Go West Young Man

dave M

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Oct 19, 2005
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Ladies and Gentlemen, Myself and a friend are planning a trip this August/September from Boston, Ma to Los Angeles, Ca. The intention is to do it on Harley Sportsters which I observe can be had for 3 or 4 thousand dollars almost anywhere in the country. We would plan on spending about 14 to 16 days on the trip and would aim to cover approx 300 miles per day. Any advise from US based enthusiasts as to worthwhile places to see and or interesting events of any nature occurring during that time of year would be gratefully received. We will probably head down to Niagara Falls, then on to Detroit to visit the Ford Museum in Dearborn, then on to Chicago to hear some Blues and thereafter it looks like we can keep going due West until we hit The Rocky Mountains or else South west towards Kansas and head towards California through desert country. We want to visit a few places that we have only encountered in American literature and popular music; See if the Wichitaw lineman is still on the line and maybe bungee jump of the Talahachi bridge, meet a dog called Toto in Kansas and visit the Steinbeck Centre in Salinas. Advise and gentle ribbing gratefully received.
 
If you are in chicago, it's only an hour north to milwaukee. TC's sunset motors is in kenosha along the way. HD museam in milwaukee, Morries place after you head out of town. Plus lots of great places to eat. Too late in the season for Summerfest or EAA. MIght pickup an ancilary fest at that time. Always music and food. If you are around on a tuesday there is a nice bike night at the Culvers on 124th and capitol drive. Plus A few bike bars downtown aand on the east side, some not eaven Harley related. http://www.rockerbox.us/ aug 4th 2012 big non harley street show, all day.

And if you want to stop by my shop you are welcome to. It's not much, but there are always Nortons there.
 
Whichever route you choose, make sure to stop in Birmingham Alabama for an evening, spend the next full day from opening time to closing at the Barber Vintage Motorcycle Museum, then relax for the evening and be on your way the next day.

You'll need at least one or two 16GB memory chips for your camera (just for this one stop).
 
Thanks Bwolfie, There seem to be lots of decent Harleys in this price range. I am thinking of buying one in California when I am there for a visit in March, that way I can kick the tyres and do whatever bike-preparation is required, leave it at a friend's and then truck it over to the East Coast nearer the time of the trip. I am going the Harley route for two reasons, they are cheap and plentiful and I expect there will be dealers in almost every area if technical help or parts are needed. The other reason is that it seems appropriate to do an American trip on an American bike even though I'm not particularly a Harley enthusiast, maybe I will be by the end of the trip!

Paul, I doubt we will make it as far down to the South East as Alabama due to time constraints on this particular trip. I will probably have to leave that for another day.
 
Well, I would ship one of my Nortons over for the trip. There may not be a dealer in every town but there are enthusiasts in many and Old Britts is just a phone call away.

With that said, you might want to do the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, for what would motorcycles be without rock and roll? It wil be baseball season, so I would be tempted to do something like go to a Cubs game. If you are not a baseball fan, seeing the Cubs might not make sense but it is sort of like spending at day at Disneyland if you believe in fairies. By the time you get out west, it should be noted that September is statistically the dryest month on the scenic Oregon coast. It is a really great ride too down into California as it would take you through the redwoods, Golden Gate Bridge, and other notable locations.

Russ

PS-If your Commando broke down along the way, I can't imagine that a post on this site wouldn't produce a truck and tools on the scene fairly rapidly.
 
Hi Dave,

I thought the Wichita Lineman retired a few years ago, and I'm pretty sure that bungee jumping off that bridge is no longer permitted. :wink:

But when you reach Colorado why not stop by for a visit? I'll buy you a beer. You could then continue on down to Dolores, visit the CNW facilities, and take in some very nice scenery along the way.

cheers,
Debby
 
Russ, I had thought about shipping a Norton there and back to do the trip, but frankly the cost is prohibitive and the logistics problematic. Buying a Harley and selling it upon reaching my destination makes the most sense on many different levels. I've never been to a baseball game, but I'm sure it is a worthwhile and necessary adjunct to any attempt to capture a sense of American culture. When does your cricket season start?

Debby, I had thought about calling in on CNW and of course would be delighted to meet you, after having enjoyed our interaction on this site. Hopefully my yet to be planned route takes me near enough. I hope to meet a number of other Norton friends during my travels and in fact a perusal of the locations of various contributors on the site may well offer useful guidance as to which areas to visit and, perhaps more importantly, those to avoid!
 
dave M said:
. When does your cricket season start?
Click to expand...

Usually after the spring thaw, those buggers are everywhere, and man can they jump :shock:
 
Very, very, VERY cool Dave !!! IMO Sportsters are super cool. 8) They are fun to ride, and some can get really good MPG as well. If at all possible, I would recommend a 2004 or newer though. From 2004 on ... Sportsters have rubber mounted engines (kind've like the Norton ...) and are much smoother and more comfortable on trips than pre 2004 models. (2003 and earlier vibrate some, and can really ... "wear you out." ) I bought a brand new 2005 XL1200R and absolutely luved it !!! (sold to my son who totaled it :cry: ) ... but I still have a 1999 Buell Cyclone I bought new as well. It's like a Sportster on "steroids", super powerful :D and with a rubber mounted motor, it is pretty smooth as well.

By the way, I don't know anyone who plays "cricket" around here ...
 
Buddy Guy's in Chicago. The real deal. And the Buena Vista in San Francisco, they invented Irish Coffee.
 
Of course there are sites like Wounded Knee, and areas of scenic wonder like Bryce Canyon and Zion.

+1 on Buddy Guy's.
 
The basic route has been worked out, although nothing is set in stone. We will go from our starting point in Rhode Island to Niagra Falls, then Ann Arbor and on to Indiana. we have friends or family to visit in all of these places and a bed for the night. Then on to St Louis and do a bit of Route 66 down to Tulsa and beyond, next stop Amarillo, Albuquerque, Taos, Flagstaff/Grand Canyon, Lake Elsinore and finally L.A. 11 days in all, leaving a couple in reserve for contingencies. It still needs a lot of research and our preference is to stay in smaller towns a few miles before or after the larger towns or cities. We are taking the Southern route because we think it will be warmer and we do live in The Tropics, also the historic Route 66 is something we want to do, although I am well aware that it is difficult to find in places and often off the beaten track, but that is half the fun. Any words of wisdom would be very welcome.
 
You should consider Motorcycle rental. Last summer while on my way back to Wisconsin from the Springfield Mile, I met 2 gentlemen from Germany that had rented 2 Harleys in Los Angeles and were riding to New York. There was some language barrier, but I understood that they were leaving the bikes in New York. I could be wrong about that. This would eliminate the problem of finding and reselling 2 bikes, and the rentals are probably well serviced. You would need to search the web for rental agencies.
 
XTINCT, I looked at bike hire and the deals I saw were all over $2,500 and when you can buy a decent Sportster for little more than that, it simply doesn't make sense. The guy who is travelling with me is married to an American lady and they have a house in the L.A. area. I could leave it there and have one of her relatives sell it for a lot less than I paid for it and I'd still be better off, furthermore I might keep it if I like it, as I typically visit the US every year in August for the classic car events in the Monterey Peninsula area.
 
Outside of Flagstaff/Grand Canyon. is the longest continuous stretch of 2 lane Route 66 left.
(Ashfork, AZ to Kingman, AZ)
I suggest taking it.
 
Let us know when you get close to Southern California & we'll meet up for a ride & lunch/dinner. Glenn.
 
Thanks Mark and Glen. I have been traveling hence my late reply. The Flagstaff/Grand Canyon experience is definitely in the plan and will keep you up to date with progress. I will be in Carmel California in a couple of weeks and will keep an eye out for a suitable bike for the trip. I have already been trawling through Craigslist for nearby cities and there looks like a lot of people are selling and not too many buying, so I feel there is every opportunity to get something suitable, run it round a bit and service it before putting it to bed for a few months until my next visit.
 
I am currently in California and have just acquired a 1995 Harley 883 Sportster. The chap who owned it is in a home suffering from Alzeimers and it hasn't been ridden for a few years. It has saddle bags, a larger tank and 14,000 miles on it. I already managed to start it by cleaning the carb and draining the tank. The tires are toast and it's a bit dusty and with small areas of rust mainly on the exhaust heat shileds. It cost me $1,500 which I think is a deal. I should have new tires, fresh fluids and new handlebars before I leave the US, hopefully I can take it for a short spin around the block and then freshen it up when I come back in August.
 
$1500 sounds like a great deal. It's a shame about the PO. But it's nice to know it will be brought back to running order and used as it should. Good luck on your trip, it sounds great.
 
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