AMA Grand Tours offer the perfect solo adventures
Grand riding. Grand adventure. Grand Tour. The 2020 AMA Grand Tours offer great adventures that you can ride on your own schedule.
Grand Tours allow participants the freedom to ride to checkpoints on their own time. Most grand tours take place over several months or an entire year. Some grand tours encompass a single state, while others are nationwide. Each AMA-chartered organizer sets the tour routes, checkpoints and rules.
Here’s a look at the 2020 AMA Grand Tours. For more information go to americanmotorcyclist.com/grandtours. Note: Due to the high volume of event changes across the country, the AMA is working to update sanctioned event information as soon as it is received from the event organizer. However, please contact the event organizer directly to confirm the status of the event.
AMA District 2 Polar Bear Grand Tour: Jan. 5-Dec. 27. If you live in the Northeast, ride to points each Sunday in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Connecticut. The rides start in winter but continue all year. Info: polarbeargrandtour.com.
The SCMA USA Four Corners Tour: Jan. 15-Nov. 30. This journey offers two different USA Four Corner Tours: the “Regular” and the “True X.” The organizer will send a package containing the materials for the ride you choose. The organizer will review your completion of either ride once they receive your finisher’s package. Info: sc-ma.com/rides/usa-four-corners-tour-site.
The SCMA USA 15 Best Roads Tour: Jan. 15-Nov. 30. This challenge started in the spring of 2011 after the AMA published a “Best 15 Roads” article in American Motorcyclist magazine. Two riders took the challenge that year: Kathy and Larry Lamarche from Canada. Since then many riders have accomplished the feat. The list was updated in 2016 with three replacement roads and a route change to an existing road group unit. Info: sc-ma.com/rides/best-15-parent/best-15-us-roads-challenge.
The SCMA California Adventure Series: Jan. 15-Nov. 30. The California Parks Adventure challenges riders to visit all the National Parks in California. There are now 25 National Park sites stretching from Cabrillo National Monument on Point Loma in San Diego to the Lava Beds and Redwoods in northern California. The challenge is to ride to each park within a calendar year and document that visit with photograph and a stamp from the visitor center in your SCMA Passport. Info: sc-ma.com/rides/california-parks-adventure.
The SCMA California Missions Tour: Jan. 15-Nov. 30. The 21 Spanish missions established from 1769 to 1823 extend from the coastal seaport of San Diego to the Sonoma Valley. For the California Missions Tour, riders will add a photo of themselves at each of location in their passport book purchased from SCMA detailing all 21 locations. Riders then submit the completed passport and attend an Annual Awards Banquet where SCMA will present them with a CA Missions pin and plaque. Info: sc-ma.com/rides/california-missions-parent/california-missions-tour.
Motorcycle Grand Tour of Texas: March 1-Nov. 15. A new AMA Grand Tour, riders visit tour stops that include roadside attractions, historical sites, memorials, unique geography, motorcycle-friendly businesses that sponsor the tour, and non-profits that the tour helps to support. The tour stops are in all regions of Texas and include 50 stops. To be considered a Tour Finisher, registered participants must ride to at least half of the tour stops. A patch is earned by riders who make 25 or more of the stops. Riders earn points during the tour. There are prizes for the top three point holders at the end of the tour. Info: motorcyclegrandtouroftexas.com.
Tour of Honor: April 1-Oct. 31. This unique grand tour has riders take any route they wish to stop at seven memorial sites in each state. Riders can visit as many selected memorials as they choose, meaning they can complete one state or many. After registering and receiving their rally flag, riders travel to the sites and photograph the flag with their motorcycle at the memorial. Visit any seven memorial sites to receive a finisher’s certificate. Info: tourofhonor.com.
