Looking for motorcycle trip ideas

[max9505672]

Hey guys!

A friend and me (both mustachian) are planning a first motorcycle trip for next September. We both have 3 weeks off and are looking for the best bang for your buck trip on a motorcycle.

We are from Canada (Quebec) and currently exploring 2 alternatives :

1. Leaving from Quebec on our own motorcycles aiming for south of USA (either east or west coast TBD)

• + no need for a plane ticket
• + no need to rent motorcycles
• - a lot of groung to travel (mostly boring highways) before getting somewhere cool (ex. California)
• - generally HCOTraveling country (USD vs. CAD is not so good for us)
• - no ''warranty'' on weather conditions (yes, I know, weather is never a warranty, but I think you know what I mean)

2. Taking a plane to a LCOTraveling

• + could most likely land somewhere cool, with nice weather
• + LCOTraveling country day to day cost would be X% of USA
• - need for a plane ticket $$$
• - need to rent motorcycles

Obviously, there are many variables here and even more not mentionned and I don't expect a clear or unanimous choice/decision. I am mostly looking for advices/experiences from motorcyclists. Where have you been? What are you suggesting? Why?

Thanks

[RyanAtTanagra]

You're in a great place to start a trip from.  If I were you I would head south into New England then southwest, following the Appalachian mountain range to it's end.  I did this from Ohio and it was epic, doing it from where you are is even better.  We went all the way to NOLA which is a great place to hang out for a couple days, then head back via different roads.  There shouldn't be much of a boring road problem (should rarely have to touch a highway, if at all), and not high cost if you're camping, which I would recommend.  I'd avoid the coasts themselves as they're crowded, and the best roads are inland along the mountain ranges.

If you've never done a week+ trip, plan on 400 miles/day (650km/day) on back roads, which is a good amount of riding, but not hurrying, having time for breaks and stopping to snap pictures.

What I did was get a AAA map of every state we were going to go through.  In the morning we'd break camp and ride till we found a diner (there are always diners on back roads) for breakfast, and look at the map and estimate how far we'd think we'd get, and pick a couple campground options, depending on where we were as the sun got low.  AAA maps are nice because they mark all AAA campgrounds, which are most of them.

Alternatively, since you have plenty of time, I'd just head across Canada to BC.  That'd be a beautiful trip, and varied as far as terrain.  If a stretch looks boring, I'd just go further north which is I imagine would be more desolate and beautiful to make up for it.

Also, do some all-day and weekend rides over the summer.  The body needs to adjust to being on a bike and, more importantly, wearing the weight of a helmet on it's head/neck/shoulders.

[HipGnosis]

What motorcycles do you and your friend have and how much long distance travelling experience and equipment do you have?

If you like dirt bikes at all, I've read some great posts online about going to Costa Rica and renting dirt bikes or taking a tour with them.

[bluebelle]

your profile doesn't say how old you are, but since it's your first trip, your knees are probably much younger than mine.....unless you get some serious saddle time in before September, you're going to find 3 weeks of constant riding physically tiring.   If you want stay in Canada, I highly recommend the maritimes, especially the Cabot trail (speaking from experience - sight see or ride, don't do both or you may end up on the wrong side of the road in a twisty, plan to stop at the overlooks, ride it clockwise or both if you've got the time!). 
As Ryan said, 400 miles/day on back roads is alot (depending on just how twisty the roads you pick), if you're super-slabbing it (major highway), 1000 miles is doable, but the boredom will make you insane.
You can't go wrong with anywhere around the white mountains in New Hampshire.....
The roads are great between Dubois and Williamsport in Pennsylvania....(I'm out of Toronto, so we pop down to Pennsylvania for our 6 day rides)
No biker should miss the tail of the dragon (google it hwy 129 211 curves in 11 miles)- do not ride it on the weekend - too busy.
The blue ridge parkway is breathtaking (again, can be pretty slow on the weekends, it begs for 40-50mph but it's 25mph in places and it's a national park - don't get caught speeding), but cris-crossing the blueridge all the way down to the dragon is a great trip....
We used to stop at a different motel every night, but we've come to appreciate riding to a spot and staying for 4-5 nights and just doing day trips without the luggage...and we stay in places with efficency kitchens and eat in the room, a little cheaper, and after a days ride, we enjoy a good shower, and the peace of eating in the room with the AC blasting rather than a restaurant and all the noise.

pull up google maps, look where the parks are, look at elevation changes (makes for twisty roads).....

keep the rubber side down!

[FallenTimber]

Personally, I love the anticipation of motorcycle trips just as much as the trip itself. I love prepping the bike, laying out all my gear, tools, and having confidence in my bike. I feel like I have a special bond with my bike, and as silly as this may sound, I’d feel like I’d be leaving a family member behind if I were to simply fly somewhere and rent one.

My buddy and I have done a couple trips together, including up to Deadhorse, Alaska to swim in the Arctic Ocean. That one was over 10k miles round trip and took 30 days, averaging between 300-400 miles every day. We personally found that 300 was our sweet spot. Long enough to cover some ground, but short enough to not feel rushed stopping for pictures, checking out side roads, etc. We were also in our early 20s and didn’t mind the labor of setting up a tent every single night in the heart of grizzly country (saw over 20 of them, including some bluff charge moments where we thought we were dead).

Anyway, I’m a fan of the Rocky Mountains and would likely recommend going there. Some folks love the Trans America Trail as well.