Are you looking for scenery, exploration and fun? Our new series The Great Western Trail Tours™ features the most desirable locations in the Southwest, follows a comfortably paced but scalable itinerary and offers great opportunity to make new friends or spend time with your regular riding buddies.  more... How can you get the most out of your itinerary? Rigorous planning and ad hoc travel seems to be antonyms, with maximum safety and maximum flexibility on the two extremes. We’ve created at tour that provides you with the safety of a strictly planned journey with the flexibility of an ad hoc trip. With the Great Western Trail Tour the only thing you need to do is get into the saddle and enjoy your vacation, the way you like it. We take care of the boring details without taking away the freedom of choice from you. more... Can you pack for ten days in a purse? Probably not, but you don’t have to. You can travel light like a Papillion without compromising what you carry on your trip. Our chase vehicle takes the load, so you can forget about the volume limitation of a saddle bag.  more... The Great Western Trail Tour Guidance and luggage transport Accommodations Rides Riding gear Bikes Departure dates Prices Booking Cancellation policy - top of the page -   The Great Western Trail Tour This tour provides a terrific blend of breathtaking sights and superb rides in the context of a broad geological and human historical insight.  The structure of the tour gives the flexibility to every participant to perfectly balance their daily rides in accordance with their personal interest and riding style. The tours are limited to 12 participating motorcycles. Check out the day to day itinerary and the points of interest.  - back to content - Guidence and luggage transport A knowledgeable guide on two wheels and a tour courier with a 4x4 pick-up and a motorcycle trailer provide escort and back up for the participating riders. We carry your extra luggage, so you can travel light without seriously limiting what you take on the road. In case of mechanical break down the motorcycle trailer might come in handy as well. Your guide is equipped with multiple GPS units, a satellite phone and personal emergency beacon (Epirb) just in case. As we know, it never rains when you carry an umbrella. A detailed map with the trip highlighted and a detailed itinerary will be sent to you via mail prior to the trip. The evening before the start of the tour we’ll get together for a brief introduction and for an overview of the trip. Your guide will provide a briefing of the actual day each morning before you take off and he/she also will give you insights to the particular point of interests at the destination. Certainly you’ll receive tips on restaurants and pit stops along the route as well. - back to content - Accommodations Due to our relationship to the hospitality providers, we were able to secure your accommodations at group rate level which makes your trip very cost effective. We pass the price advantage to you without putting any cap on the rates. The average accommodation cost is a mere $35.-/night/person in double occupancy. - back to content - Rides The ride is paced at a comfortable 224 mile daily average. The longest leg is 284 miles. Nonetheless, the daily mileage does not mean your daily limit. It is the distance between the start and the end of the day. The trip is loaded with enough scenery and points of interest to fill your day within the given distance, but the routing always gives you the opportunity to find extended rides for the day and your guide can also help you to put more miles into your odometer if you feel the need. - back to content - Riding gear You can travel light from day zero. You can ship your riding gear to and from our location, so you don’t have to worry about it when you travel. It comes handy, because riding between low desert and alpine altitude requires a lot of layers. - back to content - Bikes All kinds of motorcycles are welcome.  The touring itinerary stays on the pavement, suitable for touring, sport-touring bikes or cruisers. Only a very limited number of the sights have a short, maintained gravel or dirt road access. These are optional anyway. You can bring your own bike or you can rent a Beemer or a Harley at a special rate. Tour participants are eligible for a special rental discount.  You can ship your bike to and from our Scottsdale location. For free quote on the shipping, check out the Prices section. If you trailer your bike, we’ll help you find a place for your truck and trailer. If you w - back to content - Tour departutre dates Touring (10 day) Adventure (11day) May 5-14 June 2-11 June 30 - July 9 July 28 - August 6 August 25 - Sept 3 May 17-27 June 14-24 July 12-22 August 9-19 September 6-16   - back to content - Prices Accommodation* Being a motorcycle tour operator, 1st Defense Industries, Inc. was able to secure your accommodations in the following hotels* for a very reasonable pice. We pass the price advantage onto you, without charging any additional fee or cap on the price. This way your accomodation cost averages at $36.-/night/person in double occupancy. The actual rate fluctuates between $25.- and $46.- depending on the location. You pay for your accommodations directly to the hotels. Scottsdale (pre- and post tour nights): Holiday Inn Show Low: Best Western Paint Pony Lodge Chinle: BW Canyon de Chelly Inn Blanding: Best Western Gateway Inn Moab: Ramada Inn Price: BW Carriage House Inn Loa: Road Creek Lodge, The Snugle Inn Bryce Canyon: BW Rubby's Inn Kanab: BW Thunderbird Flagstaff: La Quinta * hotel upgrade is available upon request, the booking fee is 15%. For the adventure tour accommodation information please call! Travel services*:  - Detailed maps and itinerary mailed to you prior to the trip - Routes in digital format for your GPS sent via e-mail - Tour Guide on MC, supplied with GPS, satellite phone and Epirb - Luggage transportation to and from your accommodations - Tour photos on CD-ROM  - 4x4 chase vehicle and motorcycle trailer emergency back-up - Handling of your gear sent to and from our location - Your hotel reservations - Kick-off dinner All the above are covered by a mere $125,-/day/bike travel service fee. Motorcycle rental** BMW and Harley Davidson motorcyles are available for the tour participants at a special $99.-/day rate. Motorcycle shipping* To obtain a free quote please contact: Eagle One Express at 209-847-4129, on-line quote or Federal Transport at 800-747-4100, on-line qoute or Harley Davidson Motorcycle Shipping  at 888-575-BIKE, on-line quote or JC Motors at 800-730-3151, on-line quote or MoverQuest at 800-410-7499, on-line quote or A-1 Freeman Relocation Group at 800-527-0744 ext. 5632 We'll accept your bike, store it until your arrival and then store it once again for the return pick-up for only $99.- Price summary / Touring* Double occupancy Includes: hotels for 11 nights, 6 breakfast, kick-off dinner, guidence, luggage transport, tour photos, chase vehicle, customized maps, gear storage  $1,640.- Single supplement  $ 490.- Motorcycle rental** for GWT participants  $ 990.- *plus applicable taxes ** based on availability, plus applicable taxes and insurance - back to content - Reservation Tour registration is open until three weeks prior to the departure date or until the tour fills up, whichever comes first.   Fifty percent of fees and taxes (excluding hotels), $675,-  is due at the time of your reservation confirmation, fifty percent three weeks prior to departure. You can register on-line , call us at 1-480-970-5530     OR  >>>  download the - back to content - Cancellation Four weeks or more prior to departure date full refund is provided less 20% administration fee. Between three and four weeks prior to departure date 50% of the amount paid is credited towards your next trip or motorcycle rental with 1st Defense Industries, Inc. within one year from the date of the original reservation, the remainder is refunded less a 20% administration fee.   Between three and two weeks prior to departure 50% of the amount paid is credited towards your next trip or motorcycle rental with 1st Defense Industries, Inc. within one year from the date of the original reservation, the remainder is refunded less a 20% administration and a 20% cancellation fee. Within two weeks prior to departure or in case of no show, there is zero refund. There is a minimum participation of five motorcycles. In case a tour date remains under the minimum participation prior four weeks of departure, 1st Defense Industries, Inc. retains the right to reschedule or cancel with full refund. - back to content -  top of the page -