North America Advice
 

Having used this excellent Forum for tips,next year a mate & I are considering taking two 125cc machines on the RORO ferry to New York.

The trip would be max 12 weeks, so if we planned to ride for ten weeks & use the other days for sight seeing,

What round robin tour would folks suggest starting from NY and finishing in the same spot.

Trip time would be May/June and the road less traveled the better.

125uCrazy (Hell Yeah)

A bit low power for the USA but that is the point I bet.

I can not say what you may want to see and do so I am going to be a bit all over. I do not go east much but the area to the north of NY may hold some fun at any rate you can hit some of the smaller states we have maybe. See where the British first came to new world where the Yanks started the war and where we did all the fighting. Then along the grate lakes see Detroit and see a city fail. Hit up route 66 in Chicago ride it to the end in Santa Monica Ride the left coast up to Washington then head inland maybe hit Yellowstone Then back to NY.

But with more info on what you like I may be able to help more. Do you like the coast or the high lands. Is unending miles of nothing something you want to see or are you willing to be cold or hot. Is it city you like or do you shun people and cars and want vast miles of road to your self. How many miles are you willing to do in a day. Are you going to camp or hotel not that it matters I have been some vary odd places and most of the time found a room.

My personal opinion

If you are taking A RORO into NY:

Start in NY City, then Buffalo, zig zag thru the New England States and head to Nova Scotia. After a day or two of rest, swing back to Quebec, Montreal and Toronto, make sure to catch a Baseball game while you are there.

Cross over to Detroit and Chicago (just make sure you are out off both cities by nightfall). Cruise to Keystone National Park and see Mount Rushmore.

After that Head towards Vancouver, just make sure not to fall as sleep while driving thru Montana, also get some Bison breakfast while you there. Stay a night or two in Vancouver. Its British Columbia, so you should feel right at home!!!
After recharging the batteries, take the Old Pacific Highway going thru Seattle, and Portland. There you have two big options: 1. You continue south to San Diego via San Fransisco and Los Angeles. 2. You head towards Boise, Idaho and then to Salk lake city, Utah (the route there covers part of Yellow Stone) and either way you should end up in Las Vegas.

Then head East, loose 15-20 kilos after driving thru Arizona, New Mexico and Texas in the beginning of Summer and take a few days brake in New Orleans.

Once you recover from all the fun, head to Florida and hit Duval Street in Key West, (yeah that's about as South as you going to get) spend a week or two there. After getting the hell of a suntan start miserably heading North to NY and make sure you stop by DC and see the monuments and the White House.
After that If your bikes are still in one piece and running then RORO to wherever you came from.

The Route That I describe its approximately 12000 - 13000 KM. You will of course drive a lot more for the sightseeing part...but 12 Weeks its more that enough time.

Have fun!

Any bike beats a car if you are 125crazy go across the country and back,The pacific coast highway(just follow the coast) is great from Los Angeles to Port Angeles washington where there is ferry service into Victoria BC Canada,
Be aware the only mc dealers in small towns the harley dealer so parts can be an issue.
Keep off the interstates where size rules.LA traffic the worst,only seen road rage in LA & NY but in LA the drivers may be armed.
This would be a huge ride,north America is vast.
I did 20,000 km in six weeks but on a harley 1450cc
Good Luck Bon Voyage
Mark1
:taz:

I've spent a couple of weeks at a time on 125's and similar small bikes, and if I were you I'd stick relatively close to wherever I shipped the bikes to--no cross country 12,000 mile journeys in limited time frames.

If arriving in New York, you've got the whole Appalachian Mountain range from Georgia up into Maine (and beyond) to explore, plus waterfalls and glenns in the Finger Lakes, Amish country in Pennsylvania, wild horses in the Central Atlantic, sand beaches in whatever climate zone you choose (and rocky beaches, and tidal extravaganzas, and icebergs, whales, moose, wolves and bears if you carry on into Maine and eastern Canada). Then there are the small towns, the large towns, the big cities, and even the hollowed-out shells of formerly bustling commercial centers.

Since you don't say anything about what you like seeing or doing, there's not much point getting any more specific than that...but you could easily spend a couple of years poking around within 1000 miles of New York without getting bored. At least, I sure could--and have.

If you want to tour the western half of the continent (highly recommended), ship your bikes to a western port and do the obvious.

Hope that's helpful.

Mark

Thanks for the replies folks.

It's food for thought and gives plenty of scope for planning:thumbup1:

Have spoken to a mate who knows a man who crates his Harley's stateside for rides and costs don't seem that bad by comparison.

My traveling companion is now doing his full bike licence so perhaps my larger steeds may make the journey instead,but my love of small capacity bikes does tend to leave my sensible head at home:mchappy:

125UCrazy

If you are on adventure/enduro style bikes you might consider the TransAmerica Trail. There are many ride reports about this dirt and backround route. If you start in May/June it should be good weather. You'll just have to figure out another route for the return.

Victoria to Halifax
 

I am not sure how to start a thread but I am looking to ride across Canada in August starting in Victoria making my way to Halifax on a budget. If anyone has any advice of routes to take or places to see let me know.

Slightly off topic from the OP's original question, but I see there are some mini meets going on in Langley, BC and definitely attend the next HU meeting out West. You will get the opportunity to meet some great folk that have already done what you plan on and can share their experiences. You may have to indulge those out West with a beer or 2 or 3.

Back on topic though, have you considered buying bikes for your N.American jaunt vs shipping your bikes over?

Firstly IS THERE a RORO ferry to the US? When I went over in 2006 - 17,000 miles, three months, East Coast to West Coast and back again, there wasn't one. What there was, was a vast Wallenius Wilhelmsen Line container ship which went from Southampton Terminal to Newark, NJ. I can give you details, phone numbers, people to speak to if you require.

Advice? Well I wrote shedloads on my trip at the time and will only re-write it if there's a demand.

125cc? There's no way I would undertake such a journey on such a small bike - I did it on a Pan European. Maybe you just want to try New England and (say) Niagara Falls?

Get back to me if you'd like more advice.

If you are looking for some inspiration, here's a couple of guys who rode from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego on a pair of Honda Cubs - just 100cc each.

You meet the nicest people on a HONDA

I wrote to them one time and asked if they found it any problem to ride such small motorcycles such a great distance. This was the response I got: