am I stupid or just insane?

[katie cresswell]

Alright, I have 6-7 weeks this summer in which I will hopefully be relocating from Vancouver to Montreal, and was thinking of riding my motorcycle.. . via washington, oregon, utah, colorado, nevada, texas, the deep south ( sans florida ), virginia, and the eastern seabord. The trip would be for the large part solo, and I don't particularly need to do a lot of sight seeing, although I do want to avoid interstates. Is this even remotely feasible? Or just stupid?

[Robert Schaller]

Let's not use the word "stupid!" CRAZY, maybe, but not STUPID! But some of the crazy stuff we do turns out to be the most memorable.

So my first question is, why do this if not for the sightseeing? What do you want to do, or accomplish, instead of sightseeing?

Second, is your motor comfortable enough and capable of carrying everything you need for a trip of this length without handling problems? In general, if you've got less than 1200 cc's, you're GOING to have some comfort issues and may need to consider how you'll deal with those.

The first thing I'd do (yes, I'd be crazy enough to do this kind of trip) is figure out what I need to take with me (barebones), and then figure out how to hang it on the scooter. On my bike, a lightweight 750, I only use a set of tank bags. I typically ride from laundromat to laundromat, from massage therapist to massage therapist...

Adjust your style on the trip to match what you can carry -- camping, for example, might be out of the question if you're limited. Load the bike, and then see how it handles. Once that's done, you're on your way. More questions? I'd really encourage you to go ahead with this -- if you really love riding. Chance of a lifetime. Just my opinion. Bob

[katie cresswell]

Awesome- thats what I like to hear. Why not sightseeing? Well, I'll be seeing plenty on the road and at rest stops, and at places I stay, I guess. Cash is also an issue, but mostly ( and I know this is cliche ) the road is my destination. Which is why I don't want interslabs.
As for bike- well it'll be a 500, because I can't fit anything bigger ( which is also an issue- I've heard warnings about traveling alone in the south when you're small and female, but I generally take those with a grain of salt... bad idea? ). It'll be hammock camping for me, cause I'm young and broke and willing to put up with discomfort. I've got my camping system down to a smallish bulk, soo I don't think that will be a problem. The only stuff I'm worried about is finding gas stations, running into psycho redneck biker gangs ( haha? ), my bike breaking down beyond my abilities to repair in the desert ( will I be hitting desert? I don't know utah and nevada very well )and discovering that I didn't leave enough time.
I would like to find time to hit route 66 and deal's gap... especially deals gap... but if things go the way they should, I couldn't leave Vancouver before the 21st of June and I'd HAVE to be in Montreal on Aug 7.
Any comments/suggestions?
oh- this is my ideal itinerary:
http://freebird.motorcyclecity.net/itinerary.JPG

[Quebec Gen]

Hi Katie!
Don't bother listening to what people think about the south, it's not more or less dangerous than home. I'm young and tall and skinny and blonde and never had any trouble finding my way and I always got where I wanted without any kind of trouble. Of course, you have to use common sense (which I'm desperatly out of sometimes:-), and keep out of obvious dangerous places : secluded areas, twilight zone bars, dark alleys,... If you sleep in crowded campgrounds, you shouldn't have any problems with motorcycle gangs and other potential agressors. Always trust your instinct, if you don't feel safe, get out!

As for your itinerary, well... I wish I could come along!:-) You'll have a very interesting trip! Just like Bob said, you should definitely think about some quickstops for sightseeing, especially State Parks in Utah and Colorado. Anyway, in 6-7 weeks you'll have plenty of time to fool around. Gas stations? Hum, it shouldn't be a problem! If you want to be sure, just fill your tank each time it gets below the half. Always have water, a charged cell/cb and your AAA card with you in case something happens. For tips on how to save money, check out the Cheap roadtrip section of the forum.

Let us know how your trip went! When you get to Mtl, if you need some help on finding something, or you just want some ideas for a motorcycle roadtrip don't be shy to ask, I lived there for a couple of years.


Good Luck!
Gen

[katie cresswell]

AAA- hadn't thought of that. I'm a member of BCAA, but clearly thats no good below the border. Can you join the AAA as a tourist or whatever? And would it be worth getting travel insurance?

[Quebec Gen]

Katie,

I think your CAA card should work south of the border, I used mine on my latest trip. You should definitely think about getting travel insurance if you don't have any at work or by another way. You can insure your belongings, medication, medical assistance and other stuff.

Just in case, when I go to the States for a few weeks, I also always make photocopies of any important documents (passport, driver's licence, birth certificate, etc.) and place them in different locations. By the way, if plan to carry food with you (if you have some space left for that on your bike) keep in mind that you're not allowed to bring fruits, vegetables and meat through the border...Or at least, make sure they don't find it!:-)

[RoadTripper Brad]

Again, here is me throwing my job into this. CAA will work south of the border in the States. Just remember to read the number starting from the very beginning, and be patient if they need to call your club and verify information.

[RoadTripper Brad]

An after thought- I noticed that you will be riding your motor cycle. Check with BCAA to make sure your level of membership covers motorcycles. If you have what is known as RV Plus, you should be okay, but check with your clubs office.