Choosing the Right Motorcycle Tour Company – Part 3

Choosing the Right Motorcycle Tour Company – Part 3

by | Dec 26, 2017 | Motorcycle Tour Operators, Tips and Techniques

A quick Google search will quickly show that there are literally hundreds of motorcycle tour operators in the United States alone. That number can very easily soar to the thousands if you include internationally based tour operators into the mix.

With so many to choose from, how do you select which tour company is best for you.? To help decide if a motorcycle tour is worth it, you must consider three important factors: The Value, The Guides, and The Hat.

This is Part #3 of a three-part series meant to help educate you on three things to consider before signing a contract.

You can find the other parts at:
Choosing the Right Motorcycle Tour Company – The Value – Part #1
Choosing the Right Motorcycle Tour Company – The Guides – Part #2

The Hat (AKA Which Company is Really Running the Tour):

There is a little-known secret in the tourism industry that the average person doesn’t know, especially when dealing with guided motorcycle tour operators.

Many motorcycle tour operators resell other tour operator’s tours. In fact, many tour operators in other tour specialties resell other tour operator’s packages. In the travel and tourism industry, this is common practice and nothing to immediately raise a flag over. Many national and multi-regional companies rely on local operators to execute the tours they’ve sold.

You have to make sure that the tour operator you book with has more than just a monetary interest in your trip. Even though tour operator XYZ may put their company name on a trip and process your payment, it doesn’t always mean that they had anything to do with planning it and, more importantly, making sure that it’s executed correctly.

You want to make sure that they are just as devoted to your satisfaction as much as the local tour operator that will ultimately execute the tour.

This is one of the many areas where Black Moto Tours does things differently. We are not some national company selling thousands of tours a season. While we could resell dozens of tours from other tour operators, throughout the year, in both Arizona and New York, I chose not to do that with Black Moto Tours. We designed our routes. We put the time and care into perfecting them, and we will be there personally to show you the time of your life on a Black Moto Tours guided motorcycle tour. My team feels the same way I do otherwise, to be honest, they wouldn’t be flying a Black Moto Tours arm patch.

I want to close by saying that I hope you find this information to be educational and helpful when you start to vet motorcycle tour vendors. Remember to consider ALL aspects of your trip and do your research on things like overnight accommodations, fuel options,
the quality of your tour guides before signing on the dotted line.

You can find the other parts at:
Choosing the Right Motorcycle Tour Company – The Value – Part #1
Choosing the Right Motorcycle Tour Company – The Guides – Part #2

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Choosing the Right Motorcycle Tour Company – Part 2

Choosing the Right Motorcycle Tour Company – Part 2

by | Dec 21, 2017 | Motorcycle Tour Operators, Tips and Techniques

A quick Google search will quickly show that there are literally hundreds of motorcycle tour operators in the United States alone. That number can very easily soar to the thousands if you include internationally based tour operators into the mix.

With so many to choose from, how do you select which tour company is best for you.? To help decide if a motorcycle tour is worth it, you must consider three important factors: The Value, The Guides, and The Hat.

This is Part #2 of a three-part series meant to help educate you on three things to consider before signing a contract.

You can find the other parts at:
Choosing the Right Motorcycle Tour Company Part #1
Choosing the Right Motorcycle Tour Company Part #3

Part 2: The Guides:

One of the major advantages of a guided motorcycle tour over a non-guided motorcycle tour (AKA self-guided motorcycle tour) is that you have a tour guide/road captain. Now before you laugh and say “No sh*t Sherlock”, let me explain in more detail.
A tour guide can get you from point A to point B. My dog can get you from point A to point B (especially if B is the nearest tree). Hell, my phone can even do.

However, a GREAT tour guide does more. A great road captain is like the Idiot Savant* of the Slab, the Einstein of Everything, the Master of Moto,

They might not be able to tell you what the current price of your favorite stock is but they can easily tell you every gas, food, and bathroom stop for the next 1000 miles on your tour. For example:

  • Road closed due to an emergency? The Totally Tubular Tutor on Two’s can calculate an alternate route from memory without even breaking out a map…. and the route will take the most beautiful and scenic route ever seen by humankind.
  • Bike break down in the middle of Death Valley? Lucky for you, the Captain of Cruising is your tour guide. With a paperclip, Grandma’s rosary beads, a full beer keg, a stethoscope, and a half-full can of hairspray, you’re back in business. In fact, you’re better than before. Your repaired bike now has triple the horsepower and you’ll never need new tires again.

Seriously though, a great motorcycle guide makes it so that all you have to do is enjoy the ride. A great guide will handle everything else so that your vacation is just that… a vacation. No need to worry about the “hows” of your trip i.e. how to get there, how do I reserve my hotel, etc?

Having an experienced tour guide is so important to the enjoyment of your trip that you want to make sure to ask about this in advance. I can think of several situations in which you might not get the best guide available.

  • Research Tour – Ask if the specific tour that you’re considering is research trip to plan a new tour route. This isn’t always a bad thing, and some of my best experiences have been on other tour operator’s research trips. For me, it’s okay as long as the operator is upfront about it BEFORE any money exchanges hands and they offer the tour with a reduced rate to compensate me for being their guinea pig.
  • New Guide – Another thing to watch out for is getting a newbie tour guide. This, in itself, isn’t a bad thing but a sign to ask more questions. Make sure to ask if the trip will include more experienced staff members. The best way to properly train a new guide is on the road during real tour operations.

As Part 2 ends, I hope you will find this information to be even more useful than Part #1 in narrowing down your choice of tour operators for your next dream guided motorcycle tour.

Look forward to Part 3: The Hat next week!

You can find the other parts at:
Choosing the Right Motorcycle Tour Company Part #1
Choosing the Right Motorcycle Tour Company Part #3

*Idiot Savant – a person who is highly knowledgeable about one subject but knows little about anything else, like rocket science for example.

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Choosing the Right Motorcycle Tour Company – Part 1

Choosing the Right Motorcycle Tour Company – Part 1

by | Dec 12, 2017 | Motorcycle Tour Operators, Tips and Techniques

A quick Google search will quickly show that there are literally hundreds of motorcycle tour operators in the United States alone. That number can very easily soar to the thousands if you include internationally based tour operators into the mix.

With so many to choose from, how do you select which tour company is best for you? To decide if a motorcycle tour operator is worth it, you must consider three important factors: The Value, The Guides, and The Hat.

This three-part article is meant to help educate you on those three important things before signing any contract.

You can find the other parts at:
Choosing the Right Motorcycle Tour Company – The Guides – Part #2
Choosing the Right Motorcycle Tour Company – The Guides – Part #3

Part 1: The Value

Regardless of the number of zeros at the end of your bank account balance, there are some factors that almost everyone takes into consideration when making a purchase. Those factors are cost, price, and value. If you’re one of the few that don’t consider those factors, I have this ultra-high class, baller-status motorcycle tour that I want to run past you. For everyone else, however, read on. Regardless of your budget, you still want something that is worth it to you. Regardless of your price point, product value is what you’re looking for.

Make sure that when you compare pricing, you compare apples to apples. Every tour operator works differently when it comes to additional expense such as meals, gas, tickets for local attractions, etc. You have to include the price of not only the included items but also the items that aren’t included, and how they might affect the overall price of the trip. Additional expenses such as daily fuel, airport pickup / drop off, and other items can quickly raise the low price of that bare-bones tour to within reach of the higher-end motorcycle tour with all the options included. What might seem like a huge price difference in tour packages might not be the same after you compare apples to apples.

In addition to considering your expenses, you also need to consider the tour operator’s expenses. Let’s pretend you found your next tour operator, Moneybag Tours. The owner of Moneybag Tours has a 2018 Porsche 911, his 3rd wife (the secretary) has a Lexus, and the secretary’s son has that new Street Glide you’ve been dreaming about. Moneybag’s offices are located on prime real estate in the nice part of town, and Moneybag Tours dozens of branches, across the nation, with dozens of gigantic offices and numerous employees spread across the US. In fact, as you enter, Moneybag’s virgin biker maidens shovel-feed you exotic imported fruit while you watch via virtual reality what you can experience with a Moneybag Tour.

Sounds good, doesn’t it?

Actually, it sounds pretty damn fantastic but have you ever considered how much of your tour package cost (and it’s accompanying retail markup) is going towards that delicious exotic fruit you keep eating by the shovel-load? As a tour operator myself, I can tell you that part of your tour package price goes toward covering office expenses. Wouldn’t you rather that money be spent on the motorcycle tour you’re taking? Things like nicer hotels and better meals (that include exotic and imported fruit). And more qualified staff (BTW anybody know where I can hire some exotic, imported fruit shoveling, virgin biker maidens).

As Part 1 ends, I hope you will find this information to be useful while starting to narrow down your choice of tour operators for your next dream road trip.

Look forward to Part 2: The Guides next week!

You can find the other parts at:
Choosing the Right Motorcycle Tour Company – The Guides – Part #2
Choosing the Right Motorcycle Tour Company – The Guides – Part #3

Google Has 925,000 Results for Guided Motorcycle Tours...

All you needed was just one…
Contact Black Moto Tours
Should I Buy a Used or New Motorcycle

Should I Buy a Used or New Motorcycle

by | Aug 17, 2017 | Moto Community, Tips and Techniques

So you finally decided it’s time to go ahead and purchase that bike that you’ve always had your eye on. Before you decide to part ways with that hard-earned cash, just know that you have choices to make. Besides the color, and brand, and a million other choices you luckily get to make, the first and most important thing you will have to do is to decide if you want to purchase brand-new or used.

While I love the smell of a new exhaust as much as the next motorcycle-loving man/woman biker, sometimes buying used can have some advantages. Check out the points below before you decide on a new motorcycle or a used motorcycle.

Pros of buying a used motorcycle

  • Already banged up: When you buy a bike brand-new, you will wash it and wax it and hug it and love it. WHEN you drop it and I guarantee you will, you will shed tears. You will curse the earth and wonder why has God so forsaken you. You don’t do this if you drop a used bike. Will it still sting? Yes, you will still curse a little. But it won’t be the 30-minute special word tirade using literary combinations that the Devil himself would be proud of. If you’re a new rider, you definitely want to take this one into consideration.
  • More Benjamin’s in your pocket: Older bikes cost less. Used bikes cost less. Older used bikes cost even less. You can save quite a bit of money versus purchasing a brand new model of the showroom floor.
  • Lower insurance rates: You can finally throw that famous line out when talking to people. Take this example:

Girlfriend: I’m pregnant. How do you feel about that?
Black Moto Biker Dude: I’m so happy about that and the fact that I just saved a bunch of money on my motorcycle insurance by switching to Geico.
Girlfriend: What! Is that all you care about? Your stupid insurance and your stupid motorcycle. I just told you I’m pregnant and all you care about… (several hours of blabber later) … Why? Why would you do that?
Black Moto Biker Dude: By saving money on my insurance, I can afford that fancy crib for the baby, and buy the really expensive diapers you want. And we can buy those funny looking baby shoes that you like. Need I say more?
Girlfriend: I never realized that by purchasing a used motorcycle you were able to save money on motorcycle insurance. I thought you only cared about your motorcycle. I was so wrong. You are so smart and wise and wonderful. I love you.
Black Moto Biker Dude: I love you too! What do you think of Suzuki or Harley for a name?

Cons of buying a used motorcycle

  • Doesn’t have the latest bells and whistles: Depending on the specific bikes, you might not get new technology that the company recently introduced such as handling improvements or fuel injection systems. These same things can also apply to recently introduced safety features such as rear disc brakes, ABS brakes, etc.
  • You don’t know who had the bike before you: Since you can’t always know the history of your bike, you have to really play it by ear when buying used. For example, Evel Knievel is selling you his motorcycle and tells you it was only ridden every other Sunday just to the corner store and back. Are you going to still going to buy that bike? Probably not since you can be almost certain that he most likely jumped over the Grand Canyon or something with it. Since you won’t be buying your next bike from Evel Knievel but instead from a stranger, you won’t know how that bike has been treated which means it could have some major mechanical issues down the road.

Pros of buying a new motorcycle

  • Warranty: Bikes that are brand-new or close to it come with some form of a manufacturer’s warranty. This way you know that for the first few years, you are cover for any factory defects. If you purchased an extended warranty, you even have the option to have most standards repairs covered as well.
  • Virgin bike: You know what virgin means. I don’t even need to go over this one.
  • Big fat 0 on the odometer: We all love a vehicle that has zero miles. Hell, I didn’t get my first zero mileage vehicle until I was an old man older. A bike with zero to low miles guarantees that we will get the most life out of that bike. Plus to be honest, it gives you hella bragging rights! Let’s see an example of this in action:

Four bikers meet up at a social event for individuals that have recently purchased a new bike.
Biker 1: My bike is good. I had 15K miles when I bought it.
Biker 2: Well, I can beat that. My bike had 10K miles when I bought it.
Biker 3: Sorry to disappoint you urban hippies but I had 5K miles. I bet you can’t beat that?
Black Moto Biker Dude: Zero miles bitches (mic drop).

Cons of buying a new motorcycle

  • Hidden costs: New motorcycles have more doohickeys which unfortunately means more money to maintain and fix when they break. When comparing whether to buy an old or new motorcycle, make sure you look at all of the nickel and dime hidden items that will add up over the lifetime of your purchase.
  • More Benjamin’s in your dealer’s pocket: There’s a reason it’s called the “Stealership”. Unless you work in a dealership and know the game or you can run math like Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting, you will probably get taken at the local dealership on a new bike. This is especially true if it’s one of the popular new bikes for that year (cough, cough, 2017 Yammy R1, cough). If you want new, be prepared to pay up the wazoo for it.
  • Depreciation: All that extra money you forked over (read the bullet point above this one)… well, this is where it all goes Houdini on you and disappears. Your motorcycle will drop an average of 20 to 30% the second you drive off the lot. Think about that, buy a bike 600cc bike for 10K cash and go to Micky D’s across the street to mull over your decision. You quickly change your mind and decide you want the 1000cc instead. That beautiful 10K bike, that you just bought 15 minutes ago is now worth 8K if you’re lucky. If you ask me, that was probably the most expensive lunch you will most likely ever eat.
  • Higher insurance rate: If your bike is more expensive, your insurance will be too. Since you have a new motorcycle, you are definitely going to pay more versus a used bike.

As you can see there are many different things to take into consideration when buying a new bike over a used bike. Make the decision that works for you, your wants and desires, and your wallet and enjoy the world of motorcycling.

Harley-Davidson Offers Low Cost Motorcycle Training

Harley-Davidson Offers Low Cost Motorcycle Training

by | Aug 11, 2017 | Moto Community, Motorcycle Safety, Tips and Techniques

Harley-Davidson has been on a big mission lately to teach as many people as possible to love motorcycling. Besides their efforts to teach a whole city to ride, Harley has been reaching out to those with a military affiliation also.

As part of that initiative, Harley-Davidson had announced free Riding Academy motorcycle training to any current and former U.S. military members for the year of 2016. To continue its salute to the military, Harley-Davidson extended the program from March 15th to November 30th of 2017. Unfortunately (you know there’s always a catch to these things), some changes were made for the 2017 calendar year.

First, the offer is now available to active-duty, retired, reservists, veterans, and their spouses. Bad news (which really isn’t so bad) is that the class is now $99. Yes, it’s not free anymore but compared to what some states cost (cough, cough, New York, Arizona, Indiana, cough, cough, $250+), you are definitely getting a good deal.

Find out more about the program at:

https://ridefree.harley-davidson.com/americanheroes