Eaglerider Advice
Discussion
Was thinking of doing the mid-life crisis Harley road trip to the Grand Canyon/Vegas. Me + Mrs B as pillion for a week/10 days. I was thinking Eaglerider. Anybody have any pointers & overall budgets??
Also, having never ridden any form of HD/cruiser, how does one get training before one goes, so to avoid looking like a total tit?
Also, having never ridden any form of HD/cruiser, how does one get training before one goes, so to avoid looking like a total tit?
I did something similar in 2015, albeit only for 4 days as I was there on a business trip and had some spare days to kill.
I hired through enterprise and organised the rest of the trip myself. Based myself in Vegas so that meant Grand Canyon, Death Valley and red rock were all within reasonably easy reach.
That said we did the south rim of the Grand Canyon and back in a day which was a bit much as it’s a 560 mile round trip.
Also the Grand Canyon was bloody cold, we weren’t really dressed for it as Vegas was a balmy 20 odd Celsius when we left at 07:00 (April time).
Harley’s are really easy things ride, centre of gravity is low down so they hide their weight well.
Only thing to watch is the ground clearance is low so it’s easy to grind the pegs on the floor if you get a bit enthusiastic.
They’re best ridden as cruisers, take t easy and enjoy the view. They work well in that environment where the distances are massive.
I hired through enterprise and organised the rest of the trip myself. Based myself in Vegas so that meant Grand Canyon, Death Valley and red rock were all within reasonably easy reach.
That said we did the south rim of the Grand Canyon and back in a day which was a bit much as it’s a 560 mile round trip.
Also the Grand Canyon was bloody cold, we weren’t really dressed for it as Vegas was a balmy 20 odd Celsius when we left at 07:00 (April time).
Harley’s are really easy things ride, centre of gravity is low down so they hide their weight well.
Only thing to watch is the ground clearance is low so it’s easy to grind the pegs on the floor if you get a bit enthusiastic.
They’re best ridden as cruisers, take t easy and enjoy the view. They work well in that environment where the distances are massive.
I asked this at last year . Eagle rider came up. As did the do it yourself hire and tour.
I would rather do it myself but my mate wanted guided tour. Mainly do we can meet lots of other like minded people etc..
In the end I have booked for Oct with Eagle rider. They seem to be very good. I spoke to them in person at the NEC bike show last Nov.
So I've yet to go away with them but booked and looking forward to my wild west tour. Even changed my mind and hired a Street Glide. Wanted big and comfy.
My thread when I asked about touring the US
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
I would rather do it myself but my mate wanted guided tour. Mainly do we can meet lots of other like minded people etc..
In the end I have booked for Oct with Eagle rider. They seem to be very good. I spoke to them in person at the NEC bike show last Nov.
So I've yet to go away with them but booked and looking forward to my wild west tour. Even changed my mind and hired a Street Glide. Wanted big and comfy.
My thread when I asked about touring the US
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
RemaL said:
I asked this at last year . Eagle rider came up. As did the do it yourself hire and tour.
I would rather do it myself but my mate wanted guided tour. Mainly do we can meet lots of other like minded people etc..
In the end I have booked for Oct with Eagle rider. They seem to be very good. I spoke to them in person at the NEC bike show last Nov.
So I've yet to go away with them but booked and looking forward to my wild west tour. Even changed my mind and hired a Street Glide. Wanted big and comfy.
My thread when I asked about touring the US
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
May I be vulgar & ask how much your budget is, including flights? My basic plan is to fly to Vegas & do maybe 7 day trip with Mrs B as pillion....I would rather do it myself but my mate wanted guided tour. Mainly do we can meet lots of other like minded people etc..
In the end I have booked for Oct with Eagle rider. They seem to be very good. I spoke to them in person at the NEC bike show last Nov.
So I've yet to go away with them but booked and looking forward to my wild west tour. Even changed my mind and hired a Street Glide. Wanted big and comfy.
My thread when I asked about touring the US
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
My wife and I are heading to the US in 4 weeks and have each taken a bike from Eagle Rider, (Softail Classic and 883 Sportster). So far all seems good.
I did drop a line last week asking about help getting our main bags to Boston since we hire the bikes in Washington DC and haven't had a response yet. That's about the worst so far but then again have not actually had the bikes yet.
We did take all the insurances, (theft still has a $2500 excess with this), and are paying the best part of $200 a day plus a $200 one way hire fee so it is not cheap but you've likely already seen this!
Really hoping all goes well and very much looking forward to it! Can report back towards the end of June!
I did drop a line last week asking about help getting our main bags to Boston since we hire the bikes in Washington DC and haven't had a response yet. That's about the worst so far but then again have not actually had the bikes yet.
We did take all the insurances, (theft still has a $2500 excess with this), and are paying the best part of $200 a day plus a $200 one way hire fee so it is not cheap but you've likely already seen this!
Really hoping all goes well and very much looking forward to it! Can report back towards the end of June!
I've not hired through EagleRider, instead I've tended to find smaller, local, outfits to be cheaper and a bit more flexible (although with a one way trip you'll probably be stuck looking at hiring from one of the 'big' companies - an alternative to eaglerider would be 'orange and black').
One thing to look out for when renting in the states is the deposit fees, not only for the bike but for every single item or extra you take! You'll be looking at easily $5,000+ hold on credit card for the bike deposit, plus whatever deposit fees they chose to add for helmets, protective gear, panniers, breakdown cover etc. which can add another $1,000+ on the deposit total. They really like to screw you on the extras in the states!
It also really depends which model you fancied hiring, a Sportster will be the cheapest, and even the 883 is perfectly capable of doing 2-up on the motorway/highway/freeway. I ride one as my daily commuter and have regularly done 100 mile trips on it to visit my mother across country - does it well but that is about the limit of the fuel-tank (approx 100-125miles depending how you run it), plus even with a comfortable sundowner seat and forward controls by 100 miles you're ready for a stretch and an un-numbing of the arse!
For a super comfortable experience, and ability to take a fair bit of luggage, the Ultra-glide is great, but it will be one of the more expensive options when you look at kitting it out with the hard-panniers, backbox unit etc.
As for riding a cruiser, depends what you are used to currently - lots of people criticize Harleys for not being able to lean well which for some is true, however many of the newer models (circa-2007 onwards) have a much better lean angle than you'd expect and you wouldn't be scraping on most rides (unless you are used to a super-sports type are one for really flinging it into corners). The biggest issue you will probably run into is fuel tank size - depending what model you go for and how often you desire to stop. A lot of Harleys have fairly small fuel tanks, and it seems to be the thing at the moment (post 2013ish) to have even smaller peanut tanks, eg. the 'Forty-Eight' whilst a lovely bike, has a fuel tank smaller than an incontinence's bladder!
Either way, riding in the US is a very interesting experience for those used to British roads, oh and don't filter or "lane split", its illegal in most places (bar a few states like California and even then its somewhat frowned upon by other roads users). Good luck and let us know how you do!
One thing to look out for when renting in the states is the deposit fees, not only for the bike but for every single item or extra you take! You'll be looking at easily $5,000+ hold on credit card for the bike deposit, plus whatever deposit fees they chose to add for helmets, protective gear, panniers, breakdown cover etc. which can add another $1,000+ on the deposit total. They really like to screw you on the extras in the states!
It also really depends which model you fancied hiring, a Sportster will be the cheapest, and even the 883 is perfectly capable of doing 2-up on the motorway/highway/freeway. I ride one as my daily commuter and have regularly done 100 mile trips on it to visit my mother across country - does it well but that is about the limit of the fuel-tank (approx 100-125miles depending how you run it), plus even with a comfortable sundowner seat and forward controls by 100 miles you're ready for a stretch and an un-numbing of the arse!
For a super comfortable experience, and ability to take a fair bit of luggage, the Ultra-glide is great, but it will be one of the more expensive options when you look at kitting it out with the hard-panniers, backbox unit etc.
As for riding a cruiser, depends what you are used to currently - lots of people criticize Harleys for not being able to lean well which for some is true, however many of the newer models (circa-2007 onwards) have a much better lean angle than you'd expect and you wouldn't be scraping on most rides (unless you are used to a super-sports type are one for really flinging it into corners). The biggest issue you will probably run into is fuel tank size - depending what model you go for and how often you desire to stop. A lot of Harleys have fairly small fuel tanks, and it seems to be the thing at the moment (post 2013ish) to have even smaller peanut tanks, eg. the 'Forty-Eight' whilst a lovely bike, has a fuel tank smaller than an incontinence's bladder!
Either way, riding in the US is a very interesting experience for those used to British roads, oh and don't filter or "lane split", its illegal in most places (bar a few states like California and even then its somewhat frowned upon by other roads users). Good luck and let us know how you do!
I did something similar a decade or more back and i’d watch for:
- High altitude temperatures can be cold, so lots of layers. Watch when in the year you go, once past October it can get pretty wild if you are high up.
- Fuel stations can often be 100+ miles apart as you get away from the main drags so fill up when you can
- Helmet law varies (yes in Nevada, no in Arizona etc) so be aware when deciding “beanie hat vs full face AGV, today?”
- Some roads are just long straight boring stuff, plan your A to B around interesting stuff - 9hrs in the saddle can get tedious
- Watch out for what seem like short cuts, can take you a long way off the beaten track
- Long periods of no cell phone coverage, so have a plan in case you’re caught out
- North Rim GC is nicer, less touristy to get to but higher, colder and much more remote
- Take in-ear headphones to play “American rock stuff”, really puts you in the mood and kills the boredom of some bits
- Take a camera and stop a lot. “Big sky” is something to behold up at 8,000 ft.
- Enjoy, it’s quite an experience.
We used eaglerider to to a Route 66 trip last year by bike over 15 days plus a couple more either end in Chicago and LA. We had 45 deg in the desert, snow one morning on the mountains and a bit of tornado chasing in the middle free of charge.
No complaints at all, it was all very professional, well organised and taken care of, a very slick operation. Virtually new hire bikes too.
Not much to add on what others have said, although I would think about pillion comfort for 10 days. After 3-4 days my other half and a couple of others on big Harley or Indian tourers were all fine doing fine 250-300 miles a day. Some of the other ladies getting off the back of smaller bikes were not so good. Some even resorted to doing 1/2 day in the support truck following a few miles behind as they were not comfortable.
For your wife's sake get a Harley or Indian tourer
Dont worry about riding it, so long as you have some big bike and pillion experience you will be get used to it in a day or two
No complaints at all, it was all very professional, well organised and taken care of, a very slick operation. Virtually new hire bikes too.
Not much to add on what others have said, although I would think about pillion comfort for 10 days. After 3-4 days my other half and a couple of others on big Harley or Indian tourers were all fine doing fine 250-300 miles a day. Some of the other ladies getting off the back of smaller bikes were not so good. Some even resorted to doing 1/2 day in the support truck following a few miles behind as they were not comfortable.
For your wife's sake get a Harley or Indian tourer
Dont worry about riding it, so long as you have some big bike and pillion experience you will be get used to it in a day or two
Biker 1 said:
RemaL said:
I asked this at last year . Eagle rider came up. As did the do it yourself hire and tour.
I would rather do it myself but my mate wanted guided tour. Mainly do we can meet lots of other like minded people etc..
In the end I have booked for Oct with Eagle rider. They seem to be very good. I spoke to them in person at the NEC bike show last Nov.
So I've yet to go away with them but booked and looking forward to my wild west tour. Even changed my mind and hired a Street Glide. Wanted big and comfy.
My thread when I asked about touring the US
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
May I be vulgar & ask how much your budget is, including flights? My basic plan is to fly to Vegas & do maybe 7 day trip with Mrs B as pillion....I would rather do it myself but my mate wanted guided tour. Mainly do we can meet lots of other like minded people etc..
In the end I have booked for Oct with Eagle rider. They seem to be very good. I spoke to them in person at the NEC bike show last Nov.
So I've yet to go away with them but booked and looking forward to my wild west tour. Even changed my mind and hired a Street Glide. Wanted big and comfy.
My thread when I asked about touring the US
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
I paid a few months ago for flights with BA to LA and return from Las Vegas for both myself and my mate around £1100 which i thought was good for a return flight. £550 each.
As budget it depends on what tour you pick. And without looking I am unsure how much the wild west 2 hour was. Plus the bike you pick. I wanted big and comfy so went for the Street glide. Mate picked the Road king. And you can swap bikes which I intend to do to see what they are both like.
costs for parking at Heathrow was £82 in the long stay for the time we are away.
So apart from the tour, flights and parking it's just beer and spending money as food is sorted by Eaglerider. As well as Hotel.
We booked flights 2 days before and 2 days after the tour finish. giving us a extra Day both ends to spend at our leisure in LA and Vegas
Soft Top said:
We did take all the insurances, (theft still has a $2500 excess with this), and are paying the best part of $200 a day plus a $200 one way hire fee so it is not cheap but you've likely already seen this!
Can't you just get the insurance excess covered in the UK?Cost a fraction of the cost usually.
We've used Eaglerider 3 times (I think) twice from SFO and once from Vegas.....
Excellent service, well prepared bikes, and a selection of gear to borrow or buy once you get there. As the bike trip was only a part of the holiday each time, we stored our suitcases upstairs at the rental shop, until we returned.
I always went for an Electra Glide, other went for Fat boy, heritage softails etc.
I can heartily recommend the Electra glide, easy to ride, just don't be intimidated by the size of it, and it all falls into place. I'm a stumpy 5'4" weakling and it never gave me a moments worry. The luggage capacity is immense, useful if your taking a partner of the femail persuasion.
Do it, ,you won't regret it !
Excellent service, well prepared bikes, and a selection of gear to borrow or buy once you get there. As the bike trip was only a part of the holiday each time, we stored our suitcases upstairs at the rental shop, until we returned.
I always went for an Electra Glide, other went for Fat boy, heritage softails etc.
I can heartily recommend the Electra glide, easy to ride, just don't be intimidated by the size of it, and it all falls into place. I'm a stumpy 5'4" weakling and it never gave me a moments worry. The luggage capacity is immense, useful if your taking a partner of the femail persuasion.
Do it, ,you won't regret it !
I’ve used Eagle Rider from Vegas twice and found them perfectly good, although can’t compare against anyone else there.
Just two gripes: they only had the basic tin-hat style helmet and although it’s “the look”, I’m guessing they offer very little protection. Secondly they kept us waiting a long time while they sorted out a large group before us.
Just two gripes: they only had the basic tin-hat style helmet and although it’s “the look”, I’m guessing they offer very little protection. Secondly they kept us waiting a long time while they sorted out a large group before us.
Hired from them a few times, always had great service.
My points for what they are worth..
Get a bike with a screen
Hire lids are rubbish
Wear sunscreen and take water!
If riding in Vegas get up into the mountains, stunning scenery
My missus hated the Harley and the immense heat (we went in a July). I loved it
Enjoy, they are a good hire company from my pov
My points for what they are worth..
Get a bike with a screen
Hire lids are rubbish
Wear sunscreen and take water!
If riding in Vegas get up into the mountains, stunning scenery
My missus hated the Harley and the immense heat (we went in a July). I loved it
Enjoy, they are a good hire company from my pov
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