north through Oak Creek Canyon and on through the Navajo reservation and four corners area to Dolores, Colorado. I can recommend "Cabins at Bear Creek" near Dolores as a fine place to rest up to tackle the "Million Dollar Highway". The loop through Durango, Silverton, Ouray and Telluride provided views and twisties worthy of that name to a motorcycle tourer. A second night back at the Cabins and it was off for eastern Arizona and its White Mountains. Hannagan Meadow Lodge was my destination and provided a nice place to stay and a great place to ride. That was my first taste of the forests and meadows that you'll find at 9000 ft at the top of Route 191. Talk about your twisties, but be careful!

I made the trip alone this time and truly loved the solitude, but I may never again get that chance. After sharing my pictures and stories from the trip I'm afraid I'll be leading a tour group next time. The morning after one of my night's rests three older retired men stopped to watch me load up for my departure. I could see in their expressions equal parts of envy and regret. One of them said, "I wish I had done something like that when I was younger". At 52 I'm no kid but I thank God I'll never have to make that statement. I hope you don't either. Make plans now!

Steve from Florida

Jerry & Orv from WA

Orv and I had a great ride. The weather could have been a little better, but it was still far above what I found at home when I got back. It took me two tries to get up my driveway due to having to bash through the snow berm left by the snowplow.I was a little apprehensive about renting the SV650. I sat on one before I left and the stock seat height seemed fine, and I was afraid that two inches lower would be a problem. I also thought that three days riding without any wind protection would be pretty tiring. However, all your other bikes were too tall for this 5 ft. 6 in old-timer, so I went with the SV. It turned out to be a great choice. I was not aware from your website that you had a windscreen on the SV650, so that solved the wind blast problem, and the lowered seat height actually made the bike more maneuverable and easier to get on and off with the hard bags that were installed.
I last rode a motorcycle in Arizona in 1964 when I had a summer job at Ft Huachuca. I bought a 1962 Triumph TR6-C in Tucson that summer and rode it all over the southeast of the state. There were a lot less people then, but the mountains and desert are pretty much as I remembered them.


So, thanks for the great service and the pristine, new motorcycle. Jerry

Hi Monica,just wanted to thank both of you for the great service and would of loved to rented again sunday, but the weather changed that,guess it has to rain sometime,thanks again,will be back next year. Ken

Jim and Friends from Edmonton, Alberta

On behalf of our group of four escaping the cold grip of a western Canadian winter, a big thanks to Monica for organizing our rental and ride. Excellent communication from the very first inquiry, everything clearly spelled out at the pick-up and gorgeous bikes rolled out for our start. The dedication to service and customer satisfaction is evident from start to finish. Our short trip to New Mexico and Arizona was enough to want to return again. I would definitely recommend AZride.com to anyone serious about riding top calibre bikes in the sunny warm south west.
Best regards
Jim Carey

Gary from Florida

Thank you both for a great day out riding the 1200GS. I found the experience both professional and friendly and will certainly be returning to Arizona and AZ Ride.
Warm regards, Gary

Another great trip!

Jenn and I just got back to cold Minnesota.  Had a great time with the Goldwing!  This is my third time renting from AZRide.  I have rented an R1200RT and a Kawasaki Concours 14 previously.  The Goldwing was a real departure from those bikes but great for the two of us.  Couldn't be happier with your company.  It has been great also trying the different bikes out and really living with them for a while.  No dealership test ride can substitute for it.

On this ride we left from Phoenix and rode to La Quinta, Ca where we stayed for a week.  The Goldwing swallowed all our luggage and, as always, was in top condition.  I am an avid rider and pride myself in the care and maintenance of my bikes.  The bikes I have rented from AZRide have been clean and obviously cared for in a way I would my own.  Their clean facility also shows this ethic. Monica and Gabor have been an absolute pleasure to deal with and will definitely get my business again.  

Thanks Monica and Gabor.....see you again!

Brian Boyle 

MIKE FROM VANCOUVER, WA

Now that I am back in the North I would like to take a minute to thank Monica and Gabor for a great ride last Sunday. I took a business trip to So-Cal and Scottsdale and extended my stay for several days to soak up some sun. Something that is hard to do in the Portland / Vancouver area this time of year. I had never been in Arizona before and thought a bike ride would be a nice intro to the area. I rode the 1200 GS for approx 200 miles thru the beautiful scenery. It was great. Much of it is similar to our terrain up here, only drier and warmer this time of year. I also wanted to ride a GS. I spend my saddle time on a V-Strom and wanted to try something different. I really appreciated the condition of the bike. It was spotless. No dings, or dents. Nothing "rough" about it. Excellent condition. I feel the bikes and the people make this a top shelf operation. I will be back, and HIGHLY recommend it to anyone considering a bike rental in the area.
Next time I will take Gabors' suggestion to try the RT.
Thanks again.
Mike Jeffries

Breton from Canada

My five day ride through Arizona was awesome! The Ducati was a great bike. Thanks for everything.

Kevin from Massachusetts

Thanks for a great experience. I am not a picture taker but here are my comments.
" It is cold and snowy in Massachusetts this time of year and my cruiser was winterized about a month ago. When I found out that I was going to Phoenix in January I did some web surfing for motorcycle rental companies and decided to call AZRides. I called the day before I wanted to rent a bike and spoke with Monica. She was extremely helpful and courteous and we set up my pick up time for the following day.
I showed up a little early and all the paperwork was quickly finished. Gabor then gave me a very thorough understanding of the bike that I would be riding (R 1200 RT). He then explained a couple of route options.
I chose the slighly longer route (about 200 miles) and had a great ride. I have rented motorcycles in Denver, San Francisco, Las Vegas and San Diego and the scenery on my Arizona ride was some of the best that I had ever expereienced. The route had a good mix of road types, twisties, straights, etc.
Monica and Gabor run a very nice business and I would go back to them anytime. I highly recommend their company to anyone looking for a great ride and great rental company in the Phoenix area."

The New Year in Phoenix

I was in Phoenix (from Omaha) over New Years to visit my family. It's been cold and snowy in Omaha. I haven't been able to ride my bike for a couple months, so what could be better than renting a bike in Phoenix.

I've heard lots of good things about the Suzuki VStrom's and I wanted to try one. I did a web search and found MCTours. What a terrific experience. Monica and Gabor were fantastic. Monica made the paperwork painless. Gabor takes care of the bikes and the VStrom was flawless. Gabor provided a me with a great route. A couple hundred miles of twisty's and incredible scenery.

If you'd like to read my ride report, it's located here...

Would I rent from Monica and Gabor again? You bet. In a heartbeat. These guys are the best.

Antonio and Fabio from Italy

Some picture of our beautiful trip in AZ and UT.
We hope to meet you and your husband again next summer for another riding tour in your wonderful area!

All the best,

Antonio and Fabio

Jim and Karen from New York

We rented the Multi-Strada from you back in late June and just wanted you to know that we had an absolute BLAST! So much so that it inspired us to sell our current motorcycle and buy a sport-tourer! You can read the full story at TLPlanet.com

Joe and Kate from PA

To Monica and all the folks who helped us with our fantastic vacation,
Thank you so much for all that you did for us so that we could have
one of the BEST vacations we've ever had!!!
The bike was great and the scenery in your great state was phenomenal!!
I hope that we can send some referrals your way.
Thanks, again, for everything,

Joe and Kate

Jim from PA

This is a quick note to say thank you for a well suggested & thoroughly enjoyed trip the other week.


There's a good chance I'll be back when the opportunity presents.
A person by the name of Andy whom I met at the california superbike school asked about riding / renting in the US. I passed on your info and suggested that AZ was great place to ride.

Allan, Glyn and Mark

AZRide promised the trip of a lifetime and delivered ….and more!. Monica and Gabor are great to work with and helped us out in every way they could. The bikes were incredible, the scenery was amazing, the journey was everything we hoped for. We’ll be back for more.

Bill and Thora from Alberta, Canada

I just thought I would drop you a note to say that we thoroughly enjoyed the trip that you planned for us this year as much as the previous one. I have enclosed a picture of our house taken last Friday Mar.23 - just in case there was any doubt why we come to Arizona to bike in the winter.

James and Jane, Canada

Thank you again for the excellent service provided by you and your company as regards our 10-day rental of the BMW 1200RT. The bike was in virtually new condition and performed well beyond my expectations (speaking as a guy who has never ridden anything but cruisers). On the business side, your service was without exception professional, helpful and courteous. Both Jane and I would be delighted to act as referrals for you should any prospective customer feel the need for such.

Roger from MN

"Hope this email finds you guys doing well. I did write a article for our national newsletter about my experience and was published in June.

I thought I would put the article into a one page pdf file for you to print out and put on your board or whatever you'd like.

Thanks again for a great experience."

Download the full story in PDF file.

Mark and Vincent from UK

My friend Vincent and I had intended to get out of town and explore some of the local area, only having knowledge of well known / tourist destinations, but not knowing anything more. Thanks to Gabor suggesting a route, the day exceeded our expectations completely! I can honestly say I was overwhelmed with the beauty of the scenery and the quality of the ride, it was like the road was put together especially for that bike ride!
One might say it was the scenery that made the day, but for me it was much more than that. Your help and patience sorting the paperwork late into the evening (and without prior notice), and Gabor’s help and advice were a big part of what made the whole experience so positive, and enjoyable. So I just wanted to say thank you for making the day so good. I am reminded of a proverb; "It is good to have an end to journey towards, but it is the journey that matters in the end!”

Steve and Brigitte from CO

Thanks again for the great bike this past Sunday! I have rented bikes before in other cities and I have to tell you I felt like the bike you rented us had just come off of a show room floor. We had a wonderful evening and day with the bike. Thanks for the great friendly service as well. Most places you get that too cool for school attitude. You guys were great!!!

Jim & Donna, PA

Thanks again for a great weekend out of the ice and snow of Hershey, Pa. Also thanks for shipping the packages so promptly.
We had our flight delayed out of Philly and did not get home until Monday at 11:30 p.m. Then guess what? Our bags were lost again, they only had 6 hours to get to our plane. We would do it all over again, but we would ship our stuff to you the next time. Feel free to use us as a reference for anyone who wants a recommendation.

Bill and Ruth, Peyton, CO

Just a short note to say "thank you" to both of you for a truly wonderful experience that Ruth and I had while motorcycling here in Arizona. The Goldwing that we rented from you was top notch all the way and was certainly a first class ride. It was in perfect shape and we really enjoyed our trip down to Tombstone. We had a blast!
Thanks also for handling all the necessary paperwork well in advance in order to make renting a motorcycle from AZ Ride absolutely seamless. We checked in and out with you in a matter of minutes and that enabled us to get on the Goldwing and start our adventure almost immediately. You both are professionals all the way in our book.
Please don't hesitate to use us for a reference if the need would ever come up. We had a wonderful time and won't ever hesitate to use your company in the future. You guys are the BEST!
Ruth and I taken in front of the Goldwing at the Saguaro National Park in Tucson. What a beautiful place, we'll be back!!

Paul, Mark, and Steven

We had a great time on the ride on Friday December 1. I got and enthusiastic "yes" from the guys when I asked if they wanted to do it again next year. We appreciate your efforts in providing well maintained bikes, interesting bikes that aren't Harleys, and a well organized rental process. Our rental experience really could not have been better.
Paul

“Volvo guys”

The annual tour to Jerome!