I have done both haleakala and west maui. Other than the terrain, a significant difference is haleakala requires a long drive(relatively speaking) from my condo in wailea before i start, whereas to do the loop i start riding from the condo.The road is narrow, but no traffic, and yes going clockwise keeps you away from the cliff side. Zac I am renting from boss frog as a matter of fact, used them last time. Ranger david use HP bike works in kona for your rental they are great folks and have nice bikes- they also have a shop in the queens shops at Waikoloa if you are staying up that way- the bike selection is a little more limited. Actually riding in Waikoloa is nice, as is the queen's highway. When you get to where the queen's hwy ends in a t at the north end, turn left and go along the coast towards Hawi-beautiful ride, very very little traffic, ocean view the whole way.