Bikes for North & South America
 

Hey,

We are planning to bike around North America (rough itinery is: LA, heading north along west coast, east along border to MA, down to New York, over to Chicago then partially along route 66 before heading south).

We then plan to bike through Central America, down to Peru (somehow avoiding the Darien Gap!), and across into Brazil.

Our question is: what is the best type of bike to do this kind of trip on? We want two indentical bikes.

Is it necessary to have a big trail bike / dual sport? Our thinking is that the US would be more suited for a tourer, whereas South America might be better with a traily. Would a tourer manage in South America? Would a traily be comfortable enough for all those miles in the US?

Thanks,

Si & Ad

Depends on your time frame and budget....if you want to do it quicker in comfort then yes a tourer would be best - generally speaking you can get most places on most bikes these days - but it will cost you more to buy initially and they are more complicated to service than a trailie.

If you have a little more time and a bit less money then the Kawasaki KLR 650 takes some beating in North America - sure you wont go so fast but you want to look around right ?
lots of them around - and lots of know how with the known problems and fixes with good value parts makes them hard to beat - you also wont be so worried if you drop it.....

You could rent/borrow/swop/beg some bikes in North America, then hand them back, fly to SA and buy/rent/borrow/swop/beg some used ones there too...just a thought........

See Bikes for sale/wanted

Cheers
Grif

Pack light and dont ride at night......

I'd go for a trailie, its much more fun being able to get off the beaten track & the tracks can be *very* beaten in S.America.

Its also nice being able to laugh instead of cry when you drop it.

Bike for the americas
 

Check out www.craigslist.com and see whats out there. How about a V strom 650?

Thanks for your help people. Having looked at the V-Storm it looks spot on. I think it could end up as a toss up between the V-Storm, the F650GS and the Africa Twin.

After reading a fair few threads it seems these are the fellas to go for if doing a bit of tarmac and some of the rough stuff as well. Now we just need to look at a. how easy it'll be to buy them somewhere near LA and then b. sell them around Rio somewhere! Easy i'm sure :eek3:

Well you won't be finding any Africa Twins in Los Angeles mate. But your onto the very best bike out there for what you want to do...that is of course the
Vstrom.

When you see the price in the US of the BMW F650 Dakar that should set you straight! Suffice to say, it won't be a "Toss up"!! ;-)

The Vstrom rocks. Go for the DL650. But used there are more DL1000's around. Very similar bikes really.

Also, I would really really reconsider your N. America route. You didn't say when you are going, but this too is critical. Basically, I would just skip anything east of Utah or Idaho. Just no point on a bike trip. You just have to
trust an American on this! Nothing to see out east. The south is so friggin'
hot and humid it will kill you.

If you are coming in summer or fall then here is your route:

From Los Angeles, head north, do Yosemite, head to coast to Eureka. You could spend a week on these roads. Best in the USA, bar none.

Continue north to Oregon. If early enough consider Alaska, but this a BIG detour. Do NOT do AK after Aug, 15th. Ok, now check out Washington, Idaho, Utah (late fall) Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona. Best time for these S. Western states is mid Sept. to late October. That's a least a month's worth of travel
right there. From Idaho east is wasteland.

By October you should be entering Mexico. Be sure to make HU meeting in
copper canyon. The rest is up to you.

Don't you Brits ****ing read?

Don't leave out montana
 

The last post said something about anything east of Idaho being a waste. Come
take a qick buzz thru glacier park yellowstone park and the beartooth pass. Then decide. Oh and about a thousand other great places east of west.

Stick it to 'em Bill!

North America vs USA
 

I don't normaly take offence to items on this site and instead try to put them into the perspective of the person writing the information or posing the question.

You had to recognise that as a disclaimer so here it comes. When you say you plan to tour North and South America and make no mention of Canada I think that you should do a bit more research. Continental Canada is Larger than the Continental U.S. and has some beautiful places to ride.

Back down off my soap box now. Have fun where ever you ride and I'm sure the Vstrom will serve you well.

Rick

Sorry Bill, I certainly should have included Montana as part of a Western Tour.
My mistake.

But having traversed the country a few times on bikes I'd have to say that for most foriegners unfamiliar with things, on a schedule and riding on bikes, that things go down hill quick going east from there. Mostly its a whole lot of nothing! Am I generalizing? Sure, but lets look at the big picture here, OK?

I've ridden through Nebraska, the Dakotas, Minnesota, Wisconsin. The Black Hills are OK but overall I'm not impressed. I've also ridden the mid-west from Eastern Colorado outward. On a bike what you've got are flat, straight, boring roads and cornfields interspersed with thunderstorms and twisters. Been there. No thanks.

In summer much of the South East and the South are way too hot for riding bikes. The humidity is a killer from May to September. The eastern cities are hard to enjoy on a bike with sweltering heat and humidity. I love NYC but NOT on a motorcycle. Spring and Fall are a different story.

Additionally, the east is just way too congested. Even in Vermont or Maine you can't go 5 miles until you come to another town. I hated it.

The south has some excellent roads but the best ones are overrun with cops
and too many bikes these days. (Blue Ridge Parkway)

I'm sure I've missed a lot of the good roads back East but I'd wager I've got
more good roads (with MUCH BETTER CONDITIONS), in 50 square miles out my back door than exist in tens of thousands of square miles in the Mid West or plain states.

The Northwestern corner of California alone has some of the best roads I've seen anywhere in the world.

Have you ridden the area I refer to?

I agree Rick. On one cross country trip I was so burnt out with the hot, dry
sameness of the plain states that for the return trip I went from NYC to Quebec. Then I rode across to Vancouver, staying in Canada the whole way. Not a lot of north south road options but plenty of great stuff along the way.

The original poster never mentioned Canada. But I mentioned Alaska in my first post, which certainly includes riding through some of the best of Canada,
no? (Yukon territory et al) . But this is a major time commitment. No idea what this couple are thinking are where they have to be, when.

Frankly, if it were me, I'd skip going east all together and from LA just keep heading north until it starts to snow, then turn around and head to Mexico.

It's all good
 

I don't think I would advise skipping any area unless I had a better idea of the time commitment for the trip. If they have a year or two to spend in North America and the same down south they could see pretty much every region.

I personally am planning to take about 8 weeks next summer and blaze out to the maritime provinces and then ship my bike home. I don't see how I could do it in any less and do the trip justice.

Everyone has their own vision and pace. All I can do is wish them well and offer any pertinent advice that I might have.

Rick

Apropos the route ;
You know when I first crossed the pond to N America , I was just so happy to travel ANYWHERE .I wanted to see it all and it was all an adventure .
So certain areas aren't scenic ,so what !
So another area is flat and [to a native] monotonous - so what !
It was a whole lot different to what I was used to and I was just as interested in what made certain regions "tick" as I was in taking photos of mountains and lakes .
Wherever you go there is always something of merit to be found and interesting people to meet .
Bugger me, where I come from there is only one kind of salad dressing and "squash" is a drink .Imagine that .
I'm still learning .
My advice -ride wherever you want .
Apropos the bike ;
Ride whatever kind of bike you want ,one man's meat is another man's poison .
What did people ride before "adventure tourers" were invented .
If you bought a trials bike and practised really hard , you could ride virtually anywhere and over just about anything , a Gold Wing would be less nimble .
I suspect that the right bike lies somewhere in between .

You might want to trade your bikes for different ones before you head into Mexico and Central America . Or if that's not an option well just get a V Strom like the man says or a Royal Enfield Bullet , 51 years and half a million Indian soldiers can't be wrong now ,can they ?

I'm not much help am I !

Dodger

ps I know a guy who took a Yamaha 650 V Star Cruiser to SA ,painted it a horrible black to get rid of the chrome [ and draw less attention ] and was quite prepared to walk away from it if it gave him any trouble or was stolen .It performed great , although severe off road was never an option .

Good post Dodger. I guess its because I've seen so many foriegners come to the USA and have miserable trips that I feel I need to chime in some.

But your right in principal, like the old saying goes: "...Where ever you are....there you are" (People's Guide to Mexico" circa 1970)

Speaking of ancient history, in 1971 I was travelling Mexico with some friends
in a camper (surf trip). The truck broke down. We had another guys' 350
Jawa strapped to the front bumper. I bought it from my buddy and rode around Mexico, into Belize, to Guatemala and finally El Salvador where I sold it.Took a bus home.

In '76 I met a guy in Peru from New Hamshire who had ridden his Vespa 150 all the way. Man, he could fix that scooter with a blindfold on. No idea what ever happened to him, last I saw him was in La Paz, Bolivia.

So yea, any bike is good. (Orgri). But why should they (The Stallion's) suffer in the interim?

Is Adventure travel some kind of Zen ritual to enlightenment through torture? ;-)

Patrick

''= Is Adventure travel some kind of Zen ritual to enlightenment through torture? ;-) ="

Probably ,though I haven't a clue what Zen is all about .
I did read "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance "
I thought it was a load of bollocks .

You are probably right ,the Strom is a good bike ,a bit too plasticky for my taste , but then I'm a bit perverse and old fashioned .

Mebbe we should ask the stallions " how fast do you want to ride and on what kind of surfaces ?"

I think they've buggered off.

Gone for advice elsewhere no doubt. Can't say I'd blame them.

Cheers!

Having that knowledge precludes the question...:)

I mean, wow!

We wonder off for a week and come back and it takes us a quarter of an hour to catch up! Cheers to everyone who's pitched in.

Surfaces - In North I think we plan to baisically stay off the interstates except a few miles on what now passes for Route 66. In South there is talk of possibly camping up in the mountains in Peru for a few nights and going well off track. Tho we havent worked out how possible or sensible this is.

The Route - Since our 1st post all those weeks ago our route has sortened somewhat as we are starting to grasp the scale of what we are doing. It is now looking like more of a triangle going North from LA to Seattle, SE to Chicago and then Route 66 (with excersions) until we decide to drop South to Mexico.

Time - The plan, as it stands (tho it has been known to change!), is to land in LA around August/September time. Hopefully we can get up and start on our way down again before the Autumn (or Fall i guess it'll be) makes way for Winter. I think around 2.5/3 months in North America is what we have planned at the moment.

The Advice - Canadians and Canada lovers, we mean no offence by missing out Canada but feel we dont have the time on this trip to venture that far North. I (Leroy) have been to Quebec once a long time ago and would love to see more as everyone i know who's been has raved about the place. It on my 'to do' list :P As for the lack of things East of Utah, well, thanks for the head up. We do want to get out in the middle of no-where for a while but it does mean we can schedule a little less time to do it in!

Cheers mollydog, riq and dodger for your help so far. Just so you know we take abuse well so if you think we are being a bit niave about any of this please tell us. We wish to learn the ways of the traveller. :smartass:

Thanks,
Leroy

Hey Leroy,
Sounds like you may be months away from departure, yet say your
going in August or Sept? Is that next year or this year? I guess you like to play it loose. Good for you. Go for it!

No interstates eh? :detective: Lets have a look at that! When you get in a hurry you'll be doing interstates.....trust me. I hate 'em too but sometimes they are a necessary evil:thumbdown: There must be a very good reason you
insist on going to Chicago on your bikes....in Summer?:innocent:

If so, fine. Job? Relatives? Friends? The problem with a lot of the USA is everything looks the same. Every town has the same 20 chain stores and motels and fast food and Wal Mart and all rest of the things that cheapen life here. All the strip malls look a like and are mostly devoid of any character as they were built last week. This is not hyperbole. Honest. Its really sad.

But if you stay in the Wilderness states you may have a better time, not to mention better weather. The open mid west will be Hotter than :mad2: in
August, even into Sept. Anyway...thats it for you guys...have a great trip.
Sounds like you've got it all figured out. No whinging now. :nono:

I trust you've thought about where...and how you plan to buy bikes in LA?
Insurance? Good, thought so. Did you know there is a dealer who will pick you
up at LAX, take you to your newly prepped bikes....and you are off. :thumbup1:

I'm an X Los Angeles native. It is NOT a pleasant City....unless you live at the
beach...like I did. :scooter:

Patrick

Unfortunately not departing this year. The Americas are actually gonna be the last leg of our RTW trip starting in Feb '07 with backpacking in SE Asia, then 4x4ing in Oz and finishing with the bikes in the Americas. Really looking forward to it now.

Will the trek from Seattle to Chicago at that time of year be a little warm :confused1: Or at least is it not biking weather?

Which states are considered the Wilderness states?

As for having things figured out...hmmmm. Insurance? How we're gonna buy the bikes? ermmmm I think we were hoping to kinda stumble across 2 deserted bikes ready and waiting for us. Dont spose that happens a lot, does it?

Cheers for your help Patrick,

Leroy

Wilderness states
 

You want to see some wide open spaces come on thru montana. There are lots of places that you can only reach on two tracks beat in thru the rocks or mud or wildflowers. I just did a nice ride that started out with a few cabins that all had solar or generators for power and then it started getting remote. There is a servicable 650 honda for sale for $675.00 US. If you buy a bike in montana you get a permanent license plate and insurance is not rewuired in montana, but it is in other states/countrys.

Riding across the northern USA in Feb will be challenging !
It will still be winter - and no "British winter" either once you leave the coast !
If you are looking for cheap bikes ,there is another thread in HUBB with lots of good advice , but you will have a better choice if you are prepared to go upmarket a bit .
Your original question related to the best bike for N and S America , now that we have a bit more info and you have indicated that you want to buy in the US ,I would recommend a 650 thumper .They will go just about anywhere .
If you are not "mechanical" ,buy a BMW and make sure your route takes in as many BMW dealers as possible , they have an excellent 3 year warranty and your resale value will be proportionally better than any of the other makes .

But this is just my opinion and I've been known to be wrong .

All the best
Dodger

Sorry, we're setting off on our trip in Feb. We wont be getting to the USA til August/September time. See post #18

Never heard of the Thumper. Who makes it?

Cheers,
Leroy

:euro: Dilettante's :blushing:

:censored:

Thumpers
 

Thumper = 650 single

Any make

Thumper
 

And I always thought thumper was that cute bunny in the bambi story.
September is a great time to ride in montana, a little chilly but the summer tourist have gone home.

Congradulations! You managed to get me out of lurker mode. I happen to ride all over the south east year round. Spend the mornings in the vallies and the afternoons in the mountains. One can follow the fall colors from Maine to Georgia. Upstate NY is still beautiful. There is a LOT more to NY than NYC and urban sprawl. Lake George is wonderful. Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and upstate NY is one big interconnected 2 lane festival IF you avoid the major cities. From I-75 east in Ky and Tn through West Va, southern western Va, western North Carolina, and Northern Georgia is another 2 lane away from the masses (yet always relatively close to a dealer if needed, even BMW).

Get out, enjoy the local culture. Avoid Deal's Gap, Cherohala Skyway, and the Blue Ridge Parkway on the weekends go slow and enjoy the scenery.

Hey Grimel,
Good of you to join the discussion.
I'm sure there are good roads in all the areas you mention. I've ridden upstate NY quite a bit, even was clued into the best roads from locals at a BMW rally.

In fact they sat down and planned my whole route all the way from Brooklyn to Quebec. It was in July, during a heat wave. NY state was in the high 90's in most places, it finally cooled some by Maine.

I've crossed the country a few times and ridden the south only in a few areas. Most foriegn riders will never see the local roads you know. Never happen. They may hit one or two. Typically they want to keep moving and end up skipping a lot of the good stuff. I know many riders who have come through California who have done just this. Then they complain and say the roads were not that great:blushing: Funny how that goes. So I'm trying to convince them to play the averages....The averages being in many places out West riding motorcycle in summer can be more pleasant than the Mid West, East and deep south. IMO, that is.

It mostly has to do with population density. The East is crowded. As I've said, in Vermont and Maine I couldn't believe that you could never, ever, get away from towns. There is no "away".

In Montana, Idaho, Nevada, CO, NM, Oregon, Wash, and N. Cal things are a bit more spread out, more mountanious with more twisty roads and fewer towns and cooler in summer.

I noticed you said "Follow the Fall Colors" . Yea, Fall is great just about anywhere. The original poster was talking about June or July I believe. At that
time of year you can follow the Fall colors straight to Hell if you take a southern route. Have you ever heard a Brit Whinge when they get in a hot & humid place for the first time? :lol2:

From probably mid Sept. to November the south is beautiful.
I've ridden it then. Fantastic. In Summer, I'll stay West thanks.

I've spent Summers in Arkansas, N. Carolina, Virginia and Florida. Usually four to six months in each place working on TV shows or feature films.
Real HOt !! :mad2:
Never thought I'd look forward to Hurricane season :taz:

'' -- Have you ever heard a Brit Whinge when they get in a hot & humid place for the first time? -- ''

I say old chap ,less of the stereotyping - d'y hear ?
Ye Gods ! The bally cheek of it all - blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah ----------------------------------------zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz----------------------snnnnnnnnnorrrrrtt- huh ,where am I ? Must have fallen asleep , pour me gin and tonic -there's a good chap !

come ride with me.
 

Thank you

I thought we were supposed to be a group that helped each other a) find "stuff" in oddball areas and b) find the local spots. Not much fun slabbing it everywhere.

As you said, you know riders who have went through Cali and complained. I know riders who have came through the south (looks like you need to be added to the list) and complain. BTW, these aren't local roads that I know. I have a simple rule - avoid interstates and major cities when ever possible. I've averaged about 60,000 miles a year for work and another 30,000 for myself over about 15 - 20 years. I map out all backroads when ever possible. I offer my services to anyone heading to the southeast.

You didn't go far enough north.

No, but, I have heard a Puerto Rican when he felt -20f for the first time.

I ride in all those states plus Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, and Alabama year around. There are 2 keys to survival, okay, 3, drink water at every stop, valleys in the AM/moutains in the PM, and avoid major cities. Atlanta may have 80mph traffic in 16 interstate lanes (main and bypass combined) each direction, but, there is so much traffic you don't get that much air flow. I now plan to hit Atlanta/Jacksonville/Orlando at night or early AM only.

The model of bike does come into play. Known ovens (Concours/FJR) aren't the best choices if you aren't going to do all the mods to block the heat AND the more weather protection (gold wing, BMW LT's, etc) the hotter. Minimal windscreens rule the world.

Come ride with me. I'll be the guy in the dark red meshtec armored suit with full face helmet in August. :scooter:

As to the original posters question. Anything will work in the US and Canada, but a big trailie, adventure touring, adven/sport touring, etc type bike will be more fun (usually a LOT lighter than the touring rigs with the added manuevering). I LOVE the Buell Ulysses, but, I can't control my throttle so I have to move down the size (strictly personal problem I like to feel like I'm moving fast) scale. The 650ish singles and twins are leading the list for my replacement commuter/travel/do everything bike.

Agreed Patrick, for the sheer riding the west is the best by a factor of 10x. I've ridden 49 states (except Hawaii) and west of the Rockies the prevailing characteristics are tedium, traffic, homogenous towns, fast food, argh. Sure there are exceptions like Deals Gap and West Virginia or what have you. But generally it gets old fast, whether you choose superslab or two-lane.

The west of course is wide open road & gorgeous scenery and great camping and cheep motels.

Of course, if you're from overseas and land in L.A. and want to see New York Washington etc., and you have the time, I can think of worse ways to get there than a motorcycle.

If you don't have the time, and do have the money, shack up the bikes in Denver or somewhere and fly or take a train or a bus. You won't be missing any WOW motorcycling, that's for sure!