X crossing the US; pre-trip discussion and suggestions

I just got a new WR250X in late May, and it's a really nice machine. I'm relatively new to riding cycles- picked up a CRF 80 around the new year after not riding since elementary school and sold it about two months ago before buying my new bike.

I've put about 1,400 on it so far and I'm planning a cross country (United States) trip for mid to late august- East to West! I've been lurking here for about three weeks now and decided it's about time I get an account. Other than appreciating the knowledge on the board (and the sweet pics!), I want to try to prepare myself and the bike for the trip- so I think this is a good place to start.

For now, I'm planning on doing day riding at a steady pace of maybe five to six hundred miles a day. I've got a few planned resting points so far- friends and possibly motels/hotels. My bike is all stock, including a replacement front brake lever from a wet slip in a parking lot. I haven't done any mods to it so far, but I've been wondering what the best gearing would be for highway/freeway riding. I've also got a loose plan of the packs I will be bringing, but I'm still unsure about that. I know that the gas mileage won't be too high with highway speeds, but I'm not going to let that discourage me. I'm not planning on getting a bigger tank just yet. Other than that, I hope my tires last a few more thousand. I've got Bridgestone Batlaxs on right now. I know I'm going to want to find a nice seat for the ride- that's my first priority.

I might make a trip report thread, but hopefully this one will be okay for pre-trip discussion. I'm open to any suggestions about traveling across the states and I'm looking forward to being a part of the WR community!

I hope you take the trip and document everything along the way.

Have a great trip!

Welcome to the pack!

Hello, before I finished reading your post I was thinking,,,a new seat would be the first thing I would do if I were doing a trip like that..Some day I would love to do a trip like that ,,right now it;s just not possible for me,,please post your trip up here,,,,,If I were doing this trip,I would try to do more back roads ,,,,, Good luck...keep us posted,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,jason

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I did a 200 mile trip once with the stock seat and it sucked really bad. I couldn't even imagine 5 to 600 miles in a day, then doing it again the next day.

With the stock tank, make sure to plan carefully for gas stops. The stretches can get pretty long on the secondary roads west of the Mississippi. Have a great time!

Sarah

greer wrote:

With the stock tank, make sure to plan carefully for gas stops. The stretches can get pretty long on the secondary roads west of the Mississippi. Have a great time!

Sarah

What she said. Plus 10000.

You'll get maybe 100 miles to a tank of gas. For a trip like that I'd make sure I had a rotopax or some kind of plan for carrying at least one more gallon of gas.
A GPS would be paramount for such a trip. Especially for finding the next gas stop.

You should look into, and practice repairing a flat tire.

August huh? Extreme heat. Camelback for sure.

What basic route you planning to take? From where to where?

And yes - please document and report trip as best you can.
Check out ADVrider.com

They've got some awesome trip reports and people there that can help you with what you'll absolutely need, and what you should leave at home.

Ear plugs. That many long days in a row = damage.

Gel padded gloves.

Advil.

real wrote:

... I've been wondering what the best gearing would be for highway/freeway riding...

Stock.

Nothing you can do about the weight on the freeway. You're gonna get blown around. I thought you would be doing backroads on the WR. If you're doing freeway coast to coast you are on the wrong bike.

500-600 miles a day for any real stretch of time is optimistic at best. Plan more around 300 miles, which is a comfortable pace considering fuel and food stops.

Otherwise, keep the bike stop except for maybe the seat and other things to make it more comfortable.

I'd rather take the bus then ride this motorcycle 500 miles a day on the Interstate. Why do you want to do this?

Yeah, i'd agree with that. This is a 50-100 mile a day bike, not a Goldwing.

I do a hundred miles nearly every day and sometimes 150, but only 20 of that is Interstate. The rest is hilly windy FUN roads. The Interstate is drag no matter what your driving!

skierd wrote:

500-600 miles a day for any real stretch of time is optimistic at best. Plan more around 300 miles, which is a comfortable pace considering fuel and food stops.

That right there is the voice of hard won experience.

Curiously enough, I find 200 miles on the slab much more exhausting than 200 miles on dirt. The slab ride is over much, much quicker - but I'm about catatonic by the end. The dirt I'm always stopping for a moment, gawking, taking a picture, investigating something, on and off the bike, etc.

I'd be reduced to tears if somebody told me I had to ride my WR across the country on the slab, even at a "meagre" 300 miles a day.

real,

Don't let folks scare you; if you want to ride the bike, ride it. That's why you bought it, isn't it? My bike is showing 27,xxx miles, several of them put on 500-600 at a time. I avoid the freeway when I can, but sometimes that's the best way to get where I'm going in the length of time I have. You might consider a windscreen of some sort; the Harbor Freight job is just a few bucks and helps a great deal.

Sarah

Go to Google maps and change your options to " No Highways, No Tolls" add a few days to your ETA and enjoy the USA. You can stay at Mom and Pop motels, eat where the locals eat and you will see America instead of the same old strip malls and truck stops the Interstate offers.

I like the two previous replies.

Go for it!!!

greer wrote:

real,

Don't let folks scare you; if you want to ride the bike, ride it. That's why you bought it, isn't it?

Well, I'm not intending to scare anyone, and Sarah is right - you bought the bike to ride it, so ride it the way you want.

But I'd still suggest some reflection about planning on 500-600 mile days, repetitively. That's very different than knocking off the odd long distance day to get someplace in a hurry. If nothing else, take a weekend first and ride 600 miles out the first day, then 600 miles back the next. See if you want to repeat that across the entire country day after day.

To add some context to that, driving that distance in one day would take you from Going To The Sun in Glacier National Park, through the Bitterroot, upper Lolo, Wenatchee, and Cascades to end up in Seattle. In one day. That is some of the most beautiful terrain in this country, and there are many other places elsewhere in the US on a cross country route that are equally striking. You aren't going to see much of that country as you blow through it pushing slab, keeping to a 600 mile a day schedule. Mostly you're going to see pavement, traffic, and gas stations, especially after about six hours in the saddle.

As this was for discussion and suggestions, I'd suggest you knock it back to planning 300 mile days as Skierd suggested. Lots of people will never get a chance to ride across the country like you're doing, and who knows, you may never get the chance again. Route yourself through all the places you want to see, people you want to see or meet, etc - lots of people here will offer you their lawn for your tent or a spare bed for the night if you're on your way through. And if you hit a stretch that is just plain boring for you (prairie is for me), that's when you can twist the throttle and make mileage.

There's trips and adventures... cut the mileage back and make it an adventure.

One guy's suggestion.

"Just go for it" has it's limits. 10 hours/day in the saddle, WOT, getting blown around the interstate by 18 wheelers for 5 days in a row?

Seriously, what is the point of this?

As noted above, even the rest times will be lousy with interstate hwy travel.

Every bit of the above advice is solid.

Fuel will be a problem in many areas of the west. I added the IMS 3.0 gallon tank to my WRX and wish I'd have gone for 4.5. On a recent 1600 mile trip around Lake Superior, I rarely did marginally better than 55mpg, or about 165 miles per tankful. That's not good enough unless you are sticking with freeways. Carry an emergency fuel bottle or fuel cell. You'll have to cross some of the Great American Desert via freeways because the last 30 years has been really hard on small town America. Many "towns" on the map are mirages. They have been abandoned since Reagan killed the small farm. Once you're west of Indiana, the state and US highways are littered with abandoned filling stations. Stop often for fuel or wear comfortable hiking boots.

If you're on freeways, the 60mph (GPS indicated, 70mph speedo) cruising speed will be hazardous to your health. Gearing up is a mistake because the bike has enough trouble pulling 6th on uphills or against strong winds. Unfortunately, the X appears to be geared right from the factory. Top speed on my bike is a bit over 80mph, but it's whaling at that speed and I wouldn't do more than pass at that RPM.

The Concepts step seat is an improvement over the stock seat, but you're sitting on hard plastic (or it feels like it) after about 200 miles per day. Get tough before you start.

Figure out a great tool kit. if you're on two-lanes, forget about much mechanical support on the road. Do your own tire repairs, basic mechanical adjustments, oil changes (carry filters), and don't forget to regularly lube the chain. It will die if you don't and you'll be waiting in Podunk until a new one arrives. I'd carry a spare clutch cable, levers, a headlight bulb, and spare fuses. Carry more tools and fewer clothes. If you camp, make the gear small. The more wind resistance you add, the worse your mileage will be.

greer wrote:

real,

My bike is showing 27,xxx miles, several of them put on 500-600 at a time. I avoid the freeway when I can, but sometimes that's the best way to get where I'm going in the length of time I have. You might consider a windscreen of some sort; the Harbor Freight job is just a few bucks and helps a great deal.

You're seriously tough. I think i could do a couple 500 mile days in a two week trip, but that's a pounding in any sort of Midwest or western or mountain ride.

Do you think the windscreen adds or detracts from your mileage? I'm getting 55mpg and I can't afford to drag the efficiency down any further.

mordicai wrote:

I do a hundred miles nearly every day and sometimes 150, but only 20 of that is Interstate. The rest is hilly windy FUN roads. The Interstate is drag no matter what your driving!

There is a "drag" and there is the WR's drag on the freeway. When I'm on the V-Strom and a freeway, I drop the hammer and get the hell down the road. On the WRX, I'm plugging along at exactly the same speed I'm going on two lanes or decent dirt roads. And the WR feels grossly over-maneuverable on freeways. Sometimes, I find myself weaving between the lane bumps or dashed lines to stay alert and un-bored on the WR. At 90-110mph, I'm pretty focused on the V-Strom.

Jäger wrote:

skierd wrote:

500-600 miles a day for any real stretch of time is optimistic at best. Plan more around 300 miles, which is a comfortable pace considering fuel and food stops.

That right there is the voice of hard won experience.

Curiously enough, I find 200 miles on the slab much more exhausting than 200 miles on dirt. The slab ride is over much, much quicker - but I'm about catatonic by the end. The dirt I'm always stopping for a moment, gawking, taking a picture, investigating something, on and off the bike, etc.

I'd be reduced to tears if somebody told me I had to ride my WR across the country on the slab, even at a "meagre" 300 miles a day.

The title of this thread is "X crossing the US; pre-trip discussion and suggestions"

Most X riders don't share Jäger's hate-on for pavement. Most of us bought an X because we love small tight twisty backroads. Avoid the multi lane interstates and such, and have a great ride!