USA Continental Divide July 2016, and...
 

(insert preferred colloquial greeting here) fellow riders!

I'm a kiwi keen to ride the CD in July next year, but wait there's more! Riding from LA via Arizona to start in upper NM or lower Colorado (avoid impassible mud) and finish in Glacier National Park in Montana. From there I hope to head west to Seattle for a week break, then ride the Pacific Coast Hwy back to LA. If that's not enough for you, I'm taking 2weeks break there and then hopefully south thru Baja to Cabo and back. No worries :thumbup1:

Its a long way and a long way off still, but looking for possible ride buddies. Bike options for me are to do a bike swap for NZ (nice BMW g650x challenge here) for one in California, buy/sell, or borrow a bike. Hopefully something similar to the 650x. Any info or keen riders for part or most of this ride, please don't be shy and fill this thread with your awesomeness and knowledge. THX!

really? gummon!
 

surely there's somebody keen to ride the CD and not the hwy that is TAT??

CD ride
 

Hi,
I'm interested in company on this run.
My bike is in Edmonton Canada, I had planned to do the reverse route, i.e down the CD then back on the California to Edmonton but can be flexible.
The bike is a Honda XR650L and is being prepared now in Edmonton.
I can contact nearer the time if the the timing is ok.
I am Scottish and live in Germany.
Stan

travel buddy on the CDR
 

Gday Stan, sorry for being so slack on the reply! I've been busy with a new bike purchase in Australia, riding it all over Tasmania, shipping it home to NZ, riding it all over the South Island and then stripping the spline and pulling it all apart! Been a busy few months! Anyhow, its going back together, but staying here. I will buy a DRZ400 or something similar to do the Conti Divide, and would love some company if you were willing to meet in Colorado? I have been told the New Mexico part is lots and lots of mud and not very fun, but who knows? Anyhow, I figured meeting in Northern New Mexico or over the border in Colorado around early July. Let me know if that suits you and if you are interested. I'll send this to you in a PM as well bier

I have done the whole route on a mountain bike and the Colorado and New Mexico portions on a motorcycle. On my MTB trip, I had lots of rain in New Mexico and good weather in Colorado, and the reverse on my motorcycle trip. I just depends how the weather is at the time.

muddy new mexico
 

appreciate that AndyT.

it just goes to show you that you can't listen to hearsay and just need to go and check it out! Maybe we need to start further south then Stan! :):mchappy:

Continental Divide
 

Your trip sounds awesome. I'm riding a 2011 BMW GSA and I've been thinking about doing Alaska but it's not set in stone yet. If things change I wouldn't mind tagging along.

I have ridden the CDR in early July without mud problems. We New Mexicans usually associate the 4th of July with the beginning of the monsoon. The southern third of the NM CDR does not have dreaded caliche mud as does the central portion. The northern third does have a bit of caliche, recieves more rain , is challenging and is super scenic. I'd plan to ride the whole thing and perhaps cut out the Pie Town to Cuba but if muddy. The muddiness of many NM locals can be approxinated using the GOVs remote sensing system called RAWS.
http://raws.fam.nwcg.gov

A lightly loaded DR 400 with knobbies (D606s)would be ideal on this route.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

Some good info pasomonte, thanks. I will probably just ride the northern scenic part of NM and that will be from early july. I'd say that my new-to-me bmw 650x challenge is up for the task. I've owned one, sold it for a dream bike in my home country (Husaberg FE570), and now bought another one for this ride and to continue to Ushuaia. I'll have a look on the map and see what we can manage. I'm capable, but just don't really want to bother with heaps of mud and slow going without scenery etc.

DONE AND DUSTED (and mudded and rocked and rolled)
 

Just a quick note if anyone returns to this thread. The CDR this year was a roaring success! Hardly a drop of rain, beautiful weather, great routes and lots of brilliant riding.

One thing I can't quite get is that many of the routes avoid the Silverton/Ouray/Telluride/Lake City area...I realise it's not technically on the continental divide, but what an amazing area to ride around! I thoroughly enjoyed my detour there, and wished I spent even more than 2 10hr days riding there. The rest was good too, plus a few sneaky passes also not on the standard route. I'd love for the route to continue off road across the border into Canada, but sight-seeing on the tarmac was nice too. Met some riders doing a bit of off-road as I was racing south again, but even that was only 130km total according to them.

In short, go ride the CDR it's a dream route, especially those technical sections! I made a wee video in case anyone wants to watch it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xdZKJXTsdc

Excellent Vidio and trip
 

I plan on doing this next September from Nth to St.
Thank you