TAINT 2026

Second cross country run in the books for the VStrom 1000.

Rough route: 

My brother and I left North Carolina for Seattle on July 3rd for Banff. We took a northern route up through WV to Champagne, IL. On from there through Sioux Falls, SD and across 90 to cross SD, see the Badlands, then through Cour de Lane, and into Seattle across the Columbia River Valley and Snoqualmie pass into Seattle. 

A few days to see friends there, explore the city and camp in the Mt. Baker area before heading up into British Columbia. The goal of the trip was to ride the Icefields Parkway which did not disappoint. 

After Yoho, Banff, and Jasper were checked off we dropped back down through Alberta into Montana and headed back east towards Indianapolis through North Dakota. Spent the weekend there, and back home in North Carolina on July 19th.

The bikes:   
2014 VStrom 1000 // 2023 VStrom 1050  
Both performed as well as we could have asked for, other than my front brakes dragging and having to rebuild the calipers in Seattle. 

Cost:  
High, around $2,000 each. Most of this was due to fuel costs being high on the west coast and Canada. These bikes do not do well on MPG running high speeds on the highway. My average mpg for the whole trip was 39mpg :/

We stayed in more motels than anticipated, about 5 nights. The rest staying with friends or camping. The heat for the majority of the trip was brutal and the way we smelled at the end of the days was a public nuisance. Shower and laundry on those nights were worth every penny. 

Upshot:   
These high mileage tours have their own type of satisfaction. It’s a joy to put together and execute a huge tour like this, and both times I’ve been glad to do it. We got to see more stunning landscapes than I can mention here. Irreplaceable moments, sunsets, quiet times at camp, and so many kind people striking up conversation. Doing it with my brother was an experience I feel incredibly grateful for.

THAT BEING SAID; the expense and fatigue from a trip like this is significant, and if your goal is to have a chill vacation, do something else. There were days where we were well into Type 2 Fun territory. 

Happy to answer any questions!

Tour America In No Time 2026: 7200 miles in 16 days