Need advice...please help!

[trial_07]

It's nearly 1:00 AM and I'm unable to sleep. The only thing I'm thinking about is motocross, motocross, and motocross. I can't wait for the snow to melt and start riding, this sport is truly a passion for me.

So I was talking to my mother last week-end about how I was eager to ride and everything and I said, in a joking manner, that it'd be cool to take 1 year, after college, to leave south in the US with one of my buddies and just ride the whole year. She looked at me and said, "If MX is something you like, then I don't mind you taking a year before University". I still can't believe she said that!

Now, would it be imaginable for two 18 year olds to leave alone in the US with their bikes and live there for one year? We'd get a job to pay the food, rent, repairs, and etc and ride the most we can. Can this be done?

I'm not willing to do this to perform or make a career out of MX, but only to have a blast and have a great time. This may seem funny, but if it is possible, I'm going for it!

What do you think?

 

[FruDaddy]

It would be possible, if you picked the right area. Do you have a particular part of the US in mind? You might need to get a work VISA though. I don't know all of the immigration laws, but Mexicans have little difficulty getting around them.

Actually, it sounds like a lot of fun, and something that you should get out of the way while you are young. There may not be time later, once you have a job and family.

 

[RYDMOTO]

I will pay you 5 dollars a week to cut my grass and prep my bike :) and you can sleep in the garage! All kidding aside, if you can work it out I say go for it.You will make contacts that may help you later after you are out of college.

 

[trial_07]

Thanks for the encouragement guys! I have no particular place in mind, only I must be able to ride all year long. What would be hard is finding a place to work on and store the bikes.

I will pay you 5 dollars a week to cut my grass and prep my bike and you can sleep in the garage! All kidding aside, if you can work it out I say go for it.You will make contacts that may help you later after you are out of college.

If you let me sleep in your garage I will mow your lawn and prep your bike for 5 bucks! :nod:

 

[KX250Dad]

Pursue your passion... then return to the real world. Your early am thoughts have been experienced by most however few actually pursue. For those that don't, time goes by and the "I wish I would have" sets in... for some that take the "1 year off" plunge it turns into 14 years. Be sure it's MX that's driving the early am sweats... if this is case then you owe to both your mother and yourself to go for it, however, watch the road you travel closely as it's very easy to get distracted and placed in situations you may regret. All said and done you'll be a better person not to mention a better rider. Call, email your mother daily... while this may seem trivial, you'll better understand its importance when you find someone to care for that much.

Follow your plan and at the end of the day you'll have no regrets... reality will come soon enough thus when it does you'll be ready.

 

[Patman]

CA, AZ, NM, TX, FL might be places to start your decission making process. All will have good riding areas and weather. Some will be SIGNIFICANTLY more expensive to live at than others.

 

[trial_07]

Aren't there any places less to the south where we can ride during winter? I don't mind cold temps, as long as it stays above 0 degrees celsius.

 

[FruDaddy]

I know that you can ride year round in northwest GA and eastern NC, if you can tolerate the occasional 20-30 degree F (I think 0C is 32F) ride. Likely nothing compared to what you are used to. I ride almost every week, last year I was in Georgia, this year it's N. Carolina. Most everything east of Texas and south of Tennessee will stay about the same, except the mountain areas (Eastern TN, Western NC, Northeast GA). High altitudes tend to be colder.

 

[Ol'89r]

Now, would it be imaginable for two 18 year olds to leave alone in the US with their bikes and live there for one year? We'd get a job to pay the food, rent, repairs, and etc and ride the most we can. Can this be done?
QUOTE]


Go for it. :cool:

When you're an old man on your deathbed, your biggest regrets will be the things that you didn't do. :nod:

Some of the most exciting times of my life were traveling around the United States in an old Ford van, racing motorcycles. Going from track to track, state to state sleeping in KOA campgrounds. The life experiences that you will gain will follow you for the rest of your life. Not to mention the people you will meet and will become lifelong friends with.

Before you leave, set yourselves up with a good dependable rig that will haul your bikes and also offers and area to sleep in. This will save you a lot of motel money. Many tracks will let you stay overnight for free. A lot of the people that you meet will offer their homes to you when they hear your story. Especially in the mid-western states. Plus, if you take a laptop, you have a whole network of DRN'ers along the way for assistance.

Do it while your young. Don't wait until you have a family, a house and all of the bills that come with those things, do it now. You won't be sorry. :yeehaw:

Ol'89r

 

[oldguy]

I did it as a skier right after college and before joining the real world. I will never regret that I did it and still look back to days with $5 in my pocket, no gas in the car, while standing at the top of a mountain thinking I ruled the world. Seems the common bond of a love of a sport always came thru and somehow meals and or a place to sleep appeared. People were willing to take me in for a couple days here and there and resorts offerred temporary jobs to put some cash in my pocket and gas in the car when the next destination called.

I would have loved for Spider to do the same thing either MX or Skiing. Problem now a days is Insurance. We just couldn't risk an MX (he is a racer and has little interest in woods riding or just putting around a track)injury away from home with no health insurance andd the only way to keep him on our health ins is for him to be a full time student during the school year. That aside I hope this summer to make treks to riding areas he has dreamed of a couple of times and let him have a brief view of this dream. Once he hits 22 yrs and no longer can be carried by our ins if he wants to do it I would not discourage him.
As far as riding in winter there are several clubs in our area that do it all winter on the frozen lakes.

 

[Solid State]

Ambien and forget about it.

Good luck.

 

[ChopperDave]

The AMA site might be a good place to find local/regional racing info-

http://www.ama-cycle.org/

 

[Matt 193]

I would go for it take all the other sugggestions from before. I thinik you gave me a great idea and I think I may try to do the same type of thing traveling around the country riding. Our family did a road trip for a month in a RV and visited so many states. I would love to try and do that one day.
Hopefully you can try it and report back to everyone abou how great your trip would be.

 

[oldguy]

I would think you could post a rough idea of where and when you would be and maybe some DRN members would be willing to shelter and feed you. I know I would be very willing to consider it.
Try to check with immigration on what would be needed and any time frame you need to work within. Be sure and obey all laws in the areas you visit- nothing worse then being thrown in jail and sitting for something stupid in a far away strange land.
Be flexible with your plans but try to see and do as much as you can- sometimes it is worth it to take a 100 mile detour to see the worlds biggest string ball or something just as foolish

 

[trial_07]

Wow! I seriously didn't expect such encouragement, I was actually expecting the inverse. You guys got me decided, I am going to take this year. Although all of this is kinda of scary also, there is a lot of prep into doing this and I don't want to fall short. I'm seeing my riding buddy tomorrow, hopefully I can talk him into it.

I just want to say thank you to all of you for your support and if it is possible, I'd be glad to meet some of you guys.

 

[ChopperDave]

Try to check with immigration on what would be needed and any time frame you need to work within. Be sure and obey all laws in the areas you visit- nothing worse then being thrown in jail and sitting for something stupid in a far away strange land.

What? America put illegal immigrants in jail? Say it ain't so!

 

[whenfoxforks-ruled]

Anyplace south of Atlanta and close to Florida!

 

[FruDaddy]

Actually, there isn't much in south GA. Stay above Macon or below the FL line.

Trial, I attempted to send you an email.

 

[Ol'89r]

Although all of this is kinda of scary also, there is a lot of prep into doing this and I don't want to fall short.
if it is possible, I'd be glad to meet some of you guys.

trial.

Do your homework. Plan the trip and your route so your family knows where you will be at all times. Don't rely on getting jobs along the way to pay for your trip. Get as much money together before you leave to cover the trip even if you have to borrow it. If you can make money along the way, all the better. You don't want to find yourself in a strange town with no money, no gas, no food. With your writing skills, maybe you could write a book about your adventures to cover the cost of the trip. Keep a journal along the way and take photos.

Your mode of transportation is very important. Like I mentioned before, set yourselves up with a good truck and maybe an enclosed trailer that you can sleep in and haul and lock up the bikes. You don't want your bikes sitting outside in the back of your truck overnight. You also don't want to break down in the middle of nowhere.

If you make it to So Cal, look me up. I'm right in the middle of about 8 mx tracks and have trails right out of my back door. Also about a mile or two from all of the factory test tracks.

Ohhhh, to be young again. :( ;)

 

[150rguy]

I wish my mom would let me take a year off school to ride around the us :(

 

[FruDaddy]

If you can't get an enclosed trailer (which aren't impervious to break-ins), invest in a good cable lock. Mine is about 3/4" thick with the round key that is very difficult to pick. I use it to attach the bike to the bed of the truck. If somebody gets through that cable, then they get to lift the bike over the side, because I have a lock on the tailgate as well. I don't think my bikes are worth the effort.

 

[whenfoxforks-ruled]

Hey isn't there still a big labor demand rebuilding from katrina?

 

[SpeedyManiac]

Go for it. :cool: I've been toying with a similar idea, only on a slightly shorter time period. My plan is to go to the US in March and start with the GNCC series and maybe the OMA and a few other series and hit up as many races as I can around the country. In my research, I decided that a full size van is probably the best option as I can fit my bike, a bed and all my gear in a secure vehicle. You're gonna have a blast.

 

[trial_07]

I talked about it to my friend, he accepted right away. We have access to a panel/minivan, but we are unsure concerning its reliability. If we don't use this, we'll certainly need to invest in a closed trailer. We'll start looking for sponsors and businesses in our local areas that would be willing to give a little money for our trip. Things are coming along! :cool: We need to find some health insurance so if we get injured we're not stuck to pay huge sums of money. The trip will not last one year, but nearly 8 months.

 

[oldguy]

Let me know if you are comimg thru this area (Wisconsin)