I'm planning on leaving first week of August from Los Angeles all the way down to Argentina. I'm trying to find sponsors if i can't find them then i'm roughing it big time - free camping, cooking etc. i have a website http://www.salcar.net where i'll be posting any updates on my trip. I'm not sure how fast i'll be going south but i'll like to meet for part of the trip with other riders to share some experiences and get out of the beaten path. I speak fluent spanish, i'm half italian and half nicaraguense, 26 y/o and drive a BMW 650 Dakar
S.

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Nicaragua Motorcycle Rental and Tours

I am planning a similar trip departing from San Francisco and I would love to find suitable companions. I have been To Alaska last year and going south now is just the logical follow up.

It would be great if I can get in touch with Brigid and her friend and talk about the trip over a good capuccino in North Beach.

Ciao.
Aldo

It looks like plenty of riders are doing this route at this time of year. I am one of them!

Departing Edmonton on Sept. 25th heading for Creel by Oct. 10th via the Baja. After that it's an open schedule while riding South down the west coast and returning North via the East coast.

I'm a late 30's male, riding solo, expecting to travel frugally, who would enjoy the company of a few RTW riders occasionally. Drop me a message if you'd like to meet up somewhere.

Cheers,
Daren
dmotorider@gmail.com

Hello,

If anybody is interested in comparing notes on a route from California to Tierra del Fuego my e-mail is pantarei66@hotmail.com

Approx departure mid/late Oct. 2006.

At this point I do not have companions but I would be more than happy to have some. Male, (I will turn 40 during the trip), speak semi decent Spanish (I am Italian).

See you all on the open road amigos!

Ciao

Aldo

Now there you go Michelle, the very same, I shall keep you posted. Have you still got your bike then, I know Tim was selling his bike?

Well, I'm leaving NYC in May for Alaska, and will spend a month in Alaska so we could probably meet somewhere and head down south. I'll email you.


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Brooklyn Dakar
http://motorcycleramblings.blogspot.com/

"This is the story of America. Everybody's doing what they think they're supposed to do." J Kerouac
"Who's more foolish: the fool, or the fool who follows him" OW Kenobi

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Prevously known as JSherm
My blog: http://www.motorcycleramblings.com/
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/tstories/sherman/ I will up date this soon, really Grant, I will....
"This is the story of America. Everybody's doing what they think they're supposed to do." J Kerouac
"Who's more foolish: the fool, or the fool who follows him" OW Kenobi

I've still got my bike although Tim's not happy about it. But you have to do what you have to do I guess.
Anyway keep me posted about the last leg of your trip, you guys might be up for some new company by then.

Very interested in this. 36 years young and soon to be single laid back guy who does not mind camping / roughing it.
What time of year are you looking at and would my hayabusa be a suitable bike for this ie road conditions ?
e-mail me ; tinman at dsl.pipex.com

Ian, thanks for the reply - have checked the site out for details re Hayabusa's but can't really find anything. I have taken my bike so far just round Poland and back with a large tank bag and tent / chair / sleeping bag etc strapped to the back. There is a hard luggage option though and guess I'd need to consider that. Suppose more details on the route would help and then I can ask others who have done it wether or not a bike like mine is capable. I could always change it but thought the route you propose has better roads than say africa which is what has tempted me to reply. Hopw much for the plane tickets to get the bikes there and back / estimated fuel costs etc and is this on top of the 4k - Loads to ask but very serious about joining you if thats OK

Hello Iain, how are your plans shaping up ? I'm currently building a XT tenere with the help of David Lambeth, XR ditched!I am very serious about this trip so I would like to meet to discuss the possibilities.I'm pretty flexible so if you're interested let me know, john

Ian / John,

I live in Leeds, could anyone suggest a place to meet to discuss this trip in more detail - weekends would be best for me ?

I'm sure it would be great to talk and see if we could start to turn this into a relality

Some info on the trip below which sounds fun

Gerard

Pan-American Highway, Alaska to Chile
Since the Conference of American States in 1923 there have been plans to build a Pan-American Highway - a continuous roadway running the full 25,800km (16,000 mi) from Alaska to the bottom of Chile. Now, all but 88km (54mi) are complete, so aside from a time-consuming detour, it's possible to drive from above the Arctic Circle down to Puerto Montt, nearly 1000km (600mi) south of Santiago, Chile. The road cuts through pretty much every kind of geography and climate possible, so make sure your vehicle, clothing and state of mind are all-terrain.

Few people attempt the drive from top to bottom. Getting to and from the extremes usually makes people think again, the difficult conditions in Alaska and along the Colombia-Panama border also discourage travellers, and the logistics of crossing 13 national borders are usually enough to put even the most persistent Yellow Brick Road devotee off for good. Still, it's good to know it's possible...

Although the Pan-American Highway, or Interamericana, is more of a concept than an actual route, most say that it starts in the tiny Alaskan town of Circle, some 150km (93mi) west of the Canadian border and about 100km (62mi) south of the Arctic Circle (from which the town gets its name). Since 1994, however, the Dalton Highway has allowed drivers the option of starting their trip further north, from the shores of the Beaufort Sea in Deadhorse. This oilfield town has a population of anywhere between 3000 and 8000 people, so there are plenty of places to stock up for the rough road ahead.

And it is rough. Deadhorse isn't just a cute name for the town, it was practically a guarantee earlier this century, and a summer drive along the dusty, potholed gravel surface will be the toughest test of your vehicle's suspension. But an hour or two after Fairbanks you'll hit the Alaska Highway, and it's pretty much plain sailing then for the trip all the way through the Yukon and British Columbia and down the west coast of the USA.

Choose your own route through the States - desert, ocean or a mix - then head via Palm Springs and Calexico into Mexico. Border delays and bandits aside, the roads remain pretty good through Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. Before chosing your route, however, you should check information on mudslides and flooding, which often close roads for weeks.

The one sticking point on the Pan-American is along the border between Colombia and Panama, where the Darien Gap - a lush rain forest with one of the highest degrees of biodiversity in the entire world - forms a natural, virtually impassable border. While the completion of the highway would make these countries more accessible to trade and tourism, it would not come without a price: many experts say that a road through this region would effectively destroy it. So roadtrippers now have to pull over in the grimy, muggy town of Yaviza. The only option to motorists is to somehow get to the Caribbean Sea port town of Puerto Obaldía (best done by boat), check in with the police, then boat-hop to Turbo, San Juan or Cartagena, where you can hit the road again.

After the long drive along the foot of the mountains in western Colombia, you bisect Ecuador - crossing the equator and passing through the charming, beautiful capital of Quito - then along the almost 2000km (1250mi) coast of Peru and, finally, Chile. Reach the strangely Nordic-style town of Puerto Montt, and you will have completed perhaps the most extraordinary inter-continental car trip possible.


[This message has been edited by tinman (edited 12 October 2005).]

Looks like an 1150GS is on the cards then as I doubt my bike will be up to that never mind the more direct route, plenty of time to sort that out though - still want to meet ?

Ian have sent you details via e-mail

Gerard

Ian and Jsherm -

I'm looking at a very similiar trip with a very similiar timeline. Up to AK from NY, then ALL the way down . . .

Planned departure is also May of 06. I'm in my early 30's, very laid-back, and have no issues with camping for extended periods of time.



[This message has been edited by expansion (edited 17 October 2005).]

For anyone who's in the London area, a few of us are going to meet up on Sunday 20th November to look at the trip.

If we have more than three people by next July, we can split in to two's/three's and meet up along the way, as if you end up with a big group convoy you lose all the contact with the people and it's much less likely people will invite you to stay with them and the like. Still we can cross that bridge when we get to it.

Just email me if you want to come along.

Iain.