Help Me Choose a 3 Week Route | GTAMotorcycle.com

Help Me Choose a 3 Week Route

J_F

J_F

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like most of us here I'm missing riding like crazy
didn't get any big runs in last year - work pressures - taking care of that shortly

gonna try the Ape on a long tour this coming summer, 3-4 week time frame
be a mix of camping, air bnb's and the odd hotel stay

3 regions currently on my mind:

Canadian Maritimes including NFLD
have done NB, NS and PEI - never taken the time for The Rock
give myself a week for NFLD including ferry trips
easy ride from Ontario, either through Quebec or US are OK
tons of time for stopping to smell the roses
pretty easy tour, not many miles

Pacific Coast HWY
blast across the middle of the continent
then enjoy a few days in BC
then head down HWY1 to SoCal
blast back to the NE and enjoy a few stops on the way
about half the trip will be heavy mile days

East Coast to the Florida Keys
currently sitting as my most appealing option
about a week to get to the keys
another week carousing with the burnouts in various beach towns
and a week to make it back home
lots of variation possible in the routes down and back

Input? Suggestions??
 
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I've got a soft spot for the SW US. The Pacific coast is nice, lots of good tar roads and great ocean-side views from the road, but personally, I'd spend more time in the desert and the mountains, the Four Corners region: AZ, UT, NM and CO.

Capo should be able to tackle some of the out-of-the-way graded gravel roads.
 
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any trip with BC involved won't disappoint!
 
How many KM a day (and total) are you comfortable covering?

I've been to some amazing stuff out west but unless you're not adverse to some long days mixed in to cover big miles (at the benefit of being able to slow down and smell the roses at the various point-B's) a trip out west in 3 weeks could arguably be a tight schedule.
 
PrivatePilot said:
How many KM a day (and total) are you comfortable covering?
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okay for a few 1,000 km days in a row
then I'm typically looking for a break

so yeah, BC and down to the bottom of Cali is a stretch
a lot of there and back to be covered in 3-4 weeks

I like LC's idea
have seen that region on 4 wheels (AZ mostly)
quite a bit closer and perhaps more time to wander on 2
compared to a full-on PCH trip
 
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A good loop from TO would be down through PA, Blue Ridge Pkwy to Great Smoky Mountains, do some dragon slaying and Cherohaha-ing, then you're at the right latitude to inter-slab over to New Mexico and then play around in the Four Corners. Up to the Black Hills, slab through MN up to Duluth, entering Canuckistan at T-Bay, then you can do the top of Superior back down into the big chitty.

Or if you're running low on time, be less Superior and go through WI, enter Canada at the Soo and be home in 6 hours or so.
 
On the way to the Smokey Mtns check out chimney rock on the NC border.lots of cool history there.
 
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Lightcycle said:
A good loop from TO would be down through PA, Blue Ridge Pkwy to Great Smoky Mountains, do some dragon slaying and Cherohaha-ing, then you're at the right latitude to inter-slab over to New Mexico and then play around in the Four Corners. Up to the Black Hills, slab through MN up to Duluth, entering Canuckistan at T-Bay, then you can do the top of Superior back down into the big chitty.

Or if you're running low on time, be less Superior and go through WI, enter Canada at the Soo and be home in 6 hours or so.
Click to expand...

Too funny, that's pretty much exactly what I was going to suggest. J_F, if you're OK with some long days in the boring spots (in which you can haul ass anyways and make good miles in short times) I'd do this 100%. If you like the twisties, make sure to do the Back of the Dragon as well on the way down, or back, depending on what way you go. I enjoyed it more than the tail, myself.

Did Back of the dragon, tail of the dragon, Cherohala, blue ridge, and Sturgis/Black Hills last year. All were awesome.
 
As long as avoiding long weekend border crossing...also depends on time of year. June is lovely - long daylight and fresh foliage.
 
question: Any one know how much $$$ does a trip like this cost? Average?


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Depends on a ton of variables, the biggest one being if you’re looking to camp (and how creative you are with that, IE free camping options vs $40/night campgrounds) or demand motels at the minimum, or above that again, hotels.

Food budget also varies depending on if you’re the sort who wants sit down meals 3x a day, or is happy with a light breakfast and quick lunch and one sit down meal a day at dinner.

Gas is typically the smallest expense on a daily basis in the grand scheme of long MC trips.
 
I budget a $100 a day doing cheap motels or air BNB, $50-60 a night, fuel is cheap, food in the US is cheap. You've got some tolls and perhaps Natonal Parks fees ...if you are doing many then getting an annual pass is a good thing to do and good for multiple trips.
 
yup...100/day is a good target...
every 5 days or so I'll splurge and get something a bit better...do some laundry and maybe a nicer dinner
..so on those days it's around 150

like to have a destination to aim for as well to stay for a few days...try to find an Airbnb with a kitchen and do my own breakfast and dinners while taking a break from the road

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What range per day are you hoping for? That changes the trip substantially. The capo is such a comfortable bike, most days I was doing more than 1000 km and the highest I got was 2300 km in 24 hours. Make sure your tires are new when you start (or you have a set lined up somewhere) as a three week tour can really put a hurting on them. Three weeks is a really long bike trip if riding is the sole focus.

I would just sleep beside the bike, normally somewhere like a pier, beside a rural road etc. Stop twice a day to eat/pit stop. Gas was my biggest expense. I take old clothes and throw them out when dirty. Saves having to do laundry and makes space in your bags as the trip goes on in case you pick up anything along the way.
 
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GreyGhost said:
What range per day are you hoping for? That changes the trip substantially. The capo is such a comfortable bike, most days I was doing more than 1000 km and the highest I got was 2300 km in 24 hours. Make sure your tires are new when you start (or you have a set lined up somewhere) as a three week tour can really put a hurting on them. Three weeks is a really long bike trip if riding is the sole focus.

I would just sleep beside the bike, normally somewhere like a pier, beside a rural road etc. Stop twice a day to eat/pit stop. Gas was my biggest expense. I take old clothes and throw them out when dirty. Saves having to do laundry and makes space in your bags as the trip goes on in case you pick up anything along the way.
Click to expand...

I don't like to nail down a tight itinerary on a 3-4 week trip
straight up travel days are usually around 800-900
I like to be off the road by 6 PM at the latest

but always some flexibility in the event of weather issues
or just enjoying a certain area issues

last big trip down to the Gulf Coast I ended up staying on South Padre for 4 days
airbnb turned out to be really nice, hostess also turned out to be a great gal
so instead of 2 days I stayed 4 and really enjoyed the area

paid for that on the way back though - 3 days from the bottom of Texas back to Ontario
3 pretty friggin long days!
 
My 2 cents on NFLD: beautiful place, great people, not great for riding. I went back in 2016, mostly to spend a few days in Gros Morne. While the hiking and scenery in and around Gros Morne were worth the trip, most of the riding was very dull. The roads are mostly set back from the coast (historically the village to village transit was done by boat) so the scenery is often fairly dull and the roads themselves are quite boring. If I was to go back, I'd probably take the car and I'd also probably stick to the West coast. St John's is OK, but it's pretty small so you can see most of the sites in a day or so.

Myself, I'd probably go with your Keys option. Except I'd stick to the Appalachian range down to somewhere around Atlanta before heading over to America's wang.
 
GreyGhost said:
What range per day are you hoping for? That changes the trip substantially. The capo is such a comfortable bike, most days I was doing more than 1000 km and the highest I got was 2300 km in 24 hours.
Click to expand...

I agree....being “like an old worn pair of jeans” comfortable on your bike is essential for long days.

Thats what I liked about my old VTX - my record was just under 1900 km in 21 hours (did that during my first Iron Butt) and I could have have kept going from a physical comfort perspective, but the temperatures were not playing nice, and I’d did what I aimed to do, so I was done.

I’ve done a bunch of 1000+ km days as well. Comfort is key. I’m hoping my new ride proves as comfortable as my old one was.
 
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When are you planning the trip for in the summer?

I'm planning to blast to BC in mid July, and trying to arrange a trailer to bring the bike back here vs ride it back, I'm thinking the same time frame as you, 3 weeks. However 3 weeks to BC, spend time riding Calgary/Icefields/Glacier Park/Vancouver Island, drop the bike at my Girlfriends Dad's workshop and have a truck pick it up, and bring it back to Toronto.

I did the 2-3 weeks out to Florida last year (Accident mid way cut the trip short, however Florida had week long thunderstorms, so wasn't looking forward anyway). The ride itself was great. considered NFLD, however the black flies, bugs, like some have mentioned the roads being mediocre, it's off my list this year. Plus it's a place I'd drive to, hike alot and enjoy it slowly. BC and out west, just a dream. My sister lives in Calgary and gf in BC, I go there 3-4 times a year, every corner is breath taking and just built for a bike.

If I can get a rate at between $400-600 for the trailer back, It saves the extra week off work in lost income, mileage, fuel, accommodations (albeit some camping), and adds more time to smell the roses. Not sure if that would be an option or consideration, if not, maybe we shall see each other along the way :)
 
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