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

Hyperborea said:
:twofinger
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Hey now, brother of the same model bike.

Just saying, I for one always propose knowing how deep the water is before diving, but that doesn't mean I don't take the dive. This camp of jumping off will nilly, or checking it out, black and white context bothers me.

A person can do both, check the waters and dive in, but that doesn't mean that he needs six years of swimming lessons.
 
I just made the mistake of stumbling back into this thread and am disappointed. Not surprised, but disappointed. Many of you (ThumperX, Flying Hun, Ezekial and others) have made sense. Then there's the "must ride a 250 locally for 6 years until you should even consider crossing the state line" crowd. Wow. Just wow.

A bit of local experience would be well-advised for a couple of reasons. It would allow the new rider to become comfortable with some of the basics of riding in traffic, and it would also be a good shake down period for the bike. The latter is a good idea for any used bike, as it is much better to have something unexpected happen close to home, and something unexpected is likely more likely to occur shortly after purchase of the used bike than it is after it has been ridden a bit (on a per mile basis, for those who want to get technical).

There are a great many bikes which suit beginning riders very well and, believe it or not, some of them even have more than 250 cc. :wow Power delivery on an SV650, for instance, is going to be perfectly manageable for all but the most ham-fisted of riders. It will also be better on the freeway than a lighter, lower displacement bike. The SV was just an example, but there are dozens, if not hundreds, of bikes out there that are solid, beginner-friendly rides.

I'll stop before I ramble-on into TLDR land.
 
Aluisious said:
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.
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Never once did I say that riding closer to home is safer. As everyone has mentioned, pro trip and con trip, riding is dangerous no matter where it is. However as others have mentioned getting more experience under the belt might be beneficial before undertaking a long and exhausting trip cross country. I am not here to debate this with you, I have expressed a simple opinion for the OP to consider. Trying to argue with me is not accomplishing anything since that's not what this thread is about.
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No, I didn't. :x
 
Fatigue is the number one multiplier of accidents on the road, IMO.

Having just returned from a clockwise trip around the UK, I was reminded of this fact on one particularly long day. Riding is difficult enough for a new rider, add in a loaded bike, unfamiliar road, uncertain weather conditions and darkness and you get a recipe for disaster.

I've pared back my daily mileage over the years. I think new riders believe car like mileage is reasonable each day. One way to enforce my daily limit is to book a hotel in advance around said limit. This forces me to end my day at a reasonable time and distance.
 
:deadhorse The OP hasn't even posted on BARF for a month. NICE JOB ALL OF YOU. :thumbdown

OP - I hope whatever choices you make, you'll come back to BARF and post your story and pictures. :thumbup
 
His last post may have been a month ago, but he's logged on very recently.
 
He's a smart guy, he probably figured out what a cluster this turned into and abandoned it.
 
"And check it out--I highly doubt you'd find a traveler pumping you full of psycho-killer fear. No. Only people who stay at home and watch too much TV will pump you full of that shit. How the fuck do THEY know? Look at their doors: they probably have fifteen deadbolts and an alarm system to protect their rhinestone-horse sweatshirts." --Erika Lopez, in Flaming Iguanas, on riding a motorcycle cross-country with no experience.
 
"Learn to ride before embarking on a big trip or bad things are more likely to happen" == getting pumped full of psycho-killer fear. :laughing

It's more than possible to have a meaningful motorcycle experience while still approaching it with some sense and restraint. Might not make for as good a story, but it means you're more likely to be around to tell it.
 
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Z3n said:
"Learn to ride before embarking on a big trip or bad things are more likely to happen"
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I don't recall anyone saying "don't learn how to ride first ". I think everyone understands that it's harder to deal with problems far from home.I know it sucked but it was relatively easy for me to deal with wrecking my bike on Franklin Street in San Francisco. If I'd been in Iowa I probably would have been screwed. Or last week when I was coming home and almost hit two deer pulling into my neighborhood, I could have just parked my bike and walk four blocks home. If I hit a deer (or a bison) in Wyoming I probably would have been out of luck. I think everyone gets that.

I also think its possible maybe even probable that he'll be able to take a ride across country with no problems. Lots of people learn how to ride every year and most of them don't crash and die. He may even ride a little slower and take fewer chances than he would bombing up and down 9 or RW Rd.

OP, if you're still reading this thread, I hope you got a bike and are busy prepping for your trip. Check back in when you're done and post some pictures.

:thumbup
 
I don't think it's possible, unless you are doing some Batman level training, to learn to ride a bike well enough to safely ride cross country in under 6 months. Surviving the trip and doing it safely are 2 different things.

Learning takes longer than 6 months because ingraining muscle memory takes time - most countries don't allow a full license for a year+, because of just that.

Of course, in America, we know better...no training, just freedom, makes the best riders. :laughing
 
Nemo Brinker said:
"And check it out--I highly doubt you'd find a traveler pumping you full of psycho-killer fear. No. Only people who stay at home and watch too much TV will pump you full of that shit. How the fuck do THEY know? Look at their doors: they probably have fifteen deadbolts and an alarm system to protect their rhinestone-horse sweatshirts." --Erika Lopez, in Flaming Iguanas, on riding a motorcycle cross-country with no experience.
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Love it. So true. I'm even more sold on reading this book now than I was before. Thanks again! :thumbup
 
This thread... :facepalm

OP, find something you like to ride. Do a couple of weekends where you ride hard both days to experience the blissful fatigue and happiness that comes from a few days in the saddle. Check out the trip planning forum on advrider as well as the tent space thread. http://advrider.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=51

The classifieds there can help you gear up cheaply, too.

Get yourself a spot tracker, the Platinum aaa plan and just fucking ride.

P. S. Kurt, Nemo, Gwynne, I seriously :love you.
 
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BluesCruiser said:
Hey OP...read through this thread from advrider.com

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=831213
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I'm glad I clicked on that link - very inspirational story. Unfortunately, I started reading at 11pm and could not stop until the end - after 2:00 am!:thumbup

Remember this girl already knew how to ride although it had been a few years, so she had the mechanical control part down more or less and could concentrate on the road game.
 
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