Topic: Let's hit the road - around the country

[SonnysTile]

I'm in Louisville, looks to be your first stop.

Hit me up, glad to help in any way...

[Caddux]

Im planning a similar trip this summer myself but im in L.A . Im currently buying luggage bags and stuff. I was consideiring to travel passively for month and make it to the mississippi and back. I would love to ride along with you if we get a chance

[Frankenkit]

I'd strongly suggest a thermarest or something like it.  Don't skimp on your sleeping gear.  A major rule of backpacking (and I can assume bike touring is similar) is that the difference between a #$%*ty day and a good day is sometimes just the amount and quality of sleep you had the night before. just 'cuz you can sleep on the ground doesn't mean you'll want to.

[IAmCitizenMe]

Oh I've slept on the ground. I don't mind it too much. But I do have a really nice air mat that I take on camping trips.

[77cafe750]

would definelty be willing to go with who ever is planning that ny alabam sturgis deal i am in il and have friends in alabama and already have plans to ride to sturgis pm me ......... bike week was a blast to badd the bike wasnt finished ... it is know >

[verboten1]

On the KLR, I rode to the arctic ocean, 8 days, 3000 miles, with 2 very short days.

I love the GPS, just to see where i am.....we took roads that looked interesting, and could still get where we needed to be.

I carried almost all of the food I needed for the trip, and an extra gallon of fuel, tubes, pump, tools, I probably had 100 pounds of gear on the bike, but i was fully self sufficient.

if you will be out in the middle of nowhere, in my opinion, it's best to be able to survive for a while, some of those roads could have very little traffic.


*edit*

take notes.....even if you have to stop, get your notepad or notebook out, take notes....


I had some pictures that I did not take notes for.....and have no idea why i took them!

[IAmCitizenMe]

Notes are certainly one thing I will be taking. I am going to write about the entire experience. I want to take a few nature photography courses before I leave so I can take some sweet photos during my journey.

[Stev-o]

Several years ago, I took a 31 day, 7000 mile trip through 13 states.
It was such a great expearience that I will never forget it!
Our only required destination was Colorado [from Texas] and once we arrived, we actually had a "map burning" ceremony!
As already mentioned, be flexible. You will visit places that you may want to spend time at, not just cruise through [like finding a great swimming hole with a waterfall on a hot day].
Enjoy - it will be a trip you will never forget!

[JAG]

This is intriguing and has gotten my wheels turning -in my head that is-...

Does anyone have any opinions on what kind of bags to use for the trip? Or what seems to work the best, hold the most, waterproof, etc..

Since my 750 is the cafe and is all dolled up with a new paint job, the cb500 will have to make the journey. I hope that it'll get me to where I wanna go, since it's so small and all.

Great idea bud keep us posted. And I'm located near nashville, so I can ride through the state with you if you decide to go that route..

best wishes.

[Frankenkit]

I'm planning on a long sojourn... but it has to wait until I'm graduated... and I might not end up taking the 650.  Parts are just too hard to come by to want to risk being stranded a few thou from home.

[verboten1]

I used the wolfman tailbag, never had a wet article in it...
they aren;t cheap, but I wouldn't skimp on keeping my gear dry

[IAmCitizenMe]

So, here is what my situation is. I am working wherever I can find work. This includes work that affects my dignity. I am trying diligently to save all of my money. Though, at the rate it has been going, I might be able to make it Chicago and back  . My goal is to save up enough money to do this trip so I can write about it and hopefully get a gig writing for a travel magazine or website or something along those lines. And that's when I started thinking...

Has anyone ever had an sponsorship? I don't know if this idea is completely outrageous or not, but is it possible to get a sponsor to help out with something like this? Like if I told Shinko or some-other-company what I was up to, would they sponsor me with funding or free tires or anything like that?

See, I am looking for aid anywhere I can get it because if I don't do this trip this summer, I may not be able to do it for quite a long time (student loans need a payin').

Don't laugh too hard.

[BeSeeingYou]

I don't know if a sponsor would be interested in a 32 year old bike.  Sure we love them but we are a small segment of the market.  A member Skonnie boy wrote about a trip and got published in a classic bike mag but unless you have a publishing track record it may be hard to get an advance on a story that way.  I am in no way dissing your trip but it isn't a ride from Alaska to Patagonia or a trip across the Russian steppe to Mongolia that would really catch the eye of a sponsor.  Even so it will be a great trip for you and it could possibly be a great story depending on your writing skills.  I have done a similar trip and really hope you can pull this off.  My trip was low budget and I had to sell some camping gear at a second hand store (no credit card, internet, or cell phone then) for gas money.  I made it home with $3 and about a gallon of gas.   If you have to strip it down to the basics do it.  You don't need a GPS or laptop.  Want internet? Stop off at the libraries in the towns you pass through.

[Frankenkit]

you could always take cues from bicycle tourers and camp in a tent everywhere you go- just need to be really subtle about it sometimes... Anything you can sell, maybe, besides yourself? 

[verboten1]

Stealth camping, one way to save money, grocery stores to eat, that's another.



Stealth camping is fun

[seaweb11]

Has anyone ever had an sponsorship? I don't know if this idea is completely outrageous or not, but is it possible to get a sponsor to help out with something like this? Like if I told Shinko or some-other-company what I was up to, would they sponsor me with funding or free tires or anything like that?

See, I am looking for aid anywhere I can get it because if I don't do this trip this summer, I may not be able to do it for quite a long time (student loans need a payin').

Don't laugh too hard.

Not sure about sponsorship, but My thinking goes towards starting a web site NOW! about your travel and writing goals.  Get a Blog going NOW about trip planning, advertisers are out there hunting for opportunities as well.
If it is well written, well thought out and run successfully with some good incoming traffic, you could then use that traffic history to sell your wares as it may be

2 cents.

P.S. I will follow your journeys

[Frankenkit]

find a cause to do it for and spread awareness, maybe.

...oh wait, then you'd have to donate the money instead of using it. nm.

[BobbyR]

Has anyone ever had an sponsorship? I don't know if this idea is completely outrageous or not, but is it possible to get a sponsor to help out with something like this? Like if I told Shinko or some-other-company what I was up to, would they sponsor me with funding or free tires or anything like that?

See, I am looking for aid anywhere I can get it because if I don't do this trip this summer, I may not be able to do it for quite a long time (student loans need a payin').

Don't laugh too hard.

+1 If you cold call on sponsors nothing happens. If you can get some buzz going, people start to get on board. Once you get a site up, try to find a paper that puts item up on the news wires. Every big Company has a group that scans the wire services. Riding a motorcycle long distances is nothing new, doing it on a 1960's bike on a shoestring puts some interest in it.

Not sure about sponsorship, but My thinking goes towards starting a web site NOW! about your travel and writing goals.  Get a Blog going NOW about trip planning, advertisers are out there hunting for opportunities as well.
If it is well written, well thought out and run successfully with some good incoming traffic, you could then use that traffic history to sell your wares as it may be

2 cents.

P.S. I will follow your journeys

[Frankenkit]

It'd be a heck of a thing if we had some sort of "Long Haul" fund on this forum, where everyone put in what it was worth to them to read about someone's trip.  The tricky part would be in figuring out how this money would be dispensed and how to determine how people should receive these funds.

[IAmCitizenMe]

My trip was low budget and I had to sell some camping gear at a second hand store (no credit card, internet, or cell phone then) for gas money.  I made it home with $3 and about a gallon of gas.   If you have to strip it down to the basics do it.  You don't need a GPS or laptop.  Want internet? Stop off at the libraries in the towns you pass through.

Yea this is going to be a bare-bones trip. No flash. I wish I had something to sell, but my possessions are limited to books, CDs and records. If I had a laptop or GPS, I'd sell it.

you could always take cues from bicycle tourers and camp in a tent everywhere you go- just need to be really subtle about it sometimes... Anything you can sell, maybe, besides yourself? 

I was absolutely planning on camping everywhere. Unless I know someone with a bed, I'll be sleepin neath the stars. That's the only way for me to go.

Not sure about sponsorship, but My thinking goes towards starting a web site NOW! about your travel and writing goals.  Get a Blog going NOW about trip planning, advertisers are out there hunting for opportunities as well.
If it is well written, well thought out and run successfully with some good incoming traffic, you could then use that traffic history to sell your wares as it may be

2 cents.

P.S. I will follow your journeys

http://holdonwolf.blogspot.com/