Plan a motorcycle ride for me

I'm looking for suggestions for an epic-ish motorcycle ride for when I turn 40 in few short years.

• Tale of the dragon / Cherohala Skyway
• Blue Ridge Parkway - Planning this for the coming summer, maybe grab Minimac and his scooter along the way
• Dalton highway in to Alaska - Would have to rent a BMW GSA for this
• http://motocaribe.com/ was recently posted to my FB page, looks interesting at $1800 all-inclusive for a 6 day ride
• Route 66, what's left of it? can I start in Chicago-land? buy&ride from AZ?

I have an free-and-clear passport and a wife that says go.

My plan is to do TAT east to west when I turn 40 in the near future, and I might be looking for riding buddies.

I intend to do US RT 20 coast to coast in at some point.

My former boss did the Bourbon Trail, if you are into that kind of thing. All smokey mountains and great roads and stops at distilleries along the way.

The Dalton to AK is a commitment...do some research first.

If it were me, I would pick up the bike in Austin, TX and head to Key West, with stops in Houston. New Orleans, Mobile, Pensacola, Panama City, St Augustine, Daytona, and Miami. You could even pick it up in LA or San Diego and double the mileage, hit the Salton Sea and eat amazing Mexican food all the way across the desert.

Watch the movie CHEF starring Jon Favreau on Netflix and simply reverse the direction of the road trip!

If your doing the 66, I would like to suggest the 191 in AZ. It is right off the route and well worth a detour.

I would be in for a section of the TAT. I hit 40 in 2 short years .

I had a buddy come up from Guatemala and ride back down after a tour around the western us and canada. Did it on a DRZ 400SM on dirt tires. Took it through the Gold Canyon and across the ferry to the Baja for a bit as well.

How much time do you have?

You could always compete in the iron butt

Flight Service wrote: How much time do you have? You could always compete in the iron butt

I've thought about it. This does make a beautiful ride across US.2 http://www.ironbutt.com/ridecerts/getdocument.cfm?DocID=25

But, I'm thinking something 1 - 2 weeks of riding.

I'm planning to do BRP and Skyline drive this spring/summer. Not so much because it is an epic drive, but because I've always wanted to do it. I "should" have a few days to kill this year, and my brother in law who started riding at the end of last year is also planning on going along.

I'm planning on getting my smallest tent or my hammock setup and ride for awhile, take lots of pics, do some hiking, and camp in the campgrounds along the BRP.

Join me in September when I do the "Back of the Dragon". Much less traffic than the tail and a better ride. I'll e-mail you. Then we could go back to Copper Harbor in the U.P. and that cool micro brewery!

http://www.great-lakes.net/tourism/circletour/

From Michigan I would head out west. Slab it on I-94 to about Billings and then start exploring. Hit the Bear Tooth, Going to the Sun, maybe then to the coast and take 101/1 along the Pacific, hit the national parks in Utah and then home by way of Colorado. Lots to see out that way.

The trip I had wanted to take this last summer "but life got in the way" was to ride from Wichita, KS to St. John's, Newfoundland. Cross into Canada somewhere like Sault Ste. Marie and then meet up with friends in Toronto. Hit up Quebec City and stay on the Canada side for the trip east then get down into Maine on the way back west. Visit friends in Philly, maybe do something in NYC, and visit Washington DC before getting serious about coming back to Kansas. Would need a month off to do it.

So yeah, do that, if possible. That's my suggestion.

minimac wrote: Join me in September when I do the "Back of the Dragon". Much less traffic than the tail and a better ride. I'll e-mail you. Then we could go back to Copper Harbor in the U.P. and that cool micro brewery!

I got your message, looks fun. Let's do Copper Harbor more in the summer?

My take on two of your rides is one I'm doing in the spring with an extra zing on the end.

I'm leaving PA to ride/camp the BRP north to south with a connect over to the Cherohala to Deal's Gap. Then, ride/camp around the Smokies working my way north into Ohio, up across into NY, over at Niagra and do the north loop around Lake Ontario, down thru the middle of Lake Champlain, the White and Green mountains then home thru the Catskills. 7 - 10 days solo. Maybe do some of the Puppy Dog trail along the way if time permits.

The R1200GSA might be an orange KTM 1190S Adv by then. '15s are heavily discounted right now and trade values are pretty great for the BMW. I could jump 9 years, 50HP, and get a warranty for $5k. Wheels are turning.

Www.globebusters.com

What about flying somewhere, buying a cheapo bike, riding it somewhere and dump it?

Describe the sorts of things that you love to do, ride and see. Then you'll get better input on rides that you might like. The TAT for example, great fun for someone who loves dirt riding and camping, not so much fun for a Goldwinger. Not sure why you're saying you'll need to rent a BMW GSA to ride that, plenty of folk ride all kinds of things on that road, including Gold Wings and such.

I have always wanted to do the great lakes loop but I suspect that being from that area that may not be what you want to do.

You could always go over to outside DC. Hit Skyline Dr, down to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Ride the through the Smokeys, hit Deals Gap then double back to the Foothills Parkway, hit Cherohala Skyway, then book 40 over to the Cumberland gap and snake your way home through Kentucky.

You know, you could do something like that.

Skyline Dr.

Blue Ridge Parkway (starts where Skyline Dr. ends.)

Cherohala Skyway, deals gap loop.

foxtrapper wrote: Describe the sorts of things that you love to do, ride and see. Then you'll get better input on rides that you might like. The TAT for example, great fun for someone who loves dirt riding and camping, not so much fun for a Goldwinger. Not sure why you're saying you'll need to rent a BMW GSA to ride that, plenty of folk ride all kinds of things on that road, including Gold Wings and such.

120whp and street slicks aren't a fan of muddy gravel roads. I'd have to hit the Arctic Circle if I do that ride.

Flight Service wrote: I have always wanted to do the great lakes loop but I suspect that being from that area that may not be what you want to do. You could always go over to outside DC. Hit Skyline Dr, down to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Ride the through the Smokeys, hit Deals Gap then double back to the Foothills Parkway, hit Cherohala Skyway, then book 40 over to the Cumberland gap and snake your way home through Kentucky. You know, you could do something like that. Skyline Dr. Blue Ridge Parkway (starts where Skyline Dr. ends.) Cherohala Skyway, deals gap loop.

I did all of these in the past 2 years. Blue Ridge Parkway is great but.........gets a bit boring after a while. Back of the Dragon was one of my favorite rides last year.

I agree about the Blue Ridge Parkway. I've done it twice, and it really gets boring.

That said, I'll probably be doing it again this spring with the boy as part of a spring break ride. It'll be his first time. In fact what Flight Service suggested is what my roughly sketched out route was going to be. For the return leg, I'll probably come up I-79. Yes it's interstate, but it's pretty scenic, and fast.

Interstate highways have some advantages beyond their speed. You're usually not buried in the trees, so you tend to have a much more sweeping view. And since everyone is going the same way, you can look around more while driving.

Snaking your way down a mountain road you've never traveled with a logging truck riding your tail isn't fun.

Skyline Drive is a beautiful ride. And, yes, I'll agree that BRP gets boring, after a while.

Hit Skyline, then jump on I-40, down to Asheville and get back on the BRP for the last ~50 miles.

I can't remember what the route number was, but the locals called it the Diamondback. It crosses under the BRP, and ends at a town (or is ita village?) called Little Switzerland. There's a good lunch stop there, too.

Also in the area is the Devil's Whip NC80

You guys that are bored with the BRP because you've run it a few times, try criss-crossing West Virginia on secondary roads down to TN for the skyway. I rode down to Summit Point this fall to do some driver coaching for a friend and spent the rest of the weekend riding. I had a ball just wandering around thru old towns working my way west and up into MD/PA out near Yellow Falls. I camped there and hiked the falls and then rode around Deep Creek Lake. It's beautiful, the roads are clean, in great shape, twisty and hilly. You almost cannot go wrong.

I've played around in the mountains of W.Va a few years ago near Roanoke. Stopped by the Whipple Company Store and the new river gorge bridge. Avoided all highways/freeways and ended up on some single lane road the went from river bed to the peaks. needless to say, 2 guys with kids in tow had us listening for banjo music. We got a few odd looks from some good ol' boys fishing at one point. I think we surprised them.

Fun 2 day ride I have done a couple times:

From Frederick, MD
Rt 340 to Front Royal
Skyline Drive to Stauton Overnight in Stauton (have relatives there)
250 west to 220
220 north to 50
50 east to Winchester
Then 7 and 340 back home

One time we took 220 all the way north to Bedford, PA
Stayed overnight in Bedford (relatives of my riding buddy) Then 30 east to Gettysburg and then south to Frederick.