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

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.

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