California Wine Country Motorcycle Tour

Three days, around 390 miles, and almost no transit. This short loop out of San Francisco goes straight into the Napa and Sonoma vineyards, out to the Mendocino coast, and back through redwood forest, with the shortest daily distances of any tour in the range.

Day one is only 85 miles, over the Golden Gate Bridge through Sausalito and Sonoma to Calistoga and Santa Rosa. Calistoga is where the volcanic mud baths and hot springs are, which is a very reasonable way to spend an afternoon when the day’s riding is finished by lunchtime.

The middle day heads to the coast through Sebastopol and Bodega Bay, then picks up Highway 1 for the cliff section north through Mendocino to Fort Bragg. It is 130 miles of exactly the kind of coast road people travel a very long way to ride. The final ride turns inland on the Redwood Route through Willits, which threads through stands of towering coast redwood before dropping back down towards the bay and the city.

EAGLERIDER provides the bike and books both nights, with Harley-Davidson touring models alongside Triumph and BMW sport machines. Fuel, meals and insurance are separate. With days this short there is no pressure to be anywhere, which suits a route built around vineyards, hot springs and a stretch of Highway 1. For a first self-guided trip, or a weekend added to a visit to San Francisco, it is the gentlest option anywhere on the list and arguably the prettiest of the short ones.