THE BASQUE COUNTRY ON CHAUFFEUR DRIVEN VINTAGE HARLEY DAVIDSONs
THE SPIRIT OF ROOT 64
Machines. A road. A territory.
There are mornings when the Basque Country wakes in a light that belongs only to itself. The green of the Labourd hills still damp with dew, the sea at the end of every ridge, and somewhere between the two, a road winding toward a village that no one quite knows.
That is what Root 64 exists for.
We are not a tourism agency. We do not fill buses. We do not follow the signs pointing to car parks.
We are two passionate people — Philippe and Olivier — who have spent years exploring these roads on their Harley Davidsons. Memorising the bends. Knowing at what hour the light falls on the fronton at Arcangues, and where to find the finest Basque cake in Bidarray.
One day, we wanted to share all of that.
The Machines
In 1992, Harley Davidson was producing in Milwaukee two models that would become absolute benchmarks: the Softail Heritage and the Fat Boy. Ours arrived directly from the United States, in their original condition. Nothing has been modified, nothing chrome-plated for show. They are exactly what they were the day they left the factory — better, in fact, because thirty years of attentive care have given them what time alone can give: a patina, a presence, a character.
Beneath each tank beats an Evolution 1340cc carburettor engine. No electronic injection, no assisted start, no control screen. An engine that responds to the hand, that makes itself heard, that makes itself felt. When it starts up in the silence of a Basque mountain pass, it is not a noise — it is a declaration.
These are machines that have crossed the Atlantic. That carry within them something of the America of wide open spaces. And that have found, here between ocean and Pyrenees, a territory equal to their measure.
The etxe, the reception
In Basque, etxe means house — but not just the walls. It's the whole thing: family, table, fire, stories. It's in this spirit that we design each walk.
You ride as a passenger. You have nothing to know, nothing to plan, nothing to drive. Just watch the Basque Country unfold as it deserves to be seen — close to the road, with your nose to the wind, at the pace of a time when people took their time.
We'll do the rest.
Roads that GPS ignores
We know paths that aren't on any app. Mountain passes where griffon vultures soar above the Nive. Villages where time seems to have stood still somewhere between the 18th century and today. Chili pepper producers, hidden chocolatiers, and pelota courts where the sounds of the game echo in the evenings.
The Basque Country is not a backdrop. It is a living territory, with its legends, its smells, its inhabitants.
We'll open it for you.
Who are our rides aimed at?
For aesthetes — those who know that a successful experience often hinges on a detail: the light on a red and white facade, the vibration of an engine in a turn, the smell of cut hay in a valley.
For the curious — those who prefer stories to guides, shortcuts to highways, producers to supermarkets.
To novices — those who have never set foot on a motorcycle and think it's not for them.
It's for them, too. Perhaps especially for them.
Whether you are already a biker or a bike virgin, whether you are looking for two hours of freedom or a whole day of discovery — we have a route for you.
It starts from here. It begins now.
