California road trip

[Millman]

I'm thinking of taking an epic road trip. Rochester, NY to see my son in San Fransisco. Has anybody done the trip? How long did it take and how many miles a day did you ride. I've done Groton Ct. To Seattle Washington when I was in the navy by car and it took 3 days but that was 30 years ago. So I'm thinking of about 6 to 8 hours a day of road time not including stops. Also what would be an interesting route to take.

Greg


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[Calboy]

Your questions are impossible to answer. Do the homework yourself and whatever seems to bring that adventure feeling to your brain that will be the route to take.
It is pretty much like asking around what type of woman to be attracted to.

 

[barts]

First, decide what kind of time schedule you want to keep, and what kinds of roads you want to ride. Check out the trip planning board on adv rider; lots of good ideas there.

Slabbing it (interstates) is really boring, so chose accordingly

::001::

- Bart

 

[jmcgilroy]

I've done several trips across country, the last being from California to Key West, FL and back. The others are right...only you can pick the route but for the question of miles per day there are a few things that I noticed on my trips. The first being that I tended to put more miles on when I was riding alone. Two or three more guys just equal longer and more frequent stops. Another was that 300-350 miles per day didn't beat me up and I was much better on the subsequent days. Some days (especially alone) I'd put in some marathon miles (660 one day) but you're wrecked on the following day. Worst of all is riding in hot muggy weather, it drains you real quick. There were two days of 105 degree heat and I was looking for a motel with a pool by noontime.

By the way, I live about 70 miles south of SF...give me a hollar if you need anything.

Jim

 

[kgfire]

That's a long trip so be prepared for lots of highs and lows. Weather will be a factor and if you are on a tight schedule the trip could become more work than fun. My advice is take your time, ride as many of the scenic roads you can find, and enjoy the trip. It will be epic!

 

[AVGeek]

I'm thinking of taking an epic road trip. Rochester, NY to see my son in San Fransisco. Has anybody done the trip? How long did it take and how many miles a day did you ride. I've done Groton Ct. To Seattle Washington when I was in the navy by car and it took 3 days but that was 30 years ago. So I'm thinking of about 6 to 8 hours a day of road time not including stops. Also what would be an interesting route to take.

Greg


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I'm assuming a summer trip, so staying to a more northerly route will help with most weather issues. If you have a passport, swinging through at least part of Canada (the Rockies, etc) would be something to consider. Colorado also has some amazing roads (both paved and not), but running too far south in the state gets you into the desert areas of Utah and Arizona. For a tourist trap, Virginia City Nevada is an interesting stop, and the roads into and out of town can be a lot of fun.

 

[Checkswrecks]

If you're a hard core Iron Butter you might be able to do the 2,800 miles in 3-4 days. Back in the Land of Reality. . .


The 1,600 miles to Denver are a boring pain. Consider doing a few build up rides to ride 1000-1100 miles for your first day as a Saddle Sore 1000. Watch your departure time to get through Chicago around the rush hours and you'll be wiped the next day but it basically cuts a day out of time you will be on the bike. Definitely motel after this leg and don't camp. You can rise a bit late, knock out a long but relatively easy 400 mile day, and the next afternoon you are in the Rockies. From there plan less miles per day and see the sights.

 

[magic]

Have you considered taking a northern route? I would think about riding through Canada along the north shore of Lake Superior. You could then ride through northern Minnesota, North Dakota and catch Glacier and/or Yellowstone on your way to San Francisco. This would be longer, but you could avoid all those interstate miles on the southern routes. You did use the word "epic"...right?

 

[itlives]

If you're a hard core Iron Butter you might be able to do the 2,800 miles in 3-4 days. Back in the Land of Reality. . .


The 1,600 miles to Denver are a boring pain. Consider doing a few build up rides to ride 1000-1100 miles for your first day as a Saddle Sore 1000. Watch your departure time to get through Chicago around the rush hours and you'll be wiped the next day but it basically cuts a day out of time you will be on the bike. Definitely motel after this leg and don't camp. You can rise a bit late, knock out a long but relatively easy 400 mile day, and the next afternoon you are in the Rockies. From there plan less miles per day and see the sights.

Wholehearted agree here. On a multi-day trip, I like as much distance as safely possible gone on the first day. 1,000 miles is very doable on the first day if you stop for a short naps when you feel it necessary. After that MY mileage will go down to an easy 500 if slabbing.

Smaller roads are more fun and you can easily do 350 - 450 in a day.

You didn't give a timeline so we can't give more advice.

 

[Bryn]

That sounds like a trip of a lifetime... i'm so envious 8).

When it all comes together don't forget the ride report ::008::

 

[Sckill]

I've done a solo 4 week loop around the country trip from NYC to San Francisco and back on a CBR in May - June 2012 and a 2-up 2 week roundtrip with my wife from NYC to Yellowstone in Aug 2015. 4 weeks made for an awesome trip, 2 was way too rushed. I highly recommend you take your time over a minimum of 2 weeks just to get there.

On my first trip, in 2 weeks I was able to do a nice U all the way down the east coast to FL, across through TX, through the southwest, to Vegas, and then CA exploring places I've never visited, wandering through national parks, and meeting people along the way. You probably can get to San Francisco in a week or less, but you would have to take interstates all the way there and you would miss out on a lot. Granted, there are some states in between where the interstate is the best way to go as there's not much to see.

Taking a northern route and heading for Yellowstone is nice, but there's a whole lot of nothing except for interstates past the great lakes and that part. You could visit the black hills of SD and the badlands, but all of that is on the western side. And once you get past that, there's still a long way to go of nothing before getting to Yellowstone. Even if you go through Canada, you won't find much until you hit Calgary. If you want to visit cities along the way and get some good eats, Madison, WI and Minneapolis are pretty nice places to visit. Just watch out for the traffic that comes along with it.

California and the southwestern states are riding heaven. The PCH is a beautiful ride and a must do, but expect to get stuck behind slower cars, especially in the twisty parts.

Budget your days based on time and not miles because the interesting stuff is on the slower local roads. Google maps will help you there.

Bring a quality rainsuit because you will without a doubt hit patches of bad weather along the way. If you plan on going through the rockies or the high desert in the southwest, prepare for riding in cold temperatures even in summer months. We were in Yellowstone in August and some mornings were in the 40's. Even if you get weather in the 50's, having a heated jacket liner and gloves will make the trip a lot more comfortable. So will quality sunglasses or a helmet sun shade for riding westward. I've never had any issues finding fuel along the way and you can download GasBuddy for your phone to find nearby gas stations if needed. Spoon on a set of new tires before you go or have something ready when you get to San Francisco as well as an oil change.

Hope you enjoy your trip!

 

[Millman]

Thanks guys. I plan on about 2 to 3 weeks. I figure 4 to 5 days of riding each way then 5 days in California. I like the idea of taking the northern route and going through the Canadian Rockies. It will probably be a solo trip this time. Thanks for the advice and I'll let you know how it goes.


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[rider33]

I've ridden out to SF from Wisconsin several times. It's 3 days of hard riding (depending on the weather), longer if you get caught up in something. The last time I rode to NYC it was about 3 days too so you likely could do NY to SF in a week if you pushed but really, why do that? There are a lot of very interesting roads out that way, even I-70 west of Denver is nice. You really do need to pack for anything tho. Last year going out to SF in July I hit 42F and rain thru the Rockies followed by 95+ in Nevada. In the wide open places there are not a lot of spots to hide so pack accordingly (electric vest, layers, cooling vest, water). The Badlands are beautiful, as is Red Lodge, the Rockies, Glacier, the Bonneville Salt Flats, Lolo pass on US 12 in Idaho etc. Really, the only thing you can do to make it boring is to stay on the slab, that's like going to NYC and never getting out of LaGuardia. My suggestion is once you get to SF go up the Pacific Coast Highway to either Portland or BC and then cut back east. I've been trying to get back on the TransCanadian Highway but the last few times forest fires got in the way. Pack right, take your time and follow your instincts. If the little road to the left looks interestibg, take it.

 

[AVGeek]

One other thing to keep in mind, I70 west of Denver is a perfectly acceptable piece of interstate, however, avoid the eastbound side on a Sunday afternoon! All of the weekend warriors from Denver are heading back, and it makes for a really long time to go 25 miles or so.

 

[decooney]

I'm thinking of taking an epic road trip. Rochester, NY to see my son in San Fransisco. Has anybody done the trip? How long did it take and how many miles a day did you ride. I've done Groton Ct. To Seattle Washington when I was in the navy by car and it took 3 days but that was 30 years ago. So I'm thinking of about 6 to 8 hours a day of road time not including stops. Also what would be an interesting route to take.

Greg


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If logging miles is your gig, like others said, anything you choose will be a long ride and the adventure is whatever you make it out to be.

Here is another option for your consideration since you will be going right in to San Francisco.
A good buddy and I did this before we bought ADV bikes, and to try different bikes too. Best thing we ever did and we spent 13+ hours a day riding soaking it all up over 4 days.
Note: Being from the east too, I've driven cars and trucks in all sorts of conditions from CA to MD/PA back and forth at least ten times coast to coast and it's only fun to me if you get a chance to stop-stay longer at key places. Two family members did full US tours on bikes but they did it over a few months versus trying to get there in days or a week...If you have to just "get there", my thought is to get there faster and enjoy it more once you are "there". What I'm going to mention below was developed by an international rider and enthusiast who created this business and service exactly for this reason...just sayin'. And, comparing total time, cost, hotel/camping fees, and fuel investments, this could be an option for ya too.

Plan-B:
-fly from New York to S.F. (save your days)
-take a taxi from the airport to Dubbelju MC Rentals http://www.dubbelju.com/Bikes-for-Rent.htm (KTM, BMW, Triumph, Ducati, etc)
-rent bags or strap on your own duffel bag - and/or have your son come pick up your air-travel bags there at Dubbelju. You'll be right there!
-ride right outta DubbleJu rentals (right in San Francisco) get right on California Highway 1 coast (north or south) in 20 min or to family's place.
-spend more time with family, riding incredible scenery. Here is a link to the Dubbelju NorCal tours page to get ideas on areas to check out: http://www.dubbelju.com/Tour-Northern-California.htm
-Bikes to rent: No more Tenere bikes, gotta FJ-09 now (fun), or rent a GS, or KTM 1190 shows $199 for two days, got Multis, others, KTM here: http://www.dubbelju.com/rental-bikes/1190-adventure

NO, i don't work for Dubbelju and not affiliated with them other than being a very happy customer and waited years too long to do this. It was worth far more than the little bit of money spent to rent the bikes for 4 days. I rented the GSW, buddy rented the Multi.

If it were me, Plan-B would become Plan-A! Good luck on the ride or whatever you decide to do. ::008::

 

[VRODE]

Went from Northern Vt to SLC last year. The northern route (enter CA from western NY and exit at Sault Ste.Marie) was cooler and had less traffic. Did it in 5 days but 1 day was spent at Badlands and Devils tower. And I was on my Gen1 FZ1. Wish I'd had the ST for the trip. I'd say give yourself at least 5 days to get out there (and that's assuming good weather).