Ecuador Motorcycle Adventure News

April 2020

Get Ready to Ride!  It feels better than anything right now.

Our current situation

Ecuador has been on lockdown with strict curfews  (2 pm - 5 am) since March 17.  We have been staying in place and paying our employees through this time.  Our business is sound and we will be able to endure this shutdown and we look forward to many great adventures ahead!

The Ecuadorian government has announced a plan to reopen business with our maintenance shop able to be completely open on May 12..  We will be able to travel again within Ecuador starting on May 26.  And the airport is scheduled to re-open on June 19th to all international flights.  So, June 19th will mark our return to normal operations.

Just before the shutdown, we were busy remodeling and re-organizing our maintenance department under the direction of our new Head of Maintenance, Martin Janiot.  Martin has a degree in mechanical engineering from his home country of Argentina and has lived in Ecuador for the past 17 years.  Previously he was in charge of the government of Quito's vehicle inspection procedures, then Director of Maintenance for Honda Ecuador, and then opened his own workshop under the name of "Ruta 40" which is how we know him.  Ruta 40 has prestigious clients including the maintenance of the BMW motorcycles in the Presidential motorcade.  Martin is now working to oversee our proactive, in-house maintenance and we are thrilled to have him on board!



We look forward to finishing the renovations of our maintenance center when our entire crew gets back. The new space will include 3 motorcycle lifts, a fuel injection cleaning center, an engine laboratory, a welding center, and a tire changing station.  It will have everything we need to have all of our motorcycles on a new, improved proactive maintenance schedule that we are sure our customers will appreciate.



In the meantime, we are taking the time to completely tear apart every.single.bike in our fleet.  We are cleaning, lubricating, testing, and replacing any questionable parts. And, we are installing Scottoiler automatic chain oilers to all of our bikes in our fleet for better customer experiences and improved performance.  Our entire fleet will be in thoroughly perfect working condition when this is all over. We've also taken the time to reorganize our entire shop - every single drawer, cabinet, storage facility, and spare part has been put in the right place and we will be more efficient and organized than ever!  We are also working on designing some new tours that we are eager to get out and test so that we can offer you some new adventures in 2020 and 2021.



We hope you are staying safe, sane and healthy during the COVID-19 crisis, As we are all facing lockdown and practicing social distancing, we wanted to share a few ideas and some exciting news with you. Sure, these are uncertain times – but as it turns out, these are also the best times to plan motorcycle adventures and there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Here’s why:

Staying Sane and Booking with Confidence

Recently, our fearless leader and the co-founder of Ecuador Freedom, Court Rand, was looking at some airfares from Quito to Boston for a visit home and to attend the Dirt Daze Rally in Vermont. For one thing, they were surprisingly low. But this wasn’t the best part. “It just made me feel so much better to plan something out in the future, and even though I am not 100% sure it will happen, just the planning did amazing things for my mental health”, Court said. And he isn’t alone: planning your travels is something people are doing en masse right now, simply to keep themselves focused, occupied, and centered. We get it: it’s hard to make decisions about the future when the future feels so uncertain right now, but this is precisely why you should do it.

Making travel plans can help you feel like you’re back to normal, in a way, and it helps us all fight the anxiety and keep ourselves excited and energized.

In addition, those airfares are ridiculously low right now. “I saw airfares from Quito to Las Vegas for $225 and a round-trip to Montreal for $242. Normally, to fly to Canada costs about $950. So there are great deals out there and the risk is minimal”, Court found.

At Ecuador Freedom, we have responded with a  completely flexible reservations policy.  You can book now and if you need to adjust your dates for any reservation through 2021, you may change for ANY date in the future at no charge.  We have made these changes official in our terms and conditions.

Adventures Under Lockdown

If you’ve always dreamed of riding a motorcycle in Ecuador, it seems that this is the best time to book your trip. And it’s not just about the absurdly cheap airline tickets: we are doing our part, too. Here in Quito, we are in lockdown, and we are facing certain challenges just like any other business. However, we always knew we were in this for the long run. We’re proud to say we are financially sound, and we are currently paying all of our employees and making sure they are happy and healthy. No matter how long it takes to get through this, we will be here – our ten years of experience designing motorcycle tours here in Ecuador and dealing with different issues gives us confidence that Ecuador Freedom won’t just endure, it will thrive.



If you feel you are ready to book your next motorcycle adventure in South America, look no further. We will be here, and we will be very flexible, allowing people to reschedule due to COVID-19 through all of 2020 and 2021. If you have to change your booking, there is no cancellation fee or trouble whatsoever to do so. Book and plan your escape now!

And if you need a little inspiration, take a look at our Instagram feed where we’re sharing travel advice and stunning imagery from recent tours.  Be sure to "follow us for daily inspiration!

Special Discount if You Book Now!

Peter Starr - Motorcycle Traveller Book

Ecuador Freedom Partners Up with Scottoiler

Here in Ecuador, motorcycle adventures are all about the freedom to explore. Having organized thousands of motorcycle tours and provided countless extraordinary experiences to our customers, we know how much it means to have that perfect trip. When you're riding a motorcycle across the Andes, along the Pacific Coast, or across the wilderness of the Amazon region, the last thing you want to think about is breakdowns and bike maintenance hassle.

Because of this, we're proud to announce we are partnering up with Scottoiler, an innovative motorcycle chain oiler manufacturer, and installing their automated 'V-system' chain oilers on our entire fleet.  We've just received our first shipment from the UK and are taking advantage of the downtime to get this work done. Reducing hassle for our customers is our utmost priority, and we know that when you're tackling a remote dirt road or a high Andean pass, it's not chain maintenance you want to be thinking of.

The Scottoiler system is ideal for riding conditions in Ecuador. We are blessed to be based in Quito, the City of Eternal Spring, due to its proximity to the equator. Because of this, the riding season in Ecuador never really ends. However, with changes in altitude and terrain, our motorcycles need to endure more varied weather and different riding surfaces than average. To avoid constant manual chain maintenance, we're installing Scottoiler products. In essence, their system delivers the oil to the chain at the perfect rate at all elevations and temperatures you will find in Ecuador, and we're confident it'll make a significant difference.

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