Hi!
I have toured extensively in the southwest and west, and I have to agree- don't waste your money on a guided tour. The advantage of having a chase vehicle isn't as important on a 3-4 day trip as it would be on a longer trip and in case of a breakdown most rentals include some type of roadside assistance plan (if your not already covered otherwise). Besides planning the trip is half the fun, so why deprive yourself of the experience?
I second the recomendation of
pashnit.com. They have pretty much ridden every worthwhile road in California and offer great descriptions and pics of most of them.
Another tip would be
Mad Maps. They are geared towards motorcyclists and include info various routes, bikerfriendly establishments, sights along the way etc. There are several for California and actually one for your neck of the woods.
Get some regular gas station or AAA maps for the area your thinking of touring. The Mad Maps routings are often a little imprecise and the routes are hard to see in context. To get an overview and an idea of how you can combine the different stretches of recommended road you need a regular map. Also, the normal maps will have scenic stretches highlighted that the other sources may not have thought noteworthy, but that will still be a good option to connect between the different recommended pieces.
For accomodation, I'd get a tourist guide such as Lonely Planet for Cali or the Southwest. That will give you an idea of worthwhile towns and places to stay. It isn't hard to find motels at all, but I hate to come to a place at the end of a long riding day (and your days will be long, if you only have 3 or 4) only to find out that there is nothing or nothing nice around. Nothing is worse than being completely beat and ready to stop for the day and then having to continue for another 50 miles, while it's getting colder and darker by the minute... I usually plan my rides to end someplace with a little choice. I rarely book ahead, cause you never know whether or not you are going to make it (weather, fatigue etc.)
Rentals are easy to find. Go with
EagleRider or a Dealership or do a search on the net. Be advised that most rentals will skin you during events so be sure to avoid the time of the Laughlin River Run and Arizona Bike Week (both sometime in April) unless you want to pay outrageous rental fees.
Where would I go if I had a couple of days?
It depends somwhat on exactly when the trip would take place. In March I think I would stay in the deserts of SoCal or Arizona. The mountains and any place north of Phoenix will be freezing cold. The rides aren't very challenging, but I love the desert and if your from Tennessee that might be just the exotic ticket you are looking for.
Later in the season you could try NorCal. North of San Francisco there are great, challenging twisty roads (pashnit has all of them covered) and the topography allows you to to adjust your itinerary acording to the weather. Fog on the coast? Head inland to the wine country for sun and 15 degree warmer weather.
You could try and get a one way rental (eaglerider sometimes has specials on this) and do the coast from L.A. to S.F. This is a superb ride to be sure, but if the weather sucks there aren't that many options. The inland valley will provide better weather but is boring as hell. Also with the water temps being really low in spring, it will be chilly along the coast even with the best of weather.
I wouldn't stay in L.A. and environs unless you want to cruise and bar hop only. Like the other guy said, you need forever on L.As murderous freeways to get out of town.
I'm a big fan of the desert southwest. If you don't have your mind set on California, consider starting your trip in Phoenix or maybe Las Vegas. In May it can still get really cold on the Colorado Plateau (anything north and northwest of Phoenix) but the low deserts are perfect and if your lucky it'll be balmy in the high deserts and mountains. I recommend Phoenix/ Scottsdale because it has dozens of bike rentals, a great biker scene with awesome bars like the Billet Bar in Scottsdale, great rides and sunny weather almost year round. It also gives you the flexibility to change your plans according to the weather. Cold spell? Ride south, check out the deserts, Tucson, Tombstone, Bisbee, Nogales, Organ Pipe National Park, Yuma, etc. etc. Heat Wave? Ride North and check out Prescott, cross Mingus Mountain, see Sedona, Oak Creek Canyon, Flagstaff, the Grand Canyon, ride route 66 through Hackberry to Kingman and on to Oatman. See the Mogollon Rim, Indian Ruins, Meteorite Crater, the possibilities are endless.
Well anyway, I hope you have fun planning and have a great trip next spring!
Ride Safe
Sponk