Leaving tomorrow from Alexandria, VA. DRZ400. Joining Kevin's in Purcellville, VA then a combination of Kevin and Sam to the Oregon coast. Camping mostly. If able, I'll spin around and take Sam's north route east to the end in Minnesota then slab it home. Work may expect me mid to late July so we'll see. See you guys out there.
I'm Denver based and am considering riding the western portion of the TAT starting early/mid July. My tentative plan is to ride: Colorado to the Oregon coast on the TAT (20ish days with a stop at Great Basin NP and Crater Lake NP) Oregon coast to Santa Barbara/LA (12ish days with stops to see National Parks, friends, and ride the PCH again) LA back to Colorado using the TAT LA spur (14ish days of fun to Moab and then maybe 1 day of slab back to Denver) I'm currently solo but am throwing the idea out to a few riding buddies. I will be on a KTM 500 setup for longer rides and I plan to try some of the harder alternate routes along the way. I've ridden a decent bit of Colorado, some BDRs, and have done a 40 day, 6,000 mile off-road trip around the southwest (on my DR650). I enjoy camping off the bike but am open to hotels/motels as well. I have to be back in Colorado for a friends wedding on August 30th although I could fly back from LA if I'm too far behind schedule. Let me know if you're on a similar timetable and want to do some of the ride together.
Well with the plan of homing a bike out your way I must ask if you would be willing to share any of the tracks from your 8000 mile loop?! It was this time last year I was prepping to leave on my TAT adventure and during my ride I was bit by the "out west" bug pretty badly and later bought a bike to keep out there so I could fly out a couple times a year to see much more.
I wasn't the ride organizer so I don't have the specific tracks but here is a thread that talks a little bit about the trip. Will (the OP/organizer) would probably be happy to share more information if you asked. He was with us for the Sierra Vista, AZ to California coast portion. https://advrider.com/f/threads/2014...torcycle-adventure-ride.980386/#post-24957781 General Route: I rode from Denver on the CDT to Mexico, along the US/Mexico border to Sierra Vista, AZ, then up the AZ BDR more or less to Utah, around southern Utah, out to Vegas and Death Valley, up to Yosemite, out to the coast near Monterey, around California for a while, across Nevada and Utah to Moab to ride the White Rim Trail, down into northern New Mexico, and back to Denver. It was 6 years ago so I'm a little fuzzy on some of the details but it was an awesome trip (minus the subzero temps and 2 feet of snow trying to get from Moab back to Denver in November).
Hey seasider, I double checked and I guess motorcycle rides are like fish stories. The ride was actually just over 6,000 miles. I was thinking 200mi a day sounded a lot for the amount of dirt we did. 150 a day was the real number. Still an epic adventure that I would love to repeat someday.
Hey, folks! Sorry I've been absent so long. This C19 has hit us hard and I haven't been keeping up with posting TAT ride plans here. It's good to see the conversations continuing and I'll try to get the front page updated in the next week or so. Happy riding!
Any of you FF's lose a dry bag on Kevin's tracks outside of Lakeview OR? I'm going to mail it home to myself and hang on to it unless you read this and are close by. We will be in Cresent tomorrow around noon then we are heading east on Sam's tracks.
Planning to start a solo ride on my CRF450L from near Helena AR on September 6th. I have 4 weeks to compete the trip. Hope to make it over the CO passes no later than Sept 16th. Sam's and GPS Kevin's routes appear to be almost identical from AR to CO. Following GPS Kevin's route through UT, I might take a detour once I get to Baker NV and take HWY 50 to Reno, then on through northern CA up to Port Orford and then back to Reno where I'll ship bike and fly home on Oct 3rd. Hoping to have a few extra days after Port Orford to hang out in Reno or go down and check out Tahoe. If timing is right, i wouldn't mind buddying up with someone over the CO passes, otherwise I might take the easy route from Lake City down to Silverton and bypass Imogene/Telluride. I did several of the passes there a couple of years ago with a buddy, so I am not sure I want to do them solo. Suggestions for possible routes, "must see" spots, and camping through northern CA on my way to Port Orford would be greatly appreciated. As far as Port Orford goes, it does not have to be the final destination for me as long as I make it to the Pacific Ocean, so open to suggestion here too.
You won't have any trouble at all on the big passes on that bike. And there are usually people around in jeeps, SxS's, etc. LaSal pass (UTBDR 2) into Moab is awesome. Black Dragon Canyon and the San Rafael Swell out of Green River is not to be missed. However you get there, riding through Oregon and popping out at the beach at Port O is pretty damn cool, you don't really want to miss that. Have a great trip.
Not sure if this is the right place to post/ask, but what is a reasonable estimate of time on TAT from east TN to SW Colorado? 10 days? Less? More? I’ll be on a Husaberg fe570 and have an aversion to laying down a bunch of highway miles. My estimated departure date from Nashville would be right around the 12th of August and I have to be in Durango @ the 17th (probably not enough time, but asking anyway)
It took me exactly 10 riding days to get from Tellico Plains to Dove Creek (SW) Colorado. That was all trail, no highways or bypasses.
What was daily average? Did you camp or hotel? Sam’s or Kevin’s? Pushing it or relaxed pace? Thanks for the response!
Literally "all of the above". I didn't keep track of miles for that section but I'd guess I averaged about 220-250 a day. I did about a 50/50 camp/hotel in that stretch. I had both set of tracks on the phone, they are mostly exactly the same (until Utah). Where they differ you can flip a coin it makes no difference which you take. I was not "pushing it" but I was not taking my time, I was riding, all day. Usually 9 AM to 6 PM.
I’m in Trinidad with a rear 606 with 3,000 miles on it. Love the 606. I like high speed gravel and have been really happy with it there and in mud. Topar here in town said they only have a Kenda. The only other place I know to get a 606 is Payson UT at RockyMtn headquarters. Am I crazy to hold out that long? Or does anyone know of a place to call between here and Payson along the TAT within reason.. I understand Arrowhead in Moab closed last fall.
How far off the TAT are you willing to go? How much bullshitium are you willing to deal with to get a 606? There are a couple motorcycle dealers in Colorado Springs. You could try calling them. That 606 looks fine for the Rockies so you could also have one shipped to the 3 Step Hidaway in SE Utah, I think they'll do that for you (check me on that first obviously). You could also have a tire shipped to the UPS Store in Moab (call them first but UPS stores will typically receive packages for you.) Having said all that, I'd just put the Kenda on now and be done with it, that will be perfectly fine for the rest of the TAT.
Unfortunately it's highly likely I'm not going to be able to run the TAT this year. With the COVID infection rates going up our work travel policies are requiring more restrictions, and I don't have the PTO hours to adhere to them and make the trip. Bummed, again. Both fingers crossed for next year.
