The consensus with most of my friends and family about the idea of driving the micro car across our macro country, from Halifax to Vancouver, was: "You're nuts!"

"Why not take one of those hundred grand German luxobarges or tricked-out sports cars you're always bringing home and taunting us with?"

"For gawdsakes man, at least drive something that resembles a real car!"

Even more sympathy was garnered when I mentioned my co-pilot and navigator was to be my 14-going-on-24-year-old daughter, Olivia.

(I'll have eight provinces and about 6,000 kilometres elbow-to-elbow in the Smart to sway her current opinion that I am ruining what little of the summer she has off.)

The thinking was that with fuel prices what they are today, most folks are tightening their belts when it comes to planning summer driving holidays. This Smart driving quest would be an extreme example of making do with less.

According to Smart Canada's website and recent average diesel costs, the planned Halifax to Vancouver route should cost just $209.52 in diesel fuel. That's about as inexpensive a way to drive across Canada I know of, right? I mean how hardcore is that?

Some guy did it on a motorbike in less than 60 hours.

That guy was Thane Silliker. In July 2004, he fired up his 1998 Honda ST 1100 in Halifax and pointed it west where 56 hours and 36 minutes later, he rolled into Vancouver. He promptly turned around and drove back home.

If only to put my proposed nine-day Smart across Canada trip into perspective, I decided to call up Silliker.

Half expecting some kind of cross between Hunter S. Thompson and Dennis Hopper, circa Easy Rider, Silliker was quite the opposite. I learned that his record cross-Canada bike trek wasn't just some bar room dare. He methodically planned his trip down to the last detail.

The 39-year-old resident of Mount Brydges, Ont., has been participating in long-distance bike rides for more than 14 years. Most were certified by the Iron Butt Association, which has more than 24,000 members worldwide.

Silliker started with relatively low-mileage events. Rides like the SaddleSore 1000 (a thousand miles –1,620 km – or more in 24 hours), or the Great Lakes Gold (4,000 km in 40 hours). All considered just warm-ups for his ultimate goal of setting the fastest time across Canada.

According to Silliker, remarkably few modifications were required for his bike to survive his Crazy Canuck ride.

He used a portable GPS device to ensure he maintained an average speed calculated to be the best balance between speed and fuel consumption, as well as legally acceptable. Silliker also added a throttle lock to act like a cruise control and a secondary fuel tank behind his seat.

To make haste, he drove 23 out of 24 hours. This meant driving at night.

Which in most of rural Canada, means trying to avoid meandering wildlife, some it quite bigger than Silliker and his bike. To this end, he utilized deer whistles.

"If nothing else, a good luck charm. And I never had any close calls," Silliker reminisced.

He packed all of his food in one saddle bag: energy shakes, bars, bananas. He used licorice as a straw for the energy shakes. All the garbage went into the opposite saddle bag.

"Probably the modification that received the biggest reaction was my external catheter."

According to Silliker, the tube worked flawlessly and enabled him to make zero nature stops along the way.

He even managed to save time by not checking into motels. During the ride, he had five 30-minute sessions of sleep.

"I'm really good at cat naps. One time I just managed to get one in by simply putting my head down on the tank bag."

Silliker noted he was stopped at the time.

Fortunately, we have no similar Cannonball Run aspirations in our pan-Canadian Smart strategies, and nor do we approve of them. With less than half the horsepower of Silliker's Honda, our focus will be the journey.

Sticking to daylight hours, we'll avoid driving at night. I've already assured Olivia that we'll be making as many pit stops as nature calls for. And despite Silliker's jealousy that in the Smart we'll have at least somewhere to sleep, we'll stop every night for the security and comfort of a motel bed.