Route 66 Harley Davidson EXCLUSIVE VIP Tour

Information

Package overview

This unique experience will be available to less than 50 riders per year, and only offered through Celtic Horizon Tours and our service provider, Eaglerider.

Start off your Route 66 guided tour with two nights in Milwaukee to visit the Harley-Davidson Headquarters, and to enjoy a private, VIP experience at the Harley-Davidson Museum!

You will spend two nights at the incredible Iron Horse Hotel right next to the Museum, you’ll visit the tiny shed where Mr. Harley and the Davidsons built their first motorcycles; all capped off by a one-of-a-kind Museum Experience. And if that’s not enough, you still have an incredible journey down The Main Street of America, Route 66, to look forward to. Route 66 in and of itself is the journey of a lifetime for most riders.

Included in this package

All hotel accommodation
Late model motorcycle rental
Unlimited mileage
Free fuel and oil
“Welcome” and “Farewell” dinners
Helmets for driver and passenger
Daily breakfast
Professional tour leaders
Support vehicle equipped with spare bike and room for additional luggage
All taxes, fees and environmental surcharges
National park entrance fees
Hotel parking fees
Discounted activities
One Way Transfer fees (when applicable)
Transportation between the hotel and the EagleRider location
Custom riding jacket

NOT included in this package

Flights
Personal souvenirs
Beverages
Food and snacks (except welcome and farewell meals, as described)
Tips
Personal travel insurance (see below)
EVIP insurance (see below)
Supplemental Liability Insurance (see below)

Additional info

2 persons / 1 bike / 1 room from €4679.00 pps
2 persons / 2 bikes / 1 room from €6,250.00 pps
1 person / 1 bike / 1 room from €8,149.00

Insurance is a very important matter for everybody travelling by motorcycle. We feel therefore, that it is important that you clearly understand matters and set out the relevant information below.

1. Supplemental Liability Insurance (SLI)

All packages include a basic insurance for which the amount of cover varies from State to State. We strongly recommend that you give very serious consideration to taking the optional SLI as this increases your Liability Insurance Benefit up to US$1million. This insurance protects the renter against claims made by a Third Party for bodily injury and/or property damage sustained as a result of an accident.

2. EVIP Insurance

This policy is applicable to the motorcycle ONLY. It limits the liability of the renter:

in the event of any and all accidental damage to the motorcycle and its accessories.
the loss/theft of the vehicle provided the motorcycle was locked with all locks provided by the rental company.
in the event of mechanical breakdown requiring repair for more than 12 hours, the renter is provide with up to $75/day for a replacement rental + refund of daily rate.
covers the cost of tire repair/labour, but towing is NOT covered.
A Security Deposit of $300 will be taken upon collection of the motorcycle

IMPORTANT: A police report is required for all damages or accidents. All damages to rented motorcycle without a police report is considered the Renter’s fault.

3. Personal Travel Insurance

Your travel insurance policy must include repatriation to Ireland of patients by Air Ambulance or other medically approved means of transportation where it is deemed as preferable by the Medical Adviser of the Insurance Underwriters.

Please check closely the terms of cover provided by any travel insurance policy that you are offered or already hold. In our experience, most policies only provide cover for motorcycles up to 125cc which is not sufficient as most motorcycle models in use on the EagleRider tours range between 1200cc and 1800cc.

Celtic Horizon Tours will be happy to assist in obtaining quotations for suitable travel insurance cover should you require our assistance in this matter.

What to Bring

Warm Weather Riding Gear

* Mesh Riding Jacket
* Neck Cooler/ Bandana
* Hydration Pack

Cold Weather Riding Gear

* Leather Jacket
* Wind Proof Jacket
* Wind Proof Pants

Wet Weather Riding Gear

* Waterproof Jacket
* Waterproof Pants

Protective Riding Gear

* Goggles
* Sun Glasses
* Riding Boots
* Riding Gloves

FAQ

How many people are in a group?

We allow a maximum of 15 bikes per group. At rare occasions there can be a few more bikes but if the number exceeds 15 we may add a second tour guide on a motorcycle to the group.

Will I receive some kind of information about my tour before I arrive?

A road book for each specific tour will be sent to you via email as a pdf file; the book contains all important and necessary information about your tour, route, general information, etc.

Will there be enough photo stops on a guided tour?

While one just likes to ride and is hardly to be kept off his bike another may want to stop every five minutes to get this very special photo shot. We try to find a good average of stops to accommodate everyone’s needs.

Can I book additional nights before or after the tour through Celtic Horizon Tours?

Yes, we are happy to book additional accommodation before or after the tour for you. Please be aware that once an additional reservation has been made any changes or cancellation will result in a €50 handling fee per occurrence. Reservations for additional nights must be made at time of booking.

What is the weather going to be like?

If you’ve all been good the weather will be too…honestly, we can never be certain; this is one factor on our tours that we still haven’t been able to influence. In general you can say that during mid summer months you have a 90% chance of staying dry and hot weather on any of our tours. It’ll always be a little cool along the west coast and you can always expect some rain along Route 66. Please come prepared, bring your raingear and a variety of clothing to be armed for all weather conditions.

Do I have to wear a helmet?

For your own safety we require you to wear a helmet at all times when you ride a motorcycle.

Do all bikes have a windshield?

The only models that are equipped with a windshield are Electra Glide, Road Glide, Road King and Heritage Softail, and BMW. Especially during mid summer you will face very hot temperatures on your rides. A windshield will not only hold off dust and stones but also keep away direct hot air to your body.

IMPORTANT

If a person decides to travel without any travel insurance cover, they do so explicitly at their own risk, against our advice, and are deemed to absolve Celtic Horizon Tours Ltd, its employees, agents, suppliers and various affiliates of all and any responsibility and/or liability.
The prices shown are in respect of 2 pax + 1 bike sharing a twin / double room. Prices are also available on request for 2 pax + 2 bikes sharing a twin / double room, or 1 pax + 1 bike staying in a single room.

Itinerary

General Information

Departure Dates:

14 – 30 May 2019
25 June – 11 July 2019
30 July – 15 Aug 2019
13 Aug – 29 Aug 2019
10 – 26 Sep 2019

No of touring days: 17 days
No of nights in package: 16 nights
Arriving airport: Chicago, IL
Departing airport: Santa Fe, NM

Please note you arrive back in Ireland the day after the last day of the tour.

DAY 1 Milwaukee, WI - Arrival 0.0 mi / 0.0 km

Welcome to Milwaukee, the birthplace of Harley-Davidson, and one of our favorite Great Lakes cities. We will help you with transfers from the airport to the Iron Horse Hotel in Downtown Milwaukee. Once everybody is settled, we will meet up with the rest of the group for visit to House of Harley-Davidson to do a little shopping, before a fun dinner and night out at one of our favorite local restaurants.

DAY 2 Harley-Davidson Headquarters and Museum VIP Experience 0.0 mi / 0.0 km

We will grab a great breakfast at Iron Horse before making the short van trip to the H-D headquarters where we will be greeted by some of the Executives and Leaders of The Motor Company. We will then have the opportunity to shop in the H-D Corporate Store, an experience that is typically reserved for employees and partners. This is the only place in the world where you can purchase a Harley-Davidson t-shirt with “Juneau, Wisconsin,” the street the HQ sits on, as the location. It’s a pretty safe bet you will be the only person in your riding club, or even in your home city, that has the coveted “Juneau” t-shirt. Next we will make our way over to the H-D Museum for a truly VIP, behind the scenes experience. There is a lot to see in the Museum, so feel free to spend as much time as you like. It’s only a ten minute walk back to the hotel, where we will have a meetup planned for later than evening.

DAY 3 Milwaukee, WI – Downtown Chicago, IL 93.0 mi / 148.8 km

Today, we grab our Harleys and make the easy ride along the shores of Lake Michigan to the start of Route 66 in downtown Chicago. We will meet up with another EagleRider Route 66 group that is starting their journey in Chicago for a fun night out on the town, and maybe ribbing them a bit about how we just got to spend two days as VIPs in Milwaukee with Harley-Davidson! Tomorrow, we begin our 14 day journey down historic Route 66!

DAY 4 Chicago, IL – Springfield, IL 187.0 mi / 299.2 km

We’ll get a leisurely start to our day to give the Downtown Chicago traffic time to relax a bit before we hit the road, and to give our Chicago riders a chance to grab their bikes from EagleRider. Once they are set, we will meet up with them and begin our epic journey, cutting through the state of Illinois before running all the way to the Pacific Coast. From Chicago you head south along the Pontiac Trail, the original name for this bit of the road here, passing through Joliet, checking out the Launching Pad Giant, stopping at the amazing RT 66 Museum in Pontiac and generally getting a feel for the rubber on the Mother Road

DAY 5 Springfield, IL – St.Louis, MO 116.0 mi / 185.6 km

Today we head towards St. Louis! We will stay primarily on the 2-lane sections of the Mother Road, traversing cornfields and small towns that represent the heartland of America. Our arrival into St. Louis will be over the Chain of Rocks Bridge, the original bridge where RT 66 crossed the Mississippi River. Enjoy the short ride today into the “Gateway to the West,” St. Louis. This amazing city rests along the shores of the mighty Mississippi River and is home to some of the best live music and BBQ ribs in the country.

DAY 6 St. Louis, MO – Joplin, MO 335.0 mi / 536.0 km

Try to get up early to walk across the street today and enjoy an early morning view of the St. Louis Arch and Mississippi River before we hit the road. We quickly leave the city in mirrors as we settle in to enjoy the rolling Missouri hills that make this area so beautiful and fun to ride in. We will stop and see the famous World’s Largest Rocking Chair in Fanning, wind our way on the twisting roads of Devil’s Elbow! We will stop at Gay Parita’s,a Route 66 icon. Tonight we will enjoy a stay in Joplin, a city that was hit very hard in 2011 by a massive tornado. We’ll hang with the locals in the small downtown area and hear some amazing stories about what it was like to be in the eye of a massive tornado!

DAY 7 Joplin, MO – Oklahoma City, OK 255.0 mi / 408.0 km

Today is all about the ride! From Joplin we head west through the rolling hills and horse country that is Oklahoma, passing through the towns of Miami, Claremore and Catoosa, where the legendary Blue Whale resides, and stopping for lunch in a Tulsa diner. We will also pass through the lands of several Native American tribes. In the 1830’s all this land, held to be useless by the Federal Government, was set aside as Indian Territory–a convenient dumping ground for the tribes that “blocked” white settlement in the southern states. The Choctaw, Chickasaw, Seminole, Creek and Cherokee are some of the tribes that make up the state’s large Native American Indian population. Further west you ride through El Reno – over the mile-long bridge, near Bridgeport and into Oklahoma City, the heart and soul of Route 66 country.

DAY 8 Oklahoma City, OK – Amarillo, TX 266.0 mi / 425.6 km

This morning we travel along some of the oldest stretches of Oklahoma’s Route 66. Once the land of vast buffalo herds, this section of 66 traverses some of the great cattle trails which were used in the 1860s to drive herds of cattle from Texas up to the railhead in Abilene, Kansas. We will ride along a section of the Chisholm Trial, which passes through Yukon and El Reno, and stop at the amazing Route 66 Museum in Clinton. After lunch we cross the border into the Texas Panhandle, the southernmost portion of the Great Plains. Our good friends from “The Big Texan Steakhouse” will pick our group up at the hotel in a fleet of old Caddies graced with the horns of Texas Longhorns across the hood and take us to enjoy the absolute best steaks in Texas!

DAY 9 Amarillo, TX – Santa Fe, NM 303.0 mi / 484.8 km

Today you leave Texas and are on your way into “The Land of Enchantment”, New Mexico – after passing through the world famous Cadillac Ranch. How about the ghost town of Glen Rio, where you can stand with one foot in New Mexico and the other one in Texas? From there we enter the land the Comanche Indians, where mesas, mountains, cactus and pines define the landscape as head up into the High Plains and altitude of Santa Fe in central New Mexico. Santa Fe is one of America’s oldest and most beautiful cities, and will be our base for the next two nights.

DAY 10 Santa Fe, NM - Free Day 0.0 mi / 0.0 km

Today is at leisure to rest and enjoy the distinctive flavor of this nearly 400-year-old city. The blend of cultures here becomes evident in the southwestern architectural style so closely associated with New Mexico’s capital city. Perhaps you would like to take a ride along the river valley to the old Native American Indian town of Taos, enjoy a sunrise hot air balloon ride, or play cowboy for a day on a horseback ride along a mountain or canyon trail. Santa Fe provides all of these opportunities and more.

DAY 11 Santa Fe, NM – Gallup, NM 271.0 mi / 433.6 km

This morning you head south, down to Albuquerque, New Mexico’s largest city, with a third of the state’s population. Albuquerque is sprawling at the heart of New Mexico, where the main east – west road and rail routes cross both the Rio Grande and the old road south to Mexico. You cross the Rio Grande and head west – out into the open country and the hues of the Navajo wilderness. You are skirting mesas and bluffs on into Laguna. Further on ride through Grants and along Cibola National Forest towards the famous Route 66 town of Gallup – an old railroad town and Indian stronghold. Enjoy your stay tonight with a host of fellow riders from around the world at one of the many biker friendly hotels in Gallup.

DAY 12 Gallup, NM – Grand Canyon, AZ283.0 mi / 452.8 km

Today is another huge day, full of spectacular scenery and iconic Route 66 stops. We cross the border into Arizona and ride to Petrified Forest National Park, a fossilized prehistoric forest of gigantic trees that has been unearthed by erosion. Here you will have the time to explore this stunning landscape and take a moment to get lost in the expansiveness that defines this area. Leaving Petrified Forest NP, we travel further west to the Wigwam Hotel in Holbrook, and stop to stand on the corner in Winslow! While most groups stop in Flagstaff or Williams, Arizona, we will ride on to spend our night just one mile from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon! Tonight you will sit with a cold drink in your hand and enjoy the sunset over the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. The dream is coming true!

DAY 13 Grand Canyon, AZ – Laughlin, AZ 256.0 mi / 409.6 km

For those looking to get a real “Bird’s Eye View” of the Grand Canyon be sure to let us know and we will arrange a morning helicopter ride over the heart of the South Rim. Later, we will have plenty of time to ride along the rim and stop for amazing vistas and photos. We will leave the Grand Canyon and pick Route 66 back up in Williams, Arizona before heading stops in the famous 66 towns of Seligman, Peach Springs, and Hackberry.

DAY 14 Laughlin, AZ – Las Vegas, NV 129.0 mi / 206.4 km

Today is a quick ride for a little detour to take in the incredible sights and sounds of Las Vegas…but first we ride through the Old West Ghost Town of Oatman, and journey across the famous Hoover Dam! One thing is for sure, your time in Vegas may be short, but it will sure be sweet! Try to get a little bit of sleep because we pick up Route 66 tomorrow right where we left off yesterday.

DAY 15 Las Vegas, NV – Victorville, CA 282.0 mi / 451.2 km

Today we cross the border into our final State on Route 66 – California! One thing is for sure, today is a day like no other as we traverse the Mojave Desert which offers some of the most dramatic scenery in Southern California. You can imagine what it must have been like for early Route 66 travelers making their way across this huge expanse of desert, dotted with Joshua Trees, cactus, volcanic rock and sand!. Tonight, we celebrate our last night on the Mother Road.

DAY 16 Victorville, CA – Los Angeles, CA 124.0 mi / 198.4 km

Today we head off for our final destination – the end of the road on the Santa Monica Pier! To get there, however, we first get to ride the 66 miles of the Angeles Crest Highway through the mountainous terrain of Angeles National Forest. This highway is considered one of the top motorcycle rides in southern California and rises to over 2300 meters. Next we descend the Crest into the Los Angeles Basin and heading towards the Pacific Ocean. Riders always have mixed emotions as they stand at the “End of the Trail” sign on the Santa Monica Pier. There is a sense of joy and elation at having completed a journey most people only dream about, and a sense of sadness at the thought of the ride having come to an end. Tonight we celebrate the miles we’ve ridden and the friends we made as we party together for our Farewell Dinner!

DAY 17 Los Angeles, CA - Departure 0.0 mi / 0.0 km

Today your exciting trip will conclude in Los Angeles. Please be sure to let us know if you need an extra night or two in L.A. to enjoy the sights. We can even arrange a discounted motorcycle rental! See you next year!