re: Across America on a motorcycle

Do it.

I went alone and it was great. 13 days and 6500 miles. (Average 500 a day) and sleeping in a tent almost every night. I made a loop from north Louisiana up through southern Colo then West to Cali. Then north to Wash. West to Montana. The south back home.

It was a great trip and I really liked going it alone. The trip was originally supposed to be several guys, but as it got closer, people started dropping out. I decided screw it, I'm going anyway. Best decision I could have made.

I had researched and planned the route and potential camping spots ahead, and was able to stick to most of it. It really was a help having preloaded routes in my gps so I didn't have to keep staring at s map while riding.

The next year, I went on a long ride to Cali and met an old high school buddy out there. We rode through south and central Cali and it was a great trip but not as good as going it solo.

Get a god tent and sleeping bag, as has Ben discuses. Try to keep stuff you may need separate from stuff you use everyday. You don't want to have to pack and unpack everything every night.

Don't carry a bunch of clothes. I washed mine in sinks/creeks where I camped and air dried them on the bike the next day.

You can't see it all (unless you have a lot more time on your hands than I did). You just have to figure out what is important and 'must sees'.
I took a beaded seat cover and a couple of pads just so I could have something different to sit on. It helped redistribute the weight on long runs.

Get a GoPro and a way to hook it up to your bike. I had an old digital camera I could mount on my handlebars that made ok videos, but GoPro a are a lot better. The videos are great to watch if you video and edit when you get back. Videos get s bad rap from old home movies, but action videos are great.

Look at Bamarider website. He's got a lot of good write ups and tips for long distance riding.