New Rider, need advice on getting a bike to ride from west coast to east coast

[ThumperX]

Is it denial or a different, counter to yours, risk analysis.

My sister is an adventurer, she took an old Honda that crabbed down the road all over the place, like I said, the biggest trouble she had was getting busted for skinny dipping.

For sure, more experience is better, but is experience gained here in the BAy Area any safer than what one may encounter on the road across this nation? For me, I see greater risk riding 9 on a weekend than taking off to Texas tomorrow

 

[Z3n]

Sure, if you want to use the risk analysis just to justify stupid decisions, you can do that. It's missing the point though - the goal of that risk analysis is to attempt to minimize the risk, and the best way to do that definitely isn't to isolate yourself from all support you are likely to have, roads that you know well so you can focus more on building riding skills than navigating unfamiliar enviroments, being close enough to home to have a decent chance of making it home safely if there's a a mechanical problem, more populated areas in case of an accident, no requirement to make it to the next point on your trip if you're sick, and all the other concerns that exist on a long trip that are minimalized if youre close to home.

 

[DigDoug]

No one is telling OP to visit the bike shop with packed saddlebags and wobble out to I-80. But "one year of local riding" is a pointless barrier.

Ok, 2 years, 1yr. and 4 months? Maybe I should break it down to miles ridden before doing the journey. Would that have been better? He must ride no < 8,246.7mi on the bike choosen prior to setting out on a X-country trip. Better yet maybe a percentage of miles must be ridden based on the length of the trip? He must ride 50% of the length of the trip or ~1500 miles all with in a 100mile radius from where he lives before riding to NY.

I wasn't trying to put a "barrier" on the time frame of how long this person should ride before setting out on this adventure. I was arbitrarily throwing out why not wait until next year to just become a little more familiar with a STREET bike of whatever classification he chooses to use for this. I also said next year being that it would be around the same time of season for whatever schedule this guy is on.

My comment was simply asking what the rush was and that was all. I guess you didn't get that and maybe others didn't either so thank you for bringing that up so I could do my best to clarify.

 

[flying_hun]

Riding motorcycles is dangerous. Believe it or not, in 45+ years of riding, and 38 years riding on the street, and more than a couple of dead friends, I have actually noticed that it's dangerous.

Adventure is dangerous. Life is dangerous. Swapping one risk for another - whether that other risk is hookers and blow, or being a vegan triathlete - is no guarantee you'll evade bad outcomes. Telling us that bad shit can happen if one follows a path you don't approve of is no guarantee that if you don't follow that path that you'll die blissfully in your sleep, surrounded by adoring loved ones at the ripe old age of 117.

Does a new rider going off on a long ride make a lot of sense? No, he'd be far better off never to ride at all.

 

[Z3n]

Riding motorcycles is dangerous. Believe it or not, in 45+ years of riding, and 38 years riding on the street, and more than a couple of dead friends, I have actually noticed that it's dangerous.

Adventure is dangerous. Life is dangerous. Swapping one risk for another - whether that other risk is hookers and blow, or being a vegan triathlete - is no guarantee you'll evade bad outcomes. Telling us that bad shit can happen if one follows a path you don't approve of is no guarantee that if you don't follow that path that you'll die blissfully in your sleep, surrounded by adoring loved ones at the ripe old age of 117.

Does a new rider going off on a long ride make a lot of sense? No, he'd be far better off never to ride at all.

This is an absurd post: There is nothing that you can do to guarantee that you can evade bad outcomes. We all die. But that doesn't mean that we don't have a sizable impact in the nature of how and when we die. Which is why the basic, common sense recommendation is to not try unusual or strenuous things right off the bat in your riding career, when you're in that risky first year period.

If you accept the risk of riding a motorcycle, acting as if there are no additional risky things you can do while riding is totally absurd. There are plenty of things that you can do to increase or decrease the risk of riding. The problem is a new rider doesn't have the experience to recognize the makings of a high risk situation, how to address that situation before it requires skillful riding to avoid, and they don't have the skills to perform a skilled evasion either.

As a result not only are they far more likely to end up in a high risk situation, they're unlikely to have the skills and ingrained habits to get out of it safely. Being on unfamiliar roads, being far from any support (roadside angels aren't exactly a countrywide thing...), having to deal with the mental strain of handling a motorcycle, all of those things are stuff that a rider should learn to handle on their own before they go out unsupported into the world. Learn the basics of handling a motorcycle so you can focus on the unexpected, learn to work on your bike so you can recognize what has the potential to be a ride ender, what needs to be addressed at the next stop, and what can wait for a convenient dealership or garage, make sure you can handle the mental aspects of riding for a week plus, etc. All of those things can only be handled with experience, time on the bike, and without that experience you dramatically decrease your chances of a successful trip.

And at the end of the day, I'm sure every motorcyclist would rather be riding than sitting on the side of the road waiting for a stranger to bail them out of trouble, or with an exploded bike, trying to sell it to a dealership and find a flight home, or being stuck in a hospital a thousand miles from home. The likely thing that contributes to not having those experiences is learning to ride, learning to work on your bike, and developing that skillset before you set out on the road.

I'm not trying to tell anyone here to not go out and enjoy riding across the country. I'm telling them to make sure they have a reasonable chance of completing that trip under their own power before they leave, throwing the dice and leaving it to fate is a bad idea, given that we all agree on the danger of riding. Make sure it's a freak accident that takes you out, not a mundane one you could have prevented.

 

[Ezekiel]

Okay Z3, okay! We get it! You think it's a bad idea! You can quit typing and go back to that basket of lemons now.

For real.

Is it denial or a different, counter to yours, risk analysis.

My sister is an adventurer, she took an old Honda that crabbed down the road all over the place, like I said, the biggest trouble she had was getting busted for skinny dipping.

For sure, more experience is better, but is experience gained here in the BAy Area any safer than what one may encounter on the road across this nation? For me, I see greater risk riding 9 on a weekend than taking off to Texas tomorrow

EXACTLY. It seems some simply can't, or won't, grasp that a level of acceptable risk will vary from person to person, and that a perceived level of risk for any given activity will also vary based on who you're asking.

Riding motorcycles is dangerous. Believe it or not, in 45+ years of riding, and 38 years riding on the street, and more than a couple of dead friends, I have actually noticed that it's dangerous.

Adventure is dangerous. Life is dangerous. Swapping one risk for another - whether that other risk is hookers and blow, or being a vegan triathlete - is no guarantee you'll evade bad outcomes. Telling us that bad shit can happen if one follows a path you don't approve of is no guarantee that if you don't follow that path that you'll die blissfully in your sleep, surrounded by adoring loved ones at the ripe old age of 117.

Does a new rider going off on a long ride make a lot of sense? No, he'd be far better off never to ride at all.

Couldn't agree more. The whole thing. Get out of my head...oh, ok, you can hang out a while, let's shoot the shit

I started to type each of these thoughts but usually take the easy way out because I don't want to read another diatribe where things are grossly exaggerated, read yet another tale of misfortune, or how everyone who doesn't agree with a position is stupid, dense, or some other variation.

OP, if you didn't get it, Z3 is vehemently against you taking this trip...others also against it to a lesser degree

I and quite a few others, are all for it and wish you the best on your adventure!

 

[Cincinnatus]

I just want to know if his SO has taken out a large insurance policy on him...

 

[Z3n]

As a larger point:

Successfully living through a risky experience doesn't reduce the risk of someone else taking on that same risky experience. All the previous times where people took long trips as new riders, well - we don't hear from those that don't make it through their long trips as new riders, with rare exception. They're just swallowed up into the crash stats. Keep that in mind.

No one's against the trip, they're only against getting in over your head before you're ready. Prep properly.

 

[Aluisious]

Ok, 2 years, 1yr. and 4 months? Maybe I should break it down to miles ridden before doing the journey. Would that have been better? He must ride no < 8,246.7mi on the bike choosen prior to setting out on a X-country trip. Better yet maybe a percentage of miles must be ridden based on the length of the trip? He must ride 50% of the length of the trip or ~1500 miles all with in a 100mile radius from where he lives before riding to NY.

I wasn't trying to put a "barrier" on the time frame of how long this person should ride before setting out on this adventure. I was arbitrarily throwing out why not wait until next year to just become a little more familiar with a STREET bike of whatever classification he chooses to use for this. I also said next year being that it would be around the same time of season for whatever schedule this guy is on.

My comment was simply asking what the rush was and that was all. I guess you didn't get that and maybe others didn't either so thank you for bringing that up so I could do my best to clarify.

You and other people insist on ignoring the simple point that riding at home is not safer than riding across the country. Riding anywhere is dangerous, so ride where you want.

 

[Hyperborea]

You and other people insist on ignoring the simple point that riding at home is not safer than riding across the country. Riding anywhere is dangerous, so ride where you want.

I can think of 3 reasons without even trying about why riding nearer home is safer than riding a cross country trip for an inexperienced rider. I would expect that other experienced riders could come up with at least that many reasons pretty easily too.

1. they are riding on familiar roads and don't have to divert as much of their attention to directions and looking for signs - newbs need as much of their attention for the mundane tasks of just operating the bike and watching out for traffic
2. they aren't riding a bike loaded and extra top heavy with gear
3. they can make shorter trips and not worry about fatigue on longer days - they can even decide to not ride when they are overly tired - on a trip you've got a deadline

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Hey, I used to canoe as a Boy Scout many years ago. I'm thinking about buying an old used sail boat that I don't know how to maintain and use it on the bay a few times this summer and then in August sailing to Hawaii and back solo. Is it a good idea?

 

[packnrat]

ship the bike and take the train.

cross country is not for a nuby. even a seasoned rider will have problems.

i can see my self doing maybe a Idaho (two week trip), but not across the whole country.
i live here in CA.

plan better and do a couple iron butts first. but wait a good six years then rethink the trip.

got to love this thread for every posting by the "arther" some others here have posted 10 times.

 

[Ezekiel]

ship the bike and take the train.

That would defeat the entire purpose

cross country is not for a nuby. even a seasoned rider will have problems.

A matter of opinion...and luck.

i can see my self doing maybe a Idaho (two week trip), but not across the whole country.
i live here in CA.

You know Idaho as a direct shot is only 10-12 hours away right?

plan better and do a couple iron butts first.

Iron Butts??? You're recommending the guy do a few 1000+ mile in 24 hour days instead of riding less than half that per day on average?

but wait a good six years then rethink the trip.

6 years?

got to love this thread for every posting by the "arther" some others here have posted 10 times.

FINALLY something I can agree with here.
I think it's just hard for some of us to shut up when we see things that are so far off base.
1/11 for me now

 

[Aluisious]

Hey, I used to canoe as a Boy Scout many years ago. I'm thinking about buying an old used sail boat that I don't know how to maintain and use it on the bay a few times this summer and then in August sailing to Hawaii and back solo. Is it a good idea?

Such an awful analogy, and you're not the first.

 

[Aluisious]

Yeah dude, you gotta wait six years. Takes 1 year for each 500 miles a trip will take. Spend the time meditating about the insane dangers of US highway travel, or god knows what.

 

[ThumperX]

To me, it boils down to the metal of the person undertaking the trip. Our guest from New Zealand, had no problems placing 5000 miles on an old SV that had been sitting for many years. He was a mechanically inclined, self reliant, young man. The only calls "home" he made were check ins and asking for route advice.
If a person is one who perceives obstacles and danger around every bend, that loose gravel may be a big deal. If a person is one who perceives challenges as opportunities to find solutions, that gravel is going to be no threat at all.

With that said, there are a lot of seasoned riders on this board whom I would heartily talk out of a weekend trip on their bikes, while at the same time, there are some new riders whom I would encourage to embark on a journey wholeheartedly.

I actually know quite a few people who have sailed to Mexico on terrible boats that they knew nothing about. They sure learned a lot AND THEY DIDN'T DIE!!!

Don't even attempt the experimental aircraft argument

 

[Tydive]

With the right mindset, lots of quality training & practice I believe it's possible for a newbie to become a competent rider in less than a year.

I also believe that with a closed mind and know it all attitude some riders never become competent motorcyclists.

Riding well is not that complex, having the judgment to avoid hazards and mental focus to notice them is much harder.

I do hope Stormy comes back with an update, he seems like a solid guy.

 

[FreeRyde]

Get an sv650 or old VFR and go.

Screw all these barf'ers

 

[ThumperX]

Get an sv650 or old VFR and go.

Screw all these barf'ers

I resemble that remark

 

[BluesCruiser]

As you can see at this point, OP, is that we sort-of break down into 2 distinct groups. One will run and jump off the end of the dock and the other will check it out first and then jump in. Both groups enjoy swimming, or riding in this case, but we have different approaches to doing it, and both groups are basically right!

You need to decide which group you are more comfortable being in, and then go with your feelings.

If you decide you are in the "jump off the dock" group, there are several of us who would be happy to give your bike a quick once over to see if there is anything obviously wrong.

 

[Hyperborea]

As you can see at this point, OP, is that we sort-of break down into 2 distinct groups. One will run and jump off the end of the dock and the other will check it out first and then jump in. Both groups enjoy swimming, or riding in this case, but we have different approaches to doing it, and both groups are basically right!

Pretty good analogy. When I was younger we used to go canoeing every year and one of the places we stopped had a nice 2-3 story high "cliff" to jump off into the lake. Every year before jumping off the cliff into the lake we would take some time to check out the area below the dive point looking for submerged rocks or other objects. We never found any problems. However, just about every year there were news reports of at least one person who did dive into one of the many many lakes without looking and ended up seriously injured or dead.

Could we still have been injured or even killed despite having checked below the water in the diving area? Yes, sure we could. A particularly bad landing at the wrong angle could injure your neck or back. We could have been careless and dove on top of each other. But we had removed, at very little cost to ourselves, a very large and real risk.