Yippee, leave of absence to travel...

Have you never done a US motorcycle road trip?

I wonder why hiring a bike is so expensive. Insurance perhaps? I guess on
tours most bikes will sustain some damage and a few will be written off.
You would think in the US of all places some Latino would have started
buying up SOB and hiring them out to Europeans, if it wasn't an insurance
problem.

 

The US roads are good, just take what ever you have.

I used the XJR and my mate an RF900

 

Yep, we started at 4 weeks and it grew from there.

If you do 3 months, get a Visa incase you go over 90 days.

 

Because they can.

Insurance is a daily rate on top, as many people in the ?US provide
their own insurance via their existing policies.

Running a service business in the US, especially in California is very
expensive. FFS, even to wash cars (just putting a sponge on the
paintwork for money) in California, you have to be registered with the
State and pay something like 300 bucks for the privilege
(http://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/CarWash/CW-New-EN.pdf).

 

Or, just make sure you cross one of the land borders during your stay.

 

When we wandered round Europe we planned for 4, maybe 5, weeks. We
got back nearly 11 weeks later.

When we go to the US, which looks like it's going to be 2012 now as
this current contract may take me through most of next year, we're
planning for 3 months.

Kevin

 

Remind me how much of the US you intend to see?

We did 47 states, 11 weeks and missed loads - it certainly wasn't a
'relaxing holiday' and that was with a car and enough stuff that we
didn't have to do laundry every 3rd day etc.

I'm not sure I'd want to cover the same amount by two up bike in a
similar time frame.

 

Asia rocks

 

Certainly seems that way

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Maps/region/Asia_eqs.
html

 

When we go to the US, which looks like it's going to be 2012 now as

No real plans other than to 'wander' and we don't intend to try to go
everywhere; it's supposed to be fun! I accept we'll miss stuff but we
like the spontaneity.

We may have a very loose plan in terms of direction around must-see
'stuff' nearer the time and we may well take longer than 3 months once
we're over there.

Kevin

 

Get the Visa, ask for 6 months.

But when askin for the Visa have a fixed plan.
ie :- Route 66, a friend/cousin to see, then a route back , like the
Oregon Trail.

The customs people like that.

 

Urban Myth

Your 90 days start from entering the continent, crossing to Canada does
not restart it.

Lots of tales at the HU website.

We went into Canada, they checked all our docs etc, when we came back into
the US we flashed the Visa and they didn't even glance twice at it.

But when we flew back out, they checked the dates. Over staying in the US
is frowned upon, they will let you out, but might not let you back.

 

It isn't.

Really? UK passport hlders enjoy a visa waiver status with "The North
American Continent" now? I don't think so.

It worked okay for me. When I became unemployed, my L1 visa became
immediately invalid and I was out of status. A quick jaunt to Vancouver
for a few days meant turning in the I94 and when I re-entered, I did so
on a visa waiver with a new stamp, despite having a L1 visa page that
as far as CBP was aware was entirely valid (they had no way of checking
that I became unemployed the day previously). This was at the advice of
a very expensive attorney. Mexico would also have been fine, however,
the swine flu was just blowing up and they were closing the borders.

I'll go by my own experience and that of the attornies that were
advising me at the time.

Sure, that's a good way, if you plan on getting the visa and going
through all the bollocks up front, which is worthwhile if you are
definitely staying longer than 90 days.

If you don't intend to stay longer than 90 days, using a border
crossing will get you out of trouble.

Well duh.

 

No I didn't mean for snow, it did read that way.
People/experience etc.

I don't know why you wouldn't want to tour the US though. Amazing landscapes
and lovely people.

 

Hmmmm - I thought the Caucausas are the boundary so it would depend
on which side of the mountain watershed.
But ICBW.

 

Except where [x] == "general"?

 

Japan would be on my list, except I believe that they fingerprint Jonny
Foreigners as well.

 

Terrible food, dreadful beer. People? Well, some may be lovely, but
there's a lot who aren't.

 

The wine is pretty good. While we were in SF we did a days tour of
Sonoma Valley. A bit touristy but actually still a really good tour as
they mixed the vineyards up between fairly large scale producers and
real small organic concerns, learnt a lot as well as plenty 'free' vino.

I think the entire coach fell asleep about 4pm.

 

Some of it, for sure.

We did three wineries in one afternoon a few years back, with a
horse-riding session at the third. At which we all had to sign a
statement that we hadn't been drinking <hic!>.