2009 Great Lakes Tour

Great Lakes Wilderness and the USA Motorcycle Industry

Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan

August 8-16, 2009

Ride spectacular scenic two lane roads through pristine northern wildernesses between the harbors and fishing villages along the northern shores of Lake Superior - and tour four iconic motorcycle industry centers: the Harley Davidson Museum and factory in Milwaukee, and the Buell, and Aerostich factories, too. Experience Bob Dylan’s famous ‘Highway 61’ and later cross the majestic Mackinac, the longest, and tallest suspension bridge in North America. Stand beside huge oceangoing ships transiting the Panama Canal-sized Locks at Sault St Marie. Dine each night at roadhouses famous and infamous, and enjoy four hours crossing Lake Michigan aboard the restored coal-fired Ludington steam ferry. This tour takes place on some of the best historic backroads in the continent, and combines American motorcycling’s heritage with wilderness adventure and rewarding riding. Start and finish in Minneapolis/St. Paul. Ride your own bike or rent a 2009 Harley-Davidson from us. All pavement.

More details coming soon! Email us in the meantime if you have questions or are interested in signing up.

Tour Information


Discover the beauty and the roads in the Great Lakes region!

Tour Price Includes:

Tour Price Does Not Include:

Guides/Support:

The guides accompanying the tour are backcountry first aid certified. They will be carrying cell phones and a satellite phone at all times. The support vehicle will carry spare parts for repairs on the road.

Money:

Bring credit card(s) or spending cash for meals and gasoline on the road. Participants will need to bring enough cash for seven day's worth of meals and gas. The amount of cash you will need to bring differs from person to person; how much and how often do you plan to eat? Three full meals? Only breakfast and dinner? Only dinner with snacks in between? The amount varies from person to person and is up to the individual. Plan to bring as much cash as you would for any other tour or vacation.

Tips:

Tipping is welcome and highly encouraged.

Itinerary

Great Lakes and USA Motorcycle Industry 2009 Itinerary

Saturday, August 8, 2009
Day One: Minneapolis to Duluth, MN – (170 miles)
Please plan to be in Minneapolis on Friday, or early Saturday morning at the latest. Rooms are set aside and available in the area to reserve for Thursday and/or Friday evening. Aerostich can provide shuttle rides from the airport. All the business at the bike rental dealership should be done by 10am, in order for us to be on the road by noon. The gentle curves to Duluth will be a great warm up for you to get used to the new bike. You will lodge in the Inn on Lake Superior in Duluth and walk to our welcome dinner on the harbor. The annual Blues Fest, one of Duluth’s most prominent events, is nearby for those who want to venture out in the evening.

Sunday, August 9, 2009
Day Two: Duluth to Red Rock, ONT – (255 miles)
The road along the north shore of Lake Superior is one of the most beautiful coastal rides anywhere. In places, high bluffs look over the blue waters of the largest of the great lakes. The lush pine wilderness is a combination of pristine beauty and sweeping smooth curves. A picnic will be served along the coast at an inspiring location, then the tour crosses into Canada. Please look over the list of requirements to cross into our neighbor to the north. The basics of a current passport and a clean driving record are critical. The small town of Red Rock is on the coast and we will stay in a historical old fishing Inn near the lake.

Monday, August 10, 2009
Day Three: Red Rock to Wawa, ONT – (270 miles)
The quiet green solitude of the northern wilderness will soon have you wishing for a longer stay in this remote country. We may see various forms of native wildlife standing alongside or even right on the roads everywhere, so we will maintain a moderate pace. We will eat lunch along the road and arrive in Wawa mid-afternoon. After a short side excursion out to High Falls, which is indeed a fairly high waterfall, we will have a reception at the hotel. In the evening, an outdoor barbeque dinner is available right at the hotel.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Day Four: Wawa to Ludington, MI – (391 miles)
This is one of the longest days of riding (nearly ten hours), and offers some of the most impressive views along the lakeshore. We will begin this day an hour earlier than normal in order to get into Ludington at a reasonable time. A picnic lunch is served wherever we find ourselves around noon. A visit to the Sault St. Marie Sea Locks may give us a chance to watch a huge oceangoing ship pass almost within spitting distance. This is the main channel for worldwide shipping in and out of the great lakes. Next is the mighty Mackinac Bridge. This world class engineering feat is the longest suspension bridge in North America. You will ride over it as we cross into lower Michigan. Another beautiful route south to Ludington will have us at the wharf town with some time to spare before a great dinner at the local Brewing Company.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Day Five: Ludington to Milwaukee, WI - (145 miles)
This day starts out extra early with breakfast served at 6am. We will need to be on the ferry dock at 7am, in order to be on board for the 8am departure of the restored antique coal fired steam ferry, the SS Badger. The four hour crossing of Lake Michigan will offer a relaxing morning. Arrival on the western shore begins our journey in Wisconsin with an easy ride down through the green hills to the Harley-Davidson capital of the world. We are staying in restored downtown Milwaukee accommodations with unique period decorating in every room. Several great dinner options are within riding or walking distance. Everyone will receive a $100 spa voucher to be used this evening or Thursday evening, based on advance reservation.

Thursday, August 13, 2009
Day Six: Milwaukee area – (71 miles)
We will start the day by venturing out to the smaller town of East Troy to tour the Buell Factory. Afterward we will ride back in to the Harley-Davidson engine factory, and on to the Harley-Davidson Museum for lunch and an extended walkthrough, both of which are part of the tour program. The afternoon will be spent gawking at the historically significant and immaculate collection of bikes that the manufacturer has saved or acquired from every year and almost every model of production since the beginning. The evening meal at one of Milwaukee’s unique restaurants this evening is included in the price of the tour.

Friday, August 14, 2009
Day Seven: Milwaukee to Trempealeau, WI – (291 miles)
Once again we will have breakfast and leave an hour early to miss traffic and cover some distance today. After breaking free from the city, we will roll along through the fabled green hills of Wisconsin. A special route has been selected to show off the local rider’s favorite roads through the sweeping countryside and then along the Mississippi River Valley to the northwest. This section could take ten to eleven hours to cover. We will travel west then north on perfectly maintained pavement with almost no traffic and travel through several state and local parks and scenic by-ways, to finally arrive at the old timey river town of Trempealeau. Although we will ride a lot of miles this day, you may wish it would never end. Dinner is available in a really special and locally famous restaurant within walking distance.

Saturday, August 15, 2009
Day Eight: Trempealeau to Duluth, MN – (229 miles)
Today’s riding will have some more green lake country heading north back to Duluth to visit the Aerostich factory. This is an easy day of riding, and after the tour and a hosted reception at Aerostich headquarters, we will retire once again to first class accommodations near Lake Superior and convene in a great place nearby for the farewell dinner.

Saturday, August 16, 2009
Day Nine: Duluth to Minneapolis, MN – (170 miles)
The short ride back to Minneapolis will pass all too fast and then we will be back at the dealership to turn in our rental bikes. A final lunch together in the area and then a shuttle ride will be provided to a hotel of your choosing or to the airport for the flight home. Rooms in the vicinity are blocked and available for anyone wishing to stay in the area longer. This is when the stories about your fascinating experience of the last week will begin.

Total Miles: 2043

Pricing

Great Lakes Tour Pricing

Single Occupancy with rental: $4,999.00
Double Occupancy with rental: $3,899.00
Double Occupancy with two-up rental: $6,099.00
Single Occupancy with own bike: $3,199.00
Double Occupancy with own bike: $2,199.00

Please call 800-222-1994 ext. 402 or email us for more information or to register for this tour.

Bikes available for this tour:

Ultra Classic, Electra Glide Classic, Road King Classic, Road King Standard, Road Glide, Street Glide, Fatboy, Heritage Softail, Softail Custom, Softail Deluxe

Deposit

A $1000.00 deposit is required to secure a spot on the tours. The deposit will go towards the final tour price.

Full Payment

Full payment is due 60 days prior to the start of the tour.

Cancellation/Refund Policy

Cancellations must be received more than 60 days prior to departure for a full refund. Cancellations received less than 60 days from departure will receive a 50% refund. If your reservation is filled by another rider, a full refund less the deposit will be issued. After 60 days, deposits are NOT refundable, but ARE transferable to a different party or to a later date (subject to availability). We strongly suggest that riders purchase traveler's insurance prior to registering for a tour to help off-set any costs involved in the event of a cancellation.

Tour Dates

Tour dates are subject to change in the event of accommodation restrictions, or other unforeseen circumstances and limitations. In the event of a date change (usually only by a day or two), riders will be notified, and reasonable assistance and reimbursement will be provided.