I need advice on planning a MC trip for New England this fall...

[chuckfina]

Hi Everyone,
SoCal rider here.., the wife and I would like to do a trip to VT, NH, Upstate NY, maybe a day trip to Montreal, etc. this fall.  We would like rent a nice sport touring bike (like a Ducati ST3, BMW K12S, Honda VFR, etc.) so any rental company contacts would be appreciated.  We would also like advice on the best 10 day time frame to travel in terms of weather, fall colors, etc.  Thanks in advance for any suggestions!
LJ

[Hulked Up]

I don't know of many motorcycle rental places in New England.  Excalibur in Plainfield, Conn. is one, but I think they have mostly Goldwings.  The only other place I know is Highway Pegs (no website) on Cape Cod and they only rent HD.  Eaglerider has a location in Manchester, NH that might be your best bet.  They may rent non-HD bikes.

The time frame for peak colors is very hard to pinpoint.  It all depends on the rain and summer weather.  It can vary by weeks from one year to the next.  The further north you go the earlier you want to get there for the leaves.  Third or fourth week of September would probably be the best guesstimate.  Book hotels early and expect to pay significantly more for the privilege (worth it IMO if you are only going to do this trip once - it's like nothing else you find in the U.S.).

[chuckfina]

I don't know of many motorcycle rental places in New England.  Excalibur in Plainfield, Conn. is one, but I think they have mostly Goldwings.  The only other place I know is Highway Pegs (no website) on Cape Cod and they only rent HD.  Eaglerider has a location in Manchester, NH that might be your best bet.  They may rent non-HD bikes.

The time frame for peak colors is very hard to pinpoint.  It all depends on the rain and summer weather.  It can vary by weeks from one year to the next.  The further north you go the earlier you want to get there for the leaves.  Third or fourth week of September would probably be the best guesstimate.  Book hotels early and expect to pay significantly more for the privilege (worth it IMO if you are only going to do this trip once - it's like nothing else you find in the U.S.).

THANKS!

[nnjhawk02]

Yes as HU stated - I don't know of any copmany that rents STs or SBs in the NorthEast.  BUt that time frame seems right for colors. Again depending upon weather, anywhere from latter Sept. into early Oct.  seems good.  Try staying @ B&Bs. U get more local info + they're usually Real Nice in NE.  But as stated that time of year can be $$.  Good luck & have fun

BTW - If U see a red VTR1000 w/ a Givi top case in & around Killington that'll be me  

[noside]

There are two dealerships in North Hampton, NH (at the seacoast) that do demo's. Great Bay Motorcycles (Ducati, Triumph) and Max (BMW). I don't know if they rent, per se, but there are usually a lot of used bikes parked out front and maybe you could work something out. Not sure what the situation is relative to liability, etc. for a long term rental vs. just a demo. Might be worth a shot. And doing a round trip from the seacoast to ME, northern NH & VT is a damned fine way to spend a week. Montreal might be a little much, and once you cross the border into Canada from northern VT, the riding becomes a little flat & boring (although Montreal is a blast). Hope that helps. Good luck.

[scott-sts]

I think early September is best, especially as you go north.  With changing leaves comes colder weather.  October can be quite cold up North!

[Lon]

Peak foliage varies, between end-Sept and mid-Oct - at least in White Mountains of NH.  I can't speak to Canada or northern Maine; peak foliage gets earlier the farther north you go.

Roads in VT to look for:

VT100 - get on it, ride it end-to-end.  Wow.
VT108, travelling WEST from Stowe, VT -  Crazy, super-steep, super-technical section as you ascend Smuggler's Notch (which is awesome)
Bethel Mountain Road (Rochester -> Bethel) - one of HulkedUp's favorite roads, IIRC - low traffic and Beautiful.
VT17, west from Waitsfield (just off of VT100) - fairly technical.

Roads in VT to avoid:

Lincoln Gap Road - It traverses the Green Mountains about halfway between VT17 and VT125.  It's paved only where it needs to be paved to prevent the road from disappearing during a heavy rain.  Very steep, terrible pavement (where there is pavement), and the dirt was in awful shape when we went up it.  In retrospect, it was fun, but I'm not going over it again without a dual-sport bike.

Avoid coming east down VT108 (towards Stowe from... Jeffersonville?), unless you're really comfortable with your bike.  Extremely steep descent on a one-lane, with RVs coming up the hill the other direction.  I recommend going west over Smuggler's Notch.

Roads in NH to look for:

NH112 - The whole of it.  The Kancamagus highway is part of this road, but the part west of Lincoln is also very nice.

Roads to avoid in NH:

NH112.   Avoid the Kancamagus Highway (NH112 from Lincoln, NH to Conway, NH) during peak season weekends, or you will wish you stayed home.  It's the premier tourist-trap road in the White Mountains.  If you can ride it, great -- just avoid it on the weekends.

Roads in NY to look for:

Not much experience in NY, but NY28 at *least* from Old Forge to Warrensburg is pretty awesome.

Whatever you rent, I recommend getting some Gerbing gloves if you don't have any (and your rental doesn't have heated grips) - as stated previously, it can get quite cold.  According to Weather.com, average temperatures:

* September in the Whites (Lincoln, NH) has averages of 45 (low) - 67 (high).
* October in the Whites has averages of 35 (low) - 55 (high).

You should plan on getting some rain, too (maybe that goes without saying).

I don't know of any rental shops around here, but that's not to say they don't exist.  I live here, so I've never had to look for rental shops; the other guys might know more (and some already pointed out shops).

[Asphalt Pilot]

Lots of good advice already given. My thoughts:

1. Agreed mid-to-late September is probably best for timing. Don't expect to hit peak color -- it's a crapshoot. But as you travel south to north, you'll probably run into some good color.

2. Prepare for the weather, as others have mentioned. Borrow an electric vest if you can. It can get very cold -- especially in the shade in the valleys. After the sun goes down, it gets very cold quick. And it gets dark early.

3. +1 on the road suggestions. VT Rte 100 is a great N-S traveling road. The NH White Mountains are great. But, as others have pointed out, you won't be alone -- you will have to dodge RV's and tour buses. I think it is still worth it, just keep in mind it that some of the riding will be at a relaxed pace with a fair amount of traffic. Go with the flow.

4. Montreal is a great city to visit. Fly in there some time and enjoy it. I'd advise you to skip it on this trip. A day in Montreal doesn't do it justice, and the roads in QC aren't that great and as someone mentioned it's a bit much. But worth a separate trip sometime, and visit Quebec city.

5. Suggestion for possible lodging in New Hampshire White mountains: Bernerhoff Inn. My wife and I stayed there on a M/C trip last summer. It's right on the classic white mountains/Kancamagus highway loop. I rode the VFR and she rode her Hawk. We really enjoyed ourselves. (the jacuzzi rooms are nice way to end the riding day).

Hope this helps . . .

Marc

[Routemeister]

Let's start with timing - New England is best visited by Sport riders in the weeks just after Labor day.  The vacationers have left and the Leaf Peepers won't be clogging the byways until later in September/October.  The weather us (usually) mild and the days are long enough, but shortening fast.
Next, location - If you stay in Lebanon NH, you have easy access to all of Northern New England, including the Maine/NH coast, the White Mountains, The Green Mountains and NY's Adirondacks.  I can recommend the Fireside innhttp://www.afiresideinn.com/

[Routemeister]

Routemeister's continuing answer.  The rooms are decent, breakfast is excellent and there's a good beer pub across the parking lot (a bit noisy on Saturday night).  For riding route choices, you can review all of the routes labeled WDGAH in my routes catalog http://home.rochester.rr.com/backroads/ Just click on the "Request Route" link to generate an email request for a detailed route map.
Regards, David "Routemeister" Thompson

[GRN]

LJ,

I live in central NH and put on about 10K/yr in northern NH, VT, ME and the Adirondacks. I have some good routes posted for the rally I host in the fall out of Lincoln that cover some good stuff... you'll find them on grouprider.com (requires a simple reg - no bad after taste) in the NNESTOC (Northern New England ST Owners) group http://www.grouprider.com/jg.php?g=164. Feel free to PM me with any questions, or if you want some other route info I have stashed away for Maine - Rangeley area.

I have to disagree a bit with Routemeister's advice on The Fireside Inn in West Lebanon... there are A LOT of nicer places in the area to stay... West Leb (which wouldn't look as bad if I still lived in Roch. ) is thought of by many as the arm pit of the upper CT River valley. Take it from one who spends TOO much time there  

Peak leaf peeping season comes with a HUGE price on the quality of riding... first couple of weeks after labor day is peak riding season... last week in Sept. you'll avoid the worst of the peepers and still get to see some killer color higher up and further to the North. I Salmon fish the Last week in Sept near Rangeley, Maine and it's not uncommon to be past peak color up there at that time.

Have a blast man, rubber down.

[chuckfina]

EXCELLENT! Thanks all!  I think, given my inability to find a suitable bike to rent and the chance that it could be very cold, we will probably just rent a fun car like a Mini-Cooper or that hopped-up Mustang from Hertz.  Thanks for the road and accommodation suggestions!
LJ

[NHFZ1]

You can rent from Moturis

They have a Boston location.  The office is actually in Rowley, Ma. about 30 minutes north of Boston.  I rented a BMW GS 1150 from them when I went to California a couple of summers ago for the MotoGP races.

Although it looks like they are updating their bike selection on their website, I believe they have Harley Davidson ,Honda Goldwings and 750 Nighthawks and BMW GS1200.

Hope this helps.

[chuckfina]

You can rent from Moturis

They have a Boston location.  The office is actually in Rowley, Ma. about 30 minutes north of Boston.  I rented a BMW GS 1150 from them when I went to California a couple of summers ago for the MotoGP races.

Although it looks like they are updating their bike selection on their website, I believe they have Harley Davidson ,Honda Goldwings and 750 Nighthawks and BMW GS1200.

Hope this helps.

Thanks!
LJ

[noside]

Also, I know you're from SoCal and the weather most certainly won't be what you're used to but I find Sept/Oct to be very doable on a bike (and I had a VFR before the K/GT with it's heated seat, grips and better wind protection). Obviously the farther south you stay the better and it might cool down a bit towards the end of the day but there's still good riding along the southern tier of ME/NH/VT if the far northern areas are too cold. As long as these insane weather patterns don't make things too crazy you s/b OK.

[GRN]

Obviously the farther south you stay the better and it might cool down a bit towards the end of the day but there's still good riding along the southern tier of ME/NH/VT if the far northern areas are too cold.

  silly flatlanders...  

The last week in Sept/first week of Oct is still very moderate weather during the day... if you're out before or after the sun it's chilly, but the rest is generally moderate. That time of year your well served to stay as far north as you can to avoid the crowds of fair weather, lef peeping flatlanders to the south!  

[noside]

Or you could ride through snow like I did last October on the Kancamagus.

Funny how, of the few times that I've been referred to as a flatlander, it's always been someone from the Sunapee area.

[Bigfoot]

Hi Everyone,
SoCal rider here.., the wife and I would like to do a trip to VT, NH, Upstate NY, maybe a day trip to Montreal, etc. this fall.  We would like rent a nice sport touring bike (like a Ducati ST3, BMW K12S, Honda VFR, etc.) so any rental company contacts would be appreciated.  We would also like advice on the best 10 day time frame to travel in terms of weather, fall colors, etc.  Thanks in advance for any suggestions!
LJ

You should know what you are getting yourself into before starting this.  If you are in New England in prime leaf peeping season be prepared to sit in some serious traffic.  The wife and I were in New Hampshire last fall for several days for a seminar I was attending.  We spent a Sunday riding from Portsmouth to Mt. Wsahington.  What a beautiful trip.  But unfortunately it was a beautiful day and everyone east of the Mississippi River had the same idea as us.  What should have been a 2 hour trip back (in cage) turned into 5 hours of bumper to bumper traffic.  Not until we I 95 did we see some relief.  
Maybe some of the local riders can get you some route suggestions where you may be able to minimize this problem.  It was definitely a beautiful area but oh the traffic.

[scott-sts]

Let's start with timing - New England is best visited by Sport riders in the weeks just after Labor day.  The vacationers have left and the Leaf Peepers won't be clogging the byways until later in September/October.  The weather us (usually) mild and the days are long enough, but shortening fast.
Next, location - If you stay in Lebanon NH, you have easy access to all of Northern New England, including the Maine/NH coast, the White Mountains, The Green Mountains and NY's Adirondacks.  I can recommend the Fireside innhttp://www.afiresideinn.com/

Agreed.  Just after Labor day is ideal.

[chuckfina]

Ten years ago, the wife and I quit our jobs and bought a travel trailer (Weekend Warrior type) and traveled throughout the US for a year.  We spent a good three weeks in the New England area for fall foliage.  I don't remember traffic being too bad, but we could sort of cherry-pick our days and routes.  Plus that was ten years ago.  Lot more cars on the road now, I'm sure.  I remember it being beautiful asthetically, with lots of history thrown in.  We will shoot for mid-September I think.  Thanks all for the tips and suggestions!  If you find yourselves in the Ozarks (Ark) or in SoCal and need some travel advice, don't hesitate to PM me!
LJ

[Bigfoot]

I should clarify something from my post.  When I talked about how bad traffic was it was on a Sunday when we went to Mt. Washington.  I would hope doing the same on a weekday wouldn't have been as bad.

[GRN]

Or you could ride through snow like I did last October on the Kancamagus.

Funny how, of the few times that I've been referred to as a flatlander, it's always been someone from the Sunapee area.

Only the last 18 months - that is, if you consider Grantham "Sunapee area" which we don't. We were in Plymouth for 8 years, and further north before that   My bride is from the Boston area, she's a flatlander too... but she's getting over it, slowly but surely  

[tshelver]

I've got to agree with some above, and disagree with others.

If you're on a bike or are traffic averse, avoid the core leaf season like the plague, and along with it roads like VT100 and the Kancamagus (eastern 112 in NH).

During peak leaf season, accomodations are very scarce and very expensive in north / central NH and just about the whole of east / central VT.  Traffic is at a peak, and  moves even slower than conditions would suggest as everybody is watching the scenery, taking photos, disciplining the kids, whatever.

By far my favorite time of the year to ride is between Labor Day and the 3rd week in September.  Tourists, mosquitos and other pests have pretty much disappeared, the weather is great (especially on the coast), and it's mostly too early to snow.

VT100: IMHO to be avoided on weekends, very pretty, but advertised in just about every tourist book and journal covering NNE that you will find.
NH112 / Kancamagus: west of Lincoln is some very good riding.  East of that is RV heaven, unless you are riding on a weekday and out of season.

I cannot believe that a lister above warned against the Lincoln Gap and 108.  I've done all the gaps and notches in NH on my ZX12R, VFR800, and this is very doable on a street bike if you're at all competent.  I've got a list of all the notches and gaps in NH, VT and ME over on http://groups.msn.com/NHConcoursOwnersGroup/thenotches.msnw.  Some other stuff about NH roads over there if you click around about.  It's a little out of date, but still some useful info.

Your best bet is to get the DeLorme atlas of VT and NH.  For a freebie, the official VT tourist map is pretty good as well.
You'll find that by far the best riding in VT, and the best way to see the non-tourist / fake part of the countryside is to stay the heck off the major routes, all of which are numbered.  Going the way less traveled where the 'unnumbered' roads are a mix of dirt and pavement often has much bigger rewards.  As an example, the Bayley Hazen military road (http://www.nvda.net/transportation/pdf/BayleyHazenIntro.pdf is a bicycle route that I ride on my motorcycle) has a history going back to the early 1800s through eastern and northern VT, and takes you through some stunning areas, including Hazen's Notch at the end (the Notch conditions and difficulty documented on my website above).
I've started to cover all the routes suggested on http://www.nvda.net/transportation/bikeped.html, this is through some of the most scenic and remote parts of Vermont.

As far as vehicles go, I'm not sure that a Mustang or Mini is the best option, as some of the most interesting and challenging areas in NNE include a little dirt road.

Lastly, if you're interested in Montreal, give Quebec City a thought instead.  The old walled city is a World Heritage Site.  One of the oldest settlements in North America, and very scenic, very French.
Montreal is much more cosmopolitan, and I'm pretty sure your wife will thoroughly enjoy the place.
I've had the best (and most expensive) meal of my life in the main restaurant of the Chateau Frontenac, which has stunning views of the St Lawrence.  North and east of Quebec City the scenery isn't bad either: the Cote Norde east of St Anne along the St Lawrence through to the Saguenay Fjord is stunning in fall.

Quebec City is only about 3.5 to 4 hours from the I-91 border in VT on the major routes, or you can take in some Canadian French country life on the back roads.  It is relatively flat, but still very interesting to see.   One of my favorite towns to spend a night is Lac Megantic, and I have a ride most years (snowmobile and motorcycle), staying at the L'eau Berge inn (sp).


Have fun!