What?s the right motorcycle to ride across America" The one you have. I fell in love with the Honda CBR250R when I tested one for The New York Times in 2012. It is the boiled-down essence of vehicular joy?everything you need to have the maximum amount of moveable fun, and nothing you don?t.
When Honda rolled out the 2013 model in a nasty nail-polish red, I was hooked. My big brother and I share our old family lake house in the Adirondack Mountains of New York, and the CBR would be the perfect summertime playbike. The problem was, I bought the bike in California. Let?s see, how to get it there?
 
Manhattan Beach, California: Just 3,500 miles to go. Photos by the author.
Let?s Get Tall
I found myself on The Strand in Manhattan Beach, California, at 7:12 a.m. on July 5, my CBR loaded down with too many tools, too much camping gear and too much Dexter. My only modification for the trip was gearing The SeaBee 13-percent taller than stock (one tooth more on the front, two teeth fewer on the back), which let the little engine?and me?relax on the straights, with just a little loss in acceleration. The CBR250R has almost no power, but it makes that lack of power over a wide not-quite-a-powerband. Somewhere in Big Sky Nevada, dodging thunderstorms on the way to Eureka.
To the Left of Hell
Death Valley was roasting at 129 degrees that week. I decided to ride around the frying pan, rather than touring through the fire. I circled the inferno on U.S. Route 395, on the east side...