Oh for crying out loud!! I have logged over 100,000 miles on Sportsters and wouldn't have missed it. I even went cross country on a 350 Honda and had one of the best times of my life. Just cuz some of ya'll are wuss babies don't discourage the man.
Jeez,

Just sayin'

 

As the saying goes, each to his own. You only live once. If I had the time and money, I'd do the same. Just know your limits. Give yourself time to enjoy the places you're at. You might be just as comfortable on your sporty as I am on my classic. The more I think about it, I am jealous. When I plan a trip I plan not ride more than eight hours a day.

 

I don't think people are saying "don't do it." Most are saying "don't try to do it in 2 weeks and think you'll have time for a nice ride and family visit."

 

I'll see your sportster and raise you a couple of hardtails I road for 8 yrs well over 100,000 . We're not telling him not to ride his bike , just trying to give him a shot of the reality of what he's asking . The guy obviously has very limited miles in the road trip dept. goes with being young . Hell I road all over the east coast on Yamaha 250 2stroke stinkwheel when I was 17 , looking back now are you kidding I actually did that ?

 

OP--Use your head.

 

Nobody's saying he shouldn't ride his Sporty crosscountry. Heck I'd do it with my Bonneville. But in two weeks roundtrip? If he stops just one day each in Seattle and Los Angeles that leaves 12 days of riding to cover 8000 miles. Or nearly an average of 700 miles a day. Do the math. You'd have to ride 10 hours a day at an average of 70 MPH for nearly 12 days straight. Adding stops to eat, etc. you'd be traveling 12 hours a day all on the interstates.

 

Yea, I did this trip last year, sortof. I went from the San Francisco area to Main and back. It took me 26 days. It couild have been easily cut back by 5-6 days, but 2 weeks is a little tight. I went across by the southern route, and back by the northern route. The southern route is much more enjoyable on a motorcycle. There are just too many plains to cross on the northern route.

Don't worry about the Sportster. I did a 5,000 mile trip in 2 weeks when I went to Kansas City and back. Again, I didn't go the most direct trip. I also didn't do any 500 mile days. But 500 miles on a Sportster isn't that tiring (rubber mounted).

If you travel the interstates you can go much quicker, but who wants to do that! Take the back roads, enjoy the scenery and the people, and enjoy yourself. Piling miles on and freeway routes will burn you out for motorcycle touring.

 

I hear yeh on that, taking the interstate can be good for those; Oh chit how far out of the way did we go and make up time, or just to make time, but the real deal is the by-ways with no tolls through the US. I wonder how long it would take to do his trip by-wy instead of Concrete slabosoreis??? Ride safe.

 

A budddy of mine rides out from Hanover MA. Takes him 4 days on a new Road Glide. Comes through Chicago and straight over to Oregon after he hits I 84 in Boise. But he is a mile eating BEAST...On a Sporty I wouldn't imagine covering that kind of ground.

Mark

 

The trip sounds awesome but it will be tough to finish it in 2 weeks. If you can squeeze out a 3rd week, it will be the trip of a lifetime. And this is one of those things you will look back in 20 years and wonder how the hell you ever pulled it off. I took a trip a year back with my brother and brother in law that was only from Philly to North Carolina but we packed it in to 3 days and I did it on my super glide with no winshield, rain gear, or jacket(it was in August). At the time i thought nothing of it but looking back what a crazy trip and I have no regrets.