• West Forever<br/>Guided Motorcycle Tours in Europe

combineEurope : +33 388 688 900
North America : +1 818 515 3557
South Pacific : +61 7 5641 0242

F.A.Q.

How far in advance should I sign up?

You can sign up as soon as the catalogue comes out or the website is updated each year, in September. Sign up early to be certain that there is still room. There is a limited number of participants in each group and, once we reach that number, we stop registrations. This might happen 10 months before the trip or 1 month before. The best idea is to give us a call as soon as you get the urge and place a free option on a date. You will then have enough time to confirm your reservation and to work out all the details for your trip. Your option will never be cancelled without our discussing it with you first.

Is an international driver’s license required?

Not for the U.S.A., but it is necessary for Australia and South Africa. It is available at your prefecture and is free of charge, for now.

There are some changes in your tours each year, why is that?

We regularly make improvements to our tours, or at least we try! So we sometimes try new formulas when we think we can give you better service or add a little something… But that is no reason to wait another 10 before joining us.

Do you have fixed prices?

Yes, our prices are fixed. They will never go up or down. This enables you to plan you budget. Be careful – some agencies are not very open about this subject. Make sure the guarantee “firm price” is given in writing.

How can I get out of paying the “single room” supplement if I am traveling alone?

The best solution is to find a friend you can travel with, if you are sure that you will enjoy his/her company (smoker? snorer?, etc.). You can also let us know what you want, clearly indicating this in a letter or on your registration form. We might have another person who, like you, wants to share a room! Nonetheless, while we will be happy to do everything we can to find a solution for you, we cannot promise we will find you a roommate. So if you end up all alone, the single room rate will apply.

And Route 66?

Route 66 stretches from Chicago to Los Angeles for some 3,940 km/2,448 miles. There aren’t many national parks and, except for the last third of the trip, it does not cross the most spectacular landscapes. If you are going to the U.S.A. for the first time, we recommend the “American West”, “Canyon Country Tour”, the “2 en 1” and the “Tribal Spirit” tours, which give a better look at some of the most incredible scenery on the planet and follow some gorgeous sections of Route 66. Route 66 as a whole is the best way to understand America, to discover rural regions from north to south, and to get to know the rich history of this country. But there are conditions! The first is that you take your time, because Route 66 demands that you understand it! It calls for an active approach by those who drive it. The second is that you should have a guide with you who will share his love of this route with you along with his cultural and historical knowledge.

What else should we read between the lines?

The most expensive item in travel costs is the motorcycle rental. Before comparing, verify the number of full days of your motorcycle rental. At WF, it is, for example, 12 days for the American West and the Pacific Coast and 13 for the Dixie Road. Also check what other services are included: national parks, fuel, comprehensive travel insurance, road insurance, SLI, airport and security taxes, 4x4 outings at the parks and the hovercraft on the “Going Florida” tour, for example.

What guarantees do you give that the trip will take place?

On paper, none. No travel agency can ever guarantee a service with 100% certainty. The only thing we can guarantee is that you will be reimbursed 100%. In fact, all licensed agencies are covered by a legal bank guarantee that ensures that you will be reimbursed in full in case of cancellation. But you should know that throughout its history, West Forever has only very rarely cancelled a trip because of a lack of participants. The best guarantee we can give you is reasonable growth, lower than the growth in demand. We would prefer that to a cancellation... In other words, before you choose an agency to travel with, check the number of trips scheduled and the growth in this number from one year to the next. Watch out, rather than canceling the trip, some agencies reserve the right to increase their prices if a minimum number of participants is not reached. This is not the case at West Forever, of course.

How much experience do your guides have?

Verifying our guides’ specific knowledge is something we take very seriously. This job is not a simple summer job for students. There are many responsibilities that can only be entrusted to experienced people. At West Forever, all our guides have the usual basic knowledge: they know English, a little bit of mechanics, they have first aid certificates, they are sociable and full of humanity, etc. But most important, they are motivated and hard-working, because the days of a WF guide are long. Some have been with us for many years and train the newcomers. We have our own school. The candidates are selected for the aforementioned criteria and others that you could call “feeling” or “contact”; they undergo 3 weeks of technical training in the field (U.S.A.). We take these selections seriously and the recruitment process is quite long. We entrust our guides with our most precious possession – our customers – and, when in doubt, we always abstain. Along with the guides’ experience, you should also check how many years of experience the agency has with this kind of trip and that they have a travel agent license, their own if possible.

What experience does the tour operator have with Harley-Davidson?

Our agency is exclusively Harley and has been since 1996. Furthermore, we have been selected as “Authorized Tours” by Harley-Davidson®. In fact, our job is the result of two passions: travel and Harleys! We recommend that you avoid all opportunistic agencies, because understanding the specific characteristics of a Harley and the needs of Harley riders is of utmost importance for the trip to be a success.

What is the technical condition of the Harley we will be riding?

The quality of your Harley® and, in part, the quality of your trip, will depend on the quality of the renter’s services. Wherever possible, West Forever works with official Harley-Davidson® renters. This is a guarantee of quality, of course, because you will always have a current-year model with very little mileage on it, with very few exceptions. Our breakdown rate is extremely low and usually concerns flat tires due to the heat. The pick-up that accompanies the group has technical assistance equipment and our accompaniers can handle any mechanical problems. Before you sign, be sure to look into the condition of the rental bikes and the renter’s reputation, you have the right to do so.

Why offering a flat rate including fuel?

Does not concern the Road Book tours, the “Alsace Tour”, “Daytona Bike Week” and the “Going Florida” and “Run to Sturgis” tours during the free days. Imagine a group of 13 bikes, each one paying a couple of dollars to fill up one after the other. Each person would take 5 minutes to pay (so long as their credit card doesn’t screw up...), so we would waste 50 minutes at each gas station, or one to two hours a day spent waiting in the gas fumes. With West Forever, your guide pays it all at once for all the operations. If this budget is not included in the flat rate offered by another agency, count between $35 and $40 more per day!

Why do you choose to ride in small groups with a guide ?

With the same terms, this does not concern the Road Book tours, “Daytona Bike Week” and the “Great Australian Trek”. Riding together is first of all a question of having a good time, the simple pleasure of sharing the experience. Secondly, it is also a major safety factor. Having to wait for technical assistance, if it is included in the tour (which is not always the case), spending and hour or two in the middle of the desert with the sun beating down on you can ruin your day, to say the least! Furthermore, especially at certain times of the year, you need to drink a lot of water. Having the assistance van nearby with its reserves of cold water adds to your comfort, but also to your safety! Also, don’t forget that the ability to carry luggage (for a 15-days trip) on a motorcycle is, by definition, relatively limited. The accompanying vehicle also transports your suitcases... But “riding together” does not mean “riding right next to one another”. The group often stretches out over several miles, everyone going at their own pace. They regularly group together to make sure everybody is OK, to hand out cold water, etc. Last but not least, WF customers cover several million miles in the United States each year. The probability of having an accident is therefore proportional. In this case, having the assistance car nearby, with its first aid equipment and an American cell phone, can be of vital importance. Be careful – some agencies are not very explicit about the presence of guides or play down their importance! Without guidance, how can you be sure to reach your destination for the night? And if you don’t make it to the hotel for the night, good luck getting to tomorrow’s hotel, etc. Nowadays, leaving without booking hotels in advance is impossible at tourist sites in the busy season.

What accomodation are you offering for your tours?

We are the first motorcycle tour operator, and this status leads us to book a large number of hotel rooms that we rent each year at the hotels we use. This position gives us the possibility to negotiate our prices in the best hotels and motels. The quality of the accommodations provided therefore does not significantly affect the price you pay compared with a smaller company offering accommodations at hotels of lower quality. All our customers will tell you how nice it is, after a long day’s ride in the desert’s heat, to relax in a room with the highest level of comfort, air conditioning and comfortable beds in a hotel with a swimming pool and often a Jacuzzi. The quality of the welcome and the originality of the place are also criteria that we apply when choosing hotels. Last but not least, being near tourist sites is a must. Imagine, for example, that after watching the sunset over the Grand Canyon, you have to go back to Flagstaff to sleep?! The Grand Canyon is at an altitude of 2,500 meters/8,250 feet, and the nights are chilly… and Flagstaff, the first city outside the national park, is over 100 km/60 miles away!! You can’t possibly miss the magic of a sunset over the Grand Canyon!

What clothes should I bring?

We cannot answer that question in just a few lines, because the answer will depend on the tour and the season. That is why you will receive a travel log about 2 months before you leave, giving a list of clothing we recommend. As a rule, you should bring something for the heat, something for the cold, something for dry weather and for rainy weather, not to mention the basics for a biker: helmet, glasses, gloves and boots.

How can I deal with the heat?

The heat is not a problem as long as you are in good health and you drink a lot of water. All the cold water you want is available at the West Forever pick-up (guided tours). That is the best remedy against sun exposure and sunstroke. If you have driven through the American deserts in an air-conditioned car in the middle of the summer, don’t worry – on a bike, you enter into the hot air progressively. You do not undergo a sudden thermal shock. At sunrise, the temperatures are still relatively low, even chilly, and your body will progressively get used to the rising temperature. So no problem – don’t hesitate to go in the summer.

What is the best time of year to visit the Europe?

The season runs from May to September (even April to October for tours around the Mediterranean sea like the Colours of Tuscany). During public holiday (July August) the roads can get a little crowded and the high heat can make a ride a little unpleasant, that is why we offer the Colours of Tuscany tour in May.

What is the best time of year to visit the American west?

The season runs from May to September. A few years ago, it was easy to answer this question. But for the last couple of years it hasn’t been that easy. May is still one of the best month for motorcycle riding. It rarely rains at this time of year, but there are still cool periods. Don’t forget that while the American west is very low in terms of latitude (Sahara), it is often very high in altitude, and you will be riding through 3,000-meter/10,000-foot passes. In June, the temperatures have become surprising. Notably, it is not uncommon to be confronted with high temperatures, especially at the end of the month. July and August are hot, but less so than in the past and thunderstorms occur regularly (July and especially August), cooling down the atmosphere. September should be good for most people. Hot, but not sweltering. The sun sets a bit earlier, however, and you have to be careful with your timing so as not to miss the superb sunsets at the big national parks! In a word, the U.S.A. is a country where weather incidents happen, and that will be part of your personal adventure. Since the year 2000, Monument Valley has become green again and the Mojave Desert is increasingly dry.

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