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Midlife Crisis Roadtrip Bike Advice

2K views 10 replies 9 participants last post by  shark 
#1 ·
Hey, guys. I'm hoping to do a roadtrip from the top of the USA to Costa Rica at the end of this year. I'm not completely new to riding, but it's been a while: 15 years ago I had a road bike, but haven't ridden since. I'm 5'8" and 165lbs, and I don't want anything that makes me feel like a flea riding a dog. I live in a small city without the opportunity to really look at much in the way of bikes, so I'm researching online and will head into a real city to do some hands-on stuff once I narrow bikes down. So far the BMW G650GS looks like a pretty good bike for my purposes, especially considering that sometimes the roads won't be so great.

Any other thoughts and advice?
 
#6 ·
Thanks, guys.

I signed up at that other forum. There are some interesting articles there, too.

And, yeah, I'll definitely do a couple of courses long before I head off south. I'm thinking of both a riding course and a maintenance course. I've taken cars apart, but never bikes. I hope to not have to, but realistically, I'll probably have to do something or another.
 
#7 ·
shark, the best advice I can give you is to get past that crisis before you kill yourself on something you are unfamiliar with. If you can calm down and still want to ride, a dual sport will be a good fit for your trip. But please make sure it is not ego or insecurity about your present situation that is driving you in that direction. We really do not want a member to just come up missing.
 
#9 ·
Shark:
Find the bike that's "right" for YOU. Do at LEAST one season of riding on it, so that you have plenty of time to get to know the bike you bought and brush up on any rusty skills that surface, that you forgot about. Prepare the bike you want to "tour" with, with the necessary modifications that will become useful on a long trip, and then PLAN your trip during the off-riding months (November to March, for example, unless you live somewhere where you can ride "year round."

See if you can drum up a riding partner (especially on your first touring ride) that has their own bike, and wants to venture out. Having someone with you is a wonderful plus (especially when you need to pool your ready cash for an emergency fix somewhere!).

-Soupy
 
#10 ·
Do not even think of riding through Mexico on a motorcycle. No way, no how, would I ride a bike in that country (I, in fact, wouldn't go there period). Seriously, you and your bike would be a sitting duck on that bike in such a country. Think about what you'd do if you woke up one morning only to realize that your bike is gone... And believe me, much much worse can and does happen to unwary foreigners who make the mistake of visiting Mexico (please don't be fooled into thinking that all, or even part, of Mexico resembles some of the resort communities found in the country).

I'll also agree that it's a bad idea to get back into motorcycles while, at the same time, making such trip as a means of addressing a mid-life crisis. At least not at first anyway.

Sure, what you're thinking about sounds great on paper. But riding a motorcycle for such long distances can take some time and experience to get used to. Meanwhile, I'd consider a series of shorter "in country" trips before you tackle such long international ride.

And again, I'd forget about Mexico...
 
#11 ·
Thanks for the replies, again. Some sobering advice here, too. Hmm. There is some truth to the thought that I might have better ways to navigate my life at this point. I'll think about it, anyway.

As for Mexico, I'm a little hesitant, but I'm a very experienced traveller (I travelled for work for years) and there are guys who regularly ride down into Mexico without any trouble at all. I also have several friends down there--locals, who would happily give me a place to stay and show me around. So, I'm not too worried about riding through there anymore than anywhere else. Famous last words? Maybe.

Good thinking about the possible bike mods for the trip. I've tossed around a couple of things I had in mind, but I should look into this more.

Thanks again.
 
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