-- Doc
And unlike the many others, I stand to profit ZERO from this. I'm not here to make a buck off of you, and hopefully I can point you to where you need to go to get free advice, rather than paying for something that others got for free. Route 66 seems to be the snake oil, the swamp land, the pyramid schemes for the '90s. This seems especially true with yuppie bikers, $20,000 worth of new Harley under them, new jeans, new Harley clothes, out to play biker for a week. While some bikers laugh at them being taken, I figure no one deserved to be ripped off. It just fuels even more con artists.
In 1991, I rode Route 66 from St. Louis to LA, or at least most of it. A few side trips along the way prevented riding some of it. I've ridden from St. Louis to Chicago several times by bike, but most of those times were commuting to work in '85. The commute on the bike was actually more refreshing than in my van. In '82, I rode from Oklahoma City to St. Louis by bike. If you are an experienced long distance rider, then most of this is nothing new. If not, or you have never ridden out west in the heat, some of this may help you.
I've made several trips by car, the first being in '65, but it isn't the same.
Personally, I found that riding Route 66 is more a state of mind than actually the riding of that piece of concrete, so in preparation you should ride several old highways before going off on this one. This is the underlying theme of the TV series "Route 66" in that the road represented freedom and getting away from the established norms of society. Today it also includes a chance to reflect on our past and a life-style that has almost disappeared from this country. If this is what you are after, then by all means learn to find it around home first before seeking it out on a lonely, semi-deserted road that stretches between Chicago and LA. Almost any old US highway can provide it. Besides, that is a lot of the reason for riding a motorcycle.
If you are after adventure, pack the directions of every turn and stop sign where you can find them if you get lost but refer to them only after you have been lost for 30 minutes. Then hunt for the old road by the clues given in the way the road lays, the closeness of telephone lines, railroads, and how it flows into each town. To get a feel for how such an old road looks, ride some of the old US highways like US 1, 6, 30, 40, 50, 41, and others for some weekend trips. Then enjoy the adventure on the Mother Road, hunting it out on your own.
If you are simply wanting to follow the fad of driving the pavement that made up Route 66, then take a copy of the route directions such as from this Home Page and put them in a map pocket. Write them so you can read them without removing from the map pocket, so you can quickly read them at stop signs, intersections, and gas stops. Stopping to pull out a map or directions will consume a lot of time. You will be faced with the dilemma of which alignment to ride, as in many areas there are several courses the road took, often quite far from each other.
The main thing is that you will have a lot of fun. The bike lets you stop almost anywhere while a car would mean you couldn't find enough shoulder to stop on. In most places, it is really no big deal since traffic is so light you can probably stop in the middle of the road and have no problem. I did actually park the bike in the road on sections in California. No one came by. This is a very good reason to ride prepared, as you are all alone in many areas.
This ability to stop anywhere is handy for viewing old landmarks, rusted signs, and just the normal scenery.
Also, if you are doing this as an adventure, finding your way with old maps, then you can pull over, consult maps, figure where the road went, and do so without worrying that you are blocking traffic.
Southern California also has hazards like being buzzed by military jets. I was buzzed by an F-14, an exciting experience, but something that can really upset you if you get startled easily. The jet was low enough to read the stencils on the fuselage and see the rivets so it is also enough to get the wind blast, which will whip you pretty good. If you have a radar detector, run it always, as if it goes off in the middle of the desert, it may be a jet sneaking up on you. According to a friend in Santa Monica, some pilots delight in sneaking up on cars and bikes.
In other areas around dusk, I saw deer and antelope in some areas. Most of us know the damage a deer can do to a car, so think about what can happen to a rider. Always be watchful and never outdrive your lights at night. If you are on any type of cruiser or tour bike with crash bars, you might consider some driving lights angled to the sides for night driving.
In the loop through southern California near Amboy and Essex, the gas was extremely high, being $1.98 a gallon when the rest of the country was around $1.02 per gallon. Many times the gas available is only regular, so if you are riding a bike that runs on higher octane gasoline, you will need to keep watching the usual brands stations or prepare for very easy riding with a light load until you can get to the next station selling premium.
Temperatures can be everywhere from cold to hot. Be sure to include clothes to match. Naturally you will have your motorcycle jacket, but many jackets I've noticed are more for show that function. Take a hooded sweatshirt to wear under the jacket. The hood seals the neck area and prevents cold air blowing down your back. Be sure your jacket has extra length in the back. Many so-called motorcycle jackets look great standing but when sitting on a bike, the sleeves are too short and the back is above your belt. You want the jacket to be long enough to keep air out of your pants in back, as you can never stay warm otherwise.
Rain gear is a must. You will get rained on somewhere, and probably where you have the least shelter. Be sure it is packed where you can get it quickly.
Jeans are the standard pants of most riders. Odds are leathers will be too hot. If you are doing more than just riding, like going out to dinner or whatever, consider a heavy denim dress jean. Levis has black and white heavy denim jeans that are tough enough to ride in and still look fine in better restaurants and clubs that would stop you in jeans. Of course, most of this is The West, and jeans are pretty acceptable everywhere.
Boots are a must. They offer protection in rain, heat, and from the attackers like animals and tumbleweeds. One bike in one group was hit by a tumbleweed. It was a small one and shook them up a bit but the lady on back was in shorts. It cut her up quite a bit.
This Thanksgiving (1995) I drove Route 66 from Chicago to St. Louis and found that there are many new "Historic Route 66" signs in place, but few are in town. On the open road, you have little need of these signs to know where you are but they come in very handy in town, where there were no signs. Typical of a State to do the opposite of what is needed. Continuing down through central Missouri, I found more signs and many had better marking of the course to follow. Still, in some towns the road cuts back and forth and you can get into a search and find mode to get through them.
If you miss some, it is no big deal. There were many versions of the highway and most are not documented, so it is quite possible that the route may have gone your way for a brief time.
For this reason, you should learn to "read a road". If you are in the States, take some weekend trips on old US numbered highways and look for old sections that cut into towns and make the sharper turns into the trees, sections that the road now bypasses. Learn how the land looks with the way the land was leveled for the roadbed, the way telephone lines run along side, the way railroads run next to the highway. These are clues you will need when standing at an intersection trying to decided if the left or right road is the correct route. It heightens the adventure if you can find it on your own.
I started off averaging pretty well, but it took me 6 days to get to LA from St. Louis, my starting point for the '91 trip. Of course, the first day I only went 125 miles and stay at my grandparents. There was a lot to see and many times I skipped much and rode into the night to make up time. If you want to see everything, figure at least 7 days to be safe from Chicago to LA. A lot also depends on how suited you are to long distance riding, as the seat becomes sore from sitting in one hot, humid spot for hours on end. There is a reason they call that one rally the Ironbutt Rally.
The trip from Chicago to St. Louis is roughly 6 hours, if you are not stopping anywhere. Most of what you will see you can simply see as you ride by on a bike, but if you spend time in Springfield for the Lincoln sites, you will use more time. Missouri has a fair amount of old road that is separate and you need to go off to find it. Also there are many attractions to see. Kansas is a short 12 mile run or so, but you can kill an hour doing it. Oklahoma has a lot of old road and many small towns so there is much to see and go slow through. As you head out through Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, there are often sections of old road that dead end, so you have a choice of not driving it or running a mile or so and then backtracking to get on the interstate. All of this takes time, and a surprising amount compared to running 75 mph down the interstate.
Update -- 11/30/99 -- Looking back on this article, and on my trips, I regret riding into the night to make up time. Granted, riding at night had its benefits, but I missed a lot, too. If I were to go today, I'd not rush anywhere. If you have to rush, then make two trips. Do half of it now, the other half next month, next year, whenever. There are sections I skipped in an attempt to make a little time. I never made it to California in time for what I was trying to reach, so I should have just taken that extra day or two and caught all of the sections, seen all of the towns, enjoyed all of the miles.
Time waits for no one, and a lot of things are disappearing with time. If you skip them, then may disappear and you'll never see them.
Take the time.
And while I had planned to run mine out the last 2500 miles, this would not have made them bald. Bald tires are asking for trouble as you can hit rain without warning. You must have tread for even a little rain. Mine used up the 2500 mile well before Arizona and I was past the marginal tread by the time I changed. The old road eats tires much faster than your normal everyday usage, especially if you are carrying a load.
The Honda dealer in Flagstaff had some helpful people working for him, but I would not spend a dime in his shop from his attitude if I didn't have to. I waited at his shop from 1 until 5. He sold me the tire but wouldn't mount it until the next day or later, so I changed it myself in the parking lot. I think he was the only bike shop in town. Shops get few and far between out West. I think the next closest shop of any type was 50 miles away.
The Honda dealer as you come into Amarillo from the east right along the interstate was about as helpful, as I thought about changing there. He was too busy also, and even though it was 9 in the morning, he couldn't guarantee I'd have the bike by 6 that evening. He said he was sure I'd have it by the next morning, but only if I left it there.
I was at Wing Ding in Tulsa and tried to get a new Dunlop 491 there. But the wait to get a tire changed was as much as two days due to all the sales. You might check with your local dealer you trust and find out who along the route would be reputable to deal with before you go, so that you can run part of the trip on less than new tires. Otherwise, it is a long run to LA where you can find a big selection of shops again.
Remember if you start on new tires or change on the road that new tires are green and can be slick the first 100 miles until you have scuffed them in. If you put new ones on and it is raining, sit it out in a motel rather than risk the slide. A few thousand miles from home is no place to crash.
Chains, sprockets, and so on need to be in good shape. Take chain lube and check them everyday, if you have a chain, since you pick up a lot of sand and dirt.
Tune up the bike before going. Check it completely. One rider on a new Harley I rode with part of the way had a carb problem and was getting only 100 miles per tank if he rode easy. It makes for a slow trip when the only thing you are looking for is a gas station.
Change the oil and filter. You will be riding 2600 miles or more with the hunting and site seeing and the return trip will bring this to 5200 miles. Since I change my oil at 3500 miles, I had to change it twice on my 9000 mile trip. Changing on the road is a bit of a challenge since you either have to schedule in a shop or get a disposable oil changing kit at K-Mart or WalMart and do it in a camp, motel, or along the road. This is not as nice as doing in the comforts of your own garage.
Shocks should be in good shape. You have a lot of very old pavement, although some stretches are now being repaved. Sections of the old four lane through Illinois have had one or the other set of lanes cut off and the remaining lanes paved for local 2 lane usage. These are much better than they were a few years back when the four lane was still intact. While it does cut some of the romance of actually driving the real four lane just as many did several years back, it is a much improved ride and easier on you and your vehicle.
Have a tire repair kit. A plug kit takes very little room and may well mean the difference between sitting around all day and continuing down the road. A "spare tire in the can" I wouldn't recommend for flat repair but as an emergency inflator after you have plugged the tire. The first station you come to, I would let the "spare tire" out and refill the tire with regular air. And of course find another can for the rest of the trip.
Take maps of each state. Try to take both old ones from the '60s and new ones if you are searching the road on your own. You won't be passing visitors' centers to get any on the trip. Also take tour guides for campgrounds if you are camping and motel guides if you are not. If you ride into the night at all, call ahead to where you want to stay as many on the old road fill up fast.
Pack light. Pack in chunks that can be easily removed. There is nothing worse than having a 1000 pound bike laying on its side in the middle of nowhere and you have to unload it to get it back upright. It can easily happen with sand, soft shoulders, gravel parking lots, and such. You put a foot down and the foot slides on sand, bringing you state was about as helpful, as I thought about changing there. He was too busy also, and even though it was 9 in the morning, he couldn't guarantee I'd have the bike by 6 that evening. He said he was sure I'd have it by the next morning, but only if I left it ther. They exclude motorcycles in their emergency coverage. You may be able to get that can of gas when you call and say you ran out of gas in a '93 Honda, but they won't tow you and they won't pull you out of the ditch. The local wrecker guy no doubt will, but getting AAA to pay for it is not likely. For that reason, check the motorcycle magazines for motorcycle towing services or just accept that as part of the risk, that you may have to pay $50 out of your pocket for a tow. Of course, if you don't crash or don't break down, then you have no worries.
Update - 3-18-97
Originally, I wrote that AAA would not help you. This was based on answers received from AAA over the last several years. I have been informed that AAA does offer motorcycle assistance now. However, it is not part of the standard coverage. It is part of the extra cost Plus RV plan. As of 3-18-97, the cost was $64 for Plus membership and $30 for RV/Motorcycle coverage for a total of $94. If you are not a member, there is also an enrollment fee. Call AAA at 800-926-4222 for details.
In my past experiences on the road, I have found that if you do have trouble, there seem to be plenty of people who will offer to help, like taking you in with a pick up, other bikers coming back with a trailer, and so on. Odds are you will need either gas or a tow. Gas you can get from anyone. A tow will be either mechanical breakdown or a wreck. If a breakdown, the bike shop will often tow you in for free, if they do the work. If a wreck, either your bike insurance will cover it or the police will arrange for a tow. As such, you have to decide on your own whether to buy the coverage from AAA.
Also, since many areas are very flat, you can have a problem with lightning. Sections of the West can have very nasty tornadoes that look like one huge thunderstorm from a distance, but turn into something much worse as they get near. If you ride with a radio, listen occasionally to the weather and news so you don't head into something nasty.
Take several garbage bags. They are still about the best weather protection for sleeping bags, luggage, and such.
If you do not have one, consider a windscreen. It helps considerably if you hit rain, and with the distance between shelter in many areas, you may appreciate it greatly if you drive with the needles in the face of not having one.
Take good sunscreen of 30 or 45 or more SPF. You will get a lot of sun out there and the road reflects almost as well as water. It is too hot to wear a leather jacket and most end up riding in T-shirts and often bare back. A day at 60 mph and sun beating down can turn you into a lobster.
Check at http://www.hwysafety.org/mocycle/helmet.htm for Helmet Laws. HHJM, Inc. of Grapevine, Texas will sell you this information for $20. You can get it free on Internet. They also had a 2nd Annual Mother Road Ride/Rally (R) for $34.95 on June 8-13, 1996. You got a pin, the book, and a certificate of your miles. Send me a photo for your starting point, your finishing point, a few from the trip, your mileage ridden, and $5 and I'll send you a nice Certificate. (BTW, that is a joke, unless you are really serious.) Seriously, you will find many people who prey on Route 66 enthusiasts to separate you from your money.
If you are interested in other laws, check out http://www.hwysafety.org/ for The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety . They are an independent group fully funded by the automobile insurance industry. They have a lot of interesting information and vehicle fatality statistics.
Other Helmet Law web pages are: Helmet Laws of the 50 States
Gun laws are different in each state. If you have a permit for one in one state, you may find it is worthless in another. If you need to take a gun, then check before you go. In some states, you must have the gun in a trunk locked and empty, separate from the ammunition. In many states, you can only carry it on your person while hunting or with a permit. You shouldn't need one, but some people need to have one to feel secure. If you break the law with one, don't say I didn't warn you.
Whatever you do, don't flash it around. That is an invitation to trouble.
The older motels will give you the most impact in your search for America long forgotten but you may find a few that are well below your standards. Not all private motels should be viewed as sub-standard, as many are very well kept. The latest round of poor motels and poor service I've encountered has been at Holiday Inns, where the carpet, the rooms, and the baths were in terrible condition, yet they charge like they are America's premier motel. Many mom & pop motels I have found to be both very reasonable and very well run. Often they will have information about interesting sites in the area that big motel chains will not know. The AAA travel guide can assist you with what to expect, but not always, as many smaller ones may not be listed.
I like to view it in that almost any motel is better than sleeping on the ground. I did camp much of my '91 trip, and had a very good time. But the mattress in any motel is softer than the bottom half of a bed roll.
A quick summary of things are the sites of Chicago, Bloomington Gold Corvette Show in Bloomington at the end of June (Corvettes and Route 66 go way back), Abraham Lincoln sites in Springfield, Gateway Arch, Busch Stadium, International Bowling Museum, and Ted Drew's Custard Stand in St. Louis, Meramec Caverns, Onodaga Cave, and Devil's Elbow in Missouri, Will Rogers everywhere in Oklahoma, some very intact Route 66 in Oklahoma, Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Flagstaff, Grand Canyon, Andy Devine's hometown in Kingman, and more.
The Old Wagon Wheel Restaurant and Motel is now back in Cuba. It had moved out east of Cuba a few miles when 66 became a four lane, stuck right between today's old 66 and I-44, the home to a winery now. Many landmarks have changed, but still exist. The trick is to find them.
But more than just seeing these sites is the chance to meet the people along the way. Several years back, Car Craft did an article on taking a new Corvette from Chicago to LA on Route 66. Of course, they had lots of time and were paid to stop and talk, but that is what made the trip interesting. Forget about McDonald's and Wendy's and find places that are named Tom's, Fast Food, Good Food, Family Restaurant, and so on. Talk to the people running it and I'm sure they will tell you a lot when they find out you are riding Route 66. Of course, if you hit the more "famous" spots, they may be bored to death by now from all those driving the old road.
Basically, traveling Route 66 is, IMHO, about:
Obviously, I'm not real keen on 3 as most things I do, sooner or later, become fads and suddenly "experts" come pouring in from everywhere and cash in on those who are told they must do this fad.
That is why I'm kind of against the massive Route 66 tours. Route 66 is more of a personal adventure and reflection than a celebrity to gawk at. I found much more enjoyment sitting at an intersection deciding if the road originally went left or right than just pulling up to the stop and hanging a right because the book said so. In fact, I didn't have any books with me or even had any back in my first trips. Old maps from the '50s and '60s and some from the '70s to figure out how they fit with the interstates today were all I had, so I had to check the maps, compare to the land, and see what fit.
Now there are books that cover everything. Reading the books help you to not miss those places you'd like to see, but sometimes they get you into a mindset that keeps you from seeing the things around you.
Good luck and ride safe.
Doc
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