I'm glad that you did this ride but like myself and many others, you didn't provide nearly enough time. It has taken me three times trying and four weeks to do it and I've only made it to the Nevada border. Do yourself a favor and go back west. Trailer the bike to central Colorado in the heat of the summer and spend some time on the trail from Ophir headed west. You won't be let down. The highlight of the trip for me so far. Just my $.02
I think you are probably right. I was worse for wear by the time I got to Colorado and was fighting to get to Port Orford in 5 days. The trail has many highlights throughout, but many are found in the Appalachians or the Rockies. Each is worth its own 3 week tour.
Great advice Tim, Due to my son's work schedule we did two week runs over one summer and two early falls. The first part was from Tellico plains to Monticello Utah and was a cruiser, 12 days approx. 3000 miles. Fall of 2018 we planned to finish and both succumbed to mechanical failures near Lund Nevada, 5 days into the ride. So this September trailered to Salt Lake City , rode back to Lund and got on the trail and made Port Orford 10 &1/2 days later! But as you said, the best part starts in Colorado and goes west. Hope you can make it back to Nevada and finish Nevada and Oregon. I would not schedule the Utah and Nevada desert crossings in the heat of the summer though.
Your a Maverick. Great adventure. Well documented...Many "trails" you traveled were actually abandoned railways...but same idea. Glad you switched to miles at end of trip so I know what you were talking about. Amazing to find the best and most friendly folks off the main roads...Did similar trip with a Pal, in a 1955 Chevy. 15,000 miles in 3 months...Only took color slides...memories...Thanks
Well done. You've got the spirit of the road in you. If you're still doing this when you're an old man like me, you're going to dig the freedom to wake up one morning, feel like a ride and be gone for three months. Man, five days from Oregon to Toronto on a 250 is a killer. I've done quite a few 5-day coast-to-coast rides on the Harley Road King and never felt I was rushing to get anywhere, but a 250 would turn into work. I was out for 14,500 miles last summer on my DR650, from New England to Tuktoyaktuk and then Prudhoe Bay, but I was out for 79 days, not looking to make big miles five days in a row. A rider needs to be your age to have the beef and the headspace for that. Keep riding!
If you missed Oark, you missed the best part of Arkansas. It is a little town with a nice store with great food. Oark even has a school. Go back and check it out!
What an awesome adventure! Your foot injury looked painful! It's good you weren't so bad off you needed to delay. Very cool video. As a trucker that has seen much of the US and a small portion of 3 Canadian Provinces, I have to say I envy folks like you that are able to travel roads I have no hope of getting an 18 wheeler down! Safe riding.
Thanks for posting your adventure. You sure had your work cut out for you on that trip. What a great attitude though! It’s also a bit of a cautionary tale, the unpredictable weather, mechanical issues, and your injury! All things that could happen to anyone on any bike at any time of year on this route. I’ve ridden a lot of areas in the PNW and Nevada and Utah and echo the advice of other commenters here by saying you should definitely make the western portion it’s own trip! Great video and thanks again.
Looks like a great adventure. I have just up-graded to a 2019 BMW 1250 GS, and have this trip on my bucket list trips. I admire your courage for doing this alone and on a smaller bike, which makes the weight and packing that much more technical in order to travel efficiently. Great photo's and videos.....and think you narrated and described your journey quite well. Going to start planning this for 2021, as I will most likely do a smaller trip to Deale NC and ride the tail of the Dragon sometime next summer with some buddies with street bikes. Anyone reading this comment that is up for the trans-america in 2021, message me and lets get some correspondence going. I will no doubt do this ride solo, but if others are in the same boat, we could all join up and do the ride together! I live in Belleville, Ontario and ride when I am not at work (currently in the DRC, Africa). Oh yeah I ride a KTM 350 EXC-F enduro on the weekends in the Congo on my off time whilst in the Congo..... You can never get enough biking in!
Crazy long trip on a 250! I did an 8 week 12,000 mile trip on my 690 that tore through fuel on highways! I’ve put 8500 miles on my 500exc which is far better off road than the 690, but is even harder on fuel at highway speeds. Both of which I carried off road and on road sprockets to suit the conditions. Well done doing your trip on a high strung 250!
I live in Virginia and I will never forget the amount of rainfall we got in 2018. It just would not stop, all spring & summer long. Truly never seen anything like it in this region. Thanks for sharing this video, this is a truly inspirational ride!
Thanks for sharing your adventure. You encountered an unusual amount of adversity, but some adventures are like that. Good job on accommodating the difficulties as well as possible and endeavoring to persevere. I'm probably too old for the more difficult off road sections of the TAT, but I'd like to do my own version. I'd better do it soon. I'm not getting any younger. Tick tock.
Very nicely done, Eric. You made it your own trail based on variables such as weather, time constraints, physical limits, injuries, and the limits of your bike. Many thanks for the suggestion of sharing water with us thirsty solo cyclists!
Wow! Thanks for your excellent video, I thoroughly enjoyed hearing and watching your experience. I’m an avid ADV rider and can only dream of experiencing this trip one day...ride on!
Great trip man, I brings back my memories of driving through the back roads of those states. The fact that you did that all on a 250 is brilliant. I wouldn't think it would like the highway speeds and weight. Cool adventure, can't wait to try my luck on it.
Awesome. I just sold my BMW R1250GS. Will buy a lightweight 250 - 400 cc bike to ride the TAT solo cross country in 2021. Great job, great video, thanks for sharing. Don’t listen to any negative posts 🤙🏽
Great video. Will be trying again to ride across the country in May. Last year I made it to New Mexico and turned around and headed back to Ohio. Got more time this year so I should make it to the pacific coast highway which was my goal last year. New Mexico was a beautiful state and can’t wait to go through it again.
Awesome! Dying to do it. Only listen to positive comments. You post a video of you building a jet engine in your shed, it would still be full of negative comments. It is the nature of the net. Awesome. Gave a good feel of doing it.
Great video and summary. I'm hoping to get to do this some day. Traveling from the UK and maybe buying a bike at the beginning of the trail. It may be complicated but it's on my to do list!
This looks like a fun month! Run it in a TJ Wrangler, maybe with a trailer maybe not. You went across the continent and back on a 250? I am impressed sir!
Awesome video my friend. You are one tough dude, ride with the near broke foot half way across america is impressive, not counting the fact, you were on the trail more than half of the trip. Hats off to you sir, for making this trip happen and may you get many many more years of rides in sir. Thanks for sharing your trip with us. Dale
Excellent video. We are considering doing this journey in a Jeep! I'm dying to drive Ophir Pass in CO. A friendly tip from a native Oregonian to anyone who's willing to listen and learn: we pronounce it "OR-a-gin" instead of "OR-ee-gone". Happy future travels to you, Eric!
It looks like you missed quite a bit of the trail. I understand time constraints but I don’t want to miss large parts of the trail. I hope to ride it someday. Thank you for posting.
I’ve been wanting to do this trip for a long time, most of my adult life, I’m 66 now and still want to do it but can’t get any of my friends to go so the closest I get is watching videos, thanks for the video
I just had to pause the video at 3 minutes and say that I'm really sorry you had to miss the NC and TN sections in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It's really fantastic. Too bad about the rain. If you decide you want to have a re-do, I suggest looking up the Smokey (sic) Mountains 500 - the SM500 includes a lot of the TAT roads in that area including the famous Witt Rd water crossings but runs in a loop down in North Georgia (which is fantastic) and back up to Bryson City. It's a three day ride.
Hey Eric ..nice to watch .. a group of us are heading to do this next year 2020 from New Zealand .. it will be our 5th motorcycle trip to the US ..first time off road ..or some of it anyway .. everyone learns something on a trip like this that they would do different next time .. If you keen to tell .. Im listening .. cheers m8 Mark Cox
Hey Noel. If I had to do it over again, I'd force myself to break camp at 7am. I felt the slowest between 11am and 3pm as the temperature rose. I would try to put down the miles early in the day to buy time for relaxing.
If you pause at 10:37 (the spot where the car is) that's where I spent the night after completing the TAT. I was the only one there and deer were all around my truck in the morning.
Wow I am really impressed with your trip on wr this makes me more confident in my drz 400 e which I am planning on doing a long trips! Thanks for sharing
Where did you get the maps for the tat? I am going west to east in June leaving Sacramento heading towards St. George and Zion Bryce Canyon then up to the Rockies to meet a group for a few days. After that I’ll be solo heading towards Tennessee, I’m on a Pan-American adventure bike not looking to get into too much of the mud and the rough but I would love to do that rock water crossing you showed on your video not sure if it was an Arkansas Mississippi or Tennessee. And some of the other highlights and Utah look pretty nice too. The cabin that you missed I would like to visit. I’m going to try to get to Kentucky on my return trip so I can go to the art museum. Anyway I like your video, thank you for sharing
In 2007 I bought the second to last Honda XR650R and put a street legal kit on it as well as a few other choice modifications. About three months later I found out I was going to be a father. (The bikes fault not mine!) The bike has been sitting. Once a year I start it and take it around the block. As well as a few other things to keep it on life support. It has less then 100 miles on it. Now the kids are grown. I have the clearance!
@@stewartgill3753 The fires that happened prevented my departure date. Wife said it was a bad sign. Considering I couldn’t see fifty yards I held off. Looking at the end of May into June this year.
I would love to do this trip with my son and a couple buddies! I'd be leaving from Southern New Brunswick, Canada. I give myself another couple years and I will have a 2 week vacation planned to tackle this trip. 😎 Thanks for sharing! Good job on your video editing! Very cool! 👍✌🤙🏼
2 weeks is a perfect amount of time to do the BDR or GPSKevin routes down to VA, then Sam's routes to Tennessee. I've heard the Tenessee-PortOrford TAT has been done in 10 days, but I've decided it's not a record worth trying to beat.
@@ericanderson3806 Hmmm, Don't see a record published anywhere but that is a 510 mile/day average if you started in Tellico plains. At a 45 mph average that's 11&1/2 hours in the saddle each and every day , not counting eating, fueling, reroutes, flats or mechanical failures. And IF it was done, it was probably done with support.
Hopefully you can return to CO one day, ophir is one of the easier passes and on a little 200 it would be fun. You should try biting off bdr routes by state. CO is south to north and around 600 miles of true dirt.
The WR250R is a fantastic bike that'll go pretty much anywhere. I've done 2500 mile cold fall trips with a 225Lbs load. Maintains 75mph on the interstate and still tears it up off-road.
Great job on the video. I loved the narration. So many riding videos are just that...videos with some obscure cover songs dubbed over them. You narrative made this video.
Nice video, I live in North Carolina roughly 4 hours west from the start of the trail. About how much money would you say it costs total to camp along the trail?
Hey Eric - I am looking at doing this next month. Do you see any issues going West To East? I was going to do it in my Ford Raptor, any issues with that you think? What would you do differently? Where did you get your maps? Thank you for making this video.
Great video and great job. I didn't think a 250 could do that trip. Granted it has 6 gears. I will have to push my drz 400 . I live in new Mexico. My problem is the distance at high way speeds are tough on small bikes. But when you get in the back country nothing beats them. Congress on a bad ass trip.
I had a removable Spitfire windscreen and a Seat Concepts seat. If you can keep the engine vibration down, it's like sitting in a comfy chair. Until you get behind a big truck and the turbulence against the handle-bar mounted windscreen nearly gives you a tank slapper. I'm not sure what the final answer is - maybe a steering damper?
I missed the hard parts like the mud-pits when I took a wrong turn. I lost the video of unpaved parts of the trail that day, but it wasn't any more technical than a poorly maintained county road.
At time mark 5:12 you mentioned that a grocer told you to head to Ozark. You missed the great trails part of TAT as well as the Oark Cafe which is a must see for the dual sport enthusiast. You were so close Erik.
Well some day you may get to do the TAT as intended. Hard to make the time to do things. I am trying to get a Smoky mountain ride in and take the Blue Ridge parkway to the end and back. Stuff happens and life happens. Thanks for the video.
Sitting in Fonthill, Ontario just outside of Niagara contemplating a trip next summer across the BC and down to Southern California before riding what's left of 66 home. Not the same type of riding, but riding none the less. Your choice of a wr 250 is interesting, and too be honest, I didn't think a big with that small an engine would do what yours did. Thanks for the inspiration. I am currently looking at adv bikes and welcome any input you may have.
Test ride before you buy if you can. The specs won't tell you which bike feels right for the kind of riding you want to do. There are many mid-sized adventure bikes coming out in the next year which should push down the prices of the older 650 singles which are very capable machines. I was also looking at a KTM 690, which would have been better suited to the long stretches. It really needs a steering damper which just adds more to the final cost. Great bike otherwise though.
@@ericanderson3806 I have my eye on a 1090R. I am 6'4" and 250, and found this big nice to sit on. I felt the 1290 was just too boaty. I am fine with paying for the bike, but do not want to buy a princess temperamental bike, if you know what I mean. I keep looking at Dr and klr 650s, and think I could save a fortune by buying one of these.
@@Bob-Maplethorpe Great, see you out there! The ODSC club is worth joining if you want some pre-made GPS rides in southern Ontario. It's no Utah BDR, but it feels like the West Virginia TAT.
I'm glad that you did this ride but like myself and many others, you didn't provide nearly enough time. It has taken me three times trying and four weeks to do it and I've only made it to the Nevada border. Do yourself a favor and go back west. Trailer the bike to central Colorado in the heat of the summer and spend some time on the trail from Ophir headed west. You won't be let down. The highlight of the trip for me so far. Just my $.02
I think you are probably right. I was worse for wear by the time I got to Colorado and was fighting to get to Port Orford in 5 days.
The trail has many highlights throughout, but many are found in the Appalachians or the Rockies. Each is worth its own 3 week tour.
Tim Wood i did it coast to coast on a ktm 500 in 4 weeks in 2018. It’s hard not to haul ass on a five hundo haha
Great advice Tim, Due to my son's work schedule we did two week runs over one summer and two early falls. The first part was from Tellico plains to Monticello Utah and was a cruiser, 12 days approx. 3000 miles. Fall of 2018 we planned to finish and both succumbed to mechanical failures near Lund Nevada, 5 days into the ride. So this September trailered to Salt Lake City , rode back to Lund and got on the trail and made Port Orford 10 &1/2 days later! But as you said, the best part starts in Colorado and goes west. Hope you can make it back to Nevada and finish Nevada and Oregon. I would not schedule the Utah and Nevada desert crossings in the heat of the summer though.
@@ericanderson3806 l
Your a Maverick. Great adventure. Well documented...Many "trails" you traveled were actually abandoned railways...but same idea. Glad you switched to miles at end of trip so I know what you were talking about. Amazing to find the best and most friendly folks off the main roads...Did similar trip with a Pal, in a 1955 Chevy. 15,000 miles in 3 months...Only took color slides...memories...Thanks
Well done. You've got the spirit of the road in you. If you're still doing this when you're an old man like me, you're going to dig the freedom to wake up one morning, feel like a ride and be gone for three months. Man, five days from Oregon to Toronto on a 250 is a killer. I've done quite a few 5-day coast-to-coast rides on the Harley Road King and never felt I was rushing to get anywhere, but a 250 would turn into work. I was out for 14,500 miles last summer on my DR650, from New England to Tuktoyaktuk and then Prudhoe Bay, but I was out for 79 days, not looking to make big miles five days in a row. A rider needs to be your age to have the beef and the headspace for that. Keep riding!
Brother you have that spirit that lies within all men, but you my friend are living it.
What a nice thing to say. TH-cam needs more comments like yours.
@@StanleySchmengie What a nice reply, TH-cam needs more replies like yours...
#LetsBnice21another
Great video and greatly admire your endurance. I had a WR250R for 6 years, great bike and as you demonstrated, rock solid. Thanks for the video!
If you missed Oark, you missed the best part of Arkansas. It is a little town with a nice store with great food. Oark even has a school. Go back and check it out!
What an awesome adventure! Your foot injury looked painful! It's good you weren't so bad off you needed to delay. Very cool video. As a trucker that has seen much of the US and a small portion of 3 Canadian Provinces, I have to say I envy folks like you that are able to travel roads I have no hope of getting an 18 wheeler down! Safe riding.
Thanks for posting your adventure. You sure had your work cut out for you on that trip. What a great attitude though! It’s also a bit of a cautionary tale, the unpredictable weather, mechanical issues, and your injury! All things that could happen to anyone on any bike at any time of year on this route. I’ve ridden a lot of areas in the PNW and Nevada and Utah and echo the advice of other commenters here by saying you should definitely make the western portion it’s own trip! Great video and thanks again.
Looks like a great adventure. I have just up-graded to a 2019 BMW 1250 GS, and have this trip on my bucket list trips. I admire your courage for doing this alone and on a smaller bike, which makes the weight and packing that much more technical in order to travel efficiently. Great photo's and videos.....and think you narrated and described your journey quite well. Going to start planning this for 2021, as I will most likely do a smaller trip to Deale NC and ride the tail of the Dragon sometime next summer with some buddies with street bikes. Anyone reading this comment that is up for the trans-america in 2021, message me and lets get some correspondence going. I will no doubt do this ride solo, but if others are in the same boat, we could all join up and do the ride together! I live in Belleville, Ontario and ride when I am not at work (currently in the DRC, Africa). Oh yeah I ride a KTM 350 EXC-F enduro on the weekends in the Congo on my off time whilst in the Congo..... You can never get enough biking in!
What an awesome trip. Like the way you say Oregon
Crazy long trip on a 250! I did an 8 week 12,000 mile trip on my 690 that tore through fuel on highways! I’ve put 8500 miles on my 500exc which is far better off road than the 690, but is even harder on fuel at highway speeds. Both of which I carried off road and on road sprockets to suit the conditions.
Well done doing your trip on a high strung 250!
I live in Virginia and I will never forget the amount of rainfall we got in 2018. It just would not stop, all spring & summer long. Truly never seen anything like it in this region. Thanks for sharing this video, this is a truly inspirational ride!
Thanks for sharing your adventure. You encountered an unusual amount of adversity, but some adventures are like that. Good job on accommodating the difficulties as well as possible and endeavoring to persevere. I'm probably too old for the more difficult off road sections of the TAT, but I'd like to do my own version. I'd better do it soon. I'm not getting any younger. Tick tock.
Thanks Mark. I'm getting a KLR too and planning a trip with my son from CA to NC the summer when he finishes high school
Very nicely done, Eric. You made it your own trail based on variables such as weather, time constraints, physical limits, injuries, and the limits of your bike. Many thanks for the suggestion of sharing water with us thirsty solo cyclists!
Man, this was just a great summary of this! You really sold me on it.
Very cool video and a lot of tips. I will plan this trip for 2023.
Eric, an excellent summary of your trip. You certainly covered a lot miles in but a few days!
Wow! Thanks for your excellent video, I thoroughly enjoyed hearing and watching your experience. I’m an avid ADV rider and can only dream of experiencing this trip one day...ride on!
Great trip man, I brings back my memories of driving through the back roads of those states. The fact that you did that all on a 250 is brilliant. I wouldn't think it would like the highway speeds and weight. Cool adventure, can't wait to try my luck on it.
This is one of the best TAT reviews out there - very clear - bike looked great 👍 thanks for sharing
Great video . Youth and wonder are priceless
Nice video. Thanks. I am a senior looking at the trail..
Have not rode before...
Wow. What a trip. Thanks for making this video.
Awesome. I just sold my BMW R1250GS. Will buy a lightweight 250 - 400 cc bike to ride the TAT solo cross country in 2021. Great job, great video, thanks for sharing. Don’t listen to any negative posts 🤙🏽
Man, I wish I was still young, I'm 65 years old, and ride a 2017 crf250l, fun as hell !
youtube "Tiny Bike to Alaska" and enjoy!! :{)
My dad just turned 70 and hes zipping around. On his wr250r
your never to old go before your 85 years old and can't.
Mark you can do it. Find a buddy.
@@frankharder338 man. nice no longer have the CRF, I now have a 2022 Kawasaki KLR650, more fun to ride and I'm now 70 !
Great video. Will be trying again to ride across the country in May. Last year I made it to New Mexico and turned around and headed back to Ohio. Got more time this year so I should make it to the pacific coast highway which was my goal last year. New Mexico was a beautiful state and can’t wait to go through it again.
Wow nice adventure. I liked Silverton Colorado too. What a long way to go all by your self, I'm glad you made it safe. That foot injury looked rough.
Nice video... you made really good time. I'm from Waterloo, ON and plan to do similar trip late July 2021. Took some notes from this. Thanks. Ben
Awesome! Dying to do it. Only listen to positive comments. You post a video of you building a jet engine in your shed, it would still be full of negative comments. It is the nature of the net.
Awesome. Gave a good feel of doing it.
Hi Eric. It's very inspirational to watch you travel through different states on your motorcycle. It gives me courage to try it
Great video and summary. I'm hoping to get to do this some day. Traveling from the UK and maybe buying a bike at the beginning of the trail. It may be complicated but it's on my to do list!
This looks like a fun month! Run it in a TJ Wrangler, maybe with a trailer maybe not. You went across the continent and back on a 250? I am impressed sir!
Great video, nicely produced. Thanks for sharing your adventure.
Thanks for documenting it Eric
Awesome video my friend. You are one tough dude, ride with the near broke foot half way across america is impressive, not counting the fact, you were on the trail more than half of the trip. Hats off to you sir, for making this trip happen and may you get many many more years of rides in sir.
Thanks for sharing your trip with us.
Dale
Excellent video. We are considering doing this journey in a Jeep!
I'm dying to drive Ophir Pass in CO.
A friendly tip from a native Oregonian to anyone who's willing to listen and learn: we pronounce it "OR-a-gin" instead of "OR-ee-gone".
Happy future travels to you, Eric!
Great video, Eric. Thanks for taking the time to get the video and put it together.
It looks like you missed quite a bit of the trail. I understand time constraints but I don’t want to miss large parts of the trail. I hope to ride it someday. Thank you for posting.
I’ve been wanting to do this trip for a long time, most of my adult life, I’m 66 now and still want to do it but can’t get any of my friends to go so the closest I get is watching videos, thanks for the video
I just had to pause the video at 3 minutes and say that I'm really sorry you had to miss the NC and TN sections in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It's really fantastic. Too bad about the rain. If you decide you want to have a re-do, I suggest looking up the Smokey (sic) Mountains 500 - the SM500 includes a lot of the TAT roads in that area including the famous Witt Rd water crossings but runs in a loop down in North Georgia (which is fantastic) and back up to Bryson City. It's a three day ride.
Hey Eric ..nice to watch .. a group of us are heading to do this next year 2020 from New Zealand .. it will be our 5th motorcycle trip to the US ..first time off road ..or some of it anyway .. everyone learns something on a trip like this that they would do different next time .. If you keen to tell .. Im listening ..
cheers m8
Mark Cox
Hey Noel. If I had to do it over again, I'd force myself to break camp at 7am. I felt the slowest between 11am and 3pm as the temperature rose. I would try to put down the miles early in the day to buy time for relaxing.
Great documentary. Well done for not giving up cross country. Inspirational. Stay well.
Thanks Eric. Very nice video and a very memorable trip!
Really enjoyed your summary and the way you told your story. Well Done!
Nice video How Much did you cost for total km
If you pause at 10:37 (the spot where the car is) that's where I spent the night after completing the TAT. I was the only one there and deer were all around my truck in the morning.
Interesting spot to camp. I wouldn't have thought to stay there, but it's a good idea as the Port Orford motels seem to get booked up.
Awesome video. I'm looking to do the west Virginia portion soon and would like to do much more of it in the future.
Wow I am really impressed with your trip on wr this makes me more confident in my drz 400 e which I am planning on doing a long trips! Thanks for sharing
I crossed paths in New Mexico with two other guys on DRZ400s on the TAT. The drz400 is a great bike for this trip as well.
i have plans on doing it soon. i would have done it sooner but after alot of videos the honda trail 125 just dont have the HP in Utah.
Where did you get the maps for the tat? I am going west to east in June leaving Sacramento heading towards St. George and Zion Bryce Canyon then up to the Rockies to meet a group for a few days. After that I’ll be solo heading towards Tennessee, I’m on a Pan-American adventure bike not looking to get into too much of the mud and the rough but I would love to do that rock water crossing you showed on your video not sure if it was an Arkansas Mississippi or Tennessee. And some of the other highlights and Utah look pretty nice too. The cabin that you missed I would like to visit. I’m going to try to get to Kentucky on my return trip so I can go to the art museum. Anyway I like your video, thank you for sharing
Great video, Eric! I’m interested in doing this in my jeep soon!
Great video. I’m hoping to do the TAT next year.
In 2007 I bought the second to last Honda XR650R and put a street legal kit on it as well as a few other choice modifications.
About three months later I found out I was going to be a father. (The bikes fault not mine!)
The bike has been sitting. Once a year I start it and take it around the block. As well as a few other things to keep it on life support. It has less then 100 miles on it.
Now the kids are grown. I have the clearance!
It’s been a year and I finally have a departure date in September 2023. The bike is almost as ready as it will ever be.
@@fixedguitar47how’d it go?
@@stewartgill3753 The fires that happened prevented my departure date. Wife said it was a bad sign. Considering I couldn’t see fifty yards I held off.
Looking at the end of May into June this year.
Man, you are one tough hombre! Thanks for the video and your enduring spirit 👍🏍🏁
Great ride. Im hoping to do part of trip this year in August/Sept...
Awesome video, one day I will complete this. Thanks for sharing.
dude, I really enjoyed your trip, good luck, success. from Russia with love.
I would love to do this trip with my son and a couple buddies! I'd be leaving from Southern New Brunswick, Canada. I give myself another couple years and I will have a 2 week vacation planned to tackle this trip. 😎 Thanks for sharing! Good job on your video editing! Very cool! 👍✌🤙🏼
2 weeks is a perfect amount of time to do the BDR or GPSKevin routes down to VA, then Sam's routes to Tennessee. I've heard the Tenessee-PortOrford TAT has been done in 10 days, but I've decided it's not a record worth trying to beat.
@@ericanderson3806 Hmmm, Don't see a record published anywhere but that is a 510 mile/day average if you started in Tellico plains. At a 45 mph average that's 11&1/2 hours in the saddle each and every day , not counting eating, fueling, reroutes, flats or mechanical failures. And IF it was done, it was probably done with support.
Best video I’ve watched that captured the whole experience in on shot. This is a wet dream I hope to do one day.
Looks like you went through my old stomping grounds in western North Dakota on the way home. Right across the line from Montana.
That must have been a amazing trip! Thanks for sharing 😁
good job man, that is a long ride in so short a time!
Well done video. I'm not alone is saying someday I'd love to do a ride like this. Any tips of suggestions would be appreciated.
Actually stay on the trail
@@micahreese982 Right on!
Can you share the map itinerary?
Cool adventure. Thanks for sharing.
Hopefully you can return to CO one day, ophir is one of the easier passes and on a little 200 it would be fun.
You should try biting off bdr routes by state. CO is south to north and around 600 miles of true dirt.
Can't believe you chugged along on a 250. Great trail summary. Thanks for the New Mexico props, it is an underrated state.
250 was perfect as I kept all my gear to under 40lbs. There were two Kiwis doing the trail a month after me on Groms.
The WR250R is a fantastic bike that'll go pretty much anywhere. I've done 2500 mile cold fall trips with a 225Lbs load. Maintains 75mph on the interstate and still tears it up off-road.
Great job on the video. I loved the narration. So many riding videos are just that...videos with some obscure cover songs dubbed over them. You narrative made this video.
Do you think a light adventure bike could do this vs the stripped down dual-sport?
Very cool trip. What tires did you run?
I like how this video is composed showing the map so we know where you are.
Great video, you should try starting in SC, there are some good maps out there with less road travel. Heard there is a map that starts at Myrtle Beach
Nice video, I live in North Carolina roughly 4 hours west from the start of the trail. About how much money would you say it costs total to camp along the trail?
Hey Eric - I am looking at doing this next month.
Do you see any issues going West To East?
I was going to do it in my Ford Raptor, any issues with that you think?
What would you do differently?
Where did you get your maps?
Thank you for making this video.
Great video, I enjoyed it very much..
Great video and great job. I didn't think a 250 could do that trip. Granted it has 6 gears. I will have to push my drz 400 . I live in new Mexico. My problem is the distance at high way speeds are tough on small bikes. But when you get in the back country nothing beats them. Congress on a bad ass trip.
I had a removable Spitfire windscreen and a Seat Concepts seat. If you can keep the engine vibration down, it's like sitting in a comfy chair.
Until you get behind a big truck and the turbulence against the handle-bar mounted windscreen nearly gives you a tank slapper.
I'm not sure what the final answer is - maybe a steering damper?
Unbelievable trip great experience awesome if you had to do it again what would your choice of bike be?
did you hit the hard parts of the wv trail? and do you have more vid? Im leaving from Columbus OH in May going from WV to Mississippi, cant wait
I missed the hard parts like the mud-pits when I took a wrong turn. I lost the video of unpaved parts of the trail that day, but it wasn't any more technical than a poorly maintained county road.
Congrats and greetings from Costa Rica. This give me a good idea of how many days could take me to make the TAT
Dude, great, real world take on the TAT. Well done!
Great vid. Incredible trip. You really blasted home eh. geeze. Love my WR too. cheers from Barrie.
Excellent Video.. Educational and no silly overdone music
Fantastic recap, this is the last big item on my bucket list, if you were to pick a one week section what would it be.
Great video! Thanks for putting it together!
Eric, this was a great video and epic adventure.
Definitely an adventure... courage to do it solo. I liked how you had to adjust to circumstances.
Is there some kind of forum if ur a solo rider to hook up with people that are gonna do it the same time you are?
Great video, that's quite the adventure, especially on a 250. Too bad about all the rain.
Well done! I'm hoping to do this someday
At time mark 5:12 you mentioned that a grocer told you to head to Ozark. You missed the great trails part of TAT as well as the Oark Cafe which is a must see for the dual sport enthusiast. You were so close Erik.
Good job, that takes some courage and a heck of a sence of adventure.
Loved the google maps included. Great video
Well some day you may get to do the TAT as intended. Hard to make the time to do things. I am trying to get a Smoky mountain ride in and take the Blue Ridge parkway to the end and back. Stuff happens and life happens. Thanks for the video.
Eric, nice quick video!
Way to keep on going after your foot injury! Good job man! 🤙
Cheers!
Great video I have been riding sportbikes but I know adventure bikeing is the next chapter.
Sitting in Fonthill, Ontario just outside of Niagara contemplating a trip next summer across the BC and down to Southern California before riding what's left of 66 home. Not the same type of riding, but riding none the less.
Your choice of a wr 250 is interesting, and too be honest, I didn't think a big with that small an engine would do what yours did.
Thanks for the inspiration. I am currently looking at adv bikes and welcome any input you may have.
Test ride before you buy if you can. The specs won't tell you which bike feels right for the kind of riding you want to do.
There are many mid-sized adventure bikes coming out in the next year which should push down the prices of the older 650 singles which are very capable machines.
I was also looking at a KTM 690, which would have been better suited to the long stretches. It really needs a steering damper which just adds more to the final cost. Great bike otherwise though.
@@ericanderson3806 I have my eye on a 1090R. I am 6'4" and 250, and found this big nice to sit on. I felt the 1290 was just too boaty.
I am fine with paying for the bike, but do not want to buy a princess temperamental bike, if you know what I mean. I keep looking at Dr and klr 650s, and think I could save a fortune by buying one of these.
@@Bob-Maplethorpe Great, see you out there! The ODSC club is worth joining if you want some pre-made GPS rides in southern Ontario. It's no Utah BDR, but it feels like the West Virginia TAT.
Play enjoyed every minute of that thank you very much for sharing that with us and well done
What a great adventure thanks for sharing!
Dude, that awesome! How many miles was it round trip?