X crossing the US; pre-trip discussion and suggestions

deerHater wrote:

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!

You won't find a lot of "tight twisy backroads" crossing the US. Once you're out of New Hampshire going west, you'll see a few in Colorado if you go that far south, otherwise, you're going straight until you hit PCH in the far west. Back roads in the Midwest and west are dsigned for trucks and cages, mostly trucks. The roads have all been straiightened.

We rode to Utah and back last month, 4500 miles round trip. 57 to 68 mpg depending on speed and headwind. I don't think a small shield hurts mileage, but I've never done a comparison. If I intend to run above 60 mph, I want a shield pronto.

Sarah

Colorado up to Jackson and Jackson hole to the Grand Tetons had some curves. Get into the Yellowstone area and 2 lane over to Lolo Pass. Depending on when passes open that area has some of the best riding in the World. [If you are on a bike that has enough suspension to handle the rough pavement and frost heaves.]

The spine of the Rockies is Awesome!

greer wrote:

We rode to Utah and back last month, 4500 miles round trip. 57 to 68 mpg depending on speed and headwind. I don't think a small shield hurts mileage, but I've never done a comparison. If I intend to run above 60 mph, I want a shield pronto.

If you got 68mpg, either your bike is in some way different/better than mine, or the shield might help. Is that real 60mph or speedo 60mph? My speedo runs about 10mph high at 60, meaning it says 70 but I'm really doing 60. 60 on the speedo would be 52 and I might get 60+mpg at 52.

joenuclear wrote:

Colorado up to Jackson and Jackson hole to the Grand Tetons had some curves. Get into the Yellowstone area and 2 lane over to Lolo Pass. Depending on when passes open that area has some of the best riding in the World. [If you are on a bike that has enough suspension to handle the rough pavement and frost heaves.]

The spine of the Rockies is Awesome!

That's a great ride, but a long ways from cross country. Let me know how awesome a ride across Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, South or North Dakota, or Nebraska is for you. Even Wisconsin is mostly straigh roads and Minnesota is 90% boring. Iowa was plowed straight and flat. If you're in CO, check out the dirt road up Estes Park or the pass from Ramparts to Colorado Springs. Great rides.

60 per GPS; my speedo shows 10 high, too. I can consistently get in the high 60's mileage-wise running legal speeds on secondary roads if I'm not fighting a headwind. I have a Q4, gutted airbox, FMF programmer w/ default settings, and I run my T63's at fairly high pressures, esp if I'm loaded for traveling.

Sarah

twday wrote:

deerHater wrote:

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!

You won't find a lot of "tight twisy backroads" crossing the US. Once you're out of New Hampshire going west, you'll see a few in Colorado if you go that far south, otherwise, you're going straight until you hit PCH in the far west. Back roads in the Midwest and west are dsigned for trucks and cages, mostly trucks. The roads have all been straiightened.

None West of New Hampshire???????????

Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Northern Georgia all have very good tight twisty backroads. Zoom in using GoogleMaps to find them. But yes, in the middle in farm country you won't find any.
Also in the West, Utah and Arizona have some great roads. And California has really good inland roads. Even Texas has a few good roads.

Just stick to the mountains and hills, you'll find good roads. If you must cross the central farmland, do it to the South to minimize that distance.

Although I'm a Canuck, I've done more riding in the US. All the 50 continental states, except for these 12: North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Alabama. There's a pattern there.

deerHater wrote:

twday wrote:

You won't find a lot of "tight twisy backroads" crossing the US. Once you're out of New Hampshire going west, you'll see a few in Colorado if you go that far south, otherwise, you're going straight until you hit PCH in the far west. Back roads in the Midwest and west are dsigned for trucks and cages, mostly trucks. The roads have all been straiightened.

None West of New Hampshire???????????

Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Northern Georgia all have very good tight twisty backroads. Zoom in using GoogleMaps to find them. But yes, in the middle in farm country you won't find any.
Also in the West, Utah and Arizona have some great roads. And California has really good inland roads. Even Texas has a few good roads.

Just stick to the mountains and hills, you'll find good roads. If you must cross the central farmland, do it to the South to minimize that distance.

Although I'm a Canuck, I've done more riding in the US. All the 50 continental states, except for these 12: North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Alabama. There's a pattern there.

Read carefully, I did not use the word "none" in that reply. Maybe it's a writer thing, but I get tired of the abuse of the absolute words: none, no one, everyone, always, never, etc. What I did say was "You won't find a lot of "tight twisy backroads" crossing the US. Once
you're out of New Hampshire going west . . ." You can, certainly,
trailer your bike from straight road to short sections of decent road
all they way across the country. However, crossing the country requires a
shit load of long, wide, straight, boring travel. Vermont is a wonderful place to motorcycle. It should be a national two-wheel treasure. Only bits of New York
are moderately interesting, but most of the central to west end of the
state is farm country and there are so many villages and small towns
stuck together you might as well call the state a 30mph zone.

I was
exaggerating, though. I should have said west of central New York is mostly truck territory.
However, to a Midwesterner, all of those states are barely counties, size-wise. The original 13 colonies should have been turned into one state with 13 counties. Driving from Maine to New York barely justifies internal combustion engines. Assuming you start from somewhere in that territory, you tell me how to get to the "mountains" without crossing 1500 miles or more of drone territory.

I guess you could go south, first, then head through Missouri. Then, Kansas and eastern Colorado would be the worst you'd suffer. Can't go further south, though. Texas and eastern New Mexico are really long and straight. Then, on your south route, you get a blip of southern Rockies and you're back on long and straight and, if you don't stick to the freeway you better be able to knock out 250 miles between gas stops for a couple of sections. Even the freeway requires one or two 150 mile hauls. The point is, unless you have a reason to pound your ass into the frame, the WR is probably a silly bike for crossing the US. North to south (or reversed) on either coast or through any of the mountains makes a lot of sense on a WR of either stripe. Again, fuel may be an issue, though. Most of us have to use some economy to cross the country. Adding 3,000 miles to the trip to stay on roads suitable for the WR would be costly.

Small town USA is about dead. I did a ghost town tour of North Dakota two years ago and it was really depressing to see how many towns that had flourished in the first 3/4 of the last century were drying up and blowing away. The best sign of a town's death is when the city's school has become a "museum" or 2nd hand store. When ND burns through the Bakken boondoggle, that will be it for the state's economy and it will shrivel again.

Pretty much any transportation route has been straightened in the last three decades. We used to have some great rural roads in Minnesota and Wisconsin, but if trucks use the road they've been reworked for them. The great limited access roads are gone, too. The fences were moved together and the places they served have been plowed under for corn.

I've done 1000 mile days on my V-Strom, in Canada and Alaska and traveling from Minnesota to visit my parents in Kansas. I can't imagine doing an Iron Butt day on the WR, though. 350 to 400 is about my limit without a fairing and with that tiny seat. Stopping every 100-150 miles for fuel slows down the progress, too. My V-Strom will often go 280 miles between stops and has plenty of storage for extra fuel and I carry an extra gallon in MSR bottles. Since I have a choice and the WR doesn't give me an efficiency advantage, I'll be crossing the country on the V-Strom.

twday wrote:

Read carefully, I did not use the word "none" in that reply. Maybe it's a writer thing, but I get tired of the abuse of the absolute words: none, no one, everyone, always, never, etc. What I did say was "You won't find a lot of "tight twisy backroads" crossing the US. Once
you're out of New Hampshire going west . . ."

You are correct, I should not have used the word "none."

I should have said: "I have ridden a lot of tight twisty backroads West of New Hampshire, but East of the flat boring section in the middle of the USA."

Sorry teach...

twday wrote:

I guess you could go south, first, then head through Missouri. Then, Kansas and eastern Colorado would be the worst you'd suffer. Can't go further south, though. Texas and eastern New Mexico are really long and straight. Then, on your south route, you get a blip of southern Rockies and you're back on long and straight and, if you don't stick to the freeway you better be able to knock out 250 miles between gas stops for a couple of sections. Even the freeway requires one or two 150 mile hauls. The point is, unless you have a reason to pound your ass into the frame, the WR is probably a silly bike for crossing the US. North to south (or reversed) on either coast or through any of the mountains makes a lot of sense on a WR of either stripe. Again, fuel may be an issue, though. Most of us have to use some economy to cross the country. Adding 3,000 miles to the trip to stay on roads suitable for the WR would be costly.

Small town USA is about dead. I did a ghost town tour of North Dakota two years ago and it was really depressing to see how many towns that had flourished in the first 3/4 of the last century were drying up and blowing away. The best sign of a town's death is when the city's school has become a "museum" or 2nd hand store. When ND burns through the Bakken boondoggle, that will be it for the state's economy and it will shrivel again.

Pretty much any transportation route has been straightened in the last three decades. We used to have some great rural roads in Minnesota and Wisconsin, but if trucks use the road they've been reworked for them. The great limited access roads are gone, too. The fences were moved together and the places they served have been plowed under for corn.

I've done 1000 mile days on my V-Strom, in Canada and Alaska and traveling from Minnesota to visit my parents in Kansas. I can't imagine doing an Iron Butt day on the WR, though. 350 to 400 is about my limit without a fairing and with that tiny seat. Stopping every 100-150 miles for fuel slows down the progress, too. My V-Strom will often go 280 miles between stops and has plenty of storage for extra fuel and I carry an extra gallon in MSR bottles. Since I have a choice and the WR doesn't give me an efficiency advantage, I'll be crossing the country on the V-Strom.

I agree with all of that.

I have crossed Canada on a motorcycle, 30 years ago on a big faired bike. I've not had any urge to do it again, in Canada or the USA. My point is that if you must cross the country on a WR250, make sure you take as many small twisty backroads as possible. That said, I wouldn't take my WR250X either. I'd take my Triumpgh 675 Street Triple R. But even more likely I would truck my bike to the other side of the flat lands. I did that in Spring/Summer of 2007. I trucked my SV650S to my sister's house in Huston, then spent 4 months on the bike (with about 7 weeks off in the middle visiting family & friends.) That was a very good 4 months.

Personally, I would limit my days to 300 miles per day on my 675. On the WR250 I prefer 200 - 250. I like to stop and smell the rose too.

The best way to cross the plains is on the TAT or the hundreds of roads that are similar north and south. It really does get magical out there once you get away from the homogenized and bulldozed main/paved roads, and the X will do just fine on gravel and dirt. Nothing is going to do the mud out there well, so if it rains head for the back but more main roads. Lots of great options if you take the time to look at your GPS or, god forbid, paper maps, and plot a course or three.

skierd wrote:

The best way to cross the plains is on the TAT or the hundreds of roads that are similar north and south. It really does get magical out there once you get away from the homogenized and bulldozed main/paved roads, and the X will do just fine on gravel and dirt. Nothing is going to do the mud out there well, so if it rains head for the back but more main roads. Lots of great options if you take the time to look at your GPS or, god forbid, paper maps, and plot a course or three.

Again, fuel will be an issue. Don't trust your GPS away from the freeway in North or South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, northern Utah or Colorado, southern Colorado, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, west Texas, north and south New Mexico, Nevada, Arozona, and, for all I know, a fair number of eastern states. (I'm mostly a western guy.) Small towns are drying up and blowing away and you'll need at least a 250 mile range in most of those places if you're off the beaten path. On the other hand, if you can do the miles between stops, skierd is dead right. Those are the places to be in the US. Better roads, better people, way better scenery, cheap camping and motels, and a real adventure in your own country. Pseronally, I think my V-Strom is better suited to that trip and I probably won't do that kind of traveling on the WR again, but that's my mileage. I can carry 5.8 gallons in the tank and 1 1/2 gallons in extra fuel and still have room for camping gtear, food, and clothing. Can't do half of that on the WR and get better mileage. We proved that last week and I don't need to keep beating a dead horse.

South America, on the other hand, is perfect for the WR. Except for the bad gas that might play hell on the injection system.

deerHater,

Canada is a mixed bag, isn't it? Saskatchewan is long, straight (even the back roads), and sort of painful. Ontario on Hwy 17 is pretty cool all the way, except for a few patches. It's being widened and straightened for truck traffic, though. Personally, I can't wait for $10 diesel so those damn trucks will go obsolete. Bring on the oil crisis and tear up the pavement for railway. Nothing I ride requires asphalt anyway. A few years back, I crossed Saskatchewan on Hiwy 32 (supposedly, Canada's worst road). Not only was the road a mess (mostly a fun thing) but it had about 2 turns in a hundred miles. I had a cop stop me to talk at Leader, because he was bored and hadn't seen a motorcycle in a month or two. He used to live in Aberta and owned a liter V-Strom. He missed both.

I've stumbled upon my thread! Wasn't sure where it went for a little while...

As of Thursday, my bike has been out of commission. I low-sided it off the road and nearly into a ditch, catching my exhaust and radiator on a speed limit sign pole.

I was wearing a shirt/jacket and jeans and luckily escaped without serious injury. I'll definitely be looking in to getting some proper gear. Just before this ride, I installed a dual-lock DIY windscreen, and fitted a temporary seat pad. The day was pretty nice, but I was at fault for not slowing down at the sign of construction. I took a right-turn a little too wide to avoid turning too hard over the gravel and didn't compensate/steer back quick enough I guess. Walking it back, I immediately noticed a bend in the bars, flat front tire, exhaust and radiator damage, fairing cracks, and a lot of dirt throughout. I did manage to start it up and ride it a short distance in first to the destination. I brought it to a local dealer for an estimate, and am expecting to hear from them this upcoming week.

I'm still planning on riding across the states, and as my routes and pace planning, and gear set-up evolve, I've become even more excited.

I'm taking some time to plan out the trip better, recover, get my bike back on the road, and adjust it as necessary. The windscreen seemed to help a little bit, and my seat pad isn't that bad either. Optimally, I'd like to get a safari tank or take slower, more fun roads, but I'm fairly confident that I will be able to do a few hundred miles a day on this bike even with the fatigue of highways and the small tank. I'm planning on taking 70W to 68W to 79S to 64W to 70W to 15S, but the lower and higher routes are also appealing.

real wrote:

I've stumbled upon my thread! Wasn't sure where it went for a little while...

As of Thursday, my bike has been out of commission. I low-sided it off the road and nearly into a ditch, catching my exhaust and radiator on a speed limit sign pole.

I was wearing a shirt/jacket and jeans and luckily escaped without serious injury. I'll definitely be looking in to getting some proper gear. Just before this ride, I installed a dual-lock DIY windscreen, and fitted a temporary seat pad. The day was pretty nice, but I was at fault for not slowing down at the sign of construction. I took a right-turn a little too wide to avoid turning too hard over the gravel and didn't compensate/steer back quick enough I guess. Walking it back, I immediately noticed a bend in the bars, flat front tire, exhaust and radiator damage, fairing cracks, and a lot of dirt throughout. I did manage to start it up and ride it a short distance in first to the destination. I brought it to a local dealer for an estimate, and am expecting to hear from them this upcoming week.

I'm still planning on riding across the states, and as my routes and pace planning, and gear set-up evolve, I've become even more excited.

I'm taking some time to plan out the trip better, recover, get my bike back on the road, and adjust it as necessary. The windscreen seemed to help a little bit, and my seat pad isn't that bad either. Optimally, I'd like to get a safari tank or take slower, more fun roads, but I'm fairly confident that I will be able to do a few hundred miles a day on this bike even with the fatigue of highways and the small tank. I'm planning on taking 70W to 68W to 79S to 64W to 70W to 15S, but the lower and higher routes are also appealing.

OUCH!!!!!

Well you certainly have my kind of luck.

A month ago I was taking my (Yamalink lowered) bike off the truck after hauling it back from a 300 mile away dirt bike school class. I went to shake the ramps to check them after fastening them to the bed and the bike softly tipped over and the right side panel landed on the bed rail bending the radiator's mounting tabs and smooshing the radiator in about 1/2" at the top. The total distance from the upright bike to the bed rails was no more than a foot, so we're talking about a very delicate and soft aluminum strap frame radiator.

I got a Bulletproof designs radiator guard but it's still lacking since the radiator is canted and the back side radiator frame sticks out more than the front where the guard goes. I was thinking of engineering a rear radiator guard/support after seeing how vulnerable these $175 radiators are.

BTW I'd ask the shop for the damaged radiator back. I intend to send my old damaged one off to Myler's Radiator to be repaired and to keep as a spare since it was only minor cosmetic damage.

Crashes suck. Crashes pre-trip really suck; because they sap some of your confidence, funding, and time.

There is some good advice in this thread. August heat, GPS, Camelback, tire change practice, earplugs, etc. Smart.

The WR isn't a bike for freeway travel for long distances; and zipping accross the US on I-70 isn't any way to see the country, either. The only way to see it is back roads and goat trails, stopping in small towns, eating in small diners, bullshitting with people and taking locals' advice about which routes to take and what to see. To that end, the WR is the perfect bike for an interstate trip. In fact, it will elicit a good deal of attention from people, especially once you get a state or two away from home and people at gas stops will see your plate and start asking questions!

I think 400+ miles a day on the WR is doable. I have done lots of 300-500 mile days on secondary roads on my WRR, and while the seat does suck, and the wind protection is non existent, I'm still here to write this post. After a few days you kind of get in the "zone" anyway and the mileage really doesn't even register on your ass.

I did a cross country (sort of) trip in 2010. Granted, on my V-Strom, but it was a random, day-to-day, spontaneous trip; and has been the highlight of my riding career thus far. There is some good info, I like to think, in my trip report: http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=619034

(I swear I'm not spamming my trip report, there really is some good info on where you can go, and how to get there, as well as ridinig and gear advice...)

Good luck! Take pictures!

MeefZah wrote:

. . . The WR isn't a bike for freeway travel for long distances; and zipping accross the US on I-70 isn't any way to see the country, either. The only way to see it is back roads and goat trails, stopping in small towns, eating in small diners, bullshitting with people and taking locals' advice about which routes to take and what to see. To that end, the WR is the perfect bike for an interstate trip. In fact, it will elicit a good deal of attention from people, especially once you get a state or two away from home and people at gas stops will see your plate and start asking questions!

I think 400+ miles a day on the WR is doable. I have done lots of 300-500 mile days on secondary roads on my WRR, and while the seat does suck, and the wind protection is non existent, I'm still here to write this post. After a few days you kind of get in the "zone" anyway and the mileage really doesn't even register on your ass.
. . .

I completely agree. There is nothing worthwhile about crossing the country on any of our freeways, even in a cage. There are sections where you might have to do some tricky stuff to carry enough fuel to reliably make the intervals between fuel stops and you may have to become a fairly decent mechanic (especially tire repairs) to deal with the lack of services on your trip, but it's worth it. A friend cobbled his POS Triumph Tiger fuel injection together with plumbing bits found in a small town Canadian hardware store and we jury rigged Honda brake parts to repair his front brake, but he made the trip to Alaska and back. The WR is flat out boring (as is anything smaller than a semi) on freeways. There is a country to see by motorcycle and the purpose of freeways is to bypass as much of America as possible. Don't do it.

This trip is more about distance than sightseeing, and for personal reasons, I am planning a move. Shipping my bike is also not the most appealing idea. I understand that the idea of riding freeways is boring, and that the WR/X is not necessarily the most comfortable bike in that aspect of street riding, but everyone's riding preference is different. This thread contains my first post's, and was meant as a greeting thread and another users experiences with the bike. I will keep you updated on my progress!

The WR ain't a distance bike.

If I was heading cross country with the sole purpose of getting to the other side, I'd take a four wheeled conveyance.

If I was moving and taking the bike with me, I'd lug it behind a four wheeled conveyance.

But as you said, riding styles and interests vary.

real,

Glad you weren't hurt. Keep us posted as you get the bike back together.

Sarah

Uh oh....

So... I have my motorcycle license test coming up on the 23rd. Unfortunately, my bike is not expected to be ready until early September. I've been looking for a scooter or motorcycle over 51cc, but I haven't had much luck. Our MVA is so backed up, that if I were to reschedule, my test would be for mid October. I know this is a lot to ask, but if you can help me in any way find a street legal scooter or motorcycle over 51ccs with tags to use for Tuesday morning, I will buy you lunch or compensate you with a couple bucks. I consider myself pretty comfortable on the wr250s, ( I can ride the clutch out comfortably with out giving it gas) but I know this is a long shot.

Thanks

I just saw this thread. Besides the comment about planning for 300 mile days, I didn't see much about rider preparation or rider gear.

If someone has ridden 1,400 miles in two months, IMO there is no way he is prepared to ride 500 - 600 mile days.

First, get the beginner and advanced MSF courses or track days or Lee Parks or STAR or CLASS or CSS or something to build up skills.

Then build up to that mileage. Do 300 and 400 mile days back to back (like a weekend). Try knocking out 600 or 700 miles in a day and seeing how that feels. I would think it would take a couple of months. I did my first tour - 2,000 miles in 4 days -- after about 6 months of riding including a couple of 300 - 400 mile back-to-back days.

Be prepared with gear. You should have full ATGATT period if your riding every day all day. You'll definitely need full ATGATT for the desert. At 130 degrees, you're better off covering up and controlling air flow with venting instead of minimizing gear. A Camelbak is a must. If you're really serious about long distance touring, save some money in the long run and buy a (used if possible) Aerostich Roadcrafter now.

And to anyone who says that there are no twisties from CT to CO... well... you're not looking hard enough. While I agree that there is nothing to be done about Kansas, if you head north or south of that, you need just cross a few states before you hit twisties in SD or MO & AR, halfway to CO.

My relevant experience - Iron Butt in 2004, round trip CC ride in 2006 as well as multiple multi-state tours (Western states, not little Eastern ones ) on a ZX6R. The WR has only been in AR, TN, MS, and AL, but that should change next month.

real,

Maybe you've told us before, but where are you?

Sarah

You said MVA, and with your planned route west, I'd be dollars to donuts that you're somewhere in Maryland. Did you buy that bike from Ellicott City Motorsports?

Which MVA are you going to and what time do you have to be there? I don't work Tuesday so you can use my X, I'm in Parkville. I can also send you my GPS route from my last trip west that will get you to Oklahoma on fun and twisty back roads for 1200 miles instead of superslab.


Edit: I still have my stock exhaust sitting outside collecting rain water right now that you can have, thought I'm not really seeing anything wrong with yours from the two pics. I don't think I have my spare bars anymore but I might...

Hat's off to you, skierd.

Sarah

I have done a lot of long rides, and my butt was not to happy......def get a soft seat!! Good Luck!