Friends in Pahoa recently had to leave the island for 2 months, and asked my wife and I to take care of their home for the time. I was kinda busy enjoying the -22F Minnesota weather, but hey, I'm a nice guy, so I figured I'd do them this one favor. The island here looks BEAUTIFUL to tour on motorcycle, hoping to get out and about as much as possible. Would be great to have some suggestions on: -Routes and destinations? -Rental options? -Tips/un-written laws/etc for motorcycles in Hawaii? It's always different... -Others interested in riding along? Note: I haven't done any off-road riding, but many years of paved riding, and am ready to learn. Beginner-Intermediate level path recommendations would be great, thanks! I'll be doing lots of online research, but I've found forums like these are often the best source of info, from real/local riders. Thanks for any help!
I was there about 10 yrs ago....I know you can rent a Harley , that's what we did anyway. Don't know about off road , we did ride across some military testing ground and seen all kinds of shells laying around , that was sorta off road. I thought everything was great , like the weather! I even got into one small town that made us feel like we were back in the 50s , seen a place with a bunch of fighten roosters in barrels , just like here in Tennessee and a Havestor , I'm sure you've seen them where you live. I was shocked...it may be the Big Island but its not that big...lots of lava rock on one side and rain forest on the other beautiful. Loved it , course it would be hard to leave -22 , gona be a lot harder coming back We also rented a Mustang and put the top down and done a lot gauking:eek1 How was your trip?
Though a bit of a drive from Pahoa, contact Jason at Hawaii Adventure Rentals ( hiadv.com ) in Captain Cook. I rented a KLR from him this past December and was very satisfied with everything. Take any of the interior roads for less traffic, lots of curves and great scenery. I took a ride up the Mauna Kea access road to the observatories at the summit ( 14,000 ft ) and it was great. Take Saddle Road from there up to Waimea, and Hwy 250 north to Hawi ... a spectacular road. Also, heading over to Waipio Valley up on the NE corner of the island is cool. Google map the island and zoom in on all the small roads crossing the island for some really nice rides. Lots of options. How's the lava flow progressing as it heads closer to Pahoa ?
Plus 1 on Hawaii Adventure Rentals ( hiadv.com ) in Captain Cook. Jason will sort you out, from the Vstrom 650 I used this week (perfect for my situation and the island) to dirt bikes and he's even got a shadow now if you like that style. Give him a call 808-445-6722
Thanks folks- yep, I emailed Jason but had a change of plans, otherwise I'm sure they would have been great people to rent from.