I meant more north of Phoenix, up in places like Sedona, Jerome, Oak Creek Canyon, etc. I've been to AZ maybe a dozen times in the past decade, so I haven't been there enough to get tired of the roads, but the scenery never fails to give me a huge buzz. I once rode up all the way from Tucson up through Tuba City and Kayenta, and I'll admit that it can get pretty bleak up that way until you get to Monument Valley. For a guy like me, from the mountains of Pennsylvania, even the bleak parts were always interesting.
When I say excellent riding, I often mean that it's a spectacular place to ride through, not so much that the roads are full of twists and turns. A big reason that I ride is that there's no more enjoyable way for me to see the country than from the saddle of a motorcycle.