Across America on a motorcycle

I think it would be fun as hell to do, and ive never even ridden a motorcycle.

I've seen a few photo albums of people who've done that and similar trips on Reddit.

Wouldn't know where to tell you to start to search though. Maybe r/AMA.

You should check out Neil Peart's books on this subject.

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You should check out Neil Peart's books on this subject.

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Will do. Thanks!

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I think it would be pretty cool but my arse hurts thinking about it.

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haha, this is a concern. I've previously ridden a 1000 cc V-Storm which is a very comfortable bike. I literally just picked up a smaller 750cc Moto Guzzi when I received orders to move this summer. Will be more of an adventure riding the Guzzi.

Billy Connoly rode a Harley on Route 66 from Chicago to LA

there's a book and TV miniseries out there

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Anybody here ridden a motorcycle across the U.S.? I will be doing a solo trip from southern California to New York this summer with up to a month set aside for travel.

Advice, resources, thoughts on routes/must-see places? So far I have pins at the Grand Canyon, Escalante and the Black Hills.

Considerations: Minimal use of interstates. Also, I've lived in the southeast, Washington state, California, Oklahoma, and Colorado so I'd like to see other places. Have also previously done a week long motorcycle trip though Idaho, Montana, Alberta, and British Columbia.

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In my younger days I went on rides from Alabama up to the Dakotas and another ride out to Arizona, Nevada, and California. Rode up to to Niagara Falls as well. Here's my advice.

1. Don't go alone. These are really long rides and a lot can go wrong. Best to have someone with you.

2. Make sure you've got a good tent and a damn good sleeping bag. I can't stress enough how important a good quality sleeping bag will be. Even in the summer it gets cold as hell on the desert.

3. Don't over do it. You might be able to ride for 10 hours today. But can you keep that up for a couple weeks? No. Pace yourself and don't get in a hurry.

4. If you can avoid it, stay clear of interstates through unfamiliar cities, especially during rush hour traffic.

5. Before you leave, have a trusted dealer service your bike, go over it from back and top to bottom. Also, get brand new tires on your bike. And don't go cheap on the tires. Get Bridgestone or Michelin and make damn sure the date codes on the tires are nowhere near expiring.

6. Don't know if you plan on taking a pistol, but you need to look at the gun laws of each state you are going through. Some states honor other states pistol permits but don't do so for other states.

7. Take a pistol with you. Most of the time you'll be out in the middle of nowhere and thus on your own. Remember the old saying, "when seconds count, the cops are minutes away". Well there's plenty of places out there where "minutes away" means like half an hour.

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Black Hills

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Some of the most beautiful riding country in the nation.

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Of course Gatlinburg to Cherokee through the smokies is nice. tail of the Dragon

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Very nice riding but getting pretty dangerous due to heavy traffic, especially summer weekends. Roads tend to be narrow and very curvy, especially the Tail of the Dragon. A lot of places have limited or no shoulder. I'm not saying don't go through here, just be extremely careful when you do.

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.