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Motorcycle-centric Accommodations

Joined
Oct 19, 2009
Messages
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Location
Houston, Tx
First Name
Stephanie
Last Name
May
Hey all! I would appreciate some input from my fellow road-warriors.

I am lucky enough to own a nice little farm house located at the southern terminus of Arkansas Scenic 7 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arkansas_Highway_7

In addition to the great rep of Arkansas Highway 7, there are dozens of amazing little backroads with wicked twists and turns both paved & gravel surrounding my house...just ask Mr2Much - he knows ALL the roads :trust:

Every weekend, scores of motorcycles pass my place and it occurred to me that maybe I should convert my little farm house into a motorcycle-centric lodge/bed & breakfast/or you name it. We even have space for folks to store their truck & trailer if they would rather trailer the interstates & ride the backroads.

This is where you guys come in. What do you look for in accommodations? Do you seek out places that cater to motorcyclists? Do you even care? Would you rather camp? What sets a place apart for you, makes you want to go there again?

Any and all suggestions are welcome. I will probably post something similar on ADV as well, but since Hwy 7 is pretty much our backyard, I wanted to start here first.

Fire away!
 
Sweet, some one room cottages with a overhang for the bike, a work shop just in case with a week end mechanic, above ground pool if the in ground is to pricey for now.
Sounds like a fine plan.
 
Different strokes for different folks. I've seen everything from a tiny cabin with a hotplate to the taj mahal of accomodations with a 6 burner stove to "did I REALLY forget my sleeping role at the last place I stopped?" #1 thing I look for, if I'm going to stay in an area to ride, is location location location. Staying at the foot of the Cherohala skyway is gold to me. Very little, if any, cellphone reception and you hear motorcycle riding by frequently if you stay at the cabin. Most importantly theres a ton of amazing roads near by, but thats more due to geography as I could stay at any cabin (or less) within an hour of the 'hala and be content.
 
You already a key element and it is the proximity to some of the best roads in the region, so basic decent accommodations should be attractive to many people.
 
:tab When you say "Southern terminus" are you talking about down by El Dorado? If so, that is not generally the part of Hwy 7 that people think of when they associate it with great riding... Usually that is the section North of I-30 between Hot Springs and Harrison. I am not saying there isn't some good riding further South, but that is out of the mountains. So location might be an issue for you.

However...

:tab Fancy is not required. Simple works fine. Clean is required.

:tab I would suggest starting simple.

Offer primitive camping first.

:tab If you have room, setup a few acres for tent camping. You wouldn't even have to put water taps at each site. You could have a few common water taps for people to get water for cooking/drinking. If you want, setup a simple bath house/restroom. At a minimum, you will want clean porta-potties. Again, as long as it is clean, most people are not real worried about fancy. Showers are optional for some folks as long as their stay is short.

:tab Access to the camping spots will be an issue. Dualsport folks will be happy to ride across the ground. Non DS people will need a better surface to ride to their camp spots and for parking their bikes. Depending on your ground, this could be cheap or expensive if you have to bring in road base material. This might also dictate the location of the camp spots.

:tab A common fire pit area can be cool because it tends to draw folks out from their camp sites to meet other folks that are staying there. Story swapping starts and all kinds of things flow from that: new friendships, future trip plans, riding mates for the current trip, etc,...

Beyond primitive camping.

:tab IF you get a decent amount of people coming, then you might want to upgrade the camping area. This might mean making dedicated camp sites with a water tap/electric for each. It might mean setting up RV sites. Keep in mind that for many riders, the presence of RVs is sometimes a negative issue (noise).

:tab A larger bath house/restroom might be needed.

:tab Food preparation can be nice, but that raises all kinds of issues for you and creates a lot more work. However, people like to eat and eating in a common area is often another great way to bring people together.

:tab If you REALLY want to spend money, then you can look at building small simple cabins. This might basically be just sheds with a little finishing out. They would need interior lighting. If no AC/heat, then definitely windows and fans. Insulation would be good as well. But basically the rider is looking for a place to be out of the elements. They could have a sleeping platform for the rider to throw a camp mat/sleeping bag on, or you could actually put in mattresses. But that means providing, changing, and cleaning of linens. There are also cabins you can get now that are prefab. Basically, they are mini mobile homes. You trailer them in, set them up, and rent them out. They have restrooms and kitchens, so now you are looking at septic system plumbing issues for each one as well as running water/electricity to them.

:tab Many riders like the idea of an area where they can work on their bike. At most, I would suggest a covered and well lighted spot. It should be in a spot that stays dry. I would NOT provide tools. You might only have one spot, big enough for multiple bikes, or you might have several smaller spots located closer to the camp sites. I would not try to do one for each potential camp site or cabin. At most, you might have a lean too on the side of each cabin large enough to cover a few bikes so people don't have to load/unload in the rain. But those can add considerable cost and might be an "upgrade" you do later.

:tab I really think the key to making ANY place like this successful is giving people the ability to retreat to their own spot if they like while also providing a place where they can come together to meet other riders if they like. So you might place camp areas further from the common area and spread them out a bit rather than having everything crammed together.

:tab If there really is a good bit of nice riding in the area, you may want to have some pre defined routes already set up that you can share with customers. They can either ride these or use them as a basis for creating their own routes. Good places to eat and places to get fuel should be noted.
 
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I look for cheap, A/C(cause it still gets hot in ARK), Clean toliet and a place to lay my head....TVs and internet are not needed when I am on the road...Fridge, Microwave, and coffee pot would be nice....Considering how many events I have done with the ADV biker world....I would have a Coffee spot where folks can gather once they rise to get going. Maybe even a communal kitchen:ponder:
 
I look for cheap, A/C(cause it still gets hot in ARK), Clean toliet and a place to lay my head....TVs and internet are not needed when I am on the road...Fridge, Microwave, and coffee pot would be nice....Considering how many events I have done with the ADV biker world....I would have a Coffee spot where folks can gather once they rise to get going. Maybe even a communal kitchen:ponder:

That pretty much nails it for me. Clean, air conditioned, coffee pot. A restaurant within a few miles is a bonus.
 
Kinda of late getting into the talk but I have seen everything from full blown hotels that are "biker" friendly to well mowed yards where you can pitch a tent.
If it was me I would start with tent sites with CLEAN porta potties spaced around the area. Add in a large covered area with hard surface floor for picnic tables and an area to work on bikes out of the weather. Moving up to prepared camp sites with tent pads and water/electrical, paved areas for parking bikes and gravel spaces for RVs and toy haulers. Then simple one room cabins with heat/AC and a couple of bed platforms, bring your own air mat and sleeping bag. Then finally full set up cabins with bath and simple cooking areas. Maybe a large common area for night time "Happy hour" BYOB and morning coffee and light snacks.

Check out "The Historic Leakey Inn formerly D'Rose , http://www.leakeyinn.com/default.html" here in Texas, the "Kick Stand Lodge: http://www.kickstandlodge.com" in North Carolina and "Spark plugs" in Oregon for ideas. I have not stayed at any of these places but have friends that have and loved them all. Just posted them as ideas.
Tom
 
Mimic Willville Bike Camp and you'll do well... great tent spots with shade, a few cabins, water, showers, a common area with wifi and a back porch for tire kickin. Coffee and biscuits in the morning would be a bonus!

And try to minimize the rules... that's why we ride... to get away from too many rules in life! ;)
 
I look for cheap, A/C(cause it still gets hot in ARK), Clean toliet and a place to lay my head....TVs and internet are not needed when I am on the road...Fridge, Microwave, and coffee pot would be nice....Considering how many events I have done with the ADV biker world....I would have a Coffee spot where folks can gather once they rise to get going. Maybe even a communal kitchen:ponder:

I too have to agree with this. Re-stating that, I'm personally, pretty price conscious. I usually find myself defaulting to the lower-priced denominator that doesn't put me in danger of some kind (bad part of town/county [or with wife's tolerance]). :mrgreen:

-CJB
 
Nice place to pitch a tent for a decent price , a clean restroom, and a good fire ring so you can BS in the evening with other riders.

Bonuses:
Decent entry way so those on Non Off road bikes don't bite it coming in.

General area with WIFI and charging stations . A lot of people post ride reports and have various gadgets that need charged.

Coffee pot

Covered general area to gather in inclement weather.

Ice machine with Coolers you can rent to keep the drinks cold for the few days you are there.

A few Cabins or bunk houses would be nice .

And Iron Horse lodge had a loading dock you could back your truck up to and load and unload your bikes. For those that trailer it's pretty nice. They also had strips of Diamond plate set in the tarmac for your kickstand. Pretty minor but still pretty neat.
 
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