Panamericana Speed Record

[Travelbug]

Hi, does anyone know the fastest Panamericana trip ever made?

I wonder how many days a quick and mad driver would need from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, without sightseeing.

[Lone Rider]

IIRC, around 21 days and change.

[Travelbug]

Thanks Lone Rider,

From this I guess that 30 - 45 days is doable, if I don't have much time.

[Lone Rider]

Originally Posted by Travelbug

Thanks Lone Rider,

From this I guess that 30 - 45 days is doable, if I don't have much time.

Anything is possible, but a 30-45 day trip would suck.
The Guinness Record for the most number of thumb tacks pushed into a person's head might be something to research.

[peter-denmark]

Sorry, no offence, but I agree.

Doing it fast proves nothing and you will miss a terrible lot.

Choose a smaller area and try to really see it.

[desert dweller]

yep more skill, satisfaction and enjoyment in riding hard roads slowly, even if they are in your home patch.
cheers,
keep it upright,
andy

[IanC]

Interesting to see this topic revived!

Not read about the 'new' record in detail (website not displaying well on phone), but looks like car drivers on shift-work? Which isn't quite the same as a solo ride! Or drive....

BTW Travelbug, how long DID you take in the end?

I'm flying into Budapest for my next trip :-D

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk

[Travelbug]

Originally Posted by IanC

BTW Travelbug, how long DID you take in the end?

I only did Montreal to Panama in 14 days. Including buying the car and business meetings on the way.

Breaking the amazing record of Rainer Zietlow is not my intention and I doubt that someone else will do so.

[Wheeliedreams]

OK, this just pushed my hot button. Just because HUBB and ADV are about moto tourism shouldn't blind us to one of the most beautiful aspect of riding motos: speed. Many of us have spent years developing our skills, loving our fast rides with our friends. The key word being fast. I live in a beautiful city, Vancouver (although I'm 60K into an rtw) when I ride with my friends in the mountains I generally don't go slow to enjoy the views. I'm aware of them, but ripping through at speed them is more fullfilling. It's a choice: the value to me of the riding versus the value to me of the view.

So on HUBB and ADV the rule seems to be that because the riding is through
exotic places we have to slow down to appreciate it. I call bullshit on that, not because it's an inaccurate statement but because it values tourism over speed. Speed and motos and bonded at the hip.

I have friends who climb hard rock all over the world. Some really don't give a shit about the place they're in. They just want to do the hard route. They're there to climb something very hard and tick it, not gawk.

One of the benefits of riding in SA is the absense of police looking out for speeding bikes. Granted, getting caught, for example in Equador, gets you jail time depending on country. It's an ideal place to ride very fast, no better place if you do your homework. I think it should be a destination for speed attempts. I'd welcome more posts about how someone did border-x to border-y in a given time.

[Peter Bodtke]

Setting overland speed records has little to zero in common with the experience of traveling. Some riders are into racing and extreme long distance riding. Comparing LD riders and motorcycle travel is silly. Its like comparing hunters and soldiers because they both have guns...same equipment, but different goals.

Nick Sanders claims to have completed the fastest time from AK to TdF. It is not clear to me if the trip has supporting documentation (time stamped receipts, et al.) or if it was witnessed (i.e. Iron Butt Association or similar body.) I heard that Sanders may have broken the "latitude rule" when flying over the Darien Gap. Flying from Panama City to Bogota puts the rider some number of miles further south. To follow the strictest of measures the rider should double back to earn the miles that were reduced by the air travel. Just saying.

Nick Sanders - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"In the summer of 2011, Sanders became the first person to ride from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego and back in under 49 days, 17 hours, a ride he completed on a Yamaha XT1200Z Super Ténéré. The first leg of the trip was completed in 21 days, just a few hours short of Dick Fisher's record ride and easily outpacing the Guinness World Record of 35 days, currently held by Globebusters' Kevin and Julia Sanders."

Sanders sells DVDs and books about his endurance trips. I have not read or watched them.

[Travelbug]

Thanks for making me aware of the Sanders. Truly impressive rides!