Freedom

It’s a motorcycle trip with no guide and no group: you ride at your own pace, solo, as a couple or with friends, but with a safety net. We provide the bike, book a hotel at every stop, give you a roadbook app and stay reachable 24/7. It suits independent riders who are comfortable following a route on their own. Self-guided describes the format, not the difficulty: each tour shows its own level on its page.

For a long weekend, Black Hills Blast loops through the Black Hills in 3 days and about 311 miles, all paved, with several departures from May to early September. With 9 days, Best of the Black Hills adds the Badlands and Devils Tower, in Wyoming, over about 770 miles, with an optional off-road roadbook; its season starts in late April. Both leave from Rapid City, South Dakota.

On our guided tours, a tour leader rides ahead and, on most of them, a mechanic and a support vehicle follow the group with the luggage. Self-guided, nobody rides in front of you: your gear fits in the side bags, you choose when to leave and where to stop, and help comes by phone. To be led, see our Motorcycle Rambles, built around roads and encounters, or our Adventure Tours, with more time on dirt.

Yes. Both tours work two-up on the same bike: a passenger pays $400 on the Black Hills Blast and $1,150 on Best of the Black Hills. With friends, each rider takes a motorcycle and you ride together, with no group to join and no strangers to wait for. Riding solo works just as well.

From $990 per rider for the 3 days of the Black Hills Blast to $3,390 for 9 days on Best of the Black Hills. The price covers the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450, your hotel nights, the roadbook and assistance. Add your travel to Rapid City, meals and gas, plus a $41 registration fee on your first trip with Vintage Rides.

The roadbook app on your phone holds the GPS tracks for each day, alternative routes and the stops worth making; if something goes wrong, assistance answers around the clock. Your own motorcycle can’t replace the Himalayan 450, which is part of the tour. If you’d rather plan your own route, without booked hotels, see our motorcycle rentals by the day. In Rapid City, a helmet is provided on request, passenger included.