I first found out about the TAT some 10 years ago. I'd read an article in TBM, where Jenny Morgan has built up a rally spec XR650, and ridden this route across the states.
The article was inspiring, but at the time i wasn't in a situation to do anything about it, so the trip remained a pipe dream right up until Pinkytiff mentioned it some 14 months ago, during a coffee stop on a early winter trail ride.
At the time i was unsure, the bank balance wasn't bad, but the funds weren't there to cover all the trip. I was also stuck in a rut with work, and generally in a really bad place, feeling like i was swimming against the tide in many aspects of my life.
The end of january rolls around, and with it a couple of large cheques from the tax man. Bollocks to the rest of it, i'm in
Following this decision, several months of bike tinkering ensured. My XChallenge had been a great bike, but i'd also discovered many issues with it. If the bike was coming on this trip i wanted them sorted. Being stuck on a trail in the UK is one thing, but out the back and beyond in the US? no thanks.
The next few months flew past, during which time both of us badgered various members of this forum for help with budgeting, bike prep, route planning and just general crap. If i didn;t say so at the time, Thank you all
The flights were booked via kayak.com, and at this point i found Pinkytiff had also lost his ability to count. The original 6 weeks we had planned the ride over somehow got extended to 9 according to his holiday approval from work. Still, i was to far in to split hairs, and another 3 weeks away couldn't be a bad thing- it's a long way to have bikes shipped so you may as well make the most of it.
As always seems to be the case, i finally got to ride my bike a week before it needed to be at Heathrow for shipping, and even then it wasn't much of a shake down test.
On the 11th of June, Dave (pinkytiff) and myself dropped the bikes off at Jame's Cargo for shipping to Charlotte, North Carolina, and a week later we took to the skies, flying into Charlotte via Detroit.
No sooner had i got off the 'plane at Detroit International, it looked like it could well be going home the same day! An Immigration Hitler, fresh out of short trousers, decided that as i'd flown over for 9 weeks, i had been working in construction and had no fixed job to return to, that i was lying about my bike trip and was actually in the US to work
.
After 20 minutes or so (possibly the longest 20 minutes of my life), i managed to convince him otherwise. The fact i was only carrying paperwork for shipping the bikes, a crash helmet and nothing else helped.
The flight into Charlotte was much more relaxed, though i was still waiting for a tap on the shoulder...
And it was pissing down:
The first night on US soil was spent in a Best Western, not far from the airport cargo terminal.
Tired after the flight, Dave and myself piled into the bar 'n grill over the road for a bite to eat, and to sample the local ribs:
During this meal, Dave discovered a similarity that US ketchup has with it's UK counter part. Shake it without checking the lid will leave you covered in the stuff:
The following morning we headed for the shipping terminal to pick the bikes up.
What should have been a relatively straightforward process was hindered by the US customs process. Before bikes could be collected we needed to get the shipping paperwork stamped, And on the initial approach to our customs man (He was the spitting image of Chief Brody from Jaws), he was quite adamant that he wasn't letting the bikes into the country on a temporary personal import basis and threatened to have them shipped back home.
Some 2 hours later he finally relented (or got pissed off and decided he had better things to spend his time on), stamped the paperwork and finally we could get the bikes 
Back at the shipping terminal dave and myself were presented with these boxes:
And despite knowing full well what was inside, i still felt like a big kid at Christmas as i fought through the cardboard and staples. Why? cos this was inside:
Suited, booted and loaded up, it was time for the big off! Which couldn't come sooner, the quicker we were away from the officious America and out into the unknown the better.
The article was inspiring, but at the time i wasn't in a situation to do anything about it, so the trip remained a pipe dream right up until Pinkytiff mentioned it some 14 months ago, during a coffee stop on a early winter trail ride.
At the time i was unsure, the bank balance wasn't bad, but the funds weren't there to cover all the trip. I was also stuck in a rut with work, and generally in a really bad place, feeling like i was swimming against the tide in many aspects of my life.
The end of january rolls around, and with it a couple of large cheques from the tax man. Bollocks to the rest of it, i'm in
Following this decision, several months of bike tinkering ensured. My XChallenge had been a great bike, but i'd also discovered many issues with it. If the bike was coming on this trip i wanted them sorted. Being stuck on a trail in the UK is one thing, but out the back and beyond in the US? no thanks.
The next few months flew past, during which time both of us badgered various members of this forum for help with budgeting, bike prep, route planning and just general crap. If i didn;t say so at the time, Thank you all
The flights were booked via kayak.com, and at this point i found Pinkytiff had also lost his ability to count. The original 6 weeks we had planned the ride over somehow got extended to 9 according to his holiday approval from work. Still, i was to far in to split hairs, and another 3 weeks away couldn't be a bad thing- it's a long way to have bikes shipped so you may as well make the most of it.
As always seems to be the case, i finally got to ride my bike a week before it needed to be at Heathrow for shipping, and even then it wasn't much of a shake down test.
On the 11th of June, Dave (pinkytiff) and myself dropped the bikes off at Jame's Cargo for shipping to Charlotte, North Carolina, and a week later we took to the skies, flying into Charlotte via Detroit.
No sooner had i got off the 'plane at Detroit International, it looked like it could well be going home the same day! An Immigration Hitler, fresh out of short trousers, decided that as i'd flown over for 9 weeks, i had been working in construction and had no fixed job to return to, that i was lying about my bike trip and was actually in the US to work
.After 20 minutes or so (possibly the longest 20 minutes of my life), i managed to convince him otherwise. The fact i was only carrying paperwork for shipping the bikes, a crash helmet and nothing else helped.
The flight into Charlotte was much more relaxed, though i was still waiting for a tap on the shoulder...
And it was pissing down:
The first night on US soil was spent in a Best Western, not far from the airport cargo terminal.
Tired after the flight, Dave and myself piled into the bar 'n grill over the road for a bite to eat, and to sample the local ribs:
During this meal, Dave discovered a similarity that US ketchup has with it's UK counter part. Shake it without checking the lid will leave you covered in the stuff
:
The following morning we headed for the shipping terminal to pick the bikes up.
What should have been a relatively straightforward process was hindered by the US customs process. Before bikes could be collected we needed to get the shipping paperwork stamped, And on the initial approach to our customs man (He was the spitting image of Chief Brody from Jaws), he was quite adamant that he wasn't letting the bikes into the country on a temporary personal import basis and threatened to have them shipped back home.
Some 2 hours later he finally relented (or got pissed off and decided he had better things to spend his time on
), stamped the paperwork and finally we could get the bikes Back at the shipping terminal dave and myself were presented with these boxes:
And despite knowing full well what was inside, i still felt like a big kid at Christmas as i fought through the cardboard and staples. Why? cos this was inside
:
Suited, booted and loaded up, it was time for the big off! Which couldn't come sooner, the quicker we were away from the officious America and out into the unknown the better.
.
