L.A. to the Grand Canyon

[Aussie Rider]

Hello everyone,

I will be arriving in the U.S for a holiday in May this year, and plan to buy a second hand bike to do a long road trip. I eventually need to reach Canada.

One idea is to ride from Los Angeles to the Grand Canyon, then continue north from there. The other idea is to ride up the coast instead. I was wondering if anyone could tell me what kind of weather to expect at this time of year, and is anyone interest in coming along for the ride?

I'll also be a look out for a second-hand bike to do this, and one that I could strap a decent amount of gear to. Anyone have a reliable bike they would like to sell in a couple of months?

Thanks for any feedback,
Rowen

[kluts]

Hi. May will be great for you until you reach CDN. It's possible you can hit rain. Bring a suit or get one here.

Secondly if you are going to sell the used bike you may want to look into the paperwork nightmare of buying in the USA and selling in Canada. It may not be worth it to you. Good news is, last time I looked the USA is real close to Canada, and you can move the bike back across the border to sell it, like in Bellingham or Seattle. If you begin networking now you might be able to get a friend or contact to assist you in this endeavor by placing the bike on Craig's list and storing it for you. For a few beers and a ride or two....

Depending on your tastes and sense of adventure, a 600 cc class FZ (Fazer) or SV 650 for road, or a 650 class single like a KLR or used BMW F in the adventure class would be good choices. The latter two may be a little pricey in good shape but they sell faster and you will recoup your expenses (if you don' trash the bike).

Poke around this site. You'll see lots of your pals from OZ have come over and had a bang-up time. Enjoy.

[bosozoku]

Just two more queries...how long after May will eventually be, and where in the GWN are you going as your final destination?.

Should be fun.

[B650E]

Here's a post of a Pashnite looking for a buyer for their KLR 650..

http://www.pashnit.com/forum/showthread.php?t=23307

[Aussie Rider]

Thanks everyone for their responses!

kluts - very good point on the re-selling issue in canada. I might have to make a trip down to seattle to sell it. thanks for the recommendation of bikes.. i'll start researchin'

bosozoku - I'll be aiming to leave L.A around the 3rd or 4th of May. Final destination... Vancouver! Which path to take?? Totally undecided. I have been to the States once before, but never to the western side. I plan to do a lot of camping on the way thats for sure.

B650E - niiice bike... once i have a better idea of my journey i'll know what sort of bike i'll want. But that does look like it could handle almost anything!

[fast4d]

coast or inland? tough choice.

from grand canyon you can head north into the national parks in utah then up to yellowstone.

[bosozoku]

Here's a good resource for some of Orygun's best back-roads: Oregon Motorycyclist

Early May into June is camping paradise on the West Coast.

Speaking of which, I strongly suggest you ride through the Lost Coast, and spend a night at the campground on the mouth of the Mattole River. It'll be a taste of what things were like about 50 years ago.

http://www.camping-usa.com/campdetails/24708/

[Steven]

I'll be heading up to Flagstaff, then to the Grand Canyon North & South sides in mid-May. You might check out taking old Route 66 to Flagstaff, then from the south rim to the north before you take Hwy 89 toward southern Utah (Bryce & Zion). You will have a blast, there is so much to see on the way to Canada.

[JimmieS]

Rowen,

All great replys to your question. Some folks from Victoria came to Ca. a couple of years ago that did a ride similar to the one your looking at. If you want to PM me I'll provide you their email address and an introduction - you can get an OZ input to you plans.

On this site in particular you will find most of us search out and ride more of the out of the way highways and byways so you probably won't see much in the way of recommendations to get into LA and hop on the closest highspeed motorway into the Grand Canyon - (and that is a very easy thing to do). Rather you will find very interesting roads to ride on that will meander your way from 'here to there'.

There's just SO much to see! For example just a short ride out of the Grand Canyon are some amazing roads that will take you to very high elevations - through popular tourist attractions and old mining towns.

I'm a huge fan of BC and Alberta. And ride through as often as possible. The Ice Field Parkway is stunning - But in May -- you should definately count on rain - and some cold weather. I was at the Atabasaka Glacier (just south of Jasper) in July once and it WAS snowing.

Would love to ride along with you for a while if the road Gods allow.

Cheers!

[Orson]

Originally Posted by Aussie Rider

One idea is to ride from Los Angeles to the Grand Canyon, then continue north from there. The other idea is to ride up the coast instead.

In my opinion, the Pacific Coast Highway is the one road every motorcyclist needs to ride before kicking the bucket

Parts of the Grand Canyon rim lie at 9000 ft. of elevation, so be prepared for cold weather in May