[Skyteamst90]

Hello fellow riders:

Well, everything was going to plan and then the COVID-19 hit and here we are. State closures, city shut downs, and we are on the cusp of complete lock down (maybe break down) or other wise affectionately known as “martial law.” In my estimation we will shortly be just like Russia like in the 1980s. Remember all those movies, “You’re papers are out of order.” Remember that? Think, FIREFOX (1985). Here we are folks. On the other hand, I really do hope that this does NOT get worse, we dont NOT move into more lock downs and suppressed movement. I hope schools reopen, and people can go back to work. I really do. Most people live paycheck to paycheck and this must be killing some people. However, if the end of the world happens, that will cut all the adventure riding, at least for me, out. Bummer.

My plan was to purchase a new (c)honda and ride from St. Paul, Minnesota and travel ‘half way around’ the United States riding out to California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and then drive back. I think total miles would be close to 5,000, but might be a little more; you know because those speedometer cables aren’t all that accurate. I planned to visit such places as the Pacific Coast Highway, a couple of stops in LA, Joshua Tree, Lee Vining (there is a cool secret place up there worth seeing), Bodie State National Park, the various locations of the SR-71 spy plane in CA, Vegas (which is now closed), Pikes Peak (I want to see if that 15hp engine can make it up there), Ship Rock, and a bunch of other places I found in my research of cool places to visit in the southwest of the United States. Now that plan is on hold for several reasons. My job, my internship, and the virus. Hopefully this resolves by the end of April like the suits say.

It took me some time to figure out which (c)honda to buy as I already have a Bashan-Storm (which I like), but I wanted a new machine to develop some new travels, feelings, and history with; also have that warranty in case of a major problem. I think some people will be interested to know what some of the mods and features this particular bike will be like. It should be one-of-a-kind. I have had to order some parts and gear from China and UK in order to customize my bike.

I have been purchasing motorcycle spare parts, various camping gear, and getting all my “papers” in order. You know the papers like the DNR tags, OHV stickers, park passes, and other the other traveling non-sense; just like Russia. You know because I am a responsible rider and citizen and I don’t want to set a bad example or give us riders a bad wrap. I do care, but I hate the system.

I have purchased some decent and affordable gear, nothing outrageous. I had set my budget at $5,000 and that was the start of everything. All my gear, parts, and motorcycle had to fit in that amount. I am not an established rider and so that means I have to pay for my own gear. I don’t have any tent manufacturers sending me a their $900 tent to try out, so there’s that. Besides, who will really care about a some guy riding across the USA on some Chinese motorcycle? There has already been at least a couple people I know of who have made similar trips. Then, I have had people tell me to I would be better off purchasing a better and more sophisticated motorcycle – duh. But for now, I have this set as my first challenge: ride across the USA on a Chinese motorcycle. Then, if I don’t die, I will purchase a better motorcycle for trip number two. Future trips might include the TAT, a go in Brazil, Peru, and Chile.

I am sure that I have spent over $5k now, but once I actually get on the road, I will have to stick to that $5k faithfully. This has to cover gas, hotel, camping, food, breakdowns, and gifts (which will have to be purchased and then mailed back to my place). I have read reports of people doing cross county trips on less and with even less gear. However, this is my first go, so I want to make sure I am as prepared as I can be. So, once I actually get on the road and things moving, I will post on this site my travels, my pictures, and maybe blog here at Chinariders. I have considered other sites as well, but for the most part, I would like to just keep it to one. It might be too hard to post on more than one site and also have to respond to comments and questions of there is like 10 websites.

My time frame is August 2020 and to go out for 30-days. This is a big trip and will be hard to accomplish in the current lock down environment. Hopefully I can do this and blog about it here for your enjoyment.

Wish me luck.