Trip Planning
Planning a 5000+ mile motorcycle trip from opposite sides of the country ain't the easiest thing. Yobo and Goda, however, are a huge fan of google docs. Shared docs allow multiple people to edit the same document, update actions, keep track of the little stuff. The team set up weekly video chats to make sure the to-do's got done. Notes were logged in the google doc and the video chat enabled a visual tool that could share newly purchased equipment or maybe even solve a problem. So if you're not using either of these tools, get on it.
Dual Sport Riding
If you want to know anything about dual sport motorcycles, there is only one source...ADV Rider. Great trip reports, flea markets for buying and selling parts, gear reviews, you name it. If you have a question about adventure motorcycling, chances are someone else was in the same position, and chances are they already asked it.
The Route
Continental Divide Trail Alliance
Jammin Thru the Continental Divide
Big Dog Adventures: Continental Divide Trail
Wazzy's Canada to Mexico Dual Sport Adventure
Great Divide Ride
Wikihow: Ride Your Motorcycle Down the Continental Divide
Bike Shipment
Unfortunately, Goda is stuck on the right coast and needs to get his bike out to the "right" coast. There are many motorcycle shipping companies out there to choose from. I got several quotes and spoke with many of the companies to get a feel for them. In the end, I opted for Federal Motorcycle Transport. They were super friendly and relatively cheap at $682. Here's an overview to how they ship. I do have to drain the fuel, but they were one of the only companies will to ship my panniers, which saves me the shipping charges. Other motorcycle companies were actually asking $100 per pannier to include on the truck. The other great benefit to Federal is that they are an agent with Allied Trucking, so they have access to their own trucks. This means they always have someone go from coast to coast. I just need to have my bike ready on July 29th for an August 6th delivery. You'll find that many motorcycle companies ask for 2-3 weeks notice to meet a need date. The August 6th arrival date also still gives me a 12 day margin before we leave, so if there are any problems with the shipment I'm covered. Yobo will also have time to make sure the bike is ready when I get there on the 18th.
Lodging
We figured we'd book a few places prior to the start of the trip. The important goal was to lock in a room in Vegas since we are expecting to roll in Labor Day Weekend. So if you're looking to meet up with two dope and awsum Pollocks at any point during the trip, below are a few places we'll be setting up base camp.
San Francisco, CA: Holiday Inn Civic Center San Francisco
Portland, OR: University Place
Eureka, MT: Riverstone Lodge
Scottsdale, AZ: Timmy's!!!
Las Vegas, NV: Hard Rock Hotel
