2019 Epic Trip - Help | GTAMotorcycle.com

2019 Epic Trip - Help

Mad Mike

Well-known member
For the first time in a long time i'm going to have 20-25 days to do an epic trip, I want to do this in the summer 2019. Here are a few of my parameters:

  • US/Canada - don't want to fly or ship my bike overseas or do Mexico.
  • Roads: Don't like slabs, prefer by-ways, OK with rough (ADV) but must be navigable and Google mapped.
  • Camping preferred. I'm not a glamper, I like motels once a week for a good sleep and shower.
  • Travel budget up to $5K. I'm not concerned about the cost, I get a thrill of travelling light and lean but am OK spending when and where it counts..
  • Riding 6hrs/day
  • My ride options are FJR1300, DL650 or vintage VX920R or GL1000 --- my girls are all are tour ready. If I go on my own I'll take the DL, if others are going I'll match rides.

I am wide open to ideas, I'm OK with running solo or with others interested in an adventure. I have all winter to plan this, toss me your ideas and let me know if you're interested in developing and riding this Epic adventure.
 
25 days gets you pretty far from Tdot.

I'd vote for SW US and tour the four corners (UT, CO, NM and AZ) and also California. My favorite part of the world to motorcycle.

Alaska is also an option, but to get there and back is a lot of riding to fit into 25 days, so there'd be a lot of slabbing through the Great Plains.
 
25 days gets you pretty far from Tdot.

I'd vote for SW US and tour the four corners (UT, CO, NM and AZ) and also California. My favorite part of the world to motorcycle.

Alaska is also an option, but to get there and back is a lot of riding to fit into 25 days, so there'd be a lot of slabbing through the Great Plains.
Agree that the PAC SW qualifies as epic however they are stricken from my list because to quote my friend Johnny "I've been every where man." I lived in the US SW for a decade, been everywhere a motorcyclist would want to go in TX, NM, AZ, UT, CO, NV, OR, WA & ID. Should have mentioned that.

If you haven't experienced this part of the world, you should. Lightcycle is right, you can tour the SW USA and get a better range of motorcycle options than anywhere in the world -- for me it's out as I've done it a few times.
 
25 days gets you pretty far from Tdot.
Yup, but I'm OK crossing the great plains as it's an easy ride -- I've done Winnipeg to Calgary in a day, my best time is just under 10 hours.

A late family member wrote a song about the great plains, i'd love to stop a the 100th meridian to pay respect to his life.
 
east coast to the deep south
then back up through the centre
lots of places to see and get lost
 
Crossing off a Euro or Asia ride? Damn, why?! Even if you rent something there that's a lot of time to enjoy some great roads/culture.

I'm sure Lightcycle could offer some suggestions on rental experiences, my own in Thailand were solid.
 
Southwest United States gets my vote, especially if your early in the season.I left Whitby a few years ago on a ride in the first week in April.The temperature was hovering around freezing and flurries,the next day I was in Kentucky riding in a t-shirt.Lots to see on the way.Wright Patterson Air Force Museum in Dayton,Corvette Assembly Plant in Bowling Green,Graceland and Sun Studios in Memphis,Book Depository in Dallas, Mussel Shoals Recording Studio.Last but not least The Barber Motorcycle Museum just outside of Birmingham, Alabama is absolutely mind blowing.My advice is to stay off the Inerstates unless you want to make good time.You will see far more and meet lots of interesting people that way. People in the deep south are extremely friendly,
 
If you want to meander ...East Coast early is nice..west you need to be concerned with high passes early on

3 weeks tougher for West Coast as you'll do a lot of slab but you seem okay with that. We had the same problem and flew our bikes to Vancouver - rode up 99/Yellowhead as far as Steward/Hyder ( you can do Banff and Jasper and Bow Valley to just touch Alaska ) - then the Inside Passage ferry to Vancouver Island. Just snoozed in the comfy seats . Spent a couple days, - Port Albernie road is fabulous
https://500px.com/macdoc/galleries/bc-trip-with-kenz
West coast BC/Alaska can be tough with weather - we were lucky
Vstrom was fine and gives you range security.

Headed east then Glacier Park - Yellowstone, Beartooth, Chief Joseph, Badlands then home with the wind. We did this mid June to early July and still had a snow squall on Ride to the Sun in Glacier ..serious layering a must as it can swing from 30+ to near freezing in June in the mountains.

I might wave to you - plans again this year to hit BC and base out of Salmon Arm for two weeks....have a $30 a night with breakfast AirBnB. Most likely fly one way - bike home. Mid June to early July...best time of year with long daylight.

I'll do Blue Water to upper Michigan and across south of Superior.
 
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Doing the west coast in 25 days would leave you with a blur.Take your time and stop to smell the flowers,enjoy the scenery,food local folks etc.If your goal is to post up how many kms you did in 25 days,then go crazy.
If i had 25 days,i would go thru the states to get my butt to Cape Breton and then explore and hike every little back bit it has to offer (there are lots).I have been there a couple of times and have barely seen what it has to offer.You only go around this thing once....no practice rounds.
 
I did 2 weeks last year out to Colorado and Utah. Utah was a huge highlight and tons of ADV stuff that gets you off the pavement. While I enjoyed Colorado knowing what I know now I would ride through and spend all my time in Utah exploring. Moab is great, super busy though but it is that way for a reason, you just can't go wrong. Valley of the God's was an amazing ride and from what I saw it looked like you could just pull over and camp anywhere. Just vast open scenery.

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Hard to suggest an epic trip when you have already been to so many places in N. America. I agree Alaska would be high up there but 25 does not leave a lot of time to stop and enjoy anything. Alaska is on my bucket list and plotted out a 30 day trip and even that seems hectic and keeping me constantly on the move.
 
I would be inclined to wander east. I didn't find NB or PEI very interesting riding but really liked NS (both mainland and cape breton). You have enough time to hit NFLD which should be awesome. Come back through the states and hit VT, PA etc. When I am wandering, I pick routes based on weather radar to try to avoid the worst of it. When I get tired, I pull over to sleep. I like the freedom of not having defined end points each day.

EDIT:
Oomis had a 3 week east coast trip planned out that looked amazing. Sadly he encountered an idiot and the trip ended tragically.

http://www.gtamotorcycle.com/vbforum/showthread.php?200077-Trans-Lab-2017&highlight=oomis
 
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Did the Northwest Territories,Yukon and Alaska 30 years ago on a camping trip.
Pros- 24 hours of daylight
Cons- bugs were absolutely brutal
 
I did a ride out west last summer...
Ontario was great.
Prairies were flat and straight but tolerable.
BC was awesome.
Riding a FJR meant I could easily do 10 hr days...
I'll likely be doing it again next summer, but will try a route that's a little different.
 
Alaska is on my bucket list and plotted out a 30 day trip and even that seems hectic and keeping me constantly on the move.

Fly your bike to Calgary ...with the way you put in distance you'd only be 3 days to Tok. Unless you are doing the Haul road 3 weeks is enough and blitz home. There are limited areas to go in Alaska compared to say BC.
You do want to set aside time for the Kenai Pennisula and Valdez.
 
For the first time in a long time i'm going to have 20-25 days to do an epic trip, I want to do this in the summer 2019. Here are a few of my parameters:

  • US/Canada - don't want to fly or ship my bike overseas or do Mexico.

I am wide open to ideas, I'm OK with running solo or with others interested in an adventure. I have all winter to plan this, toss me your ideas and let me know if you're interested in developing and riding this Epic adventure.

Point #1.
 
If it were me, I'd take the FJR regardless of where I was going. If I'm going on a 25 day trip comfort is going to be paramount and a good, big-bore ST with shaft drive is as good as it gets IMO.

As far as epic goes, why not head to Chicago and follow the original route 66 all the way to L.A.? It is a huge slice of history and americana and thanks to the super slabs that have come since, a lot of it is lightly traveled and a little out of the way with TONS of things to see along the way. Ghost towns, oddities, rarities and land marks galore! Once you get to L.A. you could head up the PCH (on my bucket list) or swing east and head through the desert and see Nevada, New Mexico and Arizona. See some of that Area 51 stuff and then head back east again and come up through the smokies.
 
the original route 66 all the way to L.A.? It is a huge slice of history and americana and thanks to the super slabs that have come since,

There is almost nothing left and he used to live in the SW.
 
Doing the west coast in 25 days would leave you with a blur.Take your time and stop to smell the flowers,enjoy the scenery,food local folks etc.If your goal is to post up how many kms you did in 25 days,then go crazy.
If i had 25 days,i would go thru the states to get my butt to Cape Breton and then explore and hike every little back bit it has to offer (there are lots).I have been there a couple of times and have barely seen what it has to offer.You only go around this thing once....no practice rounds.
I think I'm zeroing in on the Canadian coasts. I've beelined between Toronto and the Pacific before -- 51hrs is my best solo time LA to Toronto, my best to Halifax is is 15hrs. If I go west I'll have to budget 5 days for going and returning, leaves me 20 days for enjoying. Heading East gives me a few more days for enjoying, but that will probably be burned up on ferrying to and fro' the rock.

Anyone experience the Labrador Hwy? Quebec 138 to Kegashka, then ferry B-Sablon. From there to the Trans Lab, or south to the Rock? My attraction to this is 1) never been there, and 2) the culture of Atlantic No-where-ville.
 

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