Just got laid off last week from my job after 20 years. Decided it would be a great time to have a little adventure. Need some advice and guidance:

1)The missus and I have done some 2-3 day trips but never more than 300 miles in a day so this is a big step up. These rides were all done on my 2003 sportster. We want to upgrade to something more made for the long hall. We will definitely use a different bike, either borrowing, renting or buying. We were thinking about a Heritage Softail which we have riden before or maybe an Electra Glide. Thoughts on the bike choice? Thoughts on Renting vs buying?

2)Tentative Plan is me and missus to leave Philly area and end up in SF two weeks later. She will fly home from there and I will go solo back. I probably can take 7-10 days on the way back. We really want to spend alot of time in the great state/National parks in Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah. All the threads on this and other sites make these seem worthwhile. Trying to get some guidance on Philly to the Rockies though. What is the best route? What is worthwhile to see?

As you can see we are just starting to plan and appreciate the help and wisdom.

 

I would go with one of touring bikes if you and your wife are going. As far as buying one or renting one thats up to you .If you just got laid off can you afford it?

 

I guess the best would be to try the different bikes out. On the rent vs buy--renting for 3 weeks will be pretty expensive and money that would be gone. If I buy a used bike not new and ride it out and back then if I needed to sell I could probably sell it and lose less than the cost of renting.

 

Think about a Road King. Air shocks and handles easier then a sporty. Get the shield height to likeing and probably change out seat, mustang or corbin. Brand new or not you will need to stop at a couple dealers for oil and look over. A couple of seat pads, butt buster or something, may be in order.
If you do go with touring bike get yourself a harley shock pump. Well worth the money.

 

Three to four weeks on the road? Motorcycle: Ultra Classic. As far as renting vs buying, the determining factor is whether your future plans include additional long trips. However: I would imagine that renting for that period of time (3-4 weeks) would be cost prohibitive. There are lots of nicely equipt, one/two year Ultras out in the marketplace, if you don't want to buy new.

450-550 miles a day is a good day of riding. Especially if you want to 'smell the roses'. 850 is doable, but you're gonna be on the interstates the entire time, so the scenic part of the trip will be limited. Anything above that is really just 'long haul' riding: Stopping every 2-2.5 hours for 'liquid in/liquid out'. I know from personal experience on my 93 FLHS, that time period equates to roughly 160-170 miles. Or approximately 4 gallons of gas. Open road, interstate riding, you can 'average' 65-70mph over the course of a day, depending on how fast you like to ride. I've left SE Michigan, rode 12 hours on I-75, and went to bed just south of Atlanta. There is no 'sight seeing' or 'touring', when you ride like this.

Rain gear. If you don't have a good rain gear kit, for both yourself and your wife, put on together now. Do a search, because this topic has been beat to death.

Bear in mind, you are traveling during the peak vacation season for most Americans. National Parks are going to be busy, and the adjacent accomodations will booked. Do some planning, be flexible, and you should have a good trip.

 

Thanks for the guidance. Definitely thinking used and will be heading to dealer tomorrow to have some service on the sporty and while there will see what they have in solid used bike --will look at the road king and ultra, do some test riding and narrow it down. Seems like alot of bikes for sale with not many buyers right now. For the trip, will try to stay off interstate for most part as this is more adventure than point to point. Any thoughts on a route west from PA? Thanks

 

Looked at the rain gear thread. Jeez, everyone has an opinion but one constant was to have it. Will definitely do it

 

Don't skimp on time spent in Utah... that's a nice place. Hwy12 alone is worth riding across the country for.

If you're in Salt Lake City, stop by Salt Lake City HD and tell them John (from Texas) says "Howdy!" They just replaced the engine in my Sporty and that is one of the best dealers I've ever dealt with.

While in SLC, go to the RedRock Brewery and grab a beer cracker and baked Italian cheese dip - and work your way through their beer menu, too.

Routing - I80 is under significant construction through Wyoming so be advised. I70 moved well, but that's through Denver - in Kansass, the speed limit enforcement is heavy and they don't have a sense of humor... (don't ask me how I know)

 

Sorry to hear about the lay-off and hope you are o.k. financially.

I agree with getting an Ultra. They have all the bells and whistles already installed including cruise control which is great to have on a long run. I also agree that the Utah parks are spectacular and should not be missed. When you get into southern Utah you're not far from the north rim of the Grand Canyon so you both might as well enjoy that. You may want to consider a northern route on your way back to include yellowstone and the Black Hills. Enjoy it while you can!

 

Well here is my two cents worth.
I just finish my first Bike trip last month. I went solo on my Road King Classic. If I was going 2 up I seriously would consider an Ultra or a Road Glide. For that kind of ride the most important thing you must sort out after the bike itself is the seat, you need Comfortable seat!
I went from NE PA down 81 to tenn then on 40W out to NM up through Santa Fe and over to Cortez, Co. Then over the rockies into Denver then 70E home. 5000 miles. I was going 18 days but only 8 of them were on the road. I pushed myself the very first day just to find my limits. I went 750miles and felt like crap at the end. It was to long of a day, the scary part of it was how quick my body shut down. Ten minutes earlier I would have said I could do another 100 miles. For me 500 to 600 miles a day was a good day. I covered a good amount of ground and felt great at the end. Anything less then that was a piece of cake.
You will need a good rain suit, I would suggest you get one with bibs for bottoms and not just pants. If you are going over the Rockies pack some warm stuff including gloves. It can be very cold depending on where you go. Oh and when going through the plains make sure to think well ahead on your fuel ups.

As far as the bike, you might do what I did. Go to a harley test ride day at a dealer. Here is a link to where harley is going to have their test rides
http://www.harley-davidson.com/PR/MO...bmLocale=en_US
As you will see Brians HD in Langhorne has one coming up.
Get there early and try to sign up for a different bike each ride. Do this right when you get there. Once you know what you want find a deal on a good used one.
As far as the areas you are talking about that might be of interest. AMA Motorcycle Museum out side Columbus, OH. Air Force Museum Dayton, OH. Arthur Bryants BBQ Kansas City, MO. Mt Evans Outside of Denver (only if you are not of heights lol) 14,000 ft no guardrails. IF you are already all the way out in San Fran you have to do some of the Pacific Coast Highway and Yosemite Park.
You will love the trip!