Rider Magazine

RiderMagazine.com / 2018 Holiday Buyers Guide / 47 2018 HOLIDAY BUYERS GUIDE & FALL/WINTER RIDING SPECIAL delight of low-speed corners and forever views. A word to the wise, keep your eyes on the ride and stop to enjoy the views. This is a ride that includes virtually every kind of corner—decreasing radius, banked, off camber—you name it. To top it off, the elevation gain from the base of the mountain to the crest is nearly 4,000 feet. After the 7,000-foot summit of Mingus Mountain, there are several more miles of great corners on the de- scent before the road straightens out in a high plateau re- gion. I find this stretch of 89A to be a nice way to unwind from the constant attention that the mountain section requires. Turning north on State Route 89, I continue on this relatively high-speed portion of the loop through the towns of Prescott Valley and Chino Valley before the highway ends at Interstate 40. As a rule, I avoid freeways; however, this is a relatively short stretch of the super slab and it leads to the fantastic little town of Williams. Williams sits on historic Route 66 and is another magnetic attraction for motorcyclists. Mother Road-inspired diners, hotels and shops line the street as I roll into town. There are seemingly as many motorcycles as cars. A row of nearly identical Harleys are parked in formation, and intermittent sportbikes, adven- ture bikes and classics are to be found elsewhere on the main drag. After a walk in Williams, I ride the last stretch of I-40 back into Flagstaff. The city's abundance of interesting restaurants, microbreweries and nightspots makes for a fine end to an invigorating ride. Because of Flagstaff's cold and snowy winters this is a spring-through-fall ride, but the lower portions—Sedona, the Verde Valley and Jerome—can be ridden year-round. Above, left: Motorcycles at parade rest in the historic Route 66 town of Williams. Above, right: Old Main is one of the iconic buildings on the campus of Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. Below: Panoramic views of rock formations, evergreens and big skies define Northern Arizona.

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