Topic: Touring USA alone on bike

[Xnavylfr]

PLANS!!!
You have to realize the USA is over 3000 miles from coast to coast. You couldn't see EVERYTHING of interest in 6 months. Make a plan of what section of the USA you want to ride. Yes I agree out WEST is more picturesque and you can easily spend a month there riding and if you go in April don't make plans to be north of RENO in the California mountains,they will still have snow.

Xnavylfr(CHUCK)

[wardenerd]

You should stay with members where possible.  If you come through Eastern North Carolina I have a couch and hot meals for free.

[70CB750]

I can offer bed and breakfast in Northern Virginia. We are 50 miles from DC.

[JimM68]

Agree with all the above. As long as you r careful near but outside of big cities, there is nothing to fear in the USA.

For coast to coast, i'd come in thrui atlanta, and leave from san fra.nsico, or even seatle. In june, coming in thru chicago or st louis would be good. New york, that's july /  aug, though upstate NY into canada, around lake superior, into minnesota and west from there would be fun.

Time will be an issue. The longest trip we ever did (in a class a motorhome) was chicago to seatle, down the coast into california, back up to seatle and back to chicago, took 6 weeks, and we got home languishing over the things we drove by and didn't see...

Agree... szee the west. And the usa is a really big place withg lots to see and do.

Favs in no particular order:
YELLOWSTONE!
Devils tower
Badlands
Yosemite (haven't been, on the bucket list)
Oregon coast.
Rockie mountain national. Park.
Coorado springs vand denver

Sent from my ADR6325 using Tapatalk

[Xnavylfr]

If you decide to come through North Carolina the 22,23,24 JUNE you'll have to come up to the World Honda Chopper Meet in Ferguson,NC. Don't have to be on a chopper on even a SOHC or even a HONDA. A bunch of us get together and have a GOOD time. Sit around and BS about bikes and enjoy some homebrew. A tent space is 10$. Trust me if ANY of you guys come up you'll have a GOOD time to remember!!


Xnavylfr(CHUCK)

[2wheels]

I will just comment on the "is it safe" question.  I'm not an American and certainly not a world traveller.
So every time I go to the U.S. (every few years) I have in my mind what I see on the news.  Not good.

However, when I get there I find people are really great and it's an excellent place to travel.
I do avoid the large cities, but that's just me.  I like the open spaces.

I was in Las Vegas 3 years ago and looked into renting a bike for a day (I would settle for a Harley) .  The cost was beyond my budget so I didn't do it.

Your trip is a great idea, I hope it works out.
P.S.  I would make it a one way ride, Start in Florida ending in SanDiego, 2-3 weeks -- perfect.

[Stev-o]

Guys - you are not reading his posts, he has decided to tour the Southwest. I think we all agree that a coast to coast is not the best way to make use of his time while here.

[redgalvin]

Dangerous? Statistically, no,but I always carry a Smith&Wesson 442 in my pocket.Pay attention, walk tall.

[BeSeeingYou]

Don't get too worked up over what you see on the news.  They tend to over emphasize violence because it sells advertising space.  Even the big cities....you're just passing through....you aren't buying crack on the street corner are you?  Out west it is easy to avoid the larger cities, I usually did on my trips but more to avoid the traffic and navigating around in a strange city, not out of fear for my safety.  I have put around 15k miles on bike trips mostly out west and have made several road trips by car in other countries.  I have never been in a situation where my safety was a concern.  These days my biggest concern is an idiot on a cell phone.

[Shik]

Guys, I really appreciate your help here. I have never travelled on bike and I can really use your help.

This is a really rough draft of a possible route, what do you think about this, is it doable with approx. 3 weeks? I have not put in a lot of sights, since I need your help to determine what I should see...

http://g.co/maps/q5h3j

I have written an email to azride.com to ask for prices etc. They are based in Scottsdale, AZ.

Jesper

[Eddie]

For the cost of renting a bike or even buying one, you might be ably to ship yours here !
Rt66 is a cool cruise but can be a bit bumpy.

[Shik]

For the cost of renting a bike or even buying one, you might be ably to ship yours here !
Rt66 is a cool cruise but can be a bit bumpy.

Well, I wouldn't really wanna drive that many miles on my old CB550 to be honest.
I was thinking about either the BMW 1200GS or the Triumph Tiger XC 800.

[Eddie]

All of the older biker guys I know, even ones that are diehard Harley riders say if they were ever to go on a cross country trip they would get a Goldwing...lol

[Stev-o]

The BMW would be a great bike to ride. The link to your map above did not work or me.

[Shik]

Any others who can't see my route on google maps?

[bluezboy]

 Man, I would love to do that ride with you, but I'll still be driving my school bus, it looks like a great ride.

[ofreen]

Like Jerry and Andy say, west of the Mississippi River is the best.

I am surprised you guys are getting away with this.  I made a similar suggestion a few years ago on the forum in response to the same question from one of our European friends wanting to know the best bang-for-the-buck for a limited time tour in the U.S.  I may as well have kicked a hornet's nest.  Eastern folks were unhappy with me to say the least.

Shik, weather can be very variable in April in the west.  Go check the Godzilla relay reports from last April and May to see what I mean.  Most of the best riding in the west is at high elevation where anything can happen in the spring, and probably will.  My suggestion is to be ready with some alternate routes depending on what the weather is doing.  And be flexible. The route you have laid out on the Google map is very ambitious, even with 3 weeks, unless all you are doing is covering ground.  There is a lot of high elevation terrain on that route, so plan for weather delays or detours. 

I have been touring around the western half of the U.S. for over 35 years and still haven't seen it all, still discovering new stuff.  You will have a blast.

[Spanner 1]

Man... I'd need 3 months to enjoy that route  .... too much riding every day, you would need a vacation after this vacation !...... and isn't time for sightseeing and interaction with folks more important than miles ?

[weekend_junkie]

Guys, I really appreciate your help here. I have never travelled on bike and I can really use your help.

This is a really rough draft of a possible route, what do you think about this, is it doable with approx. 3 weeks? I have not put in a lot of sights, since I need your help to determine what I should see...

http://g.co/maps/q5h3j

I have written an email to azride.com to ask for prices etc. They are based in Scottsdale, AZ.

Jesper

If you're into the adventure and not so much into lazy days of riding, 3 weeks is no problem for that route by yourself.  I was in your same situation last year and found I had plenty of time when I budgeted out the route and picked my destinations ahead.  Here's a good rule of thumb that I used:
- 200-400 miles per day (average of 300 miles per riding day)
- Break day every 4th day. 
- If you have to make up lost time, up to 400 miles if windy/urban areas, 600 miles if crossing the desert. Expect to be tired the next day.

Here's my take on how much riding you can do.  You have 3 weeks = 21 days.  Lose 1 day getting and returning the bike, so you're down to 20 days.  Take away 5 days to check out sightseeing things/oversleeping/hangovers/flat tires (i.e. every fourth day), and you have 15 days of RIDING to go!.  15 x 300 means that you could reasonably cover 4,500 miles if you budget your time.

Also, detour into San Francisco, crossing the Golden Gate Bridge and come down the California coast from there. You will not regret it.

[Shik]

It might be ambitious indeed, and I'm open for any changes, here is a slightly modified route.
Maybe I could skip Colorado?? I have never been to US, so I know nearly nothing about the different states.

http://g.co/maps/wxt83

I would rather have time to relax than to stress in a tight schedule.

Is it necessary to book hotels/motels in advance? I kinda like the idea that whenever I feel like stopping, I would find a place to sleep, eat etc.

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

That's a good BASIC STARTING OUTLINE. 150 mile per day average. VERY doable. VERY. As Ofreen says do not set this in stone for a couple reasons. 1st is weather and 2nd is scenery. We'll gladly help you with those. Otherwise you won't see the riding America that you deserve to see and should see.

If it were me I would NOT skip Colorado only since I know Colorado. What I would do is fine tune your riding in Colorado. What you will see with the routing you have mapped so far is only a fraction of what you should see but wouldn't. You will be on Interstate 25 (I-25) and Interstate 70 (I-70) which are great if you wish to travel quickly by car. With the average mileage of 150 per day by your rough draft you will have time to fine tune your routes. I'll gladly help you with that and keep you off the Interstates for the most parts so you can see the real Colorado. The Rocky Mountain Colorado. MANY possibilities for riding the mountains versus what you have so far. If you are dead set on going to Denver I will gladly put you up on the way as long as it's the first part of the week. I am 1 hour south in Colorado Springs. We can take time and ride up 14,110' Pikes Peak that's just out my window. One of two 14,000' peaks that are driveable/paved in Colorado.

Do NOT attempt to book motels. First night only. Your adventure needs to be dynamic meaning that it could/probably will change on a continual basis with the start and stop the only dead set days. This works.

Now that I've blown my horn for Colorado I'll also toot it for Utah. An amazing state to ride in. I can get you off the Interstate there too! You just can NOT do Utah by the Interstate on a bike! Way too many fabulous places to go! Nevada is Nevada and I like US50 - "The Loneliest Road in America". Lots of wide open space on 2 lane without traffic for miles and miles. High desert, mountain range, high desert, mountain range, town, repeat, etc. Very unique riding vs taking I-80 to it's north (B O R I N G) 

 

California looks good as you've bypassed the Interstates. National parks and the Sierra Mountains, Pacific Coast Hwy, etc

Your Arizona is good. But GOTTA swing by the Grand Canyon on your way back to your flight!

Here's a couple links to some of my adventures along YOUR route. Not really labeled but it was along the same basic idea of your's just many more miles over ~ 17 days.

http://s233.photobucket.com/albums/ee84/RxmanGriff/Pacific%20Coast%20Highway%20Ride%202007%20part%201/

http://s233.photobucket.com/albums/ee84/RxmanGriff/Pacific%20Coast%20Highway%20Ride%202007%20part%202/

 

[Shik]

Jerry, thanks a lot, this sounds promising.
Just to make clear, my draft was done without taking roads/highways into consideration, I'm aware that it should be tuned in to avoiding boring interstates etc.
I'm happy that you believe it to be very doable, since I would like to be on the safe side of time, so I have a safe margin for unexpected things to happen. I wouldn't wanna miss my return flight, that would just blow my budget completely.

My plan so far is to fly into L.A., take a bus to Scottsdale and ride along, and "vice versa" for return.

[rbmgf7]

Guys, I really appreciate your help here. I have never travelled on bike and I can really use your help.

This is a really rough draft of a possible route, what do you think about this, is it doable with approx. 3 weeks? I have not put in a lot of sights, since I need your help to determine what I should see...

http://g.co/maps/q5h3j

I have written an email to azride.com to ask for prices etc. They are based in Scottsdale, AZ.

Jesper

Awesome! This is almost similar to what I have planned for June (if I can't get to the Isle of Man this year).

I've rode (B) to (C). Let me tell you, it gets EXTREMELY windy on this highway (up to 50 MPH gusts). Not nearly as windy as I-80 from Salt Lake to Wendover. I've been across Highway 50 from Ely, through Great Basin, and onto 70 towards Zion NP. Yes, that is a lonesome road with some great open scenery.

If I might suggest for both the motorcycling aspect and scenery, take Highway 550 from Albuquerque, NM into CO all the way to Montrose. That is a fantastic motorcycling road. I'd be leery riding in April. It still may snow unexpectedly so keep an eye on the weather. If you can still manage, do stop by Sante Fe. It's a lovely place with some great food. Once you hit Montrose, head east on 50 towards Colorado Springs.

I've rode all over CO except for the northwest corner and anything east from the front range. If you want to dabble in dirt, I have a couple places to suggest. Depending on your expereince, I can suggest something easy to rediculous. May have to look into some of the passes since most of them may still be snowed in. The Alpine Loop is gorgeous but usually have to wait until summer.

Try and ride Peak to Peak to Trail Ridge Rd. through the Rocky Mountain NP. You may get lucky and catch it open. Usually it won't reopen until May but it's well worth it. I try and get up there a couple times a year.

Definately stop by in Colorado Springs. We could all group together and ride up. I did the same when my buddy from TX came through last year.

[754]

 Colorado and Utah are not to be missed, and Idaho (did not look at your map)
 But, and this is important.. Coloradoo, Nevada ansd other states there are high..  I went thru CO in Aug..zigzagged so I hit 5 or 6 passes that were 11. 000 plus feet. This may affect the running of the bike.. Even in Aug it was rainy and quite coolo.. it could get grim even in June.. just keep that in mind..

[Shik]

Colorado and Utah are not to be missed, and Idaho (did not look at your map)
 But, and this is important.. Coloradoo, Nevada ansd other states there are high..  I went thru CO in Aug..zigzagged so I hit 5 or 6 passes that were 11. 000 plus feet. This may affect the running of the bike.. Even in Aug it was rainy and quite coolo.. it could get grim even in June.. just keep that in mind..

So in April this would not be nice is what you are saying?