How much money did you save up out of interest?

Thinking of doing something similar but Europe-Asia-America-UK next July for 6 months and curious to know how much others budget!

Cheers and good luck!!!

Good luck Graham. I'm majorly jealous of you for the South American part of the journey, although possibly not quite so much for the columbian bit Stay out of trouble, give us an update when you can and most of all have fun but I don't think that'll be difficult will it?

WOW, good luck with your trip and enjoy! I'm a big fan of http://www.advrider.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and there are lots of ride reports and advice there. Colombia might sound scary but they all say it's beautiful and worth the visit.

How much money did you save up out of interest?

Thinking of doing something similar but Europe-Asia-America-UK next July for 6 months and curious to know how much others budget!

Cheers and good luck!!!

Money is a minor thing, i have enough for food, beer and petrol. the rest is as you make it. Budget 70 dollars a day for the states and have yet to spend more than 40 though. A determination and open mind is better!

Just a quick update, made it into canada eventually after customs pulled me immediately for having hand luggage consisting of a crash helmet and moto x boots lol. 4HoURS! later i was out and in toronto with my the bike. Headed out into niagra to see the falls and thats was amazing! I'll post up pictures later but its worth putting up with the tacky tourist town to check them out, staggering.

From there i hit out on the small roads and east to boston for the night which included me pulling up very randomly outside harvard. Oh yes my best english upper accent even got me a free room for the night including beer!! So now i'm writin this looking out at the rugged atlantic, its muggy and i'm knackered but very elated and the beer is cold. Tomorrow... NEW YORK! and after that i can get out of this cosmopolitan lifestyle, leave the coast behind and look for the deep south. I must admit i was worried at first about being lonely but that passed with the tears when i said goodbye at the airport and now i'm here i know its been worth all the hassles. I'll post piccies up soon.

good times.... oh yes i am

Have a great time mate

I think I too would want to do such a trip alone

I look forward to the regular reports, so I can wheep with envy

You won't believe how jealous I am of you right now! Keep us all updated, as I love hearing about these sort of trips. Will be doing one myself as soon as I can afford to.

Okay so i finally have found a cheap enough internet cafe that serves cold beer and its on the beach so perfect. Still on the east coast at the moment down in delaware and the weather is scorching hot as it has been so ffar all bar one of the days. What i'm going to do if okay with paul and dave is try and give you all a kind of ride report of the trip as i go because i know many of you and expect your interested.

Day1 & 2
So i arrived in toronto and got snagged imediately by immigration who couldnt understand why i was coming off a plane carrying hand luggage consisting of motox boots, a lid and hefty jacket which i was sweating my nads off in!! whilst i found it amusing watching them rip apart all my checked baggage and look at panniers and clothing i started to get really angry after 3 hours of pointless questions and checks. After 4 they figured i really did have a bike in customs too so all of a sudden 'have a good time in canada sir' Yeah right thanks for putting me off your country.

So got to a small hotel i'd booked up and went for a walk around, pretty place toronto but i was itching to get going so got an early night.

Up first thing in the morning and into customs 5 minutes later i was ina dark danky warehouse admiring a line of 2010 ferraris and wheeling the bike out and getting loaded up


Hello baby


So i get rolling and hit the interstate with the aim of niagra falls by lunchtime, 2 hours later i'm there and parked up grab a burger and ignore all the trade stalls to stop and take in the staggering horseshoe of the canadian falls, truly awe inspiring. I snap a few photos wander down to the american falls and then back on the bike and into the usa via lexington bridge. That was supposed to be hard but i got more compliments about the bike than anybody being worried about me being a terror suspect






So from there i followed the highway around lake ontario and stopped for the night pitched the tent and crashed out dreaming of taking a barrel over the falls

Day 3-5 So i awoke early thanks in part to an early nights sleep and fuelled me and the bike up. I changed the tank to a 5.5 uk gallon job before i left and get an easy 240miles to a tank for a total cost of 9dollars!! And yet the people here still complain about the price.
This stuff works well on people too and it fired me up to do what your about to read

So i checked my map and gps unit and could find nothing worth doing that morning and i had to be in boston the following day to meet some long lost family. My aim was albany about 300 miles away so i got on the interstate and got plodding, 74mph on a single cylinder thumper was a nice pace and i spent the morning taking in the vast forests of new york state and smelling nothing but pine needles. Stoppong in albany for gas revealed it to be lunchtime and that i'd knocked the journey out in one hit, no wonder my bum hurt!!

Chatted to a cement mixer driver who couldnt understand why i found his truck strange, surely the cylinder should face the other way round??

Back on the interstate i saw a sign saying 280miles to boston. Well i'd like to see it so i gassed off and didnt stop until i got there, just as it got dark i pulled up outside the boston red sox baseball ground and watched the big screen trying to understand what the appeal of this game is?? Surely its rounders with protective clothing! Found my way to the park and got a bearing of where i was when i saw harvard university and people watching me pull up on this funny number plate bike. Well a short chat later i was at boston tech college with a beer no idea how i got there and was allowed to set up my sleeping bag in a living room if i give my email address out and keep in touch! perfect.

My camera had gone flat and i was annoyed at not getting more pics but at least they let me charge it for free!

The following morning i was off headed for a small fishing village called newtown on the east coast near providence. A lovely quaint fishing village i had a nice few days spent with family and playing with younger relatives who wore me out. It was nice to rest for a few days though




Apologies for the poor photos, my camera work is improving!

So spent a nice few days there including going out on a friday night with a group of high school teachers who were so rowdy and open that i will never look again at all teachers and stereotype them as dull people!.
The final night i went out with a cousin and had a few beers before watching the sun set sat on the bonnet of a truck looking out over the calmest lake i've ever seen. It was beautiful......

Superb man... Just f/cking superb.

I reckon I might have to feign madness, run away for 6 months and get a thumper to visit the states on....

Looking forwards to your next update. ride safe mate

So i got back on the road and arrived at bridgeport to take the long island ferry because without a boat trip, its not a biking holiday. With me having been cocky and prebooked a room i could relax and watch the sunset.




I arrived in long island and followed the tiny coast road down to the queens area of new york. It was only when i returned from a bar that i noticed that the area had a slight rough atmosphere and i was the only white person about late at night. The receptionist behind the glass facia hadnt clicked earlier either So my camera stayed in my pocket. But hey... it was cheap.

I awoke to sunshine and the added surprise of having all major organs and bodily limbs intact. A look out the window and blow me the bikes still there too!
Get in sunshine today i dump the bags and its new york new york. Flick through the traffic and the bikes awake from losing its touring clothes and snarling like a good un. Through the midtown tunnel under the hudson and out into mad crazy funky manhatten. Onto 34th street and the bike policeman watching me take photos as i ride doesnt tell me off, no he insists i park next to his 'work' bike and go up empire state. Well how could i say no to that??



Once up there the sheer scale of this city hits, i normally avoid big towns but this one is special, the basic foundation of fitting so much into a small area amazes me and the beauty up the top of the whole area is a sight to behold.




Photo riding? na its fine