Across America by Motor-cycle

In Short

After demobilization from World War I, an adventurous Englishman sets off to ride a motorcycle across the United States from New York to San Francisco. Covering nearly five thousand miles of unpaved trails, mud, desert, and scorching heat, he relies on luck, grit, and makeshift repairs to reach the Pacific. His memoir captures an America caught between rural wilderness and modern development, documenting bad infrastructure, local eccentrics, and the sheer physical effort of early cross-country motoring. It endures as a vivid, funny, and authentic period portrait of the nation in the early days of the automobile era.

The Story

The journey begins shortly after the Armistice of 1918, when two young men in a London hotel discuss their post-war plans. Reluctant to settle into domestic life, the British narrator decides to follow his American friend back across the ocean for a grand tour of the continent. Arriving in New York from Canada, he purchases a single-seat motor-cycle—which he names Lizzie—and straps an impossibly heavy dressing-case to the rear carrier. Ignoring the advice of local riders and opting out of basic gear like goggles, he sets off completely alone to accomplish what he believes to be the first solo transcontinental motorcycle crossing by an Englishman.

Heading south toward Washington and then pushing west across the States, the author encounters the grueling realities of early American motoring. The infrastructure is a chaotic patchwork; smooth concrete highways abruptly turn into unploughed fields, thick mud, or blinding clouds of sand. Mechanical failures begin almost immediately. Over the course of the trip, the machine requires constant overhauls, consuming five new cylinders, three pistons, eleven spark plugs, and multiple sets of bearings. To fund his progress, the traveler attempts to exchange British gold at small-town banks, fights off swarms of mosquitoes during roadside bivouacs, and relies on simple "get-fed-quick" eat-houses for sustenance.

As the narrator crosses the Mississippi and presses through Kansas, the landscape becomes increasingly remote and harsh. A brief pause in Kansas City allows him to visit a newspaper editor, where he is urged to offer "the straight dope" on the state of the nation's roads. Continuing into the American West, the journey turns into a test of survival against the elements. He traverses the vast deserts and rocky trails of New Mexico and Arizona, marvelling at natural wonders like the Petrified Forest and the breathtaking depths of the Grand Canyon, even as his machine falters in the intense heat.

Descending into California near the end of his trek, the author faces final trials, including engine misfires near Death Valley and navigating the treacherous, unpaved tracks of the Santa Monica Range. Upon reaching San Francisco, his journey of nearly 5,000 miles is complete. Out of money and ready to return east by train, he sells the battered motorcycle to a persistent buyer in a hotel lobby, bidding a fond farewell to the faithful machine that carried him across the continent.

How It Unfolds

The voyage begins In a London hotel following the Armistice, the author rejects marriage in favor of an adventurous American tour. Arriving in New York, he buys a solo motor-cycle, straps a massive dressing-case to the carrier, and sets off for San Francisco.

The test of the roads Riding south toward Washington and west into Ohio, the traveler struggles against deep mud, unpaved trails, and severe thirst. He deals with continuous mechanical breakdowns while relying on local banks, cheap diners, and the hospitality of strangers for support.

Into the wild west Reaching the central plains and pressing past Kansas City, the author navigates endless sand, right-angle turns, and persistent rainstorms. He sleeps outdoors or in makeshift shelters, often dining on endless meals of stewed beans with host families.

Deserts and grand wonders Crossing New Mexico and Arizona, the writer encounters stark wilderness, desert vegetation, and intense heat. He pauses to take in the awe-inspiring sights of the Petrified Forest and the Grand Canyon before pushing his failing engine through the desert.

The final stretch Struggling past Death Valley with a misfiring cylinder, the traveler makes his way through California to the coast. Arriving in San Francisco, he sells his battered motor-cycle to a local buyer, ending his five-thousand-mile cross-country marathon.

The People

• The Narrator (C.K. Shepherd): A resilient, witty British World War I veteran seeking excitement to shake off his post-war unrest. He wants to cross the American continent on a solo motorcycle despite lacking mechanical expertise or proper gear. Faced with brutal roads and constant breakdowns, he maintains a humorous outlook and completes his journey across the United States.
• Steve: The narrator's American friend from their time in London, who encourages the trip back to the States. He serves as a welcoming home base in Cincinnati, where he initially mistakes the clattering approach of the narrator's broken motorcycle for a lawn-mower or a dustman.
• Henry T. Hodges, J.P.: A storekeeper in Murdock who doubles as a local entrepreneur. He charges stranded motorists ten dollars a time to haul their stuck vehicles out of the deep road mud using his team of four horses, profiting off the region's atrocious road conditions.
• The Armenian Buyer: A persistent, bargaining resident in San Francisco who purchases the narrator's exhausted motorcycle at the end of the trip. He haggles over missing tools like an adjustable spanner and writes a check to finalize the deal before hauling the machine off to a local garage.

In Its Own Voice

"The total number of replacements to the engine alone comprised the following: Five new cylinders; three pistons; five gudgeon pins; three complete sets of bearings; two connecting rods, and eleven sparking plugs."

The author lists the incredible toll that early American roads took on his fragile motor-cycle over the course of the journey.

"The narrator clambered down a narrow pathway carved in the rocks... Seated on a huge lump of limestone that reared like a lofty pinnacle thousands of feet above the chasm below, I surveyed in mute bewilderment the overpowering, awe-inspiring sight."

Reaching the edge of the Grand Canyon, the traveler pauses his lighthearted narrative to express pure reverence for the natural wonder.

"SELF. 'Well, good-bye, Lizzie, old girl. I grieve to let you go into the hands of this being, but it is all for the best. We've had some jolly times together, but the time is come to part.'"

In San Francisco, the narrator bids a dramatic farewell to his battered machine after selling it to a local buyer.

What It's Really About

Beneath its episodic travelogue format, the book explores the tension between rapid technological ambition and primitive infrastructure in early 20th-century America. It examines how the country's vast geography resisted early efforts at standardization, leaving individual travelers dependent on local hospitality, improvised mechanical fixes, and sheer physical endurance. The narrative also touches on the psychological aftermath of the First World War, highlighting a veteran's search for restorative adventure and freedom in a foreign landscape. Through an outsider's observations on local dialects, financial quirks, and regional attitudes, the text raises questions about what constitutes real civilization in a rapidly expanding nation.

Why Read It Today

This travelogue appeals to motorcycling enthusiasts, history buffs, and fans of classic road literature. Reading it feels like sitting alongside an irrepressible, slightly eccentric companion who faces every flat tire, broken piston, and rainstorm with dry humor and stubborn determination. The prose moves swiftly, balancing light satire with genuine appreciation for the American landscape.

Readers should be prepared for period-typical attitudes and language, including casual cultural stereotypes and deceptive tall tales told to locals along the trail. The text also contains detailed mechanical terminology and repetitive descriptions of road repairs that reflect the realities of 1920s travel. Despite these period elements, the book remains a fascinating historical time capsule. It captures the raw novelty of transcontinental motoring long before interstate highways, smooth asphalt, and roadside motels transformed the American road trip into a routine commute.