Getting Ready to Ride

Ever since I was in my twenties, I’ve wanted to ride cross country on a motorcycle. From age twenty-one to twenty-three, I owned a 1978 Honda CB 750F, which was a hell of a fun bike. It was in great condition when, parked quietly in front of my house on a quiet summer afternoon, a fully-loaded cement truck backed over it.

I spent the next few decades working and raising kids. Now that they’re in or through college, I decided to carve out some time for a long road trip. I’ll be heading west toward New Mexico, Arizona and Utah, three states I have never visited. I’m more interested in seeing the countryside than the cities, and most of the ride will take place on smaller country highways, away from the traffic of the interstates.

I spent much of the winter building up a 2025 Suzuki DR650 for touring. The DR is a dual sport that does a little bit of everything while excelling at nothing other than being durable and reliable. I did the usual touring mods on this bike, including:

• a 5.3-gallon Acerbis gas tank to improve riding range
• a comfortable Seat Concepts seat to replace the Spanish-inquisition-inspired factory plank
• a set of Tusk racks and aluminum panniers to carry clothing and tools
• a few comfort mods, including bar risers, lowered foot pegs, hand guards and improved suspension

I was pleased with the build, and after doing many one- and two-hour rides, I took the DR out for some longer rides in March. Everything seemed fine, until one brutal ride at 55 mph (88 km/h) against a 30 mph (48 km/h) headwind in cold weather with no windscreen. That ride was so uncomfortable, it made me doubt whether I could ride the DR more than 200 miles (320 km) under any conditions.

I added a cheap windscreen to the DR, and that took the wind pressure off my chest. But still, I had my doubts. It was early spring, and plenty of riders were selling bikes on Craigslist and Facebook, so I decided to test drive a few to see if they would be substantially more comfortable than the DR. I was testing touring and sport-touring bikes, but not cruisers, because I don’t like heavy, unresponsive bikes.

As to whether any of those bikes would be substantially more comfortable, the short answer, with one exception, was no. The exception was a 2004 Honda ST1300, which was in excellent condition with a dirt-cheap price tag. I wound up buying it because it was so comfortable, and because it cost less than a new mid-range bicycle. All of its service was up to date and it already had all the extras for touring. I added a new set of tires and it was ready to go.

(By the way, if you’re looking for bargain bikes, be sure to check out sport-tourers from the 2005-2015 era, such as the Honda ST1300, the Yamaha FJ1300, Kawasaki Concours, BMW F800GT, etc. These bikes went out of fashion around 2015 and, unlike adventure sports from the same period, they’re wildly under-priced on the used market. Ride one, and you’ll understand why they were once so popular: they’re super comfortable, and they handle brilliantly. They were also designed for durability, with engines that live well past 100,000 miles (160,000 km). Find one with low mileage and it will last you for many years.)

Mid-May was hot in central Virginia, and taking the ST1300 on some test rides made me rethink my decision. The ST’s big fairing shields the rider from wind, and while that’s great in cooler weather, it’s a problem in hot weather. The bike’s large engine pushes heat into the rider’s legs and ass. To be fair, the ST1300 is no hotter than most other big touring bikes, but since I’ll be riding through the south and southwest in summer with daily highs reaching 90°-110°F (32°-43°C), I really don’t want to be on a hot bike.

I took the DR 650 out in those same hot conditions–97°-99°F (36°-37°C) with high humidity–and it felt great. I got a nice, cooling breeze, even with the windscreen mounted, and the plus-size Acerbis gas tank prevented the engine heat from rising up to my thighs. Once you’re moving, most of the heat from the Suzuki’s air-cooled engine simply blows off without affecting the rider.

The DR is also a much simpler bike than the ST1300. In fact, it’s simpler than almost any other bike on the market, making roadside repairs much easier. Since it’s been unchanged in production for thirty years, parts are easy to find. Due to its legendary reliability, you shouldn’t need to look for parts anyway, so long as your bike is in good shape when your journey begins.

The DR does well at country-highway speeds of 40-60 mph (about 65-100 km/h) and it can ride in dirt, which is something I really want to do in New Mexico, Arizona and Utah. So now I’m back to the DR. Good thing I spent all that time setting it up.

I had planned to start my ride the day after Memorial Day (May 26, 2026), when traffic is thin, but it looks like I’m going to leave a couple of days later, when we should get a break from the non-stop rain we’ve been having here. Here’s the plan so far:

• ride south on the Blue Ridge Parkway from Central Virginia to North Carolina
• turn west to visit a friend in Memphis
• backtrack to the Natchez Trace Parkway and follow that into Mississippi
• wing it from there, with only a few waypoints in mind, including:
  • Austin, TX
  • the Texas Hill Country
  • White Sands, NM
  • Santa Fe, NM
  • Sedona, AZ (maybe)
  • the mountains of Northern Arizona
  • Moab, UT

From Utah, I have no plan, though I’ll likely either head east into Colorado to visit friends, or north to Seattle to visit family and other friends.