Consider what others have said about heading north and check the weather before you go - it can do funny things at higher altitudes while being sunny and relatively warm (70's)in the metro Phoenix area.

If temperatures and precip permit, and they probably will, ride out tostatehighway 87 via Shea Boulevard through Fountain Hills. Go to Payson.Continue north out of Payson through Strawberry and head west on the General Crook Trail to Camp Verde. Through Camp Verde to Cottonwood, and through there to the turn off for Jerome on state highway 89A. From there, head over Mingus Mountain (twisty and scenic) to Prescott, and continue on 89A south.

The stretch of road from Prescott south to Wilhoit is considered one of the best motorcycling roads in America, twisty and somewhat scenic. After Wilhoit, you'll pass through some cattle country to Yarnell, and then begin a descent that takes you to a "whole 'nother ecosystem", back to the Sonoran Desert.

From there, it's Wickenburg, US 60 to Carefree Highway, east to Scottsdale Road, and south to Scottsdale.

That is a nice day's ride - a full day's ride - maybe 300 miles, give or take.

Check the map for stuff you'd like to see.

#1 - Tonto Natural Bridge - a huge travertine arch - just north of Payson
#2 - Fort Verde Historic Park - Apache Wars cavalry base buildings and museum- Camp Verde
#3 - Montezuma's Castle - large cliff dwelling- few miles north of Camp Verdeoff I-17
#4 - Montezuma's Well - ditto, just smaller and situatedin a strange limestone sink
#5 - Jerome Historic District - old western mining town 1880's to 1950 or so - museum
#6 - Downtown Prescott - old fashioned town square, historic western bars on Whiskey Row

Another version of above - from Cottonwood head west to Clarkdale and north to Sedona and Oak Creek for scenery. You can continue to Flagstaff via Oak Creek - weather permitting. From Flagstaff you may elect to return on I-17, although I don't recommend it: Traffic moves like it was going through a Venturi tube after Sunset Point, up to and over 85-95 mph down the mountain.

Second day:Tortilla Flat. TakeShea Blvd.east to Fountain Hills, north on state hwy. 87, turn off to right (east)for Saguaro Lakeafter passingby Ft. McDowell Casino (this is now in an under contruction zone). You'lleventually come to a stop sign. Left turn headedsouth over Usery Pass.Continue south to Brown Road. Head eastto theApache Trail,by Superstition Mountains (majestic desert scenery and warmer temps on this ride), and out past Canyon lake to Tortilla Flat, tourist spot that was a waypoint during use of that road (freight wagons) to build Roosevelt Dam in early early 20th Century.See if you find the Lost Dutchman's Mine in the Superstitions. Beautiful ride, very twisty and scenic, so be careful or else you will wind up off-roading, not a good option in that area.

Day 2 is maybe 125 miles at the most.

Good luck, and enjoy. ConsultRand McNallyfor the specifics. Dress for the weather, expect to to be pretty chillyfrom about 15-20 miles south ofPayson all they way over to Yarnell. But who knows - could be near 70, too.

 

From Scottsdale I like to head north toward cave creek/carefree, but don't get too loud through carefree cause they will cite you, then east to pima road, south to, and east ondynamite/rio verde and if you're hungry for a good burger stop in at Greasewood Flats off Rio Verde on Alma School Rd, thenback out onRio Verde through to fountain hills. If you hit fountain hills at the top of the hour you will see the highest fountain in the country, maybe the world, go off for 15 or 30 minutes. I think it's 15 minutes an hour now. Then onto shea blvd and north on beeline hwy to bush hwy/usery pass and down through the canyons where saguaho lake is and out to mesa/apache junction then up the 88 to tortilla flats, the oldest, or only existing mail stop from the pony express days, I think
Or, do it in reverse and stop in Cave Creek to have a beer at the hidaway, if you like bike hangouts.Several good restaraunts in Cave Creek, and they have a micro brewery there where they make 'chili beer'

I live on the west side of the valley so I go to Wickenburg and down the Vulture Mine Rd alot. I like Yarnell also, and if done in the middle of the day it won't be too bad. I'd suggest Skull Valley, but that can get into later hours and cooler temps. They have what I've heard, is one of the best steak houses in the state at kirkland, if you go on the weekend and go up that far. They dont' serve steaks till 4 pm though, and it'll start getting chilly right about the time dinner would be over.
It's getting to be that it'll take ya two days just to get out of the valley, if you don't know where to go

 

Mt. Lemon is my daily morning ride. This time of the year you won't get very far going up. It goes from 2,000' elevation to over 8,000' in 27 miles. It is an incredibly beautiful ride but cold and black ice will prevent you from even getting close to half way up.

 

Thanks for all the valuable info guys. Since we didn't get the bike until noon, we left Scottsdale and went to Wickenburg then on to Wilhiot and finally turned at Prescott south back to Scottsdale. This ate up the first day given the stops we took. For the second day's ride we leftScottsdale and took the back road down to Tusconand met a couple of local riders (Maverick and Gecko) and went up on Mt. Lemmon returning to Scottsdale about sundown.We loggedjust over 550 miles in a day and a half on the Electra Glide Classic and it was a dream. The 96" six speed would gobble up road effortlessly.

 

How long are you here for?