In May of 2026 I rode my motorcycle across the US, starting from Princeton, NJ and ending in Santa Clara, CA to start an internship at Netflix. This post is my attempt at documenting some of my thoughts from the trip and notes on things learned.

First, the route, and some photos:

Beginning of route slightly truncated

Bike + Prep

I was on Bikey Jr., my 2015 Honda CB500X. I bought the bike in May 2025 with ~3000 miles on it. All the fluids (engine oil, coolant, brake fluid) were changed, and I had put on new Shinko 009 tires. The tires held up great, even going at high speed in the rain. I also did some offroading and it was a bit sketchy (slippery) in gravel but it was fine as long as I took it slow and steady. I changed the engine oil again, and cleaned and lubed the chain the day before the trip. I also ended up taking off the windscreen because I couldn't figure out a good height where it wouldn't cause massive buffeting and be really noisy. Next time I might try to find a really tall windscreen.

I had done maybe 500 miles total on my bike before this trip, mostly short trips of no more than ~30 miles. In the couple of weeks immediately before the trip, I went on longer rides, up to ~3 hours round trip. My longest ride was ~70 miles. I had never done a multi-day road trip in a car, either. As you can tell I was quite inexperienced with long distance riding.

Gear

  • Shoei RF-SR helmet: a bit loud in terms of wind noise but I haven't tried other helmets and am not sure whether this is a helmet problem. Otherwise no complaints.
  • Alpinestars Tech Air 5 Plasma airbag: thankfully never tested it but it was comfortable and super easy to use and arm/disarm, only complaint is that it got a bit warm/sweaty on my back
  • RS Taichi Drymaster Kompass jacket and pants: these held up great even when riding for hours in a massive downpour. Comfortable and flexible. Pants get warm/sweaty when it is hot and sunny out.
  • Milwaukee hi-vis safety vest: I got this for $10 the day before the trip to hopefully make myself easier to see on the road. Of course it is hard to say the exact impact it had but I will say that drivers who were waiting to turn out onto a main road that I was driving down always saw me and waited, even from far away. I like to think that this was really useful.
  • TCX Mood GTX boots: a bit hot, especially when walking around off the bike, but held up great in terms of waterproofness and comfort on the bike. I would probably get a more protective (taller) boot next time.
  • Sedici Mugello II gloves: comfortable, but a bit cold. Doesn't protect against the cold wind and gets soaked in the rain, but to be fair it is a summer glove. I would get a warmer+waterproof glove next time.

Bags

I had no bags, so I had bought some new ones for the trip. I had red that it is not recommended to test out new gear on a long trip, but it ended up being fine. The first few days of the trip I had to keep adjusting things (figuring out how to pack, how to attach everything to the bike, etc.) until I got a nice system down.

The bags I brought were the Kriega US-30 drypack and the Cortech Super 2.0 12L tank bag. In the Kriega were a medium sized packing cube with all my clothes, a toiletry bag, an electronics/passport bag, some first-aid essentials in a ziplock, an pair of normal shoes, a pair of flip flops, a battery-powered air pump, and a laptop (which I never even took out of the bag during the trip). In the tank bag was a Gregory Hydro 2L hydration blader, a ziplock with some snacks, and some random small knickknacks (e.g., pens, chapstick). The main purpose of this bag was to carry the hydration bladder so I could drink while riding, which worked great. I shoved the tube under the front of the helmet and I could sip easily while waiting at red lights. I also tried drinking while riding but that was a bit more difficult because I liked to keep the mouthpiece cover on it to prevent it from getting dirty, and it was difficult to remove/replace that while riding. Both bags held up great in the rain, were easy to use for their intended purposes. I could take them on/off the bike easily and they were fairly comfortable to carry when off the bike (of course, the Kriega was heavy when fully packed). The Cortech had backpack straps and had my water in it, which was great for short hikes.

Tools

I packed a bunch of tools and even made a tool roll to carry everything but the only things I actually ended up using were the bottle of lube, the toothbrush (to apply the lube more carefully instead of dripping it all over the place), the air pump, and the tire pressure gauge. Doing all my maintenance before the trip really paid off.

All my tools lived under the seat and it was in my opinion the perfect place for them. I only took them out when I needed to use them and didn't have to carry them around when off the bike.

Lowlights

  • Bugs in the Super8 in Front Royal, VA on my first night. The first sign should've been the cockroach in the lobby... I checked in and there were ants all over the sink and the sink mirror. Okay... I left my stuff there (mistake) and went out to find dinner. I came back and was about to begin unpacking, when I saw ants on the wall behind the beds. I looked a bit more closely, and there were not only ants on the wall, but ants literally crawling on the pillows of one of the beds. Yikes! I got a room change and there was still a small cockroach thing that escaped my sandals and hid somewhere in the drawer, and unfortunately I could not get any good sleep that night. I left as early as possible in the morning, which led to the next lowlight...
  • Froze in Shenandoah National Park. I set out early in the day and it was really cold and I didn't have enough clothing on. My hands were so cold and my core was also unfortunately very cold. I had to stop every 10-15 minutes to warm up, and I learned that hand warmers don't work very well while riding. The next day I put on literally every shirt I brought (I was wearing 8 layers) and I was fine.
  • Dropped my bike in the parking lot in Parkersburg, WV outside The Pizza Station. I tried to do a U-turn out of a tight parking spot but the ground was really bumpy (uneven brick) and I broke part of my turn signal. Some duct tape fixed it (held strong until the end of the trip). But the lesson learned is to always think about how to get out before going down a road or parking into a spot. This is especially the case for me where the bike is a bit too tall and I can't flat foot it, so reversing on uneven terrain is basically impossible for me. Luckily this was the only time Bikey Jr. hit the floor, no other drops and (thankfully!) no crashes.
  • Massive rain riding through Illinois/Missouri. My gloves got soaked, and I ended up stopping in a gas station to get some plastic bags to put around my gloves to block some of the rain and the wind (it didn't work against the wind, and my gloves were already soaked at this point). I stopped at an ATV shop to see if they had handlebar mitts, but they didn't, although they were very nice and resupplied me on plastic bags (thank you to ATVs and More in Salem, IL!). I was cold and wet and probably got mild hypothermia by the time I made it to my hotel for the day in Jefferson City, MO and I felt pretty terrible after. I should have just called it for the day earlier and made it up on the mileage the next day (see the next lowlight), it was a bad decision to keep going.
  • The sun in southwest Utah was brutal. I did the Canyon Overlook hike in Zion National Park, partly because the wait to get through the tunnel was very long and I wanted to get off the bike and out of the sun for a bit. It was hot and I got so ridiculously sweaty, especially on my legs and back. I had to stop in the shade for long periods of time to cool off. The sun was also really bright throughout the rest of the drive out of Zion and throguh Utah, and I thought that it was the heat making me sleepy but I realized later on that it was actually the brightness. In any case, because of the sleepiness, I had to stop every so often to prevent myself from falling asleep on the bike. At some point it just got unbearable and I would get sleepy within 15 minutes of riding. It was at this point that I had reached Milford, UT, and the next stretch was 83 miles through the desert with no services, so I called it a day. That day I had only rode something like 150 miles, but I decided not to risk it. I ended up staying at the Wyndham in Milford, which was terrible and I would not recommend it. I paid $167 to be in Milford... I got put in a used room, the wifi didn't work, and the front desk lady was not very friendly. I ended up sleeping at 7pm and getting up at 5:30am next day to beat the heat, and ended up riding my longest day of the trip at 500 miles, going through all of Nevada and ending in California.

Highlights/notable roads

  • US-33 from Elkton, VA near Skyline Drive to Elkins, WV: beautiful scenery, very fun ride, especially through Seneca Rocks and the section through the Monongahela National Forest
  • US-50 through Ohio/Indiana/Illinois/Missouri was just not that memorable. It wasn't particularly scenic, it was just kind of stroady in many places. Next time I would go further south down through Kentucky/Tennessee.
  • MO100 going west out of St. Louis: horrible stroad traffic for 20 miles
  • US-50 from Parkersburg, WV to Athens, OH: interstate-like highway, which after coming out of rural WV and this being my first US-50 experience was not fun, I had massive regrets coming onto US-50
  • US-50 going west out of Canon City, CO: very scenic, very cool to ride in the canyons
  • US-550 going south into Ridgway: very scenic
  • CO Rd G going west across to Utah near Hovenweep: so much trash on the side of the road!
  • Bluff Bench Rd and US-191 going south into Bluff, UT: very scenic, and very cool to all of a sudden see massive rock formations popping up
  • UT-21 from Milford, UT to Baker, NV: the most desolate road I have ever ridden down. I came across a total of 3 cars in the 83 mile service-less stretch. Far lonelier than US-50 through Nevada ("The Loneliest Road in America"). Beautiful, dramatic, otherworldly scenery, especially at mile markers 57 and 40. Also met a cool sixth generation rancher who had some (read: many) cows near mile 57.
  • CA-89 around Lake Tahoe: super scenic highway with great views of the lake, and a marvelous feat of road building

Lessons/thoughts

  • Don't plan all that much and don't expect to stick to the plan. Some of my favourite memories from the trip were from unexpected detours (US-33 in WV, UT-21). If I had stuck to the plan I would have missed out on these experiences.
  • Similar to the above: be open. Talk to people -- everyone will be very excited to hear about your trip and will have advice/stories to share. There were so many people who just opened right up when I told them that I was riding across the country, and I was always met with amazement and friendliness. You can often get great suggestions for food/roads from locals. I was approached so many times by people who saw my NJ plate, especially in the middle of the country, and asked me about my trip and had many great conversations. But often people don't know that you're riding across the country if you don't tell them.
  • Stop frequently and check in on yourself and how you feel. It is too easy to be riding and not want to stop, and not realize that you are really thirsty/tired/hungry. It is a good idea to stop for gas every hour or two, and just notice how you are feeling. Hydrate often, even if you don't feel particularly thirsty. I am not normally a hydration/electrolyte tablet person but they really helped here.
  • Be ready for varied weather. I froze and I overheated on this trip. When you traverse such a large distance, you will encounter many different climates and weather conditions. Be prepared with layers and waterproof gear.
  • The biggest lesson is this: people may discourage you from doing this. It is either too dangerous, or the weather is too bad, or the trip is too long, or something this is too something that. But if you prepare yourself and your bike, mentally and mechanically, and you know why you are doing this and always keep that in mind, you will be fine. Understanding the risks, and be prepared for them as best you can, and then just go for it. There will be uncertainty, but it is deeply rewarding to do something difficult, knowing that you are capable of handling yourself (with some help from the many friendly people you will meet along the way). The self-reliance and confidence that comes from doing something like this is hard to find elsewhere. It is also a good reminder that you are in control of your own life, and that you are capable of more than you think. Many who were initially discouraging and thought the trip was not possible were the ones most excited to hear about the trip once I had made some progress and it now seemed possible to them.