Monday, January 18, 2010

The Plan

So I'll be leaving my job in mid-March of this year to do a year or two of service work starting around August, and in the meantime I'll be riding my motorcycle across the country! Welcome to my blog where I'll be documenting the trip, my experiences, thoughts, musings, etc. for the next few months.

So, stealing from the opening scene of The Motorcycle Diaries, here's the idea:

The Rider:


Brian Becker. 24 years old, recent college grad, and ready to get out on the road.


I took this picture in the store because I was laughing at how ridiculous I looked in those leather chaps.

The Equipment:

A 2001 Yamaha V Star 650 Classic. I got this bike last fall after fantasizing over owning a motorcycle for as long as I can remember. I bought her with about 18,000 miles and have added on another 2,000 since then. She's in great shape; the previous owners were very good about maintenance and cleaning.



 The Plan:

I guessing at least 10,000 miles in about 6 weeks. I'm planning to avoid highways as much as possible. While I am extremely  thankful for Mr. Eisenhower's interstate system, getting from point A to B quickly is not important on this trip. "Thanks to the Interstate Highway System, it is now possible to travel from coast to coast without seeing anything," said Charles Kuralt.

One of the reasons I'm doing this trip is to see and spend some time with friends who have moved in the last couple years, but most places, I don't know anyone. So if you have a couch or floor I could borrow for a night along the way, or if you know someone that you could put me in touch with, I would be very grateful.

Here is the first draft of the route:


View Larger Map

Some notes: I'm very up in the air about the national parks out west. If you have recommendations for where to go, I would love to hear them. Basically this whole route is very flexible. I just wanted to map out where I want to go but I'm sure it won't turn out the way I've drawn it up.

Thanks for reading and I'd love to hear from you. You can either comment on this page or send me an email at brianmotorcycletrip@gmail.com. Thanks!