DESTINATION YAMAHA PARTNERS WITH EAGLERIDER
The adventure motorcycle touring giant is going off-road! By the staff of Dirt Wheels
EagleRider is a worldwide motorcycle touring and rental company with 150-plus locations worldwide, and under new CEO Sebastian Schoepe of Germany, EagleRider is going off-road with new partner Destination Yamaha. This past October, EagleRider launched its off-road ambitions with the inaugural Yamaha Mojave Desert Adventure. With a limit of 15 people riding Yamaha Tenere 700s, Wolverine RMAX4s, and/or YZX1000Rs on a 500-mile, three-day and two-night adventure around Nevada’s Mojave Desert, it starts and ends in Las Vegas.
To launch EagleRider Off-Road Adventures, Destination Yamaha invited the enthusiast press to pre-run parts of the adventure and meet EagleRider CEO Sebastian Schoepe at their location in Las Vegas. The Las Vegas operation is impressive, and they now offer half-day UTV adventures of the Mojave.
The adventure started at Las Vegas EagleRider, and we were shuttled to the Pioneer Saloon in Goodsprings to where adventure-ready RMAX4s and YXZ 1000s were waiting. We rode parts of the Vegas to Reno and Mint 400 courses, epic sand washes, tight canyons, and stopped at the Red Rock Canyon overlook for an awesome view of Las Vegas. Professional guide Tim Pedregon led the adventure, and relayed the history, fauna and flora of the area as we experienced great trails and tested the RMAX4s. It was an epic day in the desert, as this adventure had several photo and video stops to chronicle the ride. It really made us want to be one or some of the 15 on the first of several Yamaha Mojave Desert Adventure tours.
EAGLERIDER’S FOUNDING STORY
Thirty years ago, Chris McIntyre and Jeff Brown worked together at AT&T, and they wanted to be weekend warriors on two wheels, so they researched motorcycle rentals and couldn’t find any. Light bulbs went off, and they met a motorcyclist named Peter Wurmer. The three launched EagleRider in Wurmer’s San Pedro garage with four Harleys. They refined the business model and routes for 10 years, and they’re now Harley-Davidson’s biggest customer, and also have the largest fleets of Hondas and BMWs. EagleRider rents bikes and conducts guided tours, many around famed motorcycle events like Daytona Bike Week. They have a fleet of 700 motorcycles, including Yamahas, Triumphs, Ducatis, dirt bikes and electric Zeros. Yamaha models are Super Tenere 1200s, Tenere 700s, MT-07s, YFZ-R3s, XSR900s and Tracer 900s.
EagleRider even has EagleShare, which is a service where owners can rent out their bikes through the EagleRider network; and Club EagleRider, where members can choose three levels of credits for nationwide or worldwide rentals. R1 is $29 a month, R2 is $55 a month and R3 is $79 a month. A bike that rents for $232 a day is only $79.11 to $84.45 a day, depending on your membership level. Pretty sweet!
DESTINATION YAMAHA AND EAGLERIDER
Where a dealership test ride typically lasts a few blocks or a lap, customers really get to know their rental machines on guided or self-guided tours and form a bond. Better experiences drive sales at dealerships, which is why Yamaha Outdoors founded Destination Yamaha. With outfitter rentals and adventures across the Yamaha product line of street and dirt bikes, ATVs, UTVs, snowmobiles, and PWCs in 27 locations in 20 OHV-friendly states, Destination Yamaha draws in new enthusiasts with epic adventures in exotic environments.
EagleRider has the same business model and is now going off-road with the same emphasis on customer safety. As a Destination Yamaha outfitter, EagleRider Off-Road Adventures requires customers to wear DOT-approved helmets, gloves, long-sleeved jerseys, long pants and over-the-ankle boots. Each rental or tour begins with a safety video and safety briefing, and professional guides have EMT training, first-aid/trauma kits, sat phones, and plenty of cold water. Each Yamaha UTV is fitted with Rugged Radios comms and clean-air pumps, safety whips, and BFG 30x10R15 Mud Terrain tires on Moose Racing rims.
Guided rides have sweep and support vehicle(s) with spares and tools, and job one is safety so that customers can have a positive experience (job two). Guides assign each UTV a number and radio instructions for upcoming turns or danger zones. Each driver calls out their number at each turn or obstacle so nobody gets lost. It also shows potential owners the importance of radios, first-aid kits, fire extinguishers, hydration and nourishment on rides. The more remote the adventure, the more one has to be prepared for anything.
DESTINATION YAMAHA PARTNERS WITH EAGLERIDER
EagleRider Off-Road Adventures supplies every guided tour all of that, and they also have MRC full-faced helmets with Rugged Radios helmet kits and hose ports in case the customer doesn’t. Multi-day tours also include hotels with shuttle service in the package. The half-day Mojave Adventure is $365 for a two-seat YXZ or RMAX and $575 for the RMAX4. The Yamaha Mojave Desert Adventure includes your choice of Yamaha, three days of riding, two-night hotel stay with shuttles, and the safety and support crew for $1676. And, plans are to expand to Arizona and Utah locations next.
CONTACTS:
EagleRider Off-Road Las Vegas
7660 Dean Martin Dr., Suite 205
Las Vegas, NV 89139
(775) OFF-ROAD (633-7623)
Destination Yamaha
www.yamahamotorsports.com/destination-yamaha
DESTINATION YAMAHA PARTNERS WITH EAGLERIDER
The post WHERE TO RIDE: DESTINATION YAMAHA PARTNERS WITH EAGLERIDER appeared first on Dirt Wheels Magazine.
