Range anxiety is real on Route 66. Some stretches through the Mojave and Arizona desert have fifty miles between fuel, and in 40°C you do not want to be pushing a Harley.
Fill up more often than you think you need to. We made fuelling the bikes a well-practised routine at every stop. If you are running low and a station appears, do not gamble on the next one — take it.
Know your bike's range. The Harleys we rented did roughly 180–200 miles to a tank. Plan your next fuel stop before you pass the current one, and never turn down the chance to top up in the desert.
Even our guide Steve had something up his sleeve at one fuel stop — a walk-in "Beer Cave" that turned out to be a giant refrigerator. Ten overheated bikers standing in refrigerated bliss may have looked ridiculous, but to us it felt like heaven.