Time for a long road trip

[Rough Edge racing]

 I have been riding since 1975 and have never ventured more than 100 miles from home...So...me and a friend are discussing a bucket list trip, a long tour of the USA by bike....Try to ride on back roads as much as possible but there will be some Interstate riding.
 Ok, my 79 Triumph and Ducati Monster are not suited for this... Because I like two cylinder bikes, because I like lighter bikes,because I like European bike I believe the choice is going to be a BMW R or a Guzzi Norge (I dislike the Cali styling) or a Ducati ST2 type...I have maybe $4000-5000 to spend on a bike..I would even consider a air head BMW with carbs because of simplicity... I can do whatever maintenance is necessary in my home shop..I have no interest in  heavy Japanese  touring bikes
  So what's your experience?

[Chuck in Indiana]

I have been riding since 1975 and have never ventured more than 100 miles from home...So...me and a friend are discussing a bucket list trip, a long tour of the USA by bike....Try to ride on back roads as much as possible but there will be some Interstate riding.
 Ok, my 79 Triumph and Ducati Monster are not suited for this... Because I like two cylinder bikes, because I like lighter bikes,because I like European bike I believe the choice is going to be a BMW R or a Guzzi Norge (I dislike the Cali styling) or a Ducati ST2 type...I have maybe $4000-5000 to spend on a bike..I would even consider a air head BMW with carbs because of simplicity... I can do whatever maintenance is necessary in my home shop..I have no interest in  heavy Japanese  touring bikes
  So what's your experience?

You're kidding, right??
I've traveled on a BMW R100RT, an ST2, and Norge.  Of those three, the Norge wins, followed by the ST2, and a (really) distant third for the beemer.

[Rough Edge racing]

 No, not kidding because I have never ridden any of those bikes ................... .........

[oilhed]

You're kidding, right??
I've traveled on a BMW R100RT, an ST2, and Norge.  Of those three, the Norge wins, followed by the ST2, and a (really) distant third for the beemer.

I've been lots of miles on a '84 Guzzi V65SP, a BMW R1100R & R1150GS and a Ducati ST3.  The Ducati was my favorite bike, EVER! 

[Chuck in Indiana]

Chuck must have had a bad experience w/BMW!

For me its the best moto traveling companion I have ever owned. I like the sound of the 360 deg timing of the beemer or an old britt vertical twin, for me its sweet.

I have a 35" inseam and the Guzzi configuration (cylinders) beats the crap out of my knees. Their are MANY more dealers for the beemer while traveling and you can get just about anything for parts support on line overnite from multiple sources!

I'm not sure why I ride the CX..the great rallies???

Any way you go its one of the great pleasures of living free and is a great melting pot out there.

Viva la difference.

I did, Mike. Gusty cross winds would be very uncomfortable compared to the Norge or ST2. It followed rain grooves like a banshee not to mention where the asphalt has been crosshatched by machine to resurface. A friend of mine (RIP) was an airhead guru, so I took it to him and asked what was wrong with it. He took it for a ride and said, seems normal to me..
It was gone shortly thereafter.
I'm vertically challenged, so the Guzzi cylinders are fine.

Any way you go its one of the great pleasures of living free and is a great melting pot out there.

Absolutely. There is *nothing* like a moto trip to see sights and meet the locals. I had flown over the Appalachians many times, but really didn't understand the culture until Dorcia and I took an extended trip through them (on the R100RT  )

[malik]

I've ridden my V7s long distances easily & comfortably, even around my country. I found the 1100 Sport a most comfortable long distance tourer (but from all reports, I must be somewhat odd), but that bike teaches you to pack efficiently & travel light. When you are on the road all day yesterday, today, tomorrow and the next day, you might find that high speed is not so important after all, and you get comfortable doing speeds compatible with looking around.

Other tourers I've known that you might find interesting  -
- the 1200 Sport has to be a contender with up to date mapping, especially if you are on the taller side.
- the early Aprilia RSV Mille has a good reputation as a sports tourer, with the advantage of reliability. 2000 would be a good year.
- the Triumph Sprint ST (although a triple) is built for the task - note that there would usually be nothing wrong with a high mileage one.
- The BMW GS 1150 is impressive, but watch the rear shock, it may need a new one.
- I've known Hinkley Bonnevilles that tour well, but the newest versions are even better built, though may be expensive.
- if you fancy an older Guzzi, and want to do some preparation, check out the Mille GT.

Get yourself out there - it really is an adventure & riding your bike day in day out is a special experience. A warning though - it is addictive.

[Rough Edge racing]

 I'm 6 foot about 175 pounds...I'm not afraid to change a few things or have the seat redone to make it more comfortable..The only fear of a Guzzi or perhaps the Ducati, is a breakdown and parts availability..But the odds are there won't be a problem...

[Chuck in Indiana]

A buddy of mine rode BMW motorcycles 52,696 miles in 2017. I guess they are all bad or maybe he didn't hit any rain grooves

The OP asked for opinions on those 3 bikes. I've had all three, and rode them extensively. Of course, one machine is not indicative of all of them..but that was *my* experience. I would take the Norge in a heartbeat..it will eat miles at an outrageous rate.. the ST2 is a dedicated sport riding position, and tiring *to me* because of that. I did not like the R100RT at all. YMMV, of course. That is why they make all kinds.

[John A]

I've had slight experience on all three and the Norge is the one I'd pick. Any can have trouble but I think you are well suited to get one ready and have a good trip. The main thing is to go, there are so many reasons not to that creep into my mind so I just have to do my best to get ready and GO

[PeteS]

Rough, I had 220k on my '83RT when I sold it 15 years ago. As far as I know its still on the road.
Can't beat the simplicity. The only time it left me stranded is when the clutch arm at the rear of the transmission broke. Stuff does eventually break so I would be thinking of an early '90s one with under 100k miles. You can fix just about anything with the included tool kit.

Pete

[JohninVT]

Breva 1100's with a windshield and bags are usually a thousand or more dollars less than a Norge.  The difference would pay for all of your gas and some lodging on your trip.   

[Daniel Kalal]

This wasn’t the question asked, but…

If you launch a long tour of the entire United States having done—as you say—nothing longer than a hundred miles from your home, you’re going to end your trip with, at best, a very long list of things you wish you had done differently.  At worst, you’ll wish you hadn’t started.

And, what will be on that long list of things?  I don’t know, but probably your chosen motorcycle won’t even make the first page.  But, I’ll mention that there are plenty of people out there (especially Europe) who tour on a Ducati Monster.

I’d suggest that you first do a half-dozen trips of at least two nights each to see if you can’t shorten that post-trip list from your ultimate trip.  An overnight trip doesn’t work as you’d be starting (or ending) both days in your own bed.  There’s something about unpacking in the evening and then repacking in the morning that uncovers all sorts of things you can do better—whether camping or lodging, there will be plenty of things you’ll need to sort out.

I envy you.  Multiple days on a motorcycle will really open the country for you.  Funny thing, while I’ve taken hundreds of motorcycle trips, it’s always the case that it isn’t until the third day on the road that everything settles into a comfortable routine for me and the brain has cleansed itself from all those other things that don’t matter so much.

[Chuck in Indiana]

and the brain has cleansed itself from all those other things that don’t matter so much.

David Cwi used to call a long trip a "cleanse ride." A virtual cleansing of the attic, so to speak. Absolutely right.

Yes, a Monster would be fine to do the trip. I rode the 1000SP out to California with nothing more than a bag tied on the back. If you are not camping, it's plenty. Most people take "way" too much *stuff.*
Daniel's been all over the world with his yellow bag. Finding his thread of what he takes would be a great start.

[Tusayan]

My choice for that kind of job is an old BMW R100GS, which for me is the best all around touring bike there is.  You can do tight roads, it can cruise smoothly along a motorway/interstate at 80 mph, it handles well and it's always comfortable.  Also, you have the reassurance that if it breaks, it's not going to be some annoying technology item that will be complex, time consuming or even impossible to resolve on the road. I have no time for newer BMWs, they annoy me, and I'm not a huge fan of late model Guzzis for the same reasons.

I've had an ST2 and now ST4 since 2009 or so.  These are special bikes to me because they are a thoroughbred sport bike that just happens to have higher bars and good hard luggage that looks great on the bike.  However, to really utilize an ST you need to be riding it pretty fast and hard.  Generally, that's not a practical proposition for many days in a row: first, the US doesn't have twisty roads that go on endlessly for days, and secondly even if you were 30 years old it'd get tiring after a week or so.  For one week in California the ST is my recommendation, but not for a long tour over a wider area unless maybe you were to customize the seat and bar setup very carefully. 

You might consider an older touring Guzzi, an SP or similar, if one of them suits you.  They don't handle as well as the R100GS (I've had plenty of experience on both) but they have many of the same attributes with a more relaxing gait that's soothing over many miles and days.  Just make sure you get the riding position and seat sorted out for your own preferences.

[JohninVT]

This wasn�t the question asked, but�

If you launch a long tour of the entire United States having done�as you say�nothing longer than a hundred miles from your home, you�re going to end your trip with, at best, a very long list of things you wish you had done differently.  At worst, you�ll wish you hadn�t started.

And, what will be on that long list of things?  I don�t know, but probably your chosen motorcycle won�t even make the first page.  But, I�ll mention that there are plenty of people out there (especially Europe) who tour on a Ducati Monster.

I�d suggest that you first do a half-dozen trips of at least two nights each to see if you can�t shorten that post-trip list from your ultimate trip.  An overnight trip doesn�t work as you�d be starting (or ending) both days in your own bed.  There�s something about unpacking in the evening and then repacking in the morning that uncovers all sorts of things you can do better�whether camping or lodging, there will be plenty of things you�ll need to sort out.

I envy you.  Multiple days on a motorcycle will really open the country for you.  Funny thing, while I�ve taken hundreds of motorcycle trips, it�s always the case that it isn�t until the third day on the road that everything settles into a comfortable routine for me and the brain has cleansed itself from all those other things that don�t matter so much.

Very true.  Few people can jump on any motorcycle and do 500 mile days over and over, let alone someone who usually rides less than a hundred.  I've found that if I am stopping and really engaging with people and places during a trip I do closer to 300 than 500 miles.  A Monster might suck crossing the plains or running across Texas at 90mph but it will knock out 300 mile days with plenty of stops fairly easily.  You're also right about packing.  Digging through a poorly thought out packing scheme to find something is a PIA.  When I started doing trips and camping I went minimalist. I quickly found that a ground pad didn't cut it and I now carry a big inflatable mattress and battery powered air pump.  My packing priorities changed because my 49 year old body needs a decent night sleep and getting on a motorcycle when you're already sore from the hard ground takes the shine off a trip quickly.  Stupid things like packing sandals and a roll of quarters for the campground shower get overlooked if you don't do some practice trips.  So do things like having toll money in the top of your tankbag or at least two extra pairs of gloves or a half dozen Ziplock bags.  It can be challenging to stay clean on a longer motorcycle trip.  Everyone thinks they're going to do laundry along the way.  This may seem wasteful to some but I'll pack three pairs of underwear and t-shirts.  When they're dirty I go to Walmart and buy three of each and throw my dirty ones away because I want the layer of clothing next to my skin to be clean.  It's often the little things that make the difference between a fun trip and a miserable one.

A Monster would definitely do it but the fact is that you're going to either overpack or simply pack wrong.  A Breva or Norge with bags can carry a lot more than the Monster so one would be more forgiving of your mistakes in that regard.  Either would also be more comfortable than the Monster.  Put a thottle lock like a Vista Cruise or Throttlemeister bar ends on the Guzzi and you can almost snooze at 80mph for a couple hours when you need to stay ahead of some bad weather or get somewhere quickly.  IMHO a set of handguards is one of the best investments you can make if you're going to tour in the Fall or Spring.  Anyway...Daniel makes some great points.         

[Rough Edge racing]

  Good point about making a few shorter trips....On my Monster it's about 100 miles of endurance, mostly due to the 20 year old seat.The Monster is not a consideration for the trip....The long trip will not not be an endurance riding contest, maybe 300 miles a day, maybe 500 at the absolute most if it's high speed Interstate...I can be primitive when it's required, wash up in creek, poop in the woods, eat the worst food ... but the coffee,a good cup always makes for a good day................ ..

[Chuck in Indiana]

IMHO, 300 miles a day is about right. Gives you plenty of time to smell the roses/see the sights. 500 is a long day in the saddle to me.

but the coffee,a good cup always makes for a good day

When camping, it's a must, but I've even been known to take an Aeropress and small stove when moteling.    You're right. Good coffee makes for a good day, and most hotels don't have that.

[JohninVT]

Are you tall?  This Stelvio is about as cheap as I've ever seen.  You didn't mention a Stelvio being an option but they're mile eaters and this one has extremely low miles for the year and brand new tires.  It also has an adjustable windshield and heated grips.  The bags are top loaders(my preference) and it also has a crash guard.  You can pack on top of flat bags if you need to and it already has the rear rack for a topcase.  You could ride this one all around the country and probably get your money back on it if you sold it after you're done. 

https://newhaven.craigslist.org/mcy/d/moto-guzzi-adventure-bike/6680328163.html

[pyoungbl]

RER, I have taken long trips (by that I mean coast to coast and back) on a ST2, Multistrada 1100, Norge and Stelvio.  Shorter trips (3-6K miles) on a V7.  Any of them work just fine.  The Ducati' were much more sport oriented and I had to do more to make them fit me.  They were also more difficult to fix if anything went wrong or even to do routine maintenance.  As I recall, the ST2 valve check interval was only 7500 miles.  I installed improved valve keepers so that was less an issue in my mind but even a minor problem like a bad relay seemed to be a lot more trouble to sort out due to all the plastic in the way....and then finding a dealer with the correct part.  BTDT.  The Norge and Stelvio were great for a multi day trip.  I found the Norge to be just a bit cramped for my 5' 11" frame and 32" inseam.  The 2012 Stelvio solved that problem and was even easier to work on because of less plastic.  Oh, and don't forget that 8.5 gallon gas tank on the 2012 and newer Stelvio. A newer Stelvio (2013 or newer) with rollers can frequently be had for a good price...in the $6K range.  I cannot comment on the BMW mentioned, having never owned a newer boxer.  I did have a G650GS and it was a decent bike but heavy and doing a tune up was a real PITA.  Don't be afraid to try a smaller bike, maybe a 750 or 850.  As others have mentioned, the bike is only part of the equation.  It's most important to have a seat that fits you, good riding gear (rain suite and heated vest), and a helmet that fits....those bits will either make the trip fun or painful.


Peter Y.

[usedtobefast]

What bike is your friend taking?  Having somewhat similar bikes would probably help a lot ... you'd both want to take similar routes/options (like the twisty route over the mountain vs. the Interstate faster route).

I've known buddy trips to go sideways due partly to bike choice ... and riding preference adding to it. 

I've heard all sorts of stories ...

One guy was a big schedule driven guy, so many miles a day, gotta see this, can't skip that, etc ... the other guy more just out to ride around and see what popped up.  So if something cool came along, like a classic car show in a small town, the first guy didn't want to stop (not in the plan, will mess up the plan, etc) and the second guy was like "wait, this is a really cool car show, we gotta check this out".   For this exact example I think they both ended up losing ... they stopped for a short period of time (so the guy wanting to see them didn't get to see that much), then scheduler guy decided they should skip some cool road and go a more direct route to make up time and get back on schedule.  Whew. 

one big mismatch ... one guy wanted to go to sleep around 9:30-10pm ish, get up early and hit it ... his riding buddy wanted to drink at night and stay up 11-12 and maybe crawl out of bed around 10am  ... they managed a 2 week trip together but I think 10am was the earliest they ever got on the road. 

And then little things ... one guy wanted a quick breakfast, quick lunch, and then nice dinner in the evening .... the other guy wanted big complete breakfast, big decent restaurant lunch, and then a nice restaurant dinner.  So each day they'd spend ~1 hr breakfast, ~1-1.5hr lunch, ~1.5 dinner. 

So another benefit of smaller 2-3 day "test" rides is to test how things go with your ridding buddy.   

[PeteS]

To me the first most important quality of the bike for distance is riding position and seat comfort. Second is reliabilty. If you are thinking about your wrists or butt or knees within the first few hours you are going to be miserable within the first few days.
The majority of bikes made within the last 25 years could likely do this trip trouble free.
FWIW my first long trip was on my Norton in 1972. 8500 miles from western NY to the Pacific. It was a comfortable ride and I was carrying full camping and cook gear. I think we camped 80% or the time. Our longest day was 850 miles, something I have never equaled since. Lacked the reliability though.

 Don't box yourself in with limited choices. Definitely do a bunch of 3-400 miles rides before starting this trip.

Pete

[Rough Edge racing]

 My friend might ride a Buell Ulysses or get a bike like me....I have a brain like a house cat, things have move or I fall asleep...I never make plans, never write anything down, just fire from the hip all the time...It's worked out ok so far....This trip will be more or less unrehearsed...I'll buy a bike, replace this and that take a few 100 mile rides, then with just a few days notice, hit the road and just adapt to the situations

[Darren Williams]

Don't rule out the later model Bonnies. Good simple bikes that do well on a two lane tour but can do interstates.

You didn't say whether camping or not, so that is a consideration. Also, where you are doing might have fuel stations few and far between if out in the Western states. Big tanks/range is nice.

My wife taught me, through our many long MC trips, that whatever you must have that you didn't bring will be sold by someone along the way. Don't overpack!

Daniel Kalal is a master at packing for extended MC trips. Search out his trip reports and packing trips, time well spent. Very wise and experienced man.

[fotoguzzi]

My friend might ride a Buell Ulysses  . 

Great choice, why not get a Uly for your self? the XT version is a little lower and designed more street oriented.. mine was a torq monster..

[malik]

My cousin & I toured around Oz a couple of years back, some 30,000km (call it 18,000 miles) on my two V7s. It was a pleasant change to be riding bikes of the same speed, power & handling characteristics, not to say convenient - same tools, spares. It would have been even better if the tanks had been the same capacity - they are now (put the big tank onion after I got back). The same bike, or similar, is HIGHLY recommended. And if one of you are experienced with the bikes, that's a help too.

Reliability should not be an issue, as has been said above, with any bike made in the last few decades at least, and in some cases, earlier. On that around Oz trip we had a collapsed front wheel bearing ($26 from a local bearing shop), a broken shift lever (rebuilt locally by an aluminium welder for $30), a failed brake light switch (ordered by phone & sent to the shop where a new tyre had been organised) and a blown headlight globe. Other than a flat tyre each, that was it. And you can get out of carrying the tubes & tools for that if you manage to go tubeless. On another bike, on another around Oz trip, I needed a new set of clutch plates - a mate air freighted a set to a convenient airport only 800 miles away, and in the meantime, I met some very good people and had a failing rack welded up. Not really an inconvenience, but an opportunity. I always take along various spare parts, appropriate to the bike, little stuff that it would be inconvenient to wait for, (levers, indicators, globes, fuses, linkages, etc) but they are usually unused.

Great idea to practice - fun too. Get a start on sorting out your gear, and packing it efficiently. I am now comfortable with everything I need, and not too much extra, in 35-40kg (75-90lbs). When I first started it was twice that. Although weight is not the real problem, it's cubic capacity you'll need to refine. And you'll have to work out which camp chair works best for you.

It's vital that you sort out your coffee stuff - lots of info on the coffee forums (Sweet Maria, for example) & the adventure riding forums. At a minimum, I take the moka pot, a stove, roasted beans, a portable grinder, & a couple of glasses (I like my black coffee better in glass than in plastic or tin, but that's me). Replenish the beans along the way. Ensure you have some decent water the night before.

There's adventures heading your way.......

[ohiorider]

My choice for that kind of job is an old BMW R100GS, which for me is the best all around touring bike there is.  You can do tight roads, it can cruise smoothly along a motorway/interstate at 80 mph, it handles well and it's always comfortable.  Also, you have the reassurance that if it breaks, it's not going to be some annoying technology item that will be complex, time consuming or even impossible to resolve on the road. I have no time for newer BMWs, they annoy me, and I'm not a huge fan of late model Guzzis for the same reasons.

I've had an ST2 and now ST4 since 2009 or so.  These are special bikes to me because they are a thoroughbred sport bike that just happens to have higher bars and good hard luggage that looks great on the bike.  However, to really utilize an ST you need to be riding it pretty fast and hard.  Generally, that's not a practical proposition for many days in a row: first, the US doesn't have twisty roads that go on endlessly for days, and secondly even if you were 30 years old it'd get tiring after a week or so.  For one week in California the ST is my recommendation, but not for a long tour over a wider area unless maybe you were to customize the seat and bar setup very carefully. 

You might consider an older touring Guzzi, an SP or similar, if one of them suits you.  They don't handle as well as the R100GS (I've had plenty of experience on both) but they have many of the same attributes with a more relaxing gait that's soothing over many miles and days.  Just make sure you get the riding position and seat sorted out for your own preferences.

It's obviously a personal thing.  I'm a huge fan of the R100GS, having owned and ridden one since new in 1991.  I'll be picking mine up from the BMW tech's shop (independent) early next week.  She's had a lot of new stuff thrown at her .... clutch, petcocks, tranny bearings, new driveshaft, carb rebuild, on and on. 

Admittedly, these bikes aren't known for their brakes .... what with single disk front and cable operated drum on the rear.

There's just something about that spindly Beemer running down the highway at 5000rpm and 80mph that has always felt good to me ..... not at first, but after I owned the bike several months and begin putting some long distance miles on it.

This is the only bike I've owned that fit me perfectly.  I realize that's a fluke .... just saying.

However, some bikes fit a wide variety of body shapes.  My riding buddy Tom and I took our near-identical Triumph 790cc Bonnevilles on an extended ride in 2006.  I'm 5'8", Tom's is at least 6'.  Neither of our bikes had radical ergo mods, and yet both of us totally enjoyed riding several days and 4000+ miles on these relatively small bikes.

Good luck, Rough Edge,  on your choice of bikes for your first long distance ride.  And keep us posted on how it's going!

Bob

[Muzz]

As far as a list of what to take goes I would suggest the list that Daniel Kalal posted not too long ago would be a good place to start.

As far as luggage goes, it all fitted in to a yellow bag on the back; very compact and well thought out after years of touring.

[wirespokes]

I haven't ridden the Norge or any of the others mentioned - only the airhead beemer. I like the R100GS PD better than the R100RT, mostly because I don't like that bike of a fairing. But the R100RT does give good protection. I rode the GSPD across the country four years ago from Portland to eastern PA in three and a half days. I left late and that's why I didn't spend more time getting there, but I wasn't wiped out from the trip at all. It was very comfortable.

On the back roads, though, 300 to 400 miles is about it. And riding in the fall it gets dark earlier and you've got to be careful of dawn and dusk especially, due to deer. So it's a good idea stopping well before dark.

You're going to have fun - motorcycle trips are great! Of course there will be hardships to overcome, but that's what etches them into your memory. And definitely have the ergos sorted before leaving!

[Kiwi_Roy]

Starbucks Coffee sachets with Baileys Irish Cream are great for starting the day.
A small camping stove like an MSR Wisperlite.
Instant Oatmeal with Brown sugar is great to start the day, again a good slug of Baileys to take the place of cream.

I'm currently using a Griso for touring, so far this year an 8,000 km and a 4,700 km trip.
I did splurge $500 on a Corbin seat.
A low mileage California II would be another good Choice.
A Norge or Stelvio would definitely be on the radar if I wasn't so vertically challenged

[Rough Edge racing]

 Ducati ST3 looks like it may be the bike for me...