Riding Stateside

Here in the miserable cold wet grey UK we go to work in the dark , come home in the dark and then repeat! To save my sanity I would love to spend a month touring North America, is this currently possible with the lurgy all around us?

Is it possible to fly over and pick up a bike relatively quickly together with the insurance , are hotels and hostels open , is it a good idea?

I could look at some travel sites but prefer to ask my brothers on the other side of the pond........yours cold wet depressed limey

TIA

Winter is mostly the problem. Hotels are open and most everything else with some restrictions in some states. Unlike UK each state has different rules and such.

Go south Florida, Texas no problems. California stay away. I'm not sure on restriction once you get here some places want you to isolate for 10-14 days BUT. It's a big country easy to stay off the radar and do some riding.

Not a lot of dealers rent bikes but many Harley dealers do.

You can be cold and wet over here too I'd say save your money for a later date.

I second Mech 1’s observation. Hey, not even Disney is open. Save your money. Better, warmer days are ahead.

Probably not best idea. Hotels want your business. I am sure bike rental people do too. But bike rentals here are many times just Harleys and not cheap in my book....but good experience so you do not buy one. But where to ride? Florida is complete zero in my book---flat/horrible drivers----Arizona/ warm/usually no snow. Rental car much cheaper, sad to say. Eating? here in TN hard on bike as only drive thru's open. Not fun in my book.

I'd think it would be prohibitively expensive to get travel and medical insurance cover from a UK company with the current rate of COVID-19 infections in the US. If you were to get infected, a few days hospitalisation would cost thousands of dollars, even if you were able to recover as quick as the Donald.

So you want to go ride a motorbike / scooter in a foreign country during a world wide pandemic? Good luck with getting medical insurance for that
Seriously though medical health care in the US is world class if you can afford it, I'm sure someone will chip in with the kind of costs you can expect for either sticking a bike in a ditch or getting Covid bad and needing a few weeks in ITU.

Something to remember----last time I checked US ranked 36th in the world in quality of care but #1 in cost.

I hate to say it but the U.S. is a rotten place to visit at the current time! I think Eagle Riders is still renting bikes but they’re not cheap. Some outlets carry other bikes, BMW’s and KTM’s that I’ve seen but still expensive. Arizona would be O.K. weather wise as well as Florida and California for the best weather. COVID-19 lockdowns are really taking off as the spread is almost out of hand. I agree save your money! How about the South of France or Spain? I think you’d be better off than visiting the States. Health care here is really expensive and I wouldn’t risk it myself. I’m from New Mexico and it gets cold here in winter.

It isn't really a good time to go seeking riding in warmer climes in Europe either. Spain and France are in lockdown again as second wave infections rise, Germany, Italy, Belgium are similar. Now it's the turn of smaller countries like the Czech Republic, and already their hospital system is nearly overwhelmed.


More UK cities are going into our Tier 2 Restrictions because the high infection rates and death rates. It's now likely we'll be going into a nationwide lockdown for the whole of November, although this time the schools will stay open. They're hoping this will lessen the infection rates so families can get together at Christmas.

"Is it possible to fly over and pick up a bike relatively quickly together with the insurance, are hotels and hostels open, is it a good idea?"

I think it's a great idea.

In our winter months, California and Florida offer paradise weather for riding. Points between ... southern Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, the American South (Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama) ... are free of snow but temps can get into the 40's and 50's (4 to 10 C).

I would advise picking CA or FL and spending a month there. Lots of room to roam in either state and some of the most pleasant sunny weather you'll ever experience.

I can't speak to your healthcare plan except that the U.S. has a good network of free-standing Urgent Care centers where you can pay cash ($100 to $200) and get treated for non-life threatening matters. The average ER visit here is $500 and woebetide you if they add tests, xrays, bloodwork, a specialist or two, surgery, etc. I would definitely plan to not have any accidents ;o).

The bike would be a challenge, or at least expensive. There are plenty of sources in Florida's major cities (Fort Lauderdale, Miami on the Atlantic side and Tampa on the Gulf of Mexico) where you can rent. I looked into that for a visiting friend two years ago. I seem to recall a rate of $150 a day. I'll rent you my Burgman 650 if the price is right ;o).

You can find off-the-beaten-path airbnb rooms in existing homes for $30 to $40 a night BUT I wouldn't feel comfortable unless I wore a mask the entire time, including sleeping, because you're sharing the same air conditioning with others in the house. Depending on your budget, you can rent an entire apartment or condo to solve that. Rates near urban areas will be expensive during the winter because of supply and demand -- it's "the season" when all the snowbirds from up north flock to Florida.

You can live a fairly normal life here. Most stores are open. Wear a mask and it's easy to find grocery stores, gas stations, etc. Not so sure about museums, national parks, etc.

In September, I planned a drive around the perimeter of America for one year starting on December 1. Bought a big red Ford F-250 with a V-10 engine and was about to pull the trigger on a 19-foot toy hauler to tow with my motorbike inside when I decided to wait a bit. National parks, campsites and airbnb rooms were pretty much shut down then.

I admire your plan because I am thinking of a similar adventure in reverse, after my tour of the U.S. I joined a website where you can trade homes with people in other countries. I don't want to just visit a place for two weeks on vacation, I want to LIVE there for a couple months. Finding somebody on the other end who also has a maxi-scooter is icing on a very lovely cake.

Alternatively, I can host a foreign visitor while I'm home, let them hit the road with my bike for however-long, and then take my turn and do the same in their country.

If you have an specific questions or would like some local Florida info, shoot me a PM and I'll see what I can do to help.

A word of caution. Due to the corona virus, many services are not available. Resturants may be open, but their restrooms are closed. I use to stop at Mc Donalds for a break. But now they block off the inside seating and the restrooms. A lot of Mc Donalds do not have seating on the outside. Parks may be closed. Not sure about reststops. I would advise you to wait until things settle down. Maybe after they have a working vaccine.

GOOD LUCK!!!

So you've booked your flight to the US, sorted out documentation, hired a bike with Eagle Rider or similar, and maybe booked some accommodation.

What about riding gear, do you take your own helmet, jacket, gloves, and boots, or buy it over there.

I tared the the weight of an empty laundry basket earlier, then added a textile riding suit with full armour and a D3O back protector, a liner that could double up as casual wear, motorcycle boots, a pair of gloves, a two-piece rain suit, and an open face helmet in a helmet bag.

Taking off the weight of the basket, the riding gear weighed 24 lbs or 10.88kg. Packing it  into a large suitcase would take up a lot of space as the suit alone is pretty bulky with the armour in. Even with most of the armour removed before packing, it would still take up a lot of suitcase room, so would the boots.

That's before packing your base layers, first aid kit, meds, maybe your sat nav, and all the other junk you find necessary for riding.

Then there's all your normal holiday clothing, Dop kit, shoes etc. Weigh your suitcase with everything in and you may have exceeded your luggage weight allowance. The helmet could be carried as your hand luggage.

It's so much simpler Euro touring.