JOIN THE LOST ADVENTURE AS WE RIDE COAST TO COAST IN MARCH 2016!
Have you dreamed of riding a Harley across America, but want to save some money? Join The Lost Adventure on an epic Coast to Coast ride. From March 18 to April 1, 2016 we’re doing a special road trip, from Orlando to Los Angeles, at an unbelievably low price: just US$1498 £899 with basic insurance and one way dropoff fee included! This is our low cost Coast To Coast Motorcycle Hire Special, and the hire price is only valid for this ride. Contact Us for more information or to book!
Why is the cost of the rental so low? Well, at the end of the Florida Rental season there are a lot of bikes that need to get back to California for the west coast summer season. So instead of letting all those Harleys sit in trailers on interstates, we’ve partnered with EagleRider and come up with a great way to get the bikes back west, while offering an unbeatable price for those riding them. NOTE: This low cost HARLEY ONLY hire includes a 2700 mile allowance (not unlimited miles). If the 2700 mile allowance is exceeded (quite likely if you explore a bit), extra miles will be billed at .39 cents per mile – so be sure to zero your odometer when leaving Orlando so you’re aware of how many miles you’ve done. Note this is NOT an organized tour, the £899 is for the bike hire only; there will be no support, we have no hotels booked (there is an optional upgrade that includes hotels in Orlando and Los Angeles, ask for further details), you are responsible for all additional costs, like any other rental.
We first ran this special for March 2014, and had over 60 riders from 10 countries including the UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Denmark, Spain, USA, and others join the trip. Everyone set off from Orlando, some as pre-arranged groups, some solo riders, and many people connecting with others they had never met before. It was an incredible way to make new friends, riding together for a ways then splitting off, re grouping, having individual road trips and then finally coming together in Los Angeles with incredible road stories. From Florida to California, people in the group kept meeting on the road. It was a unique ride – collectively, we logged over 225,000 miles in 14 days.
This Road Trip is for those who enjoy a spontaneous tour, where every day is an adventure and you have only a rough idea where you might finish the day. Roll out of bed, look at the sky, unfold a map and trace a weathered hand across the twistiest bit of road…..then go explore it. Want to ride 500 miles in a day and then spend three nights in a hot tub in Vegas? That’s fine, so long as you’re in LA on April 3rd (extra days can be added at a discounted cost but do not include additional miles over the 2700 allowance). Want to ride with us? The more the merrier! But we carry our own bags, fill our own tanks, and pull our own weight. We’ll be a band of brothers, riding where the wind takes us. And we’ll rejoin on Santa Monica Pier before returning the bikes to EagleRider.
FIRST AND LAST NIGHTS ACCOMMODATION OPTION:
We also offer an option of booking the first and last nights accommodation for you. We will be arranging a get together close to the Rosen Inn so even if you don’t want the accommodation try and stay near by as its a great way to meet up with the other riders. Most of the groups that ended up riding together this year met on this first night. We will also be arranging a group transfer from this hotel to EagleRider on the morning of the 20th to help speed everyones departure.
If you want to book these nights let us know when you book as we only have a limited number of rooms.
Orlando Accommodation – Room Only.
Rosen Inn @ Pointe Orlando (3***)
Check-In: March 17, 2016 / Check-Out: March 18, 2016
Los Angeles Accommodation – Room Only.
Crowne Plaza LAX (3 ½***)
Check-In: April 01, 2016 / Check-Out: April 04, 2016
COSTS:
· King/Single Room / 2 People = US$275 £165 / per Room, for both nights (not including breakfast)
· Twin/Double Room / 2 People = US$275 £165 / per Room, for both nights (not including breakfast)
· All prices above include room rate, mandatory porterage and taxes
Some of the things you may see: Louisiana swamp land, Galveston, New Orleans, Texas Hill Country, Austin Texas, Big Bend National Park, Tombstone Arizona, the Aircraft Grave Yard, Vegas, bits of Route 66, San Diego, Hollywood. And the weather? Cold, hot, dry, rainy, humid, windy, sunny, all the colors of the rainbow as we make our way along the Gulf Coast towards California. We’ll be staying South, closer to the sun, but feel free to go North so long as you’re wearing the right kit. There are sure to be days where the weather is challenging.
To help plan your trip and connect with others, the ride has a dedicated private Facebook group page where you can ask questions, post routes, and share incredibly rich information in the months leading up to your ride. And when you’re on the road, the page is used by the entire group to share great roads, things to see, safety updates, and to meet up.
Testimonial
Melisa Lewins and her husband John from Australia did this ride in 2014, here’s what Melisa had to say: “John and I had the most wonderful time on this amazing adventure. We made new friends, saw some of the most breathtaking scenery, met such friendly locals along the way and enjoyed exploring the southern states. We travel extensively but this was our first motorcycle trip (overseas) and it is just so different to see things from a bike rather than in a car. It just seems more real – the smells, the weather, the freedom. Our ElectraGlide from EagleRider never missed a beat – we felt comfortable and safe on “Lucille”. And the boys from The Lost Adventure are warm, friendly and just really lovely people. And then there was the price … what a bargain!!! This has fuelled our desire to do more motorcycle tours – Vietnam next I think. The best advertisement is that I would do this again in a heartbeat and definitely plan a return trip in the future. Tim and Jim – thank you so much for lifetime memories!”
Thanks Melisa! Read her blog about the trip here.
POTENTIAL COSTS:
Here is a rough idea of some of the likely additional costs along the way, so you can budget accordingly:
Fuel: average $4 per gallon. 2500 Miles (approx) = $200
Food: from $30 a day (You can spend more, but this amount would be quite possible) = $420
Hotels: average from $60 per room (You can get cheaper but will probably also have the option of paying by the hour in these places!!)
You can of course pay a lot more and if you head into many cities the price will go up. Here are some examples of city hotel costs on the possible route
Per Room:
Mobile, AL: $60 (out of town)- $150 (Downtown)
Galveston, TX: $60 (out of town)- $150 (Downtown)
Austin, TX: from $100 (Downtown)
Phoenix, AZ: $40 (out of town)- $60 (Downtown)
San Diego, CA: $80 (out of town)- $150 (Downtown)
Los Angeles, CA: $200
Extra Miles: America is a huge country with so many places to explore. Most of the riders in 2014 chose to surpass the 2700 mile allowance, and again, it’s 39 cents per mile over 2700. Still, £100 buys you roughly 430 miles, and how many times are you going to cross America by motorcycle in your life?
Additional insurance: the rental price includes the basic level of insurance but to reduce your risk you might want to look at the following supplementary insurances –
EVIP-0 reduces Collision Damage Waiver to $0. It also covers tire repair and breakdown plus offering replacement vehicle cover (14 days cover @ £21 per day = £294)
SLI Offers $1,000,000 Third Party Liability insurance (30 days cover @ £17 per day = £238)
You don’t have to take this insurance but if you choose not to you will be liable for damages to, or loss of, the motorcycle and your 3rd partycover will be to the state minimum requirement.
Read more about this offer in our FAQ by clicking here.
If you’re interested in riding Coast To Coast across America, and saving a lot of money while doing it, contact us! We can’t wait to do this ride with you.
Tim & Jim
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greetings do you hire out trikes (three wheelers) if so at what sort of cost many thaks for any correspondence mick
Hello Mick;
We can get trikes, although it would be at a higher cost than the £899, trikes are a premium rental. There are not many in the fleet and I’m not sure if we’ll have any in Orlando that need to make it back to Los Angeles, but if you’re interested we can find out – please let me know via email [email protected]
Best Regards,
Jim McDermott
Loving the sound of this offer-tell me more!
Regards,
Roy.
Hey Roy;
We’re leaving Orlando on the 21st of March, and need to be in Los Angeles on the 4th of April. The ride will be about 2,500 miles. We plan on visiting New Orleans, Galveston, Austin, Roswell and White Sands, San Diego, and a bunch of stuff in between that we’ll make up as we go along 🙂 The £899 covers the bike hire, the rest is up to you, you can ride with us or go your own way. We think everyone’s going to do this trip a little differently, as everyone wants to see different things, but we’ll hopefully keep meeting up as we cross America. We’re quite excited about this one – if you want to come along, email me at [email protected] Cheers Jim
Hi
can you tell me when you would need to book and pay by.
What is the weather like at this time of year. etc.
Cheers
Guy
Hello Guy;
We’ll be accepting bookings until the available bikes sell out. We don’t have the exact number yet but we think it will be somewhere around 25. We’ve had a tremendous response to this tour, as you can see from the comments on this page, so I wouldn’t leave it too long if you want to be sure of a bike. The deposit is £250 at the time of reservation, and the balance in full 65 days before departure. If you’re interested, please let me know via email to [email protected] and I’ll send you our booking form.
Regarding the weather, it should be mild on the Gulf Coast and all the way to California because we’re staying south. We may get some rain, and we may have some colder days. To be safe, I’d bring rain gear and a heated vest. This is going to be an adventure and should be approached as such – this is a real rider’s tour and we fully expect to be knackered at the end of some of the days (in fact, we’d be disappointed if we weren’t!)
Please let me know if you’re interested.
Best,
Jim McDermott
I am very interested. However, not sure I will be free at the time. So, could you keep me updated, lest I forget?
Hey Pierre;
Many thanks for your interest. The best way to keep informed about what we’re doing is to join our Facebook page, we post on it almost every day, photos, videos, and information. You can find us at https://www.facebook.com/thelostadventure
Cheers, Jim McDermott
guys please send me more infor on when you need payment and things I should know looking forward to going John Peake Pebbles
Great John, great to hear you’ll be along. To reserve a place there’s a deposit of £250 when you book, then the balance 65 days before departure. I’ll send you the booking form to your email address on Monday and we’ll get your information – glad to have you along!
Cheers,
Jim McDermott
[email protected]
there are possibly 4 of us keen. give us more details please. length of trip in miles/km and number of days to do it in etc
Cheers Rob
Hey Rob;
The total hire period is from March 21 in Orlando and April 4, when the bikes need to be dropped of in Los Angeles. It’s going to be about 2,500 miles of riding. We’re going to stick to the Gulf Coast for the first 1/3rd of the trip, then head into Texas, likely stop in Austin. Of course, everyone’s free to do their own ride, as it’s a straight hire, but we’d of course love it if everyone rides with us. We’re planning some great stops, but we’ve learned that when doing a Coast To Coast tour, everyone has places they want to see, so doing it this way is the most flexible way we could think of. If you’re interested, drop me an email to [email protected] Cheers Jim
Keep me posted.
Mark – many thanks for your interest. The best way to keep informed about what we’re doing is to join our Facebook page, we post on it almost every day, photos, videos, and information. You can find us at https://www.facebook.com/thelostadventure
Or you can email me at [email protected]
Cheers, Jim McDermott
Interested in this trip. What type of motorbikes are available apart from Harleys?
Hey Andy;
It’s likely to be Harleys only, as there are a bunch of them that need to come back to California after Daytona Bike Week, hence the reduced rate vs. standard. If you’ve never ridden one, you should consider it – for long distance touring in America, they really are the best bike. We’re long time sportbike riders as are many of our clients, but we all love riding Harleys on the open American roads. If you want to chat about it further, please drop me an email to [email protected] – Cheers Jim
Please forward more info and keep me updated. From South Africa.
Dave – many thanks for your interest. Most of what you need to know is on the page above. But we will be updating the info with places we plan to stop – the best way to keep informed about what we’re doing is to join our Facebook page, we post on it almost every day, photos, videos, and information. You can find us at https://www.facebook.com/thelostadventure
You can also email me at [email protected]
Cheers, Jim McDermott
hi there I am planning a trip to America this year to Daytona beach. However, the following I will be interested so please keep me posted.
rob
Hey Rob;
Well, you’ll be right there to join our tour if you’re going to Daytona, we leave on March 21st. The best way to keep informed about what we’re doing is to join our Facebook page, we post on it almost every day, photos, videos, and information. You can find us at https://www.facebook.com/thelostadventure Of course, you can email me at [email protected] if you want more information as well.
Cheers, Jim McDermott
like the idea?
Hey Tony – thanks! If you’re interested in joining us on this ride, email me at [email protected]
Regards,
Jim McDermott
Which Harleys will be available? Only really fancy the Vrod !
Rick there are no V-Rods in the fleet, it will be mostly Heritage Softail, Electra Glide, Road King, Street Glide, etc. And honestly, the V-Rod is not really a bike you’d want to ride cross country anyway, the riding position is really not conducive to long distance touring. Jim
Jim definately interested in this. Have always thought of doing it but couldn’t find any of my mates interested so would be great to ride with you guys the whole route. Have joined on facebook but please supply more details of how / when to pay or reserve place.
Cal that’s great to hear and we’d love to have you along. To reserve a place there’s a deposit of £250 when you book, then the balance 65 days before departure. I’ll send you the booking form to your email address on Monday and we’ll get your information – glad to have you along!
Cheers,
Jim McDermott
[email protected]
Gotta work out some finances… know what it cost me on Route 66 I’ll ride anything I can get my hands on.
Dai this should be a bit less than a ride on 66, especially as the one-way fee is included in the £899 hire price. Hope you can come along, it’s going to be a great ride. Email me at [email protected] if you need more information.
Cheers,
Jim
Hell yeah – ridden West Coast a few times solo .. bargain price !!
I’ve emailed Jim .. waiting reply !!
Reply sent, Matt!
Jim, keep me updated on this please. Might get a few more guys together here in South Africa to do this.
Steve that would be great – we’ve going to have an amazing time, hope you can join us. If you have any questions, drop me an email to [email protected] and be sure to follow our Facebook page for all the latest updates https://www.facebook.com/thelostadventure
Cheers
Jim
Jim, I hope this tour will be repeated the following year (2015) we plan on doing the Daytona Bike Week and would be great to do the tour directly afterwards.
Herby yes we’ll have a similar promotion in 2015 for sure – please stay in touch! Cheers Jim
What about riding gear, jacket, helmet etc. do I need to bring my own or is it available free/rent?
Hello Malcolm – yes you can rent a jacket and helmet from EagleRider for a nominal cost, but here are our feelings about doing that: https://www.thelostadventure.com/should-i-bring-my-own-helmet-when-i-hire-from-eaglerider
Hope you find the article helpful. If you need any more info please email me at [email protected] Regards Jim
How do you go about booking for something like this?
Mark send me an email at [email protected] and I’ll send you the details – pretty simple really, £250 deposit, balance due 65 days before departure. We send you a booking form, you fill it out, we get your credit card or bank transfer details, we get you a confirmation number, and you’re sorted. Hope that helps! Jim
Hi Tim and Jim
My name is paul. I come from a family of bikers and biking runs in the blood. I’m part of a biker ministry called Dead Men Riding in south Africa. We are the second largest club in the country.
I’ve read through the brief, but being an “out of towner” will this ride be open to us?
Regards
Paul.
Paul – absolutely! We’d love to have you along. We’re going to ride very loosely, we assume some people may peel off and do their own thing, linger in a city a bit longer, or put in more miles in a day than others. We’re really excited about having a mix of people on the ride, and everyone arriving in L.A. with their own “story” of the ride. We designed the ride in such a way that it’s flexible as not everyone may want to stop where we stop, but if you want to ride with the core group that’s great. Email me at [email protected] and we’ll get you sorted!
Best Regards,
Jim McDermott
Shouldn’t Harley be paying you guys to get their bikes back safely to them? 🙂
I guess you could look at it that way, Wayne – if you want to call them and pitch them your wage, go ahead and let us know how it turns out for you mate 😉
Hi Jim,
We are very keen to join you guys for this ride and I say “we” because my lovely wife Jackie is keen to join as pillion, what are your feelings/rule about that?
Would the bikes be available for pick earlier than the 21st or are the dates set in concrete?
Please forward me the booking forms and no doubt we’ll talk a lot between now and the start date.
Thanks and best regards
Leon
Leon of course your wife can join, there no rule against or charge for a pillion on a hire. We’d love to have her along! Keep in mind that we have no set itinerary, other than leaving Orlando March 21 and arriving Los Angeles April 4th. There will be many days where we’ll just ride until we don’t want to anymore, with no idea where we’re spending the night – we’ve got a real spontaneous ride planned. Will she be ok with that? Of course, you can split off from the pack, stay somewhere longer, and you’re picking your own hotels, so if a particular lodging isn’t up to snuff, you can always choose somewhere else.
The bikes can be picked up as early as March 20th or as late as March 30th in Orlando, and need to be back in Los Angeles no later than April 15th. Of course, if you hire for more days than our pre-arranged ride, the charge will be higher than £899, but still far less than the standard rate.
I’ll forward you the forms to your email address – looking forward to riding with you!
Cheers, Jim
Hi Jim,
That’s really good news Jim, we’re in and no she’ll be good with the budget accommodation , we do quite a lot of long distance rides here in Australia and pub stays are the way to go!
Just waiting to get the booking forms and then we’ll pay the deposit, our email is [email protected]
We’ll join you for your route and probably stay a couple of days longer in LA, we’ll decide closer the time.
Cheers
Leon
Sounds great Leon -just sent you the booking form! Looking forward to riding with you and your wife!
Cheers
Jim McDermott
Hi Jim,
did ’66 with eagle rider 4 years back and planned to do this route sometime next year (probably 4 or more of us), but biggest issue with the eagle rider trip was reliability of the Harleys (continually breaking down – poor maintenance maybe) and it became a real PIA. What can you tell us about the bikes for this run? Some of the ’66 ones had high mileages (35k +!!) and breakdowns cost a lot of time to sort even when you have a service van behind.
best
bob
Hey Bob;
Sorry to hear you had a bad time, that’s certainly not our experience with EagleRider. We’ve done over 200,000 miles on our tours, many thousands more with people we’ve sent along on ER tours, and mechanical breakdowns have been very rare. If anything, they’re usually confined to punctures. Harleys these days have fuel injection, ride by wire throttles, six speed gearboxes, Brembo brakes. They’re very good bikes with motors that will easily exceed 100,000 miles with proper service.
Personally, I don’t consider 35K to be high mileage on an HD, so long as it’s been maintained correctly and is cosmetically clean. A 35K bike will make more horsepower and run smoother than a new bike – of course, everyone wants a new one when they hire, it’s mostly psychological. Before I hire a car or bike, I look over it pretty closely, if it’s a nail I ask for another.
This ride is also different as it’s a straight hire – no support vehicle, you don’t wait for anyone unless you want to. In the rare case you do have a problem, there’s a ER emergency number to call, and if you’re with mates, or made some new ones, they’ll likely help pass the time while the bike gets sorted. You’d probably discover some cool little bar and end up having a great story! I don’t mean to make light of your concerns, but I’ve personally put many tens of thousands of miles on ER Harleys, including a coast to coast, 4,500 mile ride in 15 days a couple of years ago, and the bikes have been bulletproof.
Lastly, great thing about Harleys is there are dealers literally everywhere in America, so it’s very difficult to get stranded. Also there are 70+ EagleRider locations in the USA, which is a pretty extensive support network.
Hope that helps ease your mind! Cheers Jim
Thanks for the brief Jim and yes I agree 35k shouldn’t be a major issue if the bike is well maintained but these must have missed some of that – I also know about the number of Harley dealers in the US, I think we visited most of them on that trip 😉 (almost one per day!). I wasn’t exaggerating the problems and I’ll tell you the full story sometime, but hey I wasn’t making any major complaint either – I think one or two of the tour group did that back at the time, I was simply trying to get a feel for the tightness (or otherwise) of the timescale involved (just in case there were breakdowns !) Also, there’s a possibility we might want to stop over in Norleans for a couple of nights with some friends there. But it all sounds pretty laid back though so we could well be up for it. Keep us on the page please.
best
Bob
Sounds good Bob. In regards to the timetable, you can ride longer by picking up the bike earlier and dropping it off a bit later, adding days, but of course the price will change from £899. It will still be substantially lower than the standard hire rate, especially for Coast To Coast, which normally has the highest one-way drop off fee because of the mileage.
We’ll be in New Orleans for at least a day, we’re hoping to get there early enough to really enjoy the city. I’ve been several times and always woken up with a massive hangover, which isn’t normally my thing, but New Orleans tends to bring it out in people I think 🙂
When/if you’re interested in booking, send me an email to [email protected] and I’ll send you a booking form. Meanwhile, be sure to follow our Facebook page, we’ll be posting regular updates between now and when we leave. https://www.facebook.com/thelostadventure
Best regards,
Jim McDermott
Hi,
Any tours in 2014?
Arthur
Hello Arthur, yes we have lots of tours in 2014, and the dates are on most of the pages in the site. This one runs March 21st through April 4th (although it’s more of a bike hire than a tour) and you can see the other guided tour dates by clicking “Guided” in the nav bar on the top of any page in the site. Let me know if there’s something particular you’re interested in at [email protected]
Thanks!
Jim McDermott
This sounds just up my street – no plan! Tell me how to book!
Sent you an email, Ant – looking forward to hearing back from you!
Best,
Jim McDermott
Hi. Just wanted to introduce myself! Have just booked my place on this trip of a lifetime yesterday and I can’t wait!!!
I’ve just traded in my Honda Varadero (big traily) for a spammers new Triumph Explorer 1200 but not taking delivery until October!
Never ridden a Harley before and to be honest I’m hoping for a positive experience as never really rated them in the past! I’ve heard however it will be perfect for this type of trip!!
Would appreciate any feed back on what kit people are taking! Thoughts so far are for an open face helmet with bubble visor, jacket and riding jeans with a one piece waterproof!
Really looking forward to meeting all that are doing this and wondered, as I’m a British Legion Rider if some sort of charity fund raiser could be built in? Just a though so feed back would be taken on board!
Andy
Hey Andy – welcome aboard! Congrats on the new Trumpet, lovely bike.
Harleys are great for this ride, in fact for touring in America they’re by far our favorite bike. They just make eating up miles really easy and enjoyable. Between Tim and myself, we’ve ridden nearly every kind of bike, even factory World Superbike racers. Harleys are the right tool for the job, although it might not seem so when you hop on the bike if you’re used to a big trailie. We’ve had a fair few sportbike riders return home and get a Harley to park next to their R1 🙂
I’m in the middle of writing a blog post about what gear to bring, so stay tuned for that. Regarding a charity ride, we certainly encourage each rider to consider doing it as such, although as we’ve got riders from all over the world on this one, there will probably be a few different charities chosen.
Thanks for posting and for your ideas!
Cheers,
Jim McDermott
Hi there Jim,
Myself and partner Keith Walker are very keen on this trip – on one bike. He has emailed you but not yet received a response, so I’ve put my email address on this message on here in case there is a problem with his email account!
We are in need of the next adventure, having returned last week from a ride from Norwich, Norfolk to Russia and back.
Look forward to hearing back from you. Cheers. Gill
Hey Gill – yes, just got back from a long day out and saw Keiths’s note from earlier today, will reply to both of you and send details. Would love to see some photos from your tour to Russia, please share!
Best,
Jim
Hi Jim a couple of questions,
Choice of model , due to a past back injury I tend to find the leaning forward and placing my weight on my arms preferable to sitting upright and Gill obviously requires as much leg room as possible, Not knowing what the Harley options are could you suggest what would be the best one to choose.
Secondly Should we take it that additional days are based on the same rate per day as the offer if so what can we extend the beginning or the end of the offer period
Cheers Keith
Hey Keith – For yourself, I’d try to get an Electra Glide, as the seat is dished and provides good lower back support, with a fairly upright seating position. None of the HDs are really going to cant you forward, and some actually kick you back (most of the Softails). A good second choice would be the Road King, which I’d suggest for Gill as well. They are overall our favorite Harley – if you haven’t read this article yet, take a look:
https://www.thelostadventure.com/which-harley-should-i-choose-for-my-tour
For extra days, you can book up to one day early, and you can return up to April 15th. Let me know how many extra days you’d require and I’ll get you a revised quote!
Best,
Jim McDermott [email protected]
Hi Jim,
Do you have a couple of Ultra Limited, or Ultra Classics available?
Cheers,
Jim²
Hey (another) Jim;
There aren’t really any Ultras in the fleet, just Electra Glide Classics. The bells and whistles on the Ultras add a fair bit of $$ to the purchase price, and most people don’t use stuff like the CB, and the lowers wouldn’t be used out west because of the heat, so EagleRider gets the basic Classic, which has cruise, the topcase and CD/MP3 Player with two speakers. I’ve ridden these across America twice and I didn’t miss anything versus the Ultra – hope that helps!
Jim McDermott
Thanks Jim, I’ve got 100,000 miles on Ultras all round the world, so I can tell you people do use the CB, and the lowers are good at keeping the bugs and rain off! 🙂 But no deal breaker, I guess – can you email me a form please?
Cheers,
Jim
I know the CB is quite useful, but the people who hire bikes don’t use them as much, and the lowers in the California summer just aren’t a good idea, in fact I believe the Harley manual specifies they be removed at temperatures above a certain level. I’ve ridden one without lowers through the Mojave at 118 degrees and I certainly was glad they weren’t on 🙂
In March though, they’d be nice to have, but…not an option I’m afraid. Will send along the booking form, cheers Jim!
If I arrived with the group, who decides on the accommodation nightly.
Bill in regards to accommodation: we have no set plans other than the first and last nights. We’ll have a rough idea of where we’ll end up every night, so we’ll try to call ahead, but it’s up to each person or small group of mates to sort where they’re staying every night. it might be tough to get rooms all in the same place in a small town, but there are so many places to stay in the States we’re all bound to find something. we may scatter a bit at night and then come together later at a bar, or the next morning. as weird as it may sound, this excites us 🙂
Some people may want to stay in budget accommodations, others might want top drawer – really, the ride goes how you want it. If there are 7 of us in a room one night, sharing beds, on a cot or the floor or in a bathtub, it will probably be a good laugh. Mind you, I wouldn’t want to do the whole two weeks like that!
Hope that illuminates things a bit – we’re getting a pretty large group together already, this is going to be a really unique ride. Hope you can join us.
Best Regards,
Jim McDermott
Sounds like an awesome way to travel. I know you have answered many other questions that are posted. Is this just a one time deal or are you planning on making it a yearly adventure?
Hey Mark;
Thanks for posting. We do hope to do this ride annually, although we’re still exploring it and cannot guarantee the price or the dates as of yet. Best way to keep informed on what we’re doing is to follow our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/thelostadventure
We try to keep the page updated daily. We’ll be posting lots of photos and video from the 2014 ride so don’t miss it!
Best,
Jim McDermott
Jim,
Can you recommend good cheap flights from the UK to the tour start? Would love to do something like this with my partner – think I would like a glide.
Possibly hit Vegas and get married too!
Do you have a rough estimate of what it would cost in total – economy is tight and aint getting any better, when i say rough estimate, what will you be “putting away” to cover the trip including food fuel rooms and insurances ect.?
Would help me immensely if you could answer that.
Ride safe!
Steve
Hey Steve;
Thanks for posting – we’d be quite proud to help (in a small way) you and your partner get married!
For fuel we figure $4.00 per gallon, let’s say 40 miles per gallon (both figures are conservative), 2500 miles for the trip, so let’s say $250-300 for fuel.
Lodging: If you budget $100 per night as an average, that’s $1500. In bigger cities you won’t get rooms that cheap but out in the sticks you might spend $60-70 per night.
Food and drinks: there are two of you, not sure how you eat. On the road in America you can have a meal for $10-20 per person depending on where you eat; of course, you could spend $60 per person for a nice dinner. It’s really up to how economical your stomach can tolerate 🙂
The best level of insurance for the bike is around £20 per day, which gives you a zero $ deductible for damage. You don’t need to spend this much, but then you’ll need to leave a larger security deposit (if you choose no damage insurance, the deposit is $3000). What insurances you choose is really down to what your risk tolerance.
Hope that helped!
Best,
Jim McDermott
The Lost Adventure
Hi Jim
Sounds line a real bargain, and I have been planning this for ages, so now is the time.. A quick question, is the hire price for the bike or per person? Please email me a reservation form! and details for the deposit!
[email protected]
Thanks
Eddie
Hey Eddie;
The price is per bike, as it’s a straight hire (albeit at a hugely discounted rate). For Guided and Self Guided tours, where accommodations and other perks are included, prices are always per person, but for just a bike rental/hire, as lodging, meals, fuel, etc are entirely at your expense, the price is for the bike. Hope that’s the answer you’re looking for 🙂
Will send along the form, looking forward to riding together!
Best,
Jim McDermott
Hello Jim
My son and I are definitely up for this. I’m in the UK and tried Tim at The Lost Adventure (we’re doing the PCH this October), but I think he’s on holiday? Please send the booking forms and instructions for deposit. I’ll be on an Electra Glide or Road King, but will there be any Trumpets for my lad?
Thanks
Roy
Hey Roy – Tim’s been on tour and just got back into the office, but I think he did reach out to you today. Sorry for the delay – looking forward to riding with you and your son. Unfortunately, it’s all Harleys on this one, no Trumpets, or Tim would probably be on one 🙂
Best,
Jim
Hi Jim,
We’re a group of about 10 mates from Australia who are interested in doing the ride. Is it booked out yet or are there still vacancies?
Cheers,
Dave
Hello Dave – are you a friend of Craig’s? Got a mail from another gent earlier today from Oz mentioning ten riders who might be interested in coming. We do have space at the moment, and could accommodate you and your mates for sure.
We’re a bit shocked at the response to this one, there are already nearly 30 bikes booked and we’re getting enquiries every day. Many of the riders are going their own way, some are following us, some intend to follow for a bit, head off, and meet up later. We don’t intend to ride as one large group the whole way, although it would certainly be cool leaving Orlando and arriving in LA as a big pack!
I’ll send you an email with more details – if you’re not a mate of Craig’s, apologies.
Regards,
Jim McDermott
The Lost Adventure, Ltd.
My friend and I wanted to go on a tour of the usa, but my friend wants a gun to make sure he wasn’t goner get high jacked or anything can you provid this, I look forward to your reply before booking.(ps he does have a shotgun permit in the uk)
Gordy we’ve ridden over 100,000 miles in the USA and honestly never felt the need to bring a firearm. Sorry, can’t help you mate.
Hallo Jim
Tried to mail you….. is this tour booked out? if not is the deposit per person or per bike? sound almost to good to be true!
Regards from South Africa
johann
Hello Johann yes I responded to your mail several days ago perhaps it ended up in your spam folder, I will resend the mail. We do have space! The deposit is per bike, there is no additional charge for the pillion, except if you want lodging pre-booked for the first and last nights of the ride. I will send you the mail again now – Cheers Jim
hi Jim
is the tour booked out, if not is t deposit per bike or per person.
regards
Hello Marguerite – The deposit is per bike, there is no additional charge for the pillion, except if you want lodging pre-booked for the first and last nights of the ride. If you’re like to book or need more information, contact me at [email protected] Cheers Jim
Hi, Are all the bikes Harley’s or might there be a Wing or a BMW among them? No objection to HD since I rode them for many years but I do prefer the Touring or ST imports.
Richard
Hey Richard – they’ll all be Harleys, shipped down to Orlando to cover demand for Daytona Bike Week. We’ve put together a special deal to ride them back, hence the low price. We love our Wings and Bimmers as well, but on this ride i think a Harley will be the ticket anyway. Hope that helps! Cheers Jim
hi there !
can you please mail me a booking form !!
sounds great !
Will do Joolz!
Hi Jim,
Great idea mate. I’m a bit late in finding this, do you have many slots left? There’s a bunch if us here in the uk who are interested in doing this…
Cheers,
Ian
Hey Ian;
Yeah we do have slots available, I’ll send you the details. We’re UK based. although I’m in the USA, Tim’s normally in Cirencester. We’ll be at the NEC this November and will be doing a meet for all the UK based riders who will be doing this hire, hope we can meet then, we do it every year.
Cheers Jim
Hi Jim
Is it possible to have a pillion, and if so would there be any extra costs from your point of view?
Cheers
Brian
Hey Brian – the only extra cost for the pillion would be if you choose the first and last night hotel option for two people, as the price we have listed is for one. Otherwise, you have the cost of fuel, hotels, meals, and drink, as well as optional insurance. I’ll send you an email with further information. Cheers Jim
Hi, am very interested in this are there still spaces available?
Would be bringing a pillion if there’s room
Cheers
Ian
Ian yes there are still spaces available as of now, I’ll send you an email with details –
Best,
Jim
Hi Jim, for some reason I’ve not had an email. I’m having problems with my Sky email account deleting Spam mails without telling me.
Please can you resend it to [email protected]
Cheers
Ian
Cheers Ian will do.
Hi Jim, Kirsty (pillion) and I are in! I’ll do the booking firm once I get home from work tonight.
Am having a few email issues so bear with me while I try to sort them out!
Cheers – really looking forwards to it already!
Ian
Hey Ian – will reach out shortly, we’ve been absolutely swamped the past two days – apologies! Jim
Booking form sent
Cheers Ian will be back in touch with you shortly! – Jim
This would be another dream come true for me! Please count me in as a definant placement. Have done Route66 on a trike with my wife and this trip would be a trip for my son and myself. Waiting to hear back from you fellows.
John
That’s great John, sending you the details now. Cheers, Jim
Can’t wait! Deposit paid, flights booked, arriving the night before and hotel sorted!
The 5 of us are getting geared up for the adventure (Andy, Ray, Matt, Mousse and myself)
Hopefully catch up with you both at the NEC.
Keep the posts coming – it looks like it will be the ride of a lifetime.
All the best and safe travels.
Regards
Si Wagner
Cheers Si! Looking forward to meeting you at the NEC!
Jim
Hi Si, hope you don’t mind me asking but how did you get on with flights? All seem quite expensive at the moment and I was going to wait a couple of months before sorting mine, hoping there might be a few better deals by then. I’ll also be saying hi at the stand at the NEC, might bump into you there! Seamus
Deposit paid! Anyone from the UK found a good deal on the flights yet?
Hi there,could 2 riders share one bike,one drive one day then swop over for the next day?
Hello Carl – so long as both riders are licensed motorcyclists with 2 years of experience, and you’re both named on the insurance for the bike, that’s ok. If you’re interested in booking, don’t delay, we’re nearly out of bikes – you can email at [email protected]
Cheers Jim
Great idea Jim
Any restrictions at all?
Car driver of 25 years, recent bike enthusiast, ride a triumph trophy over here but noted your 2 year comment above and as I’ve only has a full bike licence for a month I need to ask.
Will my lack of biking experience exclude me?
Thanks
How long have you actually been riding, Rob? Have you ridden off road or perhaps smaller displacement motorcycles? Some people are seriously quick off road and then switch to road bikes later, in that case it’s not a real worry.
But if you don’t have a high degree of confidence and ability on a motorcycle, we probably would not recommend a 2700 mile, two week tour. It’s best to be honest with yourself about your abilities. You have to be very capable especially when you’re riding amongst a large pack of other bikes.
How do you feel about it?
Jim
Hi Jim
I rode a small scrambler in my teens and 20’s both on and off road. Speed doesn’t phase me .
I’m fine, have made it to my folks home and back twice since passing, in the rain and on the M25 too with a few jaunts in London rush hour traffic also – come march 2014 that experience level will have increased.
The trophy is a big lump, I’ve had no issues with it 🙂
I’m fine. Confidence and ability are all good.
I asked on the 2 year thing as I thought it may have been an absolute minimum legal thing.
Know a couple of friends who could be interested too. Any spaces left?
Please email me if there are.
Thanks!
Rob – we have a few bikes left, Heritage Softail, Fat Boy and Electra Glide. Much bigger bikes than the Trumpet, but they’ve still got two wheels and a gearbox. Biggest issue is experience riding in groups, which can be dangerous if you’re not 100% confident. Big difference riding on your own and riding within a pack of 70 bikes – again, you need to be honest with yourself if you’re up to it.
Best
Jim
Hi Tim, any bikes left if yes what you got?
Hey Bri;
We have the following left as of December 2nd: Electra Glide Classic, Heritage Softail, and Fat Boy. If you’re interested in booking, email me at [email protected] we expect to be sold out any day. Thanks! Jim
Hi Jim, booking form inbound; deposit by cheque I presume?
Bri
Hey Bri actually you can pay via bank transfer, debit or credit card. I’ll send you details via email – thanks!
Jim
Bank transfer completed will post form Friay am
Cheers
Cheers Bri! We’ll be sending you your invoice shortly. Looking forward to riding with you.
Jim
Hi Jim,
Have I got a place?
I really need to book my flight soonest!
Brian
Hey Bri – yes we’ve got your deposit you are confirmed, we will be sending your confirmation invoice within the next couple of days – thanks!
Jim
Anything left what’s the deposit
Hey Chris – sending you an email shortly. Thanks! Jim
Do we need visa for the USA I read somewhere we need to fill out the esta cost $14 but then read it had changed in December and we just need the new passport with the biometric chip can any one enlighten us country folk cheers
Yes Chris you want to go here for a Visa from the UK: https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/
Jim
Ok done that I need to put in the hotels name for the first night before I can proceed Ill do that when it comes through
Many thanks
Chris
Looking forward to riding with you, Chris!
Best, Jim
Hi
Do you have any bikes left? We are from South Africa.
Mickey
Hi Micky
Yes we still have bikes available on this ride and plenty of riders from RSA.
cheers
Tim
Can we do the trip two up. Please let me know the payment detail’s.
Info sent by email Gert
Are Trikes available or is it just motorcycles ??
We are thinking more for 2017 rather than next year
Hi Steven
No trikes on this special i’m afraid. Bikes only. The Trikes stay in Florida through the summer.
Cheers
Tim