A Kiwi Touring the U.S.A.

Kiwi Rider

Kiwi Rider

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Wow... just got the best news I've had in a long time.
An old friend of mine rang me today and made me an offer I just can not refuse and no, he's not a wise guy.
He asked me if I would get on a plane to L.A with him, go to a bike dealership and pick out the best long distance touring bike I've always wanted, load it with luggage and pick out a new helmet and boots and jacket etc.
Next.. hit the road for two months.
I told him I'd need to plan the finances for that and he stopped me dead in my tracks.
He said "No need to worry about the cost of the trip, I'll be paying for it".
There was a long silence on the line as I had no idea how to react to that initially.
"Ya still there Greg?" he said. "Yes, but how and why do you wanna pay for it all?" was my answer.
He said it was something he'd always wanted to do and his mother had passed away a week ago.
Turned out she was worth millions in properties she owned and now he gets a share of her estate. North of 2 mill. ( for any ordinary kiwi, that's a LOT)
He wanted to do it with his old friend and it would make him very very happy if I said I'd go with him.
I said " Ok, let me think about it, I'll get back to you soon"
In the very next breath I said "Ok I've thought about it. YES YES YESSSSS!!" We both laughed and he was relieved I was not serious!
We are planning to leave NZ at the start of the winter here in NZ, the start of the American summer of '18.
Now, my question to you guys is this, which bikes and where do we go to get these bikes in L.A.
I really want a new KTM 1290 Adventure with luggage, Gary's not sure which bike, he hasn't ridden for years.
Next question is, do we head north up the Pacific coast and through the Mid West or is there a better route to travel?
I want to ride the Dragon but that's in Tennesse and that's a long way from L.A.
Your thoughts and ideas would be appreciated, any help at all would be great.
Thanks guys and girls!
 
Sounds like a great adventure. :welcome: You might not want to spend two whole months on the road though, no matter what your sleeping arrangements might be. :D That's a long time. I went out for 14 days once through ten states and it was a long ride. I'm a tad north of LA and have no direct experience with rentals although these days, just about every kind of bike can be rented (for a price) and all the rental companies are online. The charges for such a long rental might make you think of what I've heard others do, buy when you get here and sell when you leave. For insurance purposes you'll also need a valid license that's recognized here. I've ridden extensively throughout the eleven western states so ask anything. BTW, the CA coast is closed part way up, south of Monterey, probably for a year or more but hooking up to hiway 1 just north of the Golden Gate is easy. I live just a few miles south of Yosemite NP so look me up on your way north. I know all the two lanes!:thumbsup:
 
CBXRider said:
Sounds like a great adventure. :welcome: You might not want to spend two whole months on the road though, no matter what your sleeping arrangements might be. :D That's a long time. I went out for 14 days once through ten states and it was a long ride. I'm a tad north of LA and have no direct experience with rentals although these days, just about every kind of bike can be rented (for a price) and all the rental companies are online. The charges for such a long rental might make you think of what I've heard others do, buy when you get here and sell when you leave. For insurance purposes you'll also need a valid license that's recognized here. I've ridden extensively throughout the eleven western states so ask anything. BTW, the CA coast is closed part way up, south of Monterey, probably for a year or more but hooking up to hiway 1 just north of the Golden Gate is easy. I live just a few miles south of Yosemite NP so look me up on your way north. I know all the two lanes!:thumbsup:
Click to expand...

We are going to buy bikes and bring them back to NZ.
I have a friend who toured the U.S on his BMW GS last summer for 5 months. By himself,... I know, he's a brave man.
Thanks for that info, will be posting on the oRg whilst I'm there so with a bit of organisation and luck we may just meet up, that would be cool!
One of my goals is to meet some of the oRg members whilst in the U.S.
As for sleeping arrangements, haven't researched that yet but will be taking a UV light into any motels/hotels we look at staying in :rolleyes:
 
Cantab said:
Wow thats awesome!!!
Id suggest investing in a bike friendly GPS especially for entering and exiting cities and multiple laned freeways etc, easy to catch a kiwi out.
Click to expand...

Yeah, good idea. I'm dreading the multi lane freeways and navigation of the route.
Might try to avoid cities and stay in small towns, just like in the Easy Rider movie... but without the beatings and the shotgun scene lol.
I think an intercom system would be good too.
Yeah, I'm pretty excited, but when the plane tickets are booked and paid for, thats when I will be fizzing.
I'm also gonna work on increasing fitness. Go to a gym 3 times a week or something like that.
 
Wow that's going to be a great adventure! However don't underestimate how big this country is! You'll need a bike that can eat big miles with a lot of luggage. If you really want the US experience go Harley!
 
Go on Google and type compare USA to NZ. Interesting stuff. What is amazing about this country is that there are people on the west coast and from the Midwest east (look at night time satellite images of USA). There is a lot of really long empty roads between them. Some of those stretches are longer than the average bikes range so planning is the rule (maybe fuel cells). Many people are amazed at how big this country really is, for example it takes about 6-1/2 hours just to cross Virginia doing 65-70 mph! I remember it taking forever to cross Texas too. Seems a lot of people hug the south coast when going end to end. Might be pretty hot in the summer but interesting places and great food. It's also a bit easier ride than the north. Be sure to send us your route!

I highly recommend a bike made for the long haul. The BMW K1600 comes to mind for some reason, lol!
 
TallTom said:
Gosh so many options to consider. Are you returning back to L.A. to head back home?

That would help lan the loop route for you. So much to see in this country.
Click to expand...

Yeah, will be leaving the US from L.A..
It's early days at this point. We have a lot of planning to do.
I'm going to get advice from a mate that did the same last year.
Thanks for the input so far guys, keep it coming!
 
The Rockies are not to be missed! While this country has sooo much to see, and I've seen it all, since you are doing a loop I'd recommend focusing on the 11 western states. They will collectively encompass just about any environment you could want to experience. Oh, and don't forget to make a pass by the Grand Canyon, not something you could find anywhere else on earth.
 
I would recommend this thus far. L.A. up the Pacific Coast Highway (Hwy 1) all the way up the Ca coast. Then I'd interstate it to Washington state and then come back southeast along the Columbia River Gorge. Make your way to Mt Rushmore. (S Dakota). From there find the fastest route possible south into Colorado. Whereby you can take in the Rocky Mountains all the way down to Arizona and Utah. So many places to take in so make a list. Grand Canyon in Az. is what everyone knows about. But Utah has GREAT state parks with spectacular scenery all to be had for day trips out of St George Utah. Once done there, a 200 mile trip down to Vegas. Now comes the hard leg. Heading east across the great southwestern deserts will take you days. But along the way Taos NM is a nice stop. But AZ into Western Texas will be a LONG haul that requires planning. You can go for hours and see nothing. Texas at around Amarillo starts to become civilization again.

Or as an alternative. Cali to Nevada and do the reverse of the Rockies Leg and take in the Columbia River Gorge on the way back west.

To make time I'd head south thru Tx and cut over to coastal I-10 to make New Orleans a stop. Stay on I-10 and head to Fla. Stops abound along the coastlines in Fla. San Destin is very nice as stop from a day out of New Orleans. Head around the horn and down the western coast of Fla down to Naples. Cross over alligator alley and head south to the Keys. Make a stop in Miami to say you did it.

Then up the east coast of Fla to say Savannah, Ga. From there to Atlanta and the foothills of the Smokeys. Oh goodness how to do the Smokeys in a few days? But make your way up the Smokeys. Take in Mammoth Cave Kentucky as a day stop. Take in the Eastern Seaboard of the U.S. Up to Maine in the summer is gorgeous. Head east and cross over the White Mountains thru NH and Vermont. Mackinaw Island in Michigan in the summer.

Then you have the leg back across the great plains. Again a few days of boring miles to plan on the quickest route thru. Then you get into the Big Skies of Montana and Idaho. Cross east thru there and turn south west and head back to L.A.

If you could consider entering the U.S at say New Orleans or Miami or Atlanta and leave out of L.A. you could probably take in more overall.

I'd LOVE to join you guys on this adventure. Brings back some fond memories.
 
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I've driven a truck through most of the country, and most of it is worth seeing.
Would be a hard trip to plan to take it all in, but with 2 months definately doable.
All the western states have their own deserts, amazing to see the difference in rocks, and the dirt go from tan to red.
Plenty of great places to die on the side of the road too apparently. Miles and miles of nothing, with no shortage of roadside memorial crosses. So extra gas and water for sure, lol.
There will be plenty of us along the way as well.
Only thing I would seriously consider for a new bike would be, dealer locations and warranty. What happens when new bike dies 800 miles from nearest dealer, or how long for them to fix it. Will they give you a loaner?
That kind of thing.
 
Kiwi Rider said:
Wow... just got the best news I've had in a long time.
An old friend of mine rang me today and made me an offer I just can not refuse and no, he's not a wise guy.
He asked me if I would get on a plane to L.A with him, go to a bike dealership and pick out the best long distance touring bike I've always wanted, load it with luggage and pick out a new helmet and boots and jacket etc.
Next.. hit the road for two months.
I told him I'd need to plan the finances for that and he stopped me dead in my tracks.
He said "No need to worry about the cost of the trip, I'll be paying for it".
There was a long silence on the line as I had no idea how to react to that initially.
"Ya still there Greg?" he said. "Yes, but how and why do you wanna pay for it all?" was my answer.
He said it was something he'd always wanted to do and his mother had passed away a week ago.
Turned out she was worth millions in properties she owned and now he gets a share of her estate. North of 2 mill. ( for any ordinary kiwi, that's a LOT)
He wanted to do it with his old friend and it would make him very very happy if I said I'd go with him.
I said " Ok, let me think about it, I'll get back to you soon"
In the very next breath I said "Ok I've thought about it. YES YES YESSSSS!!" We both laughed and he was relieved I was not serious!
We are planning to leave NZ at the start of the winter here in NZ, the start of the American summer of '18.
Now, my question to you guys is this, which bikes and where do we go to get these bikes in L.A.
I really want a new KTM 1290 Adventure with luggage, Gary's not sure which bike, he hasn't ridden for years.
Next question is, do we head north up the Pacific coast and through the Mid West or is there a better route to travel?
I want to ride the Dragon but that's in Tennesse and that's a long way from L.A.
Your thoughts and ideas would be appreciated, any help at all would be great.
Thanks guys and girls!
Click to expand...
You might want to take a look over at the ADVrider forum. There is a lot you can learn from those guys that spend years on the road. IMHO 2 months is not “a lot” like some might think, unless you want to spend full days on the saddle driving through places instead of visiting them. There is a RR (ride report) I’m currently reading about a guy that’s trying to visit all 92 places mentioned on the famous song named “I’ve been everywhere”. He is about done with places in Canada, Alaska and lower 48 and I want to say he has covered 20k plus miles already. Either way, you are one lucky man to be able to even consider doing that. Hope you guys have fun and make sure you don’t pick an overly complicated bike. If I had the chance to do a trip like that, I think I would choose a dual sport thumper over anything else or something with parts readily available.
 
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2 Words .

Sturgis Baby.......
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