If you are reading these lines it is because you do not want to miss the best tips for doing route 66 on a motorcycle. In another post we already shared with you the itinerary we did on our route 66 on motorcycle. And we say "our" because we include other stops of tourist interest. Both the itinerary made and some of the advice we give will help you if you are also going to do Route 66 by car or caravan.

Tips for doing Route 66 on a motorcycle on your own
Here are our main ones tips for doing route 66 on a motorcycle y on your own after our experience. As you can read below, some of these tips can also help you if you go by car.
1. Rent your motorcycle at Eagle Rider
We rent one classic Harley Davidson Electra Glide, super comfortable for 2 people. It had GPS, speakers, two side suitcases and one back suitcase. Eagle rider allows you to pick up the motorcycle in Chicago and return it in Los Angeles. In any case, it is very expensive, close to €3000 for the 12 days we were filming, but it is once in a lifetime. Thus we took it with comprehensive insurance.

Make sure your bank is notified that you are going to make such a large payment abroad, we had problems with the security of the cards. We know that there are group routes organized by Eagle Rider, but We prefer to go on our own and to be able to make the detours and stops that we would like other than Historic Route 66.
2. Take your motorcycle helmet and get some Interphone
In some states in the United States it is not mandatory to wear a helmet. Therefore, you should know that the helmets provided by Eagle Rider are of low quality. That is, they are half an egg and your face is on the outside. Therefore, if you have a closed helmet, we recommend that you take it with you. We greatly appreciated it for three reasons: cold, wind, rain and bugs! In addition, we have installed brand intercoms Intercom.

Thanks to this Bluetooth system we were able to communicate throughout the trip. Something that we recommend, since there are many kilometers and hours on the road.. In the previous photo, in the helmet on the right you can see the Intercom protruding from the hull.
3. Bring removable and malleable suitcases, tips for doing Route 66 by motorcycle
A great tip if you are going to do Route 66 by motorcycle is to get some removable suitcases to put in the rigid suitcases of the motorcycle. We bought some waterproof suitcases from the GIVI brand. They are ideal since the air can be removed from them, so they could adapt perfectly to the side trunks of the Harley. Each one carried one. The good thing about the removable suitcases is that at each stop we could easily take them out and put them in our hotel room with total comfort. And, also, being waterproof, our clothes didn't get wet when the rain caught us.

4. Download the Route 66 Ultimate Guide Pro app
It is free and will serve as a guide if you want to find out what that you should visit in each state on Route 66. You won't miss places like this.

5. Take out travel insurance with accident coverage
It is essential that you take out travel insurance on a trip of this type. Health costs in the United States are huge and the risks of traveling by motorcycle, as you know, are greater than those of traveling by car. We can offer you a 5% discount on your insurance to the United States and any other part of the world for being our reader by booking with IATI here. Make sure the option you choose include road accident coverage, since the trip is mainly driving, whether by motorcycle or car.

6. Go equipped for all types of climates
By taking Route 66, you are traveling through an entire country, so you will practically experience all types of climates. In our case, in Chicago it was cold and humid, on the way to Missouri it rained and it was quite windy. In New Mexico we exceeded 35 degrees and in Arizona, reaching the Grand Canyon, we were hailed. Therefore, It is important that you carry a good waterproof jacket for your motorcycle., as well as boots that protect you from accidents, stones and rain.

7. Travel connected with Holafly and its eSIMS with unlimited data
With Holafly you can enjoy unlimited data in almost any destination, and the best thing is that their eSIMs are super easy to install: just scan a QR code and you're ready to go. We have already used it on several trips and it has always worked great for us. And the best thing! We have a 5% off for you.

8. Eat healthy at Wholefoods Market
In the United States it is very difficult to eat healthy without being scammed. You practically have to have breakfast, lunch and dinner based on hamburgers and pizza if you don't want to spend more than 15 euros per meal. In this sense, the supermarket Wholefoods market He saved us from junk food on several occasions during the route. Here you can configure your salad with various ingredients, as well as a combination plate.

The number of fast food restaurants in the country is exaggerated. There will be moments along the route when you have no choice, but If you go through larger or smaller cities, there will always be a Wholefoods.
9. Get your Revolut card before you travel
The Revolut card allows you to withdraw cash at no cost at any ATM in the world. That is, no commission applies to you for the currency exchange. Besides, They do not charge you commissions when paying in another currency, neither online nor in stores. Another option is N26.

10. Book Chicago and Los Angeles hotels in advance
Accommodation in Chicago and Los Angeles is very expensive. Therefore, we recommend that you book your reservation in advance. hotel in chicago. Likewise, even if you are arriving in LA two weeks later, we suggest you book your reservation early. hotel in Los Angeles.
We hope that these 10 tips for doing Route 66 on a motorcycle on your own have been helpful to you. Do not hesitate to leave us a comment for any questions or send us an email to [email protected].

Hello! I am Ruth, Canarian with a traveling soul. With training and experience in the tourism and digital marketing sector. In this blog I tell you all the tips you need to get to know the most authentic side of Gran Canaria on your own. I also share my travel guides to all the places in the world that I am visiting so that you can discover the destinations like a local and save time planning. In addition to traveling, I love gastronomy and sports. I run and hike in the mountains with my “dog-children” (Silver and Plata). In all these adventures my partner accompanies me, Jorge, which you will also see a lot on this blog.
Hello, you give interesting advice, but I have a question. Do the saddlebags have a key lock?
We are going to do the route on a Harley Davidson road glide and the motorcycle rental website does not give this information.
Thank you very much
Hello!! I'm glad you found them interesting 🙂 Yes, of course, the Harley suitcases have a key to close if we leave the luggage inside.
Greetings,
Ruth
Good morning,
I have questions,
Did the 35ltr GIVI bags that you carry fit well in the side cases of the Harley?
Are full face helmets worth renting? or do we take our helmets? How did you invoice them? We have intercoms and we are not sure whether to remove them and install them in the rental ones?
What plane route did you take?
How long did you take them?
All the best
Eduard
Hello Edward!!
We had no problem with the Givi bags, the good thing is that they are waterproof and if it rained a lot, no water would get in there.
As we indicated in the two articles on the route, we do not rent helmets, we bring our own. We don't check them in, we take the Givi bag and the helmet as hand luggage and that's it. The ideal is that you wear your helmet with your intercom, your head is already used to that helmet and as you say, you already have the intercom. Plus, you save on rent.
From planes we made Madrid-Philadelphia stopover-Chicago and on the return Los Angeles-Madrid direct. I don't remember how far in advance we booked it... in any case, the situations are not comparable, now everything is booked much less in advance.
We recommend that you take a look at the two articles, there we answer many of the questions you have asked us.
Greetings and enjoy!
Thank you very much, we are considering that adventure and your feedback is very helpful. The question is because I am a Sunday biker, on small routes, and 400 km on a motorcycle seems overwhelming, of course spread throughout the day, well, it could be something else...let's see what we decide. Thank you.
Hello Carlos, if you have more days for the trip, you can do fewer kilometers per day…we just had little time…You'll tell us! a hug!
Hello, what level of physical preparation do you have to have to do the motorcycle route? Does the Harley vibrate a lot on the road? What is the optimal period or date to make the trip? Thank you
Hi Carlos!! Well, you don't really need physical fitness to ride a motorcycle... if you have to pedal hehe, we think it's best to do it in May/June or September/October, because in desert areas you can die of heat in the middle of August. And, on the contrary, in the winter months with the rain on a motorcycle it is a pain… a hug
Motorcycle travel and tips
That's how it is! We hope you are interested. All the best