Head out on the highway with Freedom Biker Tours
TED DAVIS
Four different journeys on two wheels, exploring vastly different Canadian geographies by motorcycle, are now being marketed by a new BC-based company named Freedom Biker Tours.
The tour programs, running for between nine and 11 days, are inclusive of hotels, meals and guiding. They are designed to provide “throttle therapy” to those who make a booking, says company owner Joseph Dubois.
Dubois says the guided motorcycle tours – using either the owner’s bike or a rental – will provide a “cage free” vacation experience. He suggests getting throttle therapy while exploring some amazing regions of Canada and the USA.
The four Canadian itineraries stretch from coast to coast. For example, Ride the Maritimes runs for 11 days and covers about 2,300 km., including the famous Cabot Trail on Cape Breton Island and stops throughout Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.
Ride the Canadian Shield winds its way through this iconic topography of Ontario, including Algonquin Park, over the course of nine days and 1,700 km. It takes in routes like the Thousand Island Parkway and the Ottawa River Valley, plus a slice of Quebec.
Two of the trips are based in the West, given the dramatic geography that defines Alberta and British Columbia. One is Ride the Rockies and the Best of BC, which navigates the spectacular scenery of the Rockies, including rides on the Cowboy Trail and Icefields Parkway, and through Kananaskis Country and Banff National Park to name a few highlights over its 2,650 km. distance.
And Ride the West Coast explores the mountainous scenery of Canada’s most western reaches, with highlights like the Fraser River canyon, the twisting Duffy Lake Road, the Coast mountain range and the rolling Hwy. 4 that leads to the Pacific coast beaches of Tofino and Uclulet. It covers 1,600 km. over nine days.
“Our plan is to focus primarily on Canada and promote it as an international motorcycle touring destination,” said Dubois, or JD. He noted that the company plans to operate one or two itineraries in the USA annually as well, including one this year in New Hampshire designed around the 100th anniversary of the Laconia Bike Week Rally.
Freedom Biker Tours tailors its trips to meet the wants and needs of motorcyclists on tour. For instance, there is a support vehicle that travels with each group, carrying luggage and available to lend help for whatever situation crops up. And there is a guide that leads the group at the front of the pack, dubbed a Road Captain, while the support van brings up the rear. There is also a videographer on board for each ride.
Riding distances per day are kept to a reasonable length, so as to cover ample territory but at a leisurely pace, allowing for rest stops and photo opportunities.
The day-to-day mileage depends on a variety of factors, including the route chosen, photo ops on that route, attractions for the day, excursions/activities, fuel stops, lunch/snack stops and even ferries. There are a couple of days on the “Ride The Rockies” tour where the route covers just over 400 km in a day, but that’s the most, said Dubois, emphasizing that his rides are based on enjoyment, not motorcycle marathons.
Dubois has just introduced a new Canadian resident promotional program designed to attract Canucks to his rides. The Canadian Resident special promo offers a 10% discount per person on any of the four tour programs in 2023.
Ride The West Coast is the one tour program that is not getting a lot of love so far, said the company prez. The first itinerary to depart this year will be Ride The Rockies and Best Of BC, departing Calgary on July 3. Each tour participant needs a valid motorcycle license and a minimum of one year riding experience.
The company has received interest and bookings from afar, including the USA, UK, Australia and the Netherlands. Dubois is in the process of negotiating arrangements with a few tour operators, and has also been contacted by motorcycle touring companies from Italy, Mexico, Bahrain that want to establish some collaboration with Freedom Biker Tours, he said.
Dubois is working with the travel agency division of the Canadian Motorcycle Tourism Association, called CMTA Travel Services. They will be handling motorcycle shipping requirements for Freedom Biker Tours as well as airfare arrangements for tour participants, plus any additional help clients may need from a travel agent.
Check out www.freedombikertours.com for more.
