Is it vital you leave in two months? Are you?

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Patrick passed Dec 2018. RIP Patrick!

hi there jabon, I am in the same predicament. I am a new to riding bikes and want to go RTW but I have made the decision to put it off for a couple of years and get some serious training under my belt, not just onroad but offroad as well. For me I want to get as comfortable with my bike which I will be taking as much as possible.

As mollydog says S. America aint goin nowhere, so take your time enjoy the process of organising the trip and do it properly, you'll enjoy it more in the end.

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“Not all those who wander are lost.” - J. R. R. Tolkien

Riding a bike is an art form and takes years to develope, the news is full of stories about riders with not enough experience who come unstuck. As has been mentioned, grab some small bikes and have a go at all kinds of riding and see how you progress, you may decide that it is the right way to go or, you might absolutley hate it.

Remember this, ride carefully, they're all out to get you.

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What ever, lets go...

thanks all! that's what i was guessing, but good to get some feedback

Must go against the grain.... The only way to gain experience is by riding. If you are aware of your limitations and respect the bike you'll be on, I think your trip could be a wonderful accelerated course in riding.

One suggestion... get a good bike, but one you won't mind getting scratches on... just in case.

There are riding skills and then there's also good judgement.

Some things are learned faster than others...

If you have the latter, good judgement and common sense, go where your heart leads you.

When your time on this mortal coil is done you will not regret the things you did do only the things you didn't do.

Agree 100% Now just plan and go...all the best

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'He who laughs last, was too slow to get the joke'
Never confuse the map with the journey.

You shouldn't listen to anyone's opinion on this question. Fact is, most of us our highly biased in our opinions and full of shit. Only you can decide. Since you're in the US, you should get this book.

http://www.amazon.com/Proficient-Mot...3561270&sr=1-2

David Hough, the author, has been studying and writing about motorcycle safety, riding proficiency and riding skills for many years - considered one of the leading authorities in the U.S. This book won't teach you how to ride - that's for the training courses that are available. What it provides is statistics and insight into your ability to remain safe, or to avoid accidents, depending on your training, experience and other factors you employ in your riding - as well as the odds that "shit just happens".

Read it and then decide - cheap advice.

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quastdog
Chiang Mai, Thailand

best advice so far, patrick
jabon , just be extremely carefull when reaching central america roads here are different and a lot of camiones on the road.
good luck

Ricardo

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its all about freedom

Ok so what's the difference in crashing out in down town USA to down town Peru? Yeah if you break something it's gonna be harder to fix - wheels, lights, legs and stuff, but can you really say you will do it in a year or two years time? You could be married with kids FGS.:confused1:

Just check out that you like motorcycling first!! If you do then get as much riding in as possible before you leave, but go.

My twin bro thought he would like to accompany me on my AWT later this year after not riding for nearly 40 years. Booked a weeks intensive training, fell off within the first couple of hours and vowed never to sit a bike again!! You see he didn't have the passion for riding a bike. If you've got it and it's hooked up with the desire to experience new places and people then you will live with regrets the rest of your days if life gets in the way and you never went. Just treat every other person on the road as an idiot, try and project forward a few seconds to the worst thing they can do and act accordingly. You're on a bike right, you've got nothing to prove, you know you can go faster, overtake easier and jump queues better than the cars and lorries, so do they, just don't get sucked into showing off to them.

The motorcycle community is the best circle of brothers and sister in existence bar none, you need help, shout, someone will hear you.

There must be some great rides around you too, check them out, I'm sure the guys here can come up with some suggestions.

Good luck, but in the end it's your choice, only you know what's in your head and heart.

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Happy Trails

Stagbeetle

It is not the Journey nor yet the Destination, that is the Prize; it is the people you meet on the way.

Blog on http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/tstories/fairless/

There is a mainly off the main road route across the US. I suggest you and your friend buy a couple of cheap enfields, ride them around a field until it all comes natural, then do an on road msf course. After that Cross the US by the route I suggested. After that you will be up for anything. Take your mobile phone, but assume you in some desolate SA place and can't use it unless its a real emergency. Once you have learned to be self reliant and to overcome difficulties you will be different people

I was in a similar predictament, before I decided to do a big overland trip I had never been on a bike. I probably clocked up about 200 miles getting my license, bought a bike and went. My route started off by going across Western Europe, good roads, reasonable traffic etc, then getting progressively harder as I went East. This proved to be a great way to learn, as you are on the bike all the time you learn much faster.

Your average biker clocks up 3000 miles per year, clock the same distance up in 3 weeks and I reckon that's equivalent to a few years 'average' use......

As we are doing quotes now "necessity is the mother of invention", and being on the road creates a lot of necessity so new skills come thick and fast. As Old BMW said it will transform you, my first overland trip blew me away - and I think that having no experience when I left made it all the more daunting beforehand and therefore more rewarding afterwards