If you're travelin

[Mikesalt13]

After finishing school, moving to Boston, and basically starting my life as a young adult, taking an extended amount of time off to tour the country on a motorcycle just didn't seem possible. I travel a lot, but it is always for 2 weeks at a time. Everyone i work with knows that i love motorcycles, I commute to work, talk about weekend trips, so every conversation with someone in the office starts with, "how's the bike?"
Anyway I recently had a conversation with my boss about when he was my age, and how he traveled cross country in his Volkswagon Beetle. After talking about some of the people he met, the places he went, and the route he took, he ended the conversation by saying that he would be more than happy to give me an extended leave to do the same on my motorcycle. I have thought about it, but i never really started to think about really doing it until we had that conversation. Well now it is all i can think about, and i thought some of you could answer questions that i have. I know this same spiel has been typed before on any number of motorcycle forums, but i think it would be good to hear what anyone has to say here to my particular situation.

I currently own 2 bikes. unfortunately neither are equipped to take me comfortably across the country. One is a 05 Ducati Monster S4r affectionately named Anita. She is a smokin hot Italian and would not be good company for such an adventure. The other is a 08 SV650, a recently converted track bike.

So first question, what will i ride? Well the idea is something cheap, comfortable, and reliable. Ideally nothing over $1500. If anyone has any opinions,recommendations, or is selling please fire away.
Option 1 - Suzuki Bandit 1200, and from what i heard they are bulletproof and good tourers
Option 2 - Yamaha Virago, nothing fancy, just point A to B.
Option 3 - Old KLR 650, If i feel the need to go off road at some point, this would be good to have. However in good working order these tend to be in the $2000 range


Second, has anyone here purchased a bike on the west coast and driven it back to the east? Or vice versa, sold to someone on the west coast after coming from the east (seems like the better option). Ideally i would buy one here and sell it insanely cheap to someone over there. If anyone here has experience doing either I would love to here about it.

I have a route in mind already, and will plan to spend a month and a half on the road. I am a Landscape Architect so a lot of this trip will be curated towards the National Park System. If anyone wants to name some must see's i would love to hear em. Also this will not happen until next year anywhere between May to October, just starting to plan early.

Seems like a wise list below

50 Tips for Riding a Motorcycle Across America

[black]

^ woops didnt see that the sv650 was recently converted but if nto too much trouble i'd trust it if you know it insied and out and could street it again easily , if not vote for a virago,*

if you dont wnat to overly compicate things , that sv650 should do fine. It all depends on how much you want to carry: I'm sure the armchair riders will debate the best bike for numerous pages here and spend y our money with suggestions very freely. I"m a very basic guy. If I had a bike I knew inside and out and knew its faults and pluses I'd trust that versus a new to me bike that may need a potential head to toe inspection and possibel upgrade/repair.
I was going to something similar on a zx6e 12 years ago. If you do the sv650 i'd put some risers on on the bars, better screen and a better seat, and invest in some top notch luggage ( the sv650 website could point you in the right direction) ADV rider could point you on some good gear options as well.

PS careful going thru mtns in sept thru utah/ CO snow storms can catch you suprised ( personal exp)

[Speed serpent]

Sounds like a great opportunity. One I wish I was able to take myself. Though our R6 and Ninja 650 wouldn't be great, I think our Avalanche would be the go to vehicle (plus the dog could tag along). I've been itching to get back to the Pacific Northwest and I'm looking into doing a roadtrip with my girl for our honeymoon.

If you head that way, I would suggest stopping in at the Redwoods, specifically the Trees of Mystery. There's a nice little hotel right at Paul Bunyan's boots also, looks run down but it was a great stay when I was there a few years back. Crater lake and Multnomah Falls in Oregon would be awesome to see also. The entire PCH is a gem of a road with great Lil shops and sights along the way. Newport Oregon is a favorite stop of mine, with Rogue Brewery hq right there.

Good luck and have fun planning. I'll be looking forward to seeing the results of this trip.

[boosten lebaron]

Option 4: an old goldwing. You can pick one up pretty cheap and do them up nice. I just bought one a week ago and took it to florida already. Its an old 1100 which is widely considered the most reliable. Its got tons of storage and is like riding a couch. I put a couple things on it like a cell phone holder and usb charge ports and its good to go. I get about 40mpg on the highway but it doesnt really cruise well above 70, the gearing is to low. I wouldnt hesitant to drive it to cali tonight and ive only had it a week. It just runs so well and ive checked the entire bike out. New timing belt is all they really need.

[Tekime]

I would take my FJ1200 on a tour in a heartbeat. Super comfortable and great power.

Been watching this one for a while and the price has dropped from about $2k:

89 yamaha fj1200 $1200

Old bike, but with some money left for a full tuneup would make the perfect touring bike. Quite a few FJ'ers still run these long distance as long as they're mechanically sound.

Any sub-$2k bike is probably a bit of a gamble, probably depends on the deal you can find at the time. Awesome plan though, good luck!

[mycirus]

If you are only budgeting 1500 for a bike what is your budget for gas and hotels? I would buy one in Alaska and ride it down. Consider buying newer and selling it when you are done. 1500 could make 6 months of payments and you should recover a good amount on the sale. Camping will save you some money too.

[Mikesalt13]

Hmm the FJ looks like a good option. I am only budgeting $1500 for the bike because id like to spend most my money on gas, lodging, and food. Really looking to lose little to no money on a used bike, and ditch it at the end of the journey. But then again maybe i just convert the sv into a tourer and make the loop?
My roommate is currently bicycling from Boston to Santa Barbara and has been using a couch surfing forum for bicyclists for lodging where you offer a bed to bicyclists making a cross country trip .Does something like this exist for motorcyclists? I am young so youth hostels, camping, and the occasional best western is my current plan.

[Mikesalt13]

after 2 minutes on google.

How it Works

[PhilB]

I'd go with adding some farkles for touring to the SV650, and going with that (if the SV is mechanically sound).
Or figuring out and adding a way to carry more gas on the S4r so you have a decent range, add some luggage capacity, and ride that.
The main difference with either of these strategies from your plan is that you'll need to ride a round trip, rather than ending in some random place and selling what you rode there.

I have an M900 Monster, and I've ridden it to 35 states so far. Including a trip in 2011 from San Diego to New Orleans to New Hampshire. That trip was 2 weeks, but almost half of those days were visiting and being places (including 4 days at the Barber track for the vintage bike event), so for actual riding, it was 8 days for the 4200 miles. The main functional difference between my Monster and yours, as far as touring goes, is that mine will do 200 miles on a tank of gas and yours does about half that. The other difference is that by that time I had put over 190K on the bike, so we were (are) well adapted to each other. I'm good for 500-600 miles a day on it easily, for multiple days in a row, and more than that if I specifically aim for it. With 6 weeks or so, you shouldn't have to do more than 300 miles a day very often.

PhilB

[nhbubba]

I owned a Bandit 1200. Personally, I'd rather have an EFI machine for that use. But the B12 is a fine option. I was disappointed by the aftermarket support when I first bought it; luggage was an especially sore spot. Now I see Givi and the like support it. And the soft luggage is SO much better than it was 15 years ago. So the big Bandit is probably a fine choice.

Truth told you don't need that much displacement to tour. I now tour on a DL650 and find it a better choice for my needs.

Actually, a well used, early model wee would be a fine pick as well. Possibly within your budget window.

[aldend123]

If most of your time will be paved roads, with the rare chance of a maintained dirt road, I'd probably stick to street bikes with street tires and just take it easy on the dirt. Worst case scenario, a bike with minimal plastic won't get too maimed in a dirt-dump either. Maybe pack a spare set of levers. As for bike choice, I'd want something with ergos that fit my height, decent fuel range, and a very popular model with good parts availability and DIY resources.

Have you been to AdvRider.com? They maintain a Tent Space thread where members post up that they're open to requests. The Ride Reports and Trip Planning sections are very relevant to your goals.

[steve3b3]

When I bought my son's VFR in CA, I put a dry bag across the rear seat, and rode it back to MA.
With the right seat and set-up, I'd think the SV would work fine. I had a Sargent seat, and throttle rocker, and was all-day comfy.

Steve

[feralchimp]

Do it.

In 1998 I got burned out at work, quit, bought a Virago 1100 and a set of Vanson pants, and went to California. Best decision I ever made. I didn't get to any of the national parks I originally hoped to see, but I saw some friends and overall got everything I really needed out of the trip.

The Virago was a superb bike for that trip. It had some basic leather bags, an aftermarket seat with a backrest, and an engine guard with highway pegs. It had a windshield for the first 10 miles of the trip. I lost my footing while pulled over next to a guard rail (arranging things in the tank bag, etc.) and tipped it over far enough that the guard rail smashed the windshield. Said "fuck it," took the rest of it off and threw it in a ditch, and went the other 7-8k miles with no mishaps.

[feralchimp]

+1 to anyone suggesting a DL650 for this purpose. Cheap used, reliable as hell, decent stock ergos.

[Mikesalt13]

So I went with the Ducati on a cross country trip starting in Boston and ultimately ending in LA.

No regrets so far, bike has been a champ. Gerry at Moto Milano up in Maine got it all set up for me with new belts and valves for the long trip.

It surprisingly holds everything I need including camping gear. Feels like I have nothing on it when riding.

In Muskegon now taking the ferry heading to Milwaukee for 2 days. Stopped in Cooperstown day 1 and camped. Stopped in Buffalo day 2 to stay at a friends house. Camped again day 3 in Lakeport Michigan after visiting Niagra in the morning.

It rained all day today crossing Michigan, but all the rain gear and waterproof luggage made it easy. Looking forward to getting out west and hitting up all the national parks.


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[Mikesalt13]

Added some other small things to image and still have room for groceries in the 2 small 5 liter Givi bags. Been messing with packing each day after camp and I think I have it down after day 3.

The black diamond backpack wraps around the wolfman dry bag and gives me quick access. It's also good to have while hiking.

So far the only downside to the monster is the gas mileage, but I have a fuel bottle just in case.


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[RyanNicholson]

Very jealous. Looking forward to doing a trip like that myself in the next couple years. Ride safe and keep us updated.

[Mikesalt13]

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[xxaarraa]

One hell of a trip. Admire you going out there to do something a lot of us dream about. Ride safe.

[Paul_E_D]

SIIIIICK photos.

[Tokyo Drift]

Those views are amazing!

[Chippertheripper]

That's fucking awesome.

[csmutty]

I'm so jealous. Sweet pics!

[Mustang]

That photo of the bike w/the mountains in the background should be hanging over your couch soon.

[Mikesalt13]

The desert southwest has been my favorite so far. Closing in on LA now after zig zagging for awhile around the 4 corners. I am approaching 8k miles and about to go through my second rear. Does anyone here know someone around LA who has stands and tools to unmount wheels? Will try Adv rider as well.






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