My 700 Adventure idea - would it work?

[DirtFlier]

[...If you purchase in California you can sell it in any other state but because California has different emission rules you can’t always do the reverse. In some ways California is like a different country...]

I was born and lived in So Cal until 1990. The CA prohibition of non-Cal vehicles has to do with someone going to another state, buying a new bike/car, then bringing it home. They don't want people to do that just to escape CA emissions. If you have a used bike/car that you've owned for a suitable period (90 days?), and want to register it in CA then it's allowed. A perfect example would be someone getting transferred by their employer to CA - they are allowed to bring in their car/bike from another state. The rules could have changed by now but it was that way for a long, long time.

The other reality is that more and more new vehicles are now being built to the CA standard for emissions and many states and even countries have adopted the CA emissions requirement. Germany has been using the CA standard for at least 10 years.

 

[Koolbikegirl]

Well!!!
You are all just brilliant, pat yourselves on the back for me please. I didnt expect quite so much help and assistance so big thanks to all.
A Hillbilly Hangout sounds to me like a damn good reason to come at all, never mind the rest of the trip

Im just arranging shipping my bike back from the Algarve in Portugal so once im home at Easter, the research will begin proper and with a little luck i can turn a thought into an adventure.
Watch this space, but keep coming with your thoughts meantime

 

[Koolbikegirl]

I'm not on the coast by any means, but if you were inland in my area, I could put you up for a night or two, we usually Host Exchange Students, so we are accustomed to giving someone a "room to say in"......Sounds like something I'd love to do, but my job does not offer me much time off, so no big adventures for me....

But Huck, if i come you can have a small adventure- part of my big one eh!
Thank you for your offer youre very kind.

 

[Koolbikegirl]

What Bama said. I would recommend putting a thread on advrider also. They a have a thread for tent/space sharing. People list where they are and what amenities are available. I'm on it. If you do make it around the Arkansas / N. Louisiana area I have a place for you to stay and lots of good eating! You can pm me for phone # and email if your trip brings you close by.
I think buying a used one and selling at end of the trip is a good idea. As said , buy in the states sell in the states.
Once you have concrete plans, start calling dealers near the end destination to see if any would be willing to put the bike on consignment.
I would be more than willing to ride several hundred miles with you. With enough notice, maybe more than that. I haven't been to the west coast since I was a kid.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Im making notes here as i rue the idea of two weeks back in the UK without my bike leaving the Portugal sunshine, what possessed me to come home???

 

[Koolbikegirl]

Sounds like fun to me. I might be able to meet up and go for a ride, depends on the timing, as I have a very demanding boss (my 5 month old). We're coastal in Southern California, though not sure how long we'll be here. The west coast is beautiful, but it would be a shame to come all the way here and miss Yosemite, the Grand Canyon, and the National Parks in Utah. I don't think it would be difficult to find an NC here, I've seen at least one at both of the Honda dealers I've been to recently - I think one was even a 2012, and priced accordingly.

Chestnut, the more you all post, the more i think CA is the place to start and buy the bike. My own bike is a 2012 model had only 1200 miles on the clock, previously owned by a 'bad boy' premiership footballer who's collection of vehicles all got sold on account of him being a bad boy!
Thank you for your input, Utah the Grand Canyon and Yosemite all sound fabulous!
Could you tell me the name of your local dealerships or perhaps a link if thats not too much trouble?

 

[jtkirk]

I live in N. Central Arkansas twenty miles from Missouri. Great roads here in the Ozarks. Please come by if you're able. Push Mountain Road and Hwy 5 and 9 are around thirty miles from me. South Central Missouri has awesome roads few know about.

 

[itlives]

The Hillbilly Hangout is sure to draw at least 6-7 NC's.
Can't wait for your final plans!
I'll be at the Grand Canyon the second week of June

 

[Koolbikegirl]

I live in N. Central Arkansas twenty miles from Missouri. Great roads here in the Ozarks. Please come by if you're able. Push Mountain Road and Hwy 5 and 9 are around thirty miles from me. South Central Missouri has awesome roads few know about.

Hiya, thanks for the offer

 

[Koolbikegirl]

The Hillbilly Hangout is sure to draw at least 6-7 NC's.
Can't wait for your final plans!
I'll be at the Grand Canyon the second week of June

Hiya, i think youre a whole year too early
I cant see it all being arranged by June, currently me and the bike are in Portugal and the shipping company tell me it will take them around 4 weeks to get it home so thats April at least.
One of the big stumbling points is going to be a long visa, turns out the 'special relationship' the uk and US have doesnt stretch to allowing me to meander around the country on a bike with some pals for more than 3 months at one time! You're SO suspicious lol!
The next prob to solve is which state to start in so i will be allowed to buy a bike without being a resident, and the bike must be an NC. Im leaning towards CA.
Anyway, what started as a silly day dream could end up being a proper adventure!
So thank you all for your input, please keep posting if you might like to ride along with me for a few miles, or a lot of miles, as im listing you all on a route a bit like joining the dots!

 

[Agent]

Of course you know that some of the best motorcycling roads in the country happen to be in this little corner where Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee come together. We've got gentle rolling hills, slow sweeping curves and a healthy handful of technical roads to choose from. And, like a trip to Italy would not be complete without a ride on the Stelvio Pass, no proper motorcycle tour of the entire United States would be complete without a trip through Deals Gap on the Tail of the Dragon. A word of warning though, if you come, you might decide to stay. Happy planning!

 

[drdubb]

If you hit NC/Ga area, let us know. I'm only a few hours from those roads.

 

[Huck369]

I too could meet up at the Dragon, if riding thru there

 

[Chestnut]

Chestnut, the more you all post, the more i think CA is the place to start and buy the bike. My own bike is a 2012 model had only 1200 miles on the clock, previously owned by a 'bad boy' premiership footballer who's collection of vehicles all got sold on account of him being a bad boy!
Thank you for your input, Utah the Grand Canyon and Yosemite all sound fabulous!
Could you tell me the name of your local dealerships or perhaps a link if thats not too much trouble?

The two dealers I've been to most recently are Motoworldracing.com (El Cajon, CA) and Cal Coast Motorsports - Ventura County's Leader in Powersports and all things related (Ventura, CA). I have no idea how they'd handle registering a bike for a non-resident, but in CA you don't even have to be a legal resident to get a driver's license, so as long as it meets emissions and you have money to give them there's probably a way to figure it out. A dealership might know the best way to go about it.
I just peeked at the duration of stay and extension pages for US customs/immigration, and all I can say is it appears possible to extend past 90 days, but I'm really glad I'm not the one who would have to do it.

 

[drdubb]

I think you should be doing research for a motorcycle tour book of the US.

 

[Koolbikegirl]

Agent, drdubb, Huck369 - im adding you all to my list, OMG am i turning into Santa doing a naughty but nice list!!
And its so funny to hear you all saying 'you must come here......and here.....and here'
So far my joining the dots map is all over the place, im gonna feel real bad when it comes off, i publish the route and your name's not on it, What have i started lol!
Anyway, ive had an email exchange with Austin Vince (google him) hes basically said its totally do able just go for it. Which is encouraging.
Chestnut:
The visa thing does seem possible, and thanks for all your info, its a special 6 months visa with an agreed extension as long as i have a return flight ticket. Theres a company in London will do the work for a fee which works for me

drdubb - a book? would anyone want to buy it? Lol!

I just dont want to do the really obvious, everyone i mention it to here says oh route 66 on a 'hardly goes anywhere' :-(
im saying no, i want to see the NC riders secret, favourite rides, the ones tourists will never get to ride.
If someone was to come here to where i live now, or Scotland where i was born, id take them on the routes the books dont tell you about, to the sights only the local bikers know - now thats the America i want to see!
Youre all doing brilliantly, i just have to try to fit you all in...........
Currently snowing - missing the bike SO much, i went to the honda dealer today and sat on an NC and talked bikes, Portugal and adventures for an hour - now that my fellow NC Riders is seriously sad
My adventure Might be called
Ta...dah.....drum roll please....."couch (sofa) surfing on an NC700"

 

[drdubb]

You could spend months in the southern appalachians...first the paved roads....then the unpaved. Hellbender 28, Warwoman Road, The Dragon, Cherahala Skyway, The Snake, Devils Staircase, Old 105 and those are just a few of the famous ones.

28 is really a good ride with lots of waterfalls along the road. Cherahala is nice, especially the high parts. The southern part of the Blue Ridge Parkway is spectacular.