This is a collection of FAQs (well, each was asked at least once) that we have received from folks who either stumbled across our web site or saw the Rider article. They are presented in no particular order and, for the most part, are extracted from e-mail messages. Although parts of some questions and answers are redundant, each adds a bit to the overall base of knowledge.

If you have any more questions, comments, additions, criticisms (we may ignore those), etc. please feel free to e-mail us. Links to our mail boxes are on the home page.

As far as your choice between the RT and Goldwing, I would consider them to be suited for two different types of riding. The Goldwing is truly well suited for two up touring. It is large, stable and very comfortable for both rider and passenger. Long days won't cause undue stress on either of you. The RT, on the other hand, is a balance between a sport ride, and a tourer. It loves twisty back roads, and will tolerate long bouts of freeway. It is lighter than a full-on touring bike, but not as comfortable over the long haul (particularly for a passenger).

We chose the RTs because neither of us carried a passenger and we didn't plan on many high-milage days. Besides, we both prefer the smaller backroads to freeways - the twistier, the better. The RT is more like a Honda ST1100 than a Goldwing.

Another bike you might want to look at (if you haven't already) is BMW's K1200LT. It is the Goldwing's direct competition. Having test ridden it a few times, it is very capable of carving the canyons at a spirited pace and is MUCH more comfortable than the RT for both rider and passenger.

You have to consider the length of the trip. It wasn't a vacation, it was how we lived for that period of our lives. Although library and 'cyber-cafe' computers are abundant, none of them had our finances, bank account access, working copy of our web site, maps for the gps, and innumerable other things readily available on them. If I wanted to work on updating the website at 3 in the morning, I could (and did) with my own computer. Besides, where else can one store 5,700 digital photos? The laptop we have lived in the top box of my bike, and never gave us a bit of trouble (in fact we still use it on trips).

Thanks for praise of the pictures. Actually your camera is more capable than the one I used on our trip. It was an Olympus 2020Z - a 2 MegaPixel, 3x optical zoom. Out of 5,700 pictures we took on the trip, one would hope that at least a few would be acceptable. Probably at least half will never be shown to anyone because of quality - usually my fault. Among my most common errors were camera movement, hand holding the camera in low light, not being aware of what the autofocus actually focused on, and not using a fill flash for shadowed faces. Before I sent the pictures to Rider, I did a bit of manipulation of the raw photos to enhance the pixel count, contrast, saturation and sharpness. I submitted a photo to the Rider Photo Contest taken with the same camera on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It won the grand prize in the December issue (also on our web site). The prize was a 4 MegaPixel Canon - that I can still take bad pictures with. The big advantage with digital photography, is that it doesn't cost anything to take LOTS of pictures. So I take a picture that I think will be great, then take three or four more variations 'for insurance'. As often as not, it's one of the variations that is the best shot.

In answer to your question on clothing, the basic protective riding suit was a BMW cordura jacket and pants combination. I think it was called the Kalahari Suit, but it seems they don't offer it any more. It has a zip out, waterproof, Gore Tex lining. We normally wore it over jeans and long sleeve T-shirt. When the temperature got low, we'd add long johns, sweat shirt, and an electric vest. With the RT's heated grips, a pair of summer gloves were all we usually needed. When it got hot, we'd bypass the suit's pants and add a Marsee cool vest under the jacket. The vest is soaked in water with the excess rung out a bit. It gets you a bit damp, but the concept of evaporative cooling worked very well (even in Death Valley on a summer day)! With the appropriate layers, we were rarely uncomfortable.

As far as extended traveling is concerned, even the full timers in RVs have to have some sort of permanent mailing address, even if it is a commercial mail forwarding company. Some friends of ours live on a boat and travel up and down the west coast. Their mail forwarding service is in Florida. We live on a farm along with Ann's brother. He opened our mail and e-mailed us concerning anything that couldn't wait until we returned. We would then take care of whatever it was via the internet, phone, or mail from wherever we were. If it was local and had to be done in person, we would e-mail him instructions and he would take care of it. The other thing that made the trip possible for us was to have the laptop along and an 800 number to the internet. That way, we could conduct our finances, handle correspondence, etc. from wherever we were. Even most campgrounds have phone hookups for local and 800 number access. We didn't drop out, but rather just took a leave of absence from local responsibilities. The key is to have someone you trust to handle the occasional local situations that need your attention.

The camera we used for both the article photos and the web site was an Olympus 2020Z. It is no longer being sold, having been replaced with newer, more capable models. It is a digital, with a 2.1 MegaPixel imager, and a 3x optical zoom. We took over 5,700 pictures on that trip, so at least a few were decent. For the web site, we reduced the image size and increased the compression rate on the jpegs for better download times. That camera also took the picture that won the Grand Prize (a 4 MegaPixel Canon camera) in Rider's first photo contest (in the December 2002 issue). As with any camera, shoot lots of pictures, and with practice, you end up with a higher percentage of good shots (the more I practice, the luckier I get).

As for funds, our biggest pay raise was when the kids graduated from college and were self sufficient. We were then able to save and invest at a more reasonable rate. With a bit of imagination and lots of desire, many people have taken longer trips with far fewer resources than we had available.

As for choice of bikes, we have toured the 11 western states on a pair of older Honda Magnas (mine a V65, and Ann's a V45). The only thing that made touring on cruisers tolerable for us was having custom seats made at the Corbin factory (before they started using foam that is hard as a rock). The thing about touring, is the ability to move around and change positions while riding. If I am forced in one position (as on a cruiser or sport bike), I tend to 'seize up' and the ride becomes a test of personal endurance rather than a relaxing ride through unexplored territory. An upright, neutral position allows me to move in either direction (feet on the rear pegs, out front - with bars, or under you).

I also don't like a lot of weight on my wrists. I have a throttle lock so that I can relax either arm whenever the opportunity allows.

Another item of consideration is a good windscreen. Although I don't particularly like looking through it, with the RT, I can adjust it so that it blocks the wind blast off my body and still look over it (I opted for the taller windscreen from BMW). Having ridden dual sports a lot, I also tend to favor a bike that allows me to stand on the pegs and use my legs as active suspension components on rough sections of road.

When we were considering bikes for the trip, we test rode a few ('99 models), and felt that for long distance touring on paved roads, the RTs suited us both very well. It's an advantage to have both bikes the same, it limits the amount of spares you need to carry (cables, plugs, special tools, etc.). If you are going to be riding two up, I would look at the LT or a GoldWing, the RT would get tiresome for the passenger after a few days.

The camera we used for the seven month trip was an Olympus C2020z. It is a 2 Megapixel camera with a 3x optical zoom. Since it was purchased (in 1999) the technology has changed dramatically. It is now possible to get a 6 Megapixel camera with 8x optical zoom and image stabilization for under a thousand. The old Olympus did well though. One of the pictures we took with it won a grand prize in a Rider photo contest. The prize was a 4 Megapixel Canon camera. Recently, I was taking pictures of my wife and son while on the freeway when the wrist strap separated and the camera left my bike while doing 65 mph. After doubling back, we found it by the side of the road, and other than some cosmetic damage (road rash), it still works! While traveling, we also carry a laptop computer so we can transfer the photos when the cards fill up. Once we have enough images, we burn a couple of CDs and send them home. On the US trip, we took over 5,000 photos - something I never could have done with film. I used to shoot a lot of 35 mm (several bodies and many lenses), but since we started using the digitals, I haven't even touched our film cameras. Another thing you might want to try is to bring along a tripod so that you can compose a shot with you in it. While many people will try to be helpful and take your picture for you, they put you right in the middle of the frame and ignore the bike, the mountains, the lake, etc.

Lets see if I can answer your questions (in order):

The nights' accommodations ran about 60% hotel/motel/B&B, 25% camping, the remainder with friends and family. Had we been even more flexible in our routing, we could have spent time with internet acquaintances and other travelers we met along the road.

We very rarely planned where we would stay for the night. When we entered a new state or provence, we would stop at a visitor's center and pick up a copy of a 'discount hotel/motel guide'. Sometimes they covered more than one state. Another source was a AAA travel guide. While we ate lunch, we would decide how far we were traveling that day and see what was available in the area we were likely to end up in. Sometimes (but rarely) the lack of readily available choices would change our destination. Only a couple of times in the entire trip did we have to spend significant time hunting for a place to stay. Most of the times we camped were in national or state parks. We also camped in KOAs (pick up KOA guide which shows where they all are). You can also check the internet for 'Two Wheel Only' style campgrounds. Once we camped in a city park (with their permission) and watched a little league ball game for our evening's entertainment. The attitude to keep in mind is a common Kiwi (New Zealand) phrase - 'No Worries'. If you plan to locate your nights' stay by sunset, you shouldn't have a problem.

Although we didn't really break down expenses into categories (we didn't need a heart attack), we averaged $160 a day. Keep in mind that it includes regular service intervals on two new BMWs (not inexpensive), tires for both bikes (4 sets each), souvenirs, touristy things (train rides, kayak rentals, guided tours, etc.), museum and park entrance fees (buy a National Park pass -$50 - if you are going to visit more than a couple), and similar "non-essential" expenses. After all, what's the point of going if you are not going to explore the areas you visit?

As for what to pack and what to leave behind, that is a much more difficult question to answer. It depends on how much room you have and whether or not you are minimalists. First, consider what may be necessary for the bikes - tire patch kit and a method to reinflate the tire, a quart of oil, basic tools, maybe a spare cable (clutch or throttle), and anything else that experience has taught you about your bikes. If you are camping, can you live without a tent? Will you be cooking at your camp? How many changes of clothes will you be comfortable with? My suggestion would be to take a couple of multi-day camping trips (preferably including one of a week or more) if you haven't already gotten your bike camping routine down pat. Since we had two large bikes with lots of storage options, we took a tent that we could stand up in, an air mattress with an 8 inch loft, an electric air compressor to inflate it, and minimal cooking gear. Although we normally stopped at a deli or grocery store for our evening snacks, we thought it a good idea to be able to put together a meal if we had to. For clothing, I would strongly recommend an extra pair of good walking/hiking boots. Hiking a couple of miles along a park trail in motorcycle boots is not for the faint of heart! A good, versatile riding suit will aid in comfort and safety. We prefer textile with removable liners and also had both an electric vest and a cooling vest (Marsee) which made adjusting for weather much easier. You will be visiting many a laudromat, so you just have to figure out how often you want to do that versus how much room you have available. We also took along a laptop computer and had an ISP with local dial-up numbers across the US. A trip this long is not a vacation, and you will need some method of paying bills, communicating with friends and relatives, checking the weather forcast in the direction you think you might be going (it could change your plans), etc. We also used it to update our website so people could keep track of us. If you like to take pictures (we took over 5,000), digital is easiest if you have a computer along.