Route 66 or the like on a bike

Living in the southeast, I can’t complain about nice twisties just about half an hour north of my house.
However, this year I’d like to “tour the US” a bit and while riding up the Blue Ridge Parkway sounds like a cool idea, I’d like to see something different , landscape and landmarks wise.

of course Rt 66 popped up in my head, thinking about heading up towards St Louis and then maybe til Colorado. Not the whole thing...

Anyone can fill me in?
I will probably be riding the 2007 Tuono

thanks

 

Three words Phil...Oklahoma, Kansas or Nebraska.
Pick your way west to Colorado through one of 'em.
You can traverse Texas also but end up south of your target.

 

And go on to Utah. Amazing geology there.

 

Old rt 66 heads SW kinda following I44 thru MO to Oklahoma City then along i40 to California.

If you can be more specific what types of attraction you wanna see I'm sure people will come up with lots of suggestions.

MO is full of caves and quilt shops.
Ok.. lots of Indian reservation. Ozark MTN area along AR/OK border
Tx.,. Only thing I can think of is the VW bugs east of Amarillo, similar to the route 66 Cadillacs west of Amarillo.
Truck stop just inside NM on I40 has a great car museum.
Or take ?us54 NW thru lots n lots of nothing across top of NM to Colorado. It's "scenic in places..


Other notes of interest
Ks geographic center of USA. The geographic center of North America isnt far from there..

Tons of "Historical markers"

Fyi route 666 in NM was renamed. People kept stealing the road signs.

 

Pure opinion here. I like to be the tough rider as much as the next guy, but the middle section of America on your way there sucks. Throw your bike in a truck or use a trailer and park it as soon as you see the Rockies. Then unload and ride. As far as where to go, it's all amazing. My brother and I choose you area to ride for a week last year and while it was nice, we kicked ourselves in the ass for not hauling out west.

 

Truck would definitely be an option for the boring part, but I don’t really care. Suffering through the long straights shall/can be a part of it

landscapes interest me more than attractions per se, surely need some good food along the way.

like I said, don’t have a plan or a set desire, just want to ride and take it all in.

Opinions are fine, really like to hear what others liked or not

 

Be a man!!! Route 66 on a route 66..............

 

Make a big loop. Stay off of the interstates as much as possible. The later in the year, the farther north or up in altitude you’ll want to be. TX, NM and OK suck in July on a bike.

How much time are you dedicating to this ride?
Whats your daily milage goal?

 

If i was you I would try to find someone to haul the bike to vegas or the like. Then fly out and ride eastbound till about OK city. Thats when it turns NE bound. Thats the best part...eff riding from OK to Chicago. All flat and corn and wheat and shit.

 

My buddies and I ride to CO from the Chicagoland area every year for an event. To be frank, the ride there sucks. It’s true, it’s either Kansas or Nebraska on the way out and they both suck. Lincoln is a cool town so we usually go Nebraska way and stay there for a night. Then the entire Eastern half of CO might as well be KS or NE until you get to the mountains. After that, it’s gold.

Every year we complain and say we’re gonna trailer out next year, but we never do. It’s just not as cool if you puss out and sit in the truck.

 

Pretty sure you can't ride Route 66 even if you want, there are entire sections that no longer exist.

 

Accurate.

If you're coming up from the southeast it's pretty much gonna look the same for the better part of a 1000 miles.

 

I'd loop further north and go through ND and MT, come down through Yellowstone.

 

Technically yes you are correct. There are places where the original pavement is still there and used as a frontage road like alongside I44 in MO, east of Joplin. It's crazy how narrow that original 66 was. You were scraping paint with oncoming cars. Also it used to run through a lot of towns and now the interstate routes you around the towns so you can take the business loops which are now city streets but used to be the OG 66. My gradeschool is on the original 66.

As others have said, it's going to have long sections that are boring but if that's what you want to do then go for it. If you want to see attractions a little out of the way, just post up what areas you are curious about and I'm sure beebers can help with ideas.

 

I've ridden most of old US66 from Chicago to Needles, CA. Most beautiful part in my opinion is Slegman, AZ to Kingman, especially when the desert is in bloom. It's a nice ride, lots to see along the way, but don't do it for the twisties, as there really aren't any. Grand Canyon NP is a short detour off old US66.

As Brex said, a little farther north has some great riding and scenery. US 12 or US 16 through the mountains west of Sheridan, WY to Grey Bull and on to Cody is fantastic. You can detour north and hit Glacier NP, come back south and hit Yellowstone NP, Jackson Hole, and Mt Rushmore (not necessarily in that order).

Western Montana is a beautiful ride. US-2 through Glacier NP and on to Idaho border, MT-200 north or US12 either direction from Missoula are examples. Idaho from Boise up along the snake river and then north to to Lewiston is awesome. Riding along the Columbia River from Clarkston to the coast is a pretty nice ride, too.

Damn, I think I need to plan a tour soon.

 

I live on old Route 66 just outside of Springfield, mo. I love seeing all the bikes come by in the summer. You won’t regret riding it through Missouri at all.

 

To appreciate Kansas or Nebraska, you must have a zen enjoyment of emptiness. I usually go US34 or US6 to McCook, then US89 down to US36 and over to I-70 at Byers, right by High Plains raceway. Joe's, Co is pretty cool, mainly because its the only gas along the way once you leave Oberlin. Careful fuel management is recommended if you do this road on a bike. There are a lot of corn, soybean, and wheat fields along the way. Grazing pasture, and not much else.

 

Very good points and I’m not tied to the #66.
I’ve ridden to Indy and back on a weekend (on the panigale) but there was no zen involved.

I’m thinking a 10-15 day trip...

with podcasts, audiobooks or just engine sound (got me a set of stock cans for sanity) I should be good for longer legs.

Will for sure need a cruise control.

 

Phil, what's your timeframe? I expect to be available this summer. Perhaps you'd like a ride partner some of the way?

 

10-15 days is a huge window of opportunity.
I’d go late June at the earliest. That should make sure you don’t have any high passes with snow.

Greenville, Paducah, Joplin, Dodge City, Trinidad CO, Moab, Rock Springs WY, Jackson, Bozeman, up to US 12, then E to the MS river. Follow the river road south to Cape Giradeau, Cairo IL, then work your way back thru TN.