Route 66 by Motorcycle: The American Dream on Two Wheels

The birth of the “Mother Road” in 1926

Route 66 officially came into being on November 11, 1926, with the creation of the American federal highway network. It links Chicago, in Illinois, to Santa Monica, on the Californian coast, crossing eight states : Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. Originally, it stretched over 2,448 miles, or roughly 3,940 kilometers of asphalt and dust.

At a time when the American road network was still a patchwork of tracks, this diagonal artery connected the industrial Midwest to the promised lands of the West. Unlike the freeways to come, it runs through the heart of small towns, feeding the local economy along a string of gas stations, cafés and garages. This closeness to small-town America would later forge its status as acultural icon. The great epic of the road then meets that of the machine: it is the same breath of adventure that drove, a few decades earlier, the beginnings of the great manufacturers, as told in the Harley-Davidson epic.

The ultimate symbol of the American dream

The nickname “Mother Road” was not coined by a tourist board, but by the pen of a writer. It was John Steinbeck who christened it that way in his novel The Grapes of Wrath (Les Raisins de la colère), published in 1939. In chapter 12, he describes 66 as the mother road, the road of flight and of hope.

In the 1930s, at the height of the Dust Bowlcrisis, hundreds of thousands of ruined farmers from the Great Plains fled toward California. These migrants, often nicknamed the “Okies” because many of them came from Oklahoma, took this road en masse to look for work. Route 66 then became the common thread of a nation on the move, a symbol of survival as much as of hope.

After the war, the myth swung over to the side of freedom and leisure. In 1946, the musician Bobby Troup wrote the standard “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66”, immortalized the same year by the Nat King Cole Trio. The road trip became an American way of life, that same quest for escape that runs through the whole biker culture, from the big screen to the choppers of Easy Rider.

The decline in the face of the Interstates (1956-1985)

The fatal blow came from progress itself. On June 29, 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act, launching the construction of the Interstate Highwaysnetwork, those fast four-lane, limited-access freeways. Impressed by the German motorways he had discovered during the Second World War, Eisenhower wanted a modern, straight-line network.

But these new freeways bypassed the towns instead of running through them. Gradually, five Interstates (I-55, I-44, I-40, I-15 and I-10) doubled up and then replaced the old 66. The diners emptied out, the motels closed, entire communities were left to die. In Seligman, Arizona, traffic stopped dead on September 22, 1978, the day I-40 opened a few kilometers away. The final knell rang on June 27, 1985 : Route 66 was officially struck from the federal highway network, its last section in Arizona being decommissioned that day.

The revival: from oblivion to pilgrimage

The story could have ended there. It bounced back thanks to one man, Angel Delgadillo, a Seligman barber nicknamed the “guardian angel” of the Mother Road. On February 18, 1987, he gathered the local business owners at the Copper Cart restaurant and founded the Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona, the first association of its kind.

The mobilization quickly paid off: as early as November 1987, Arizona listed 83 miles of historic road between Seligman and Kingman. The movement spread through the eight states, with the appearance of the famous “Historic Route 66”signs. What had been a dying road became an object of heritage and nostalgia, drawing travelers from all over the world every year to ride in the tracks of a vanished America.

Route 66 by motorcycle: the ultimate biker pilgrimage

While 66 can be covered by car, by van or in a camper, it takes on a whole other dimension by motorcycle. For thousands of riders, often on a Harley-Davidson, swallowing those 3,940 kilometers is a pilgrimage, a box to tick on the list of a rider's lifetime. The rumble of a twin on a deserted road, the desert wind, the horizon that never moves: Route 66 embodies freedom in its purest form, the cardinal value of American biker culture.

The choice of machine is never trivial. Many go for a cruiser with plenty of torque and a relaxed riding position, in the spirit of the Harley-Davidson Sportster or an Indian, while others prefer the long-haul comfort of a Honda Gold Wing. A trip like this cannot be improvised: staying hydrated in the desert, planning your stages and packing smart luggage are the key, as explained in our tips for a successful road trip.

🏍️ To travel light and stay organized on the long stages, kit out your ride with our motorcycle luggage: bags and saddlebags.

The legendary stops: diners, motels and desert

The charm of 66 lies in its settings frozen in time. You come across chrome diners with gleaming neon, vintage motels and 1950s signs that look straight off a postcard. Among the cult stops is the Wigwam Motel, whose rooms shaped like concrete tepees, built around 1950, still stand in Holbrook (Arizona) and San Bernardino (California).

Another icon: the Cadillac Ranch, near Amarillo in Texas, where ten Cadillacs planted nose-down in the earth make up the most famous monument ofkitsch Americana. Between these stops stretch the wide desert spaces of the Southwest, grueling crossings where the heat and the sheer scale burn themselves into memory. This is where 66 joins the whole imagery of American two-wheeled cinema, and the raw spirit of gatherings like the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

🖼️ Fancy bringing a bit of that legend into your home? Discover our motorcycle posters and prints for bikers.

On the shop

Vintage Motorcycle Poster Nürburgring Circuit

The visual imagery of Route 66 (diners, neon, deserts) carries over into wall decor with motorcycle posters for the biker's home.

5,90 €

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Summary table

FAQ — Frequently asked questions

• How long is Route 66?
  When it was created in 1926, Route 66 measured 2,448 miles, or roughly 3,940 kilometers, between Chicago and Santa Monica. Its layout has varied slightly through its successive realignments.
• Why is Route 66 nicknamed the “Mother Road”?
  The nickname was coined by the writer John Steinbeck in his novel The Grapes of Wrath (1939), where he describes the road taken by migrants fleeing the Dust Bowl for California.
• When was Route 66 removed?
  It was officially removed from the American federal highway network on June 27, 1985, gradually replaced by the Interstate freeways from the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 onwards.
• How many states does Route 66 cross?
  Route 66 crosses eight states: Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California.
• Why is Route 66 a pilgrimage for motorcyclists?
  A symbol of freedom and of the American dream, it offers 3,940 km of vintage diners, retro motels and legendary deserts. Many riders, often on a Harley-Davidson, dream of covering it at least once in their lifetime.