Checklist
The following tipps were taken from here and some of them may appear to be helpful:
#1 Stop putting it off, life is short! Don’t forestall joy.
#2 America is a lot bigger than you thought.
#3 Take at least two weeks to do the ride, ideally more (see #2)
#4) When choosing a bike, bigger/more expensive does not automatically = more fun.
#5 Regarding accessories: more farkles = more distractions = less fun.
#6 Interstates = ZERO FUN
#7 Interstates save time, but do you really want the trip to end sooner?
#8 Make sure your tires have at least 3-4000 miles of life left in them.
#9 If you ride a sportbike, they won’t!
#10 If you can read a map, you don’t need a GPS unit. Plus maps look better with coffee spilt on them.
#11 Michelin maps are the best and most detailed, get them from Amazon.com
#12 If you’re riding in summer, buy a cooling vest, they’re awesome.
#13 Bring earplugs and don’t be lazy about wearing them if you value your hearing.
#14 People will be asking you to tell them about this trip for years, so:
#15 Start and end your trip in an interesting place.
#16 Take plenty of photographs and video (iPhones are great for both)
#17 Make sure to note the names/locations of the places that resonate in you
#18 Blog about your trip while on the road (if you do that kind of thing)
#19 Bring a smartphone so you can Tweet/Facebook/Youtube realtime when you stop.
#20 Consider riding for your fave charity
#21 Learn about how to raise money by contacting the charity (they often have instructions on their website)
#22 Use a smartphone with GPS so you can easily geotag photos
#23 When you upload your pics to Flickr etc, use the geotags so people know where the photo was taken
#24 In some rural parts of the country, cell reception will be non existent
#25 Best months to cross the USA on a motorcycle: May to October
#26 If you bring rain gear or heated clothing, you won’t need it
#27 If you don’t bring it, it will be cold and pouring every day of your trip
#28 Weather band radio is very useful, especially during tornado season in the midwest
#29 Hi-viz bike clothing makes you look like a tool whether you’re in NYC or Yellowstone
#30 If you set up camp in known grizzly bear country, and play acoustic versions of Death Cab For Cutie songs by the fire before going to bed, you 100% deserve to get mauled
#31 It’s a long ride, and you’ll be tired at day’s end. Motorcycle camping is for the young, the poor, and the acutely adventurous.
#32 For everyone else, Best Western, Motel 6 and Super 8 are the better choice.
#33 Breakfast buffets in America are almost always overpriced and underwhelming.
#34 Eat a light breakfast, light lunch with healthy snacks as needed until dinner.
#35 Save the heavier meals for nighttime.
#36 Do not drink any alcohol until after the bike is parked for the day.
#37 If you ride a Triumph Bonneville, old guys are going to come up and tell you about their old Trumpets every time you stop.
#38 Go to bed early (by 10pm) and be on the road no later than 7:00am. It’s a treasure to watch the world wake up, as an observer, on a motorcycle.
#39 You’ll take your best photos around dawn and dusk, that’s when the light is best. Think about that when you’re deciding where you’re going to be at those times.
#40 East to West, or West To East? Well, America “opens up” as you head East to West. West to East, it gets more congested and populated. Psychologically, East to West “feels” a bit better because of that.
