going to BC on bike, tell me everything you know. | GTAMotorcycle.com

going to BC on bike, tell me everything you know.

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rashidme

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In order to quench my thirst for riding I have decided to do a round trip to BC on my trusty/mighty z1000. those bravehearts who have done the feat please tell me everything there is to know like:
- how long was the trip?
- did u camp or motels?
- how much extra gas you had to carry?
- any interesting places to stop by?
- cost?
- how boring are prairies Lol?
- riding gear, luggage suggestions??

Please add more if you wish. I will going through Canada.

Thanks in advance.
 
All I can add to it is living in Alberta experience. Night time = cold in ab and bc. Yes even in mid summer. That said it will be warm mid day so gear with liners or removable layers are likely your best bet.

I like the north route personally into bc but if you stick to the south it's quicker and you'll see more places like Creston, Fernie, Cranbrook. Venture a little off that highway and check out Kimberly. It's a pretty cool mountain town. Osoyoos is also a pretty cool place to see.

The prairies are the suck! Worst crap ever. Monotonous forever driving straight bs. If I never see them again it will be too soon.

I've never ridden from here to there but I've ridden Calgary to Vancouver a few times. Watch out for rc's. Some of them make the opp look like saints :D
 
rashidme said:
In order to quench my thirst for riding I have decided to do a round trip to BC on my trusty/mighty z1000. those bravehearts who have done the feat please tell me everything there is to know like:
- how long was the trip?
- did u camp or motels?
- how much extra gas you had to carry?
- any interesting places to stop by?
- cost?
- how boring are prairies Lol?
- riding gear, luggage suggestions??

Please add more if you wish. I will going through Canada.

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...


- how long was the trip?
--- I took 4 weeks. Toronto to Vancouver/Tofino and back.

- did u camp or motels?
--- motels for the most part.

- how much extra gas you had to carry?
--- none. There is rarely a gas station more than 100 kms. I usually stopped every 100 kms to fill up and stretch. My days averaged about 500 kms.

- any interesting places to stop by?
--- from a riding perspective? Hwy 3 in BC, The Icefields Parkway, the Kananaskis.
--- from a touristy perspective? Badlands/Drumheller in Alta, the rainforest on Vancouver Island are two I thought were great. Vancouver the city is great too. It is an expensive place to stay though. Fortunately, I stayed with a friend. He saved me $1000 easy.

- cost?
--- admittedly, I don't remember. but generally, I think I paid about 50 a day on gas, 90 on accommodations, and about 30 on food

- how boring are prairies Lol?
--- on the way, they're quite serene. But, you only need to do them once. Though my route was not exactly the same both ways, I blasted through the praries on the way home.

- riding gear, luggage suggestions??
-- I had side bags, a tail bag, and a duffel bag. The tail bag had all the stuff for the moto itself (spare parts, tire pump, maps etc). The other bags had clothing


Some extra notes:
- I have CAA and used it on my trip. Very handy in places you don't know.
- Make sure your tires have enough meat on them. At the time, I just put fresh sport tourers. They handled the 12,000 kms no problem.
- try to allocate a point in time where you will need an oil change, and look into local dealers that can do them.
- I bought a $10 gel seat at CT. Best $10 I ever spent.
 
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You're going to get so many different answers, I'm not sure how it's going to help you.

Some do the trip in 4 weeks, others do it in 4 days.
Some camp, some stay in hotels.
Some people carry extra gas, some don't - because some gas up every half-tank, others try to have a staring competition with the reserve light. Also depends if your tank is 10L or 30L, as well as if your bike is a 250cc thumper or 6-cylinder 1800cc...
Some people think provincial parks are interesting, others think titty bars are interesting
Some people spend $2 for lunch, for others, tipping the maitre'd at the door costs them $10 before even sitting down

My suggestion is to do longer and longer trips. Start off with a weekend ride. Do 1,000 kms. Then more. Figure out what you find interesting on these trips. How far can you go on a tank? How often do you like to stop? How many kms can you comfortable travel in a day? What is uncomfortable on your bike over long distances? How do you fix this?

Figure out what the right answers are based on your own experience and preferences.
 
Wow!!! Some really nice and helpful responses. @chaos what bike you rode to BC? And +1 for gel seat. I am gonna definitely check it out. I have two weeks vacation and can do 1000km/day so I guess I can do one way in 4 days. I am excited!!
 
rashidme said:
Wow!!! Some really nice and helpful responses. @chaos what bike you rode to BC? And +1 for gel seat. I am gonna definitely check it out. I have two weeks vacation and can do 1000km/day so I guess I can do one way in 4 days. I am excited!!
Click to expand...

I used my Monster 696.

here is my touring set up:

IMG_0913.JPG
 
Went TO to Van every year for years a while back. The first time was via the TransCanada...the rest thru the States along different routes. I camp. Tank bag, saddle bags and (tent, sleeping bag etc.) bundled and strapped to the back seat.

.....the saddle bags and orange ground sheet and tent inside has been in use for over a couple of decades.
 
on the must do list when you get to BC... the sea to sky highway 99 Vancouver past Whistler to Lillooet you can take the long way up further or head back down the other side on hwy 12 to Lytton connect to hwy 1 past Hells Gate to Chilliwack and west again along hwy 7... did that run last summer on a rented V-strom.. have a safe run & rubber side down and post a ride report when your done please.
 
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