by Dave Preston

I spent a week in Hawaii last month on the island of Kauai, doing “research” on the motorcycle aspects of “The Garden Isle.” I had to be a bit surreptitious; as this is the one week a year I do not ride motorcycles and attempt to avoid talking about them. Of course I failed miserably at the latter, but my wife is very understanding.

To give you some perspective, Kauai is only a couple of dozen miles long, very narrow, and there are no roads on the west side at all.  This does restrict your riding options!  In addition, the “main” highways are two lanes and very narrow, and somewhat crowded.  On the other hand, a bit of research will get you some of the best roads ever.

What to ride? You’ll need to rent a bike, of course, and there are several outlets.  Two Wheels is the Harley dealer  (and several other brands). They have two rental locations, and there are several other rental outfits.  Rental places normally rent Harleys because 1.) That is what people want and B.) They hold their resale value well, so the company can move them on at the end of their rental life.  Officially licensed Harley rental outlets all use current model bikes, as required by Harley, while independent firms may use bikes that are a few years old. In addition, you can rent a variety of “toddler” scooters of various types.

Harleys are perfect for much of the island, where the roads, the weather, and the attitude all encourage a laid-back cruiser mentality. There is no reason to rush, as nobody else is, ever, and there is so much to see.

Hawaii is a helmet optional state, and with temps in the 80s and relatively low speeds, that almost makes sense to me. Almost.

It did surprise me that I did not see a rental outfit for larger scooters.  A Honda Silver Wing or Reflex would be almost perfect for 99% of the roads on the island, and for the type of short hops to the store or to a scenic area you tend to take. I did see one privately owned such scooter at a snorkeling area – there would be much to recommend such a choice.  For the other 1%, see the next paragraph.

There is one road that begs for a sport bike.  The road up Waimea canyon is about 18 miles of curves, eases, bends, and hairpins. The first 14 miles features virtually perfect asphalt.  In fact, there are two different routes you can take for the first dozen miles. One offers tighter turns while the other offers a series of sweepers with beautiful vistas of the ocean in the distance. Ridden in the morning, there is little traffic. I have driven this road several times now in a variety of rental cars, and I always ponder the perfect bike. The first year I decided my ZRX would be a lot of work, but great fun.  The second year I decided my ZX12R would be positively terrifying – too big, too heavy, too long, and too much power!  Any 600cc sport bike would be a thrill, but given the laid-back nature of the island, I have now settled on a bike of choice - any “Super-Moto” style bike would be a giggle of epic proportions. I rode a KTM Duke a while ago, and the memories of that bike came flooding back as I meandered up the hill in the rental car.  Yet again, the Harley is a good choice, as Tom Mehren of Sound RIDER! will attest to having ridden this very road on a Heritage Softail in 2001 (A.D. that is).

Marital peace note for all of you gear-heads – my wife has always gritted her teeth on this road as I over-drove a rented econo-box in as sporty a manner as possible. This year, as a result of a long and hilarious story, we had a Mustang convertible for the same price as the econo-box, and I found myself content to cruise with the top down, as I would on a Harley.  My wife REALLY liked the result.

Another activity I strongly recommend is a day on the Holo-Holo. This is a plus-60’ catamaran that offers a 7 hour excursion up the coast of the island, with whale watching and dolphin watching, plus a stop for snorkeling off a reef. It is simply the best “tourist” experience we have ever had – we have gone twice and will do so every time we are fortunate enough to return to Kauai.  Breakfast and lunch is served, and the crewmembers are magnificent in terms of taking care of everyone while not being obtrusive.

This year, as we stood at the front rail and plunged through the waves, it dawned on me why we like it so much. It is very akin to riding a fast motorcycle!  You grip the railing and support your weight using your knees and the balls of your feet to cushion the “bumps,” and enjoy the spectacular scenery with the wind in your face. Most of the passengers alternated between the deck and the cabin, while we pretty much stayed outside and on our feet for the entire seven hours. The next day our feet and shoulders were sore from the pounding, but it was well worth it.

The last leg of the day is a long haul across a deep-water channel, where everyone is huddled inside – except me – standing outside getting pummeled by water shooting over the bow. You guessed it – just like a rapid motorcycle ride in the rain here in Washington! 

Dave Preston is the author of Motorcycle 101, a sensible book for the new and returning rider. Pick up a copy today in the Sound RIDER! store.