Final Tally for Buelling across America
I got to NY a week or so ago and have not had a dull moment since. I've been camping and fishing and riding, meeting old friends and family and even riding a float in the Memorial Day Parade in my hometown, so I've been slow to get this last post up. Here are my totals for a ride from California to New York State on my 06 Buell Ulysses.
-3,940 miles from start to finish
-37 stops for gasoline
-1 stop for oil change in Bismarck ND
-The trip took me from California thru Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ontario and New York.
-$394 dollars in hotels. I did have 2 free nights at a friends house in ND. I did not camp although I did bring camping gear.
-10 days riding, 1 full day of rest and that day off really revitalized me.
-85.661 gallons of gas coast to coast
-$241.608 dollars spent on gasoline. (I converted Canadian dollars to USD).
-$2.82 dollars per gallon average
-45.995 miles per gallon! This amazed me, especially when I had some terrible gas mileage fighting heavy winds for a couple of days.
-the only glitch I had was a low fuel light that would come on intermittently
-Worst day of riding was fighting the wind in the Dakotas. It took everything I had to hang on the the handlebars. 200 miles of rain thru the Upper Peninsula of Michigan was a close second.
-Best day of riding was every other day on the bike, but especially when I hit the US border and rode thru the Adirondack Mountains of upstate NY to Lake Luzerne.
-Most impressionable on me was the absolute remoteness of the western states. I had picked a remote route, but the open expanses of country truly blew my mind. The roads thru these remote places were in especially good shape. I had no problem cruising 80-90 miles per hour on these roads. I had few vehicles pass me on the first 4 days and almost no traffic once I left Bishop, California.
-The last two days I did almost 500 miles per day. This was too much. I never suffered monkey butt and sore hands until I exceeded my planned miles per day on those last two days. This really takes the fun out of it and on future trips I'll just tack on another day or so.
-The help I got from the forum here was really great. I honestly felt like I was traveling with you all through the whole trip. The tips I got and promised support from BuellXB members was priceless. Thanks to all of you.
-Gear that helped the most?
*My Sena 20s comm system was great. I could answer and make phone calls, hear my GPS on my iPhone give me directions and listening to the Beach Boys and Eagles while cruising the vast remoteness of Nevada at 90 mph was fantastic. Bluetooth gadgets are great.
*My handlebar mounted iPhone was very handy
*My Wolfman bag worked perfectly on the back of my Uly. I could really pack the gear in it and it was completely water proof.
*My Madstad windshield was brilliant. It's adjustable and blows the wind over the top of my helmet. I'm sure this did wonders to reduce fatigue.
*My Michelin Pilot Road 4 GT tires worked perfectly in the rain. I could not feel a difference between the rain and dry pavement. I do have a slight flat spot on the rear tire from the mostly upright, straight roads on the trip.
*Comfort kit get two thumbs up!
*Rain gear a no brainer.
*My Bilt Explorer jacket was both warm and water proof. Comfy too. Also has armor.
-Would I change something? Yes, I would have worn better water proof boots. I thought my Danner Pronghorn hunting boots would be ideal, but it turns out they are not water proof when riding 200 miles in the rain. It was hard to dry them off at night and caused a mild case of "stink foot".
That's about it! Would I do it again? You bet I would. Besides a personal challenge, the feeling of freedom was exhilarating. Seeing our beautiful country was wonderful and makes me feel proud and fortunate to be an American. The smell of the Nevada high desert right after a rain cell went thru filled up my senses. Distant lightning here and there was ominous, but beautiful and made me respect nature like never before. Waving to a farmer driving a tractor in the middle of a North Dakota field and having him wave back is memorable and warmed my spirit. Being in a foreign country on MY motorcycle was exciting and gave me a deep feeling of independence. Taking the ferry across Lake Huron/Georgia Bay while exchanging motorcycle stories with a Canadian rider was great. We're all the same. Having people come out of nowhere to ask me questions about my trip was fun and interesting. Seeing older men in hats drinking coffee and gossiping in morning cafes was the same in every state and province. I made it a point to say hi to them and politely interrupt their morning local ritual. Burgers and omelettes are a safe bet anywhere, Mexican food in the middle of South Dakota is a crap shoot.
Thanks to all for reading, ride safely.
