By Brian Roberts ,  Courtesy FORBES

It was September 2015 and, while I was still in my early twenties, I traveled thousands of miles across the United States on a motorcycle. Factoring in all my route detours—through deserts, down cobblestone roads, up mountains, down cliffs, across corn fields, etc.—I’d put the trip at just under 4000 miles. In the spirit of Forbes, I wanted to dissect my numbers so—should you to take a motorcycle ride across America—you know what to expect in terms of cash outlay. 

Based on my expense analysis, the trip cost me a $1.17 a mile.

We went from New Jersey to Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania to Ohio, Ohio to Indiana, Indiana to Illinois, Illinois to Missouri, Missouri to Oklahoma, Oklahoma to Texas, Texas to New Mexico, New Mexico to Arizona, and Arizona into Southern California. We avoided toll roads whenever possible, and the extra time tacked on was paid back in spades in terms of views, interesting stops (and people), delicious food, and fun roads.

For most of the ride, I treated food more as a biological necessity and less as an indulgence. My cost per day was about $20 or less. My riding diet mainly consisted of bottled water, gas station beef jerky, and almonds and other nuts to maintain an even energy level—no energy drinks. Occasional splurges happen, though. For example, my co-rider and I had the bacon buffalo chicken sandwich at the Pine Country Inn in Williams, Arizona—presently just $10.99 according to the the menu they have on Yelp—three times in one day. I factored those occasional splurges into the averages, too. That’s about $4712 dollars in all, including every drop of gas and every crumb of food.

My key expenses, in order from greatest to least, were the motorcycle rental at $1498 (approx. $107 per day), gear and accessories at $1754 (that’s at full retail, covering everything from my camera and Bluetooth headsets to my helmet, gloves, etc.), lodging at $810 (approx. $57 per night), food at $350 (approx. $25 per day, with some days higher and others lower), and fuel at $300.

I rode the Scout which was—full disclosure—provided by Indian Motorcycles and Rollin Fast Cycle Sports. It's agile and provided great handling throughout America's varying terrains. Like cruisers, you could travel on the Indian Scout along the highway for long stretches (pending you have a windscreen).

Or, you could just as easily travel through canyon twists and tight cityscapes. Factor in the better horsepower and fuel economy, and it’s a no-brainer. I averaged the fuel economy to be about 40 mpg and with a 3.8 liter tank, my only gripe with the 2015 Scout was that it didn’t have a bigger tank, as I found myself making frequent stops to refill.