I am going to CALIFORNIA for a 30 day trip with my wife riding from N.J. ,thru the south , then the coast to WASHINGTON and back to N.J. My plan was to go thru the south , then CALIFORNIA , WASHINGTON then thru the north back to N.J. leaving about middle may , But wife is thinking go north then down the coast and thru the south back to N.J. in september . I think it would be better weather in may then sept . ANY THOUGHTS OR REAL WORLD EXPERIENCE ? I have an 08 ultra with 65,000 miles and will be towing a small cargo trailer ( my wifes luggage ) A TRIP I WANTED TO DO FOR YEARS !!

 

 

Check out some of the monthly avg. temps for some of your destinations. In May the south, if you mean AZ, NM, etc... is going to be hot. The sun is pretty high and intense at that time.

 

Sounds like a great trip planned. I can tell you this; whether you travel through Texas in May or September, the temperatures will be in the 90's.

 

Rainier and North Cascades National parks are two must-sees in Washington. The highway through North Cascades is one of the best rides in the northwest. Depending on how much snow we get this winter it may or may not be open in May. Regardless of which way you ride it you should take California 1 on the coast and US 101 on the northern California coast and up the Oregon and Washington coasts. May can still be chilly and damp from NorCal through Washington but September is usually spectacular.

 

MAY, MAY, MAY, I rode from California to Laconia in 16 left in May four weeks was barely long enough I was just looking at the weather this past September "couple weeks ago" and thought yeah the weather's a lot better in the Spring

 

Lived in California for many years. I'd do May for sure. Everything will be green, there will be wildflowers, and moderate temperatures. North of the Bay Area it will get markedly colder, but nothing unbearable.

California has what we used to call the 'endless summer'. The last rain is sometime in April, and then it won't rain again until the middle of October. Everything gets hot, dry, dusty and sorta dead. The fire danger is really high, so some parks and campsites will have restrictions. On the Coast, be ready for fog, any time of year, and the farther north, the more so.

Anything through southern CA, Arizona, etc will be SERIOUSLY hot in September. Like 100 or so, and conditions that are dangerous in many ways. If you must travel then, carry plenty of water. Stay on the main roads. You can die in the heat in about 4 hours. DON'T follow the 'shortcut' your GPS shows you. Arizona had a lot of side roads that start out looking good, a few miles in they turn into a Jeep trail, then a goat trail, and there's no good place tor turn around. Folks get lost and die every year, although usually in winter. Still, late summer early fall is no fun for hundreds of miles.

 

Pay attention to this, most higher elevations with still have snow in May. Nor Cal and the pacific northwest will be on the cool side to downright cold and wet in May so be warned. Can't help you with the deep south but Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and socal will be hot still in sept. should be past the triple digit nonsense but still no joke till you get over 5000ft.

 

 

Late summer early fall is the best for the west coast. Too good a chance for snow in NorCal, Ore and Washington in May and Jun. Not so much coming down but still piled up from the winter. It will generally be cool to cold anytime of the year along the coast. Also spring time and summer good chances for drizzle from the marine layer and also just plain rain. I have not ridden in the south but have in Arizona and New Mexico in July and August. Hot but doable. A good mesh jacket will be a must.
kk