so soos, what yer saying is, asking about small villages on the east coast would be like you asking me if you would see any corn or soy bean fields in illinois. now i understand, lol

 

My wife and I did the same trip last July - whole lotta rain! Beautiful riding though.
Bar Harbor and Cadillac mountain are definitely must see.
If you can swing it, the Adirondak (NY) and White mountains (NH) are too. In the White mountains, state rd 112 between Lincoln and Conway. Cool (view and temps)!
If it wasn't for the rain - this would have been one of the best trips to date. Bring leather and rain gear. We had one day without them on the whole trip.
This year we're headed to the Grand canyon. Should be quite a bit dryer.

 

We had an unusual amount of rain in June and the beginning of July last year, it usually is not that bad. As another poster said, make sure to go over rt 112 through the White Mountains. It is the Kancamagus highway and really must be seen. You may consider going up Mt Washington, the highest point in the Northeast as well. (My bike ran pretty hot going up, but the view was incredible in July). Also needed coats at the top.
Rt 1 in Maine can be a bear in the summer, not much fun for riding, but Cadillac Mountain is really something to see.

 

Do yourself a favor and stay off route 1 in Maine. It looks like a great ride on a map..but during tourist season can be hell!!!!! To bad too because it takes you through some great little towns. We love Bar Harbor and that whole area (prices are a bit high because of the tourist)..but you can find some great places to sta yand eat. Seems like theres a guy on here willing to help you out , take his advice. There's lots of great riding in the interior of Maine (lots of lakes and such). Someone recommended taking the ferry from Plattsburgh NY to Grand Isle VT...this is a great idea. You'll like the views and riding thru the islands in VT is fun (I live close by). You can cut straight across VT to the White Mnt's in NH (some great riding) and then into Maine. Keep in mind we've had some bad roads the last few years in VT (no money and we didn't have enough heat last year to settle down the frost heaves)...so be prepared in some areas. Your going to love it out here and I hope you have a safe trip

 

Yarmouth is a good location to explore the lower coastal areas as well as the Freeport/Brunswick area (Bailey's Island is beautiful). I have toured the Maine coast on two occasions in the past 3 years and have stayed at the Down East Village motel. It's very motorcycle friendly, has reasonable rates and a good restaurant on site.
705 Route 1
Yarmouth, ME 04096-6927
(207) 846-5161
You may want to stay up in Bar Harbor some of the visit and the Yarmouth area as well. Enjoy.

 

Thanks for the heads up Audettd, but i'm from Illinois land of Lincoln and pot holes. I'm in northern part of the state so we almost exclusively ride in Wisconsin,they have some great roads.In Illinois we spend most of our tax money on keeping our polititians out of prison. You guys have been great with the info, we are really looking forward to this trip, keep loading me up. Jim

 

Ayuh.

 

Rt 1 up the coast isn't too bad if you skip the part from the NH border to Freeport, and then get on. South of Portland it will be a painfully slow ride on an air cooled machine.

Bar Harbor is a pretty nice place as a base, it's in the middle of the park and if you stay in town you can walk most places after you have settled in for the day. Yes, we have some expensive places to eat, (hey, we are a tourist town!), but there are plenty of places where you can get good food at a fair price, ask a local. It's not really more expensive than any other 'destination' point. Key West was WAY more expensive when we rode down there, as was the Outer Banks, so it's all relative.

Like ybnorml said, sunrise on the mountain is incredible and worth the effort to get up for, and there is plenty of good riding in/around and on the way to BH. I may or may not trust him for rides/routes, I mean, come on, he rides a fugly!

+1 on the leathers, we may not get our one day of summer till August, and it will be at least 10 degrees cooler on the island and with a good breeze, it can get cool at times.

There is a small B&B downtown BH that gives HOG discounts, has a garage for parking, the owners ride as well and know the area. I live and work downtown BH, feel free to pm me with any questions. ybnorml is an islander born and bred and he knows cool riding roads, so I'd hit him up for some advice.....

 

If you are riding north of Portland on the coast side then cruise through Wiscasset Me and stop at Red's Eats. Dont miss it as it is a small shack like building. Unbelievable eats for sure. You will know you are there when you see the line around the building.

http://www.roadfood.com/Reviews/Over...spx?RefID=2959

 

Looks like you've got plenty of input and it all looks spot on to me. Just a matter of what you want and where you want to go.
There is one thing I would reccomend for sure however that I did not mention in my first post. You may have this covered already but if you don't,,, make sure you get yourself an EZ PASS for any toll road riding that you do. That is the one item that has had the biggest payoff as far as making touring more enjoyable. Slide right through those toll booths without ever putting a boot down. Minimum cash outlay for the payoff you get.
Our group has traveled a fair amount and have always found that the riding in New England some of the best anywhere. You'll have a great time. Again don't be afraid to ask if I can be of any help.