50 tips for riding a MC across the USA

[Robby321]

I gotta re write that "50", MY WAY. Kinda bored and sidelined the moment, as pulled a neck, back muscle just yanking to start a neighbors lawn mower I'm working on. And don't laugh, the older ya get, well..just hope ya all get there!

Here ya go.

#1 Stop putting it off, life is short! Don’t forestall joy.

don't think thats a problem any here

#2 America is a lot bigger than you thought.

First time, and gets way shorter the more ya do it

#3 Take at least two weeks to do the ride, ideally more (see #2)

2 weeks is a rush, plan 4

#4) When choosing a bike, bigger/more expensive does not automatically = more fun.

BS...run what ya brung

#5 Regarding accessories: more farkles = more distractions = less fun.

Not really...

#6 Interstates = ZERO FUN

100% agree! But see #7

#7 Interstates save time, but do you really want the trip to end sooner?

HA! WRONG! Take 2/3 weeks seeing it ALL, then 1/2 way back in the flat land midwest? Simple "gethomeitis", takes over, and enjoy the mems the last 3 weeks

#8 Make sure your tires have at least 3-4000 miles of life left in them.

If you leave with not NEW tires?..DON"T

#9 If you ride a sportbike, they won’t!

BS, its the rider, NOT the bike

#10 If you can read a map, you don’t need a GPS unit. Plus maps look better with coffee spilt on them

If you need a GPS to see where yer at, look for home, as ya don't belong where you are

#11 Michelin maps are the best and most detailed, get them from Amazon.com''

Again, BS. any state map will show 2 lanes "scenic", plus getting lost is more fun anyway

#12 If you’re riding in summer, buy a cooling vest, they’re awesome. We like these.

Again BS. I been shirtless in 100 degree heat in Montana, only a baseball cap on to stop the days ride sun burn from frying me. Soak it in water, and back into "the wind"

#13 Bring earplugs and don’t be lazy about wearing them if you value your hearing.

BS....if you get wind noise "buffeting' the ears, ya aint set up right

#14 People will be asking you to tell them about this trip for years, so:

YEP, as still am..

#15 Start and end your trip in an interesting place.

How about the driveway at home?

#16 Take plenty of photographs and video (iPhones are great for both)

Hmmm..world getting wimpy with the damn phones. Take a camera though, and do vids someway. AGAIN..just hold it the side and snap, NEVER PUT TO THE EYE unless PARKED!

#17 Make sure to note the names/locations of the places that resonate in you

What? why the hel ya doing a trip in the first place?

#18 Blog about your trip while on the road (if you do that kind of thing)..

BS, do a daily "note book" of the days ride, in a "Journal", you do days end, around a camp fire, or a Neon lite..motel. AND if a "old school motel, sorely lacking now..(and it better have a pool)..the LAST thing you EVER do is use the towels to them to "clean yer chain". Its not good as as they we soon say.."no bikers"

#19 Bring a smartphone so you can Tweet/Facebook/Youtube realtime when you stop..
(....shut up and ride)

#20 Consider riding for your fave charity..

(..do it for YOU first)


#21 Learn about how to raise money by contacting the charity (they often have instructions on their website)..

Shut up and ride

#22 Use a smartphone with GPS so you can easily geotag photos

Again, shut up and ride

#23 When you upload your pics to Flickr etc, use the geotags so people know where the photo was taken

see above

#24 In some rural parts of the country, cell reception will be non existent..(..why a paper map!)

HA if ya aint RURAL? Why even go?

#25 Best months to cross the USA on a motorcycle: May to October

Damn, that had to have some thinking in it

#26 If you bring rain gear or heated clothing, you won’t need it

BS..as ..YOU WILL! And do a two piece rainsuit, as a BITCH to do a one piece when wet. AND! Get a heated vest, as well warn your torso. I've left morning many places the Rockies at 30 degrees, snowing, but if ya trust yer bike, and yer skills WHEN WARM AND COZY?...nothing ya can't handle

#27 If you don’t bring it, it will be cold and pouring every day of your trip

See #26

#28 Weather band radio is very useful, especially during tornado season in the midwest.

(again look up the sky..and if in Kansas...as you see the blackest bluish green sky in front heading west? FIND SHELTER FAST!


#29 Hi-viz bike clothing makes you look like a tool whether you’re in NYC or Yellowstone

I agree here 100%. Simple ride like no one sees ya..(they don't). All the bells and whistles ya put on don't count, but make ya look like a wimp, and ya shouldn't be in "traffic anyway"

#30 If you set up camp in known grizzly bear country, and play acoustic versions of Death Cab For Cutie songs by the fire before going to bed, you 100% deserve to get mauled

Gotta tell a fast (HA, not me fast) story that BS. I was in Montana heading back east after hitting the coast here, outside Libby Mt. Just done the "Going to the Sun road". Now in between nothing and nothing for a 100 miles. Saw old camp ground that was abandoned with nothing, but still open, as across the river was a new campground with.."the masses", which I try to avoid. Parked the ride, tent up, had a bag of fried chicken for the nites chow. Got a fire going, and walked down to the close river. DAMN, Someone before had piled rocks and made a "for lack of a better word, Jacuzzi"! Flowing water the stream..(COLD MOUNTAIN RUN OFF!) in and out! Got naked, a bar of soap, and ..well, just one those great "moments" in life. THEN, I started thinking the bears, which can smell chicken 30 miles away? Heated it up over the fire..(I have that pic in my albums, need to scan), and said "hmmm". So later took all the food..as no "hoisting in a tree". Tossed all in the river down stream. Also woke up 3am in the tent, with something BIG out there, sniffing. Thats another thought that just hit camping bear country. Put some pebbles in a soda can, and if a animal out the tent". Shake it and make noise! (Also carried a 44 Mag with me too, last resort) Then morning, packed up and left, into Libby. Soon there this massive Moose wandering down the road! I could NOT get around it!. I pulled to his left, revved it, and he wandered right, but still the road..(were talking a 1000 pounder here). So I go right side, and making noise, and he goes left, but still the road! This went on for 1/4 mile!. Finally went the right him, revving and blowing the horn, andlet a round out the 44 mag. BOOM! He took off, back to get woods. And ya freaking right my left had had the VHS going, as still have it on tape!
#31 It’s a long ride, and you’ll be tired at day’s end. Motorcycle camping is for the young, the poor, and the acutely adventurous.

#32 For everyone else, Best Western, Motel 6 and Super 8 are the better choice.

If it aint a old school neon lite flea bag motel? Screw corporate places

#33 Breakfast buffets in America are almost always overpriced and underwhelming.

Calling BS here. You camp out, up and do 100 miles BEFORE finding a "mom and pop place", for chow!

#34 Eat a light breakfast, light lunch with healthy snacks as needed until dinner.

Shut up and ride, a soda and a bag pretzels good for lunch

#35 Save the heavier meals for nighttime.

YEP, chow down, crash, and ready for morning..

#36 Do not drink any alcohol until after the bike is parked for the day.

Never drink and do any CC ride. You really don't need a "alcohol enhanced" experience

#37 If you ride a Triumph Bonneville, old guys are going to come up and tell you about their old Trumpets every time you stop.

HA! The new Trumps are simple fugly to me, as had a T110 back in 57, a kid.

#38 Music that goes well with a Cross USA ride: The Band, Bob Dylan, Ryan Adams, Wilco, Eric Clapton, Willie Nelson, Mark Knopfler, Jackson Browne, Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams, Ry Cooder and The Grateful Dead.

Thats up to you, but David Allen Coe in Kansas? A must!

#39 Music that does NOT go well with a Cross USA ride: Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Leona Lewis, Ke$sha, Jay-Z and Justin Beiber. Or anything from “Glee”.

"WHO?.......?

#40 Which books you bring are important. Books about traveling seem to read really well on long trips, especially if you’re riding alone.

BS, read then BEFORE the ride, then make yer own..(journal), The sound of a campfire is music to me

#41 Books we like: Paul Theroux’s “The Great Railway Bazaar”; Ted Simon’s “Jupiter’s Travels”; and “One Man Caravan” by Robert Edison Fulton Junior. Another obvious choice would be anything by Bill Bryson.

Read Ghost Rider, Neil Pert, drummer for Rush, lost his wife and daughter, and .."he went for a ride", and wrote a fantastic book

#42 Go to bed early (by 10pm) and be on the road no later than 7:00am. It’s a treasure to watch the world wake up, as an observer, on a motorcycle.

Back to the "weather rock here..Light, get up, dark, park it.

#43 You’ll take your best photos around dawn and dusk, that’s when the light is best. Think about that when you’re deciding where you’re going to be at those times.

Just take a zillion pix, edit when home

#44 If you can take a month of longer for the trip, using your own bike makes sense financially versus renting. But remember that you have to get your bike back home once you reach the opposite coast. Shipping can be expensive, and it may take several weeks to get your bike back.

BS, use YOUR ride...never EVER tghing the clowed brain with the "what if"

#45 East to West, or West To East? Well, America “opens up” as you head East to West. West to East, it gets more congested and populated. Psychologically, East to West “feels” a bit better because of that


#46 Northern or Southern route? Great things to see if you use either…some suggestions follow.

All ok

#47 Start in Boston. Head down through New York State, over to Chicago, the Black Hills of South Dakota, Salt Lake City, finish in San Francisco

all Ok

#48 Start in Washington DC. Head down the Blue Ridge Parkway into the Smokey Mountains, over to Nashville, then pick up Route 66 in Oklahoma and follow it to Los Angeles.

all OK

#49 Start in Los Angeles, follow Route 66 in reverse to Texas, then head to the Gulf Coast, see new Orleans, finish in Orlando Florida.

OK me

#50 Rent an EagleRider bike from The Lost Adventure! We’ve got the most competitive rates, we’re ridden Coast To Coast several times, and can give you tips and advice to help you plan your journey. We can book your hotels too.

WHAT? Thats where I lost interest any this, as simple "selling something"..and RENT a unfamiliar bike"

Now #51........? Simple jump on the bike and go...as any worrys ya have will not happen anyway, but seems all..who did ..."came home with a lifetime story"

[Talon2.5]

Did an 1100 mile trip to a concert in Baltimore a month ago on a 2013 Electraglide Classic

[captadhos]

Good tips, we are planning a cross country trip for this fall.