Coast to Coast and Back Again. An idea forms!!

Having read a number of travel motorcycle books recently, including Ewan Magregor/Charlie Boorman, Long Way Round and the great Mondo Enduro, I decided - why shouldn't I do a road trip?

I've been riding motorcycles for some years, I am of an age where if I don't do it now perhaps I never will, and given my position in life - I can afford to do it. So the seed starts to germinate.

Question - Where do I go?? Well, I don't speak any forein language so choose somewhere that speaks English. Good start. That means USA, Canada, Australia or New Zealand.

Australia - too hot for me and too many dirt roads - so that is out.

I have been briefly to USA and Canada and liked both, start looking at costs and New Zealand rules itself out due to shipping costs.

Look on internet and find book called "Road Trip USA", a book with loads of routes through USA and Canada that travel either North/South or East/West. South too hot so look East/West and there is my route - Boston to Seattle on route US20 and back again a little further north on US2 via Canada to Boston - a trip of about 7000miles. That is the one for me.

Start to look into costs etc and decide that i will fly to Boston, buy a bike, insure it and away I go. Problem - how to buy veh insurance when I do not have an address in the states??? Answer - don't know. Plan B - contact HC travel in UK and ask.

There suggestion, why not ship your own bike to New York, do your trip and ship it back to UK - that way HC can sort insurance, flights and first nights hotel. What could be easier - so folks that is where I am at present.

I will ship my beautiful Honda Super Blackbird to New York via Southampton in June next year and fly out to meet it sometime around 15th June. I will then spend about 10 weeks travelling across the USA and back again to New York before flying back home to the Isle of Man, with my bike following by sea about 3 weeks later.

Total projected cost of trip including sea freight, flights, insurance, accomadation and spending money - in the region of £6500.00.

Boy I can't wait.

More to follow over coming months.