Ridiculous motorcycle trip next summer - how much time do we need?

[BerksCountyDave]

Next summer, my fiance (wife at that point), 5 friends, and myself are planning a HUGE motorcycle trip around the country. We're trying to decide how much time we need to do this and still be able to take our time and enjoy ourselves. Here's the plans:

1. Start in Berks County, PA
2. Sacramento, CA
3. Flagstaff, AZ
4. Amarillo, TX
5. El Dorado, KS
6. Miami, FL
7. Boston, MA
8. Back home to PA

According to mapquest:
Estimated time: 122 hours, 59 minutes
Total distance: 7938 miles

I'm thinking a month and a half. What do you guys think?

We each have a reason for wanting to go to these places, and I'm really looking forward to this trip. There are a ton of things to be worked out, but for now I'm trying to find out how much time we're going to need for this.

[Atomic Dog]

Don't know, my trip went faster than expected because apparently I like to drive fast on country roads and avoid all traffic.

Take off more time than you need because on a long journey you will slow your daily mileage after the first 2 or 3 days.

[Bmaninmifco]

I'd say a good 2 months if not all summer just to give yourself time to get where your going but also to check out things you may see along the way.

[str8shooter]

What a great trip! I did 28 days with 28 states (or something like that) and planning it can be as exciting as the trip itself.

First thought. Can the mapquest time estimate, especially on a bike. If you hit storms, you lose time possibly days. You'll most likely need more rest and gas stops than in a car too.

Second thought. There's a lot to see in between the places you have listed. If you're going the distance, you should plan to spend some time at the way points to get extra rest, and since it may not be something you'll get to do again until you're carting grandchildren around, you should make the most of it. I went from ChesCo, took a southern route as far as Phoenix, squeezing in Santa Fe, Mesa Verde and Arches NP amongst other spots, but didn't quite make it to CA. Then I headed North through The Grand Tetons, Yellowstone and then took a northern route home. Four weeks was barely enough time for that, and I had to do a lot of night time driving so we could sight see during the days. Something I wouldn't recommend for a relatively new biker. I'd say 8 weeks minimum since you're going all the way to CA, dipping all the way to Miami (and of course then you'll have to go to the keys, a bikers haven), and then all the way back up to to Beantown.

Third thought. Eight thousand miles is without side trips, food and gas stops, and the obligatory ride down route 66 at some point during the trip. You should add another 1000 miles for incidentals. That's going mean some stops for maintenance like oil change, maybe a fresh set of shoes, and if you have a carburator, an adjustment for altitude might be in order when you join the mile high club.

Fourth thought. Make reservations for the popular areas early, especially for the weekends. The affordable places fill up fast in the summer. What I did was made reservations for some key spots, but left a few nights in the middle of week open so I had options to stay one place an extra day or leave a day early, but always had a reservation for where I wanted to be on the weekends.

Fifth thought. If you plan on hauling ass out to Sacramento with no particular places to see in between, put your bikes on a train and relax on the way out, and then ride back. You can hit your points of interest, and have a more relaxing trip in less time.

Damn I'd like to make a trip like that again. Maybe when the economy goes to shit and I'm unemployed, I'll just head out and ride 'til I'm out of money, gas and ammunition.

[BerksCountyDave]

Str8, thanks for the awesome reply. Rep coming your way. The whole summer sounds awesome. I'm not working next summer, and neither is my fiance, so we could do it. Not sure about the rest of the group.

I will also have to research firearm transport laws in various states. I will not make this trip while my guns are all at home. My girl and two of our buddies have GPS systems on their bike, so that could prove to be a pretty big help as well.

[str8shooter]

Str8, thanks for the awesome reply. Rep coming your way. The whole summer sounds awesome. I'm not working next summer, and neither is my fiance, so we could do it. Not sure about the rest of the group.

I will also have to research firearm transport laws in various states. I will not make this trip while my guns are all at home. My girl and two of our buddies have GPS systems on their bike, so that could prove to be a pretty big help as well.

Yeah, better take the guns, I'm sure you won't find anybody here that would volunteer to keep an eye on them while you're gone.

Also invest in a good communications system so your crew can communicate while riding. I looked at stuff briefly early last summer, but saw the prices and decided since I ride alone, I didn't need to spend the money. On a ride like this however, I'd say don't go cheap, you're going to be wide eyed all the way looking at all the cool sights, and you'll want to be being able to tell your buds if you see a jackalope hiding behind a tumbleweed because otherwise they'll miss it and probably never believe you. The GPSers will also be able to give the other riders a heads up when you need to turn or where the next gas station is.

[BerksCountyDave]

Yeah, better take the guns, I'm sure you won't find anybody here that would volunteer to keep an eye on them while you're gone.

Also invest in a good communications system so your crew can communicate while riding. I looked at stuff briefly early last summer, but saw the prices and decided since I ride alone, I didn't need to spend the money. On a ride like this however, I'd say don't go cheap, you're going to be wide eyed all the way looking at all the cool sights, and you'll want to be being able to tell your buds if you see a jackalope hiding behind a tumbleweed because otherwise they'll miss it and probably never believe you.

HAHA. Awesome.