Family life, job, and other responsibilities make it really difficult to have an adventure trip with friends. But this is something we have to do to keep our mind refreshed every now and then. A little excitement is really good for your soul.
However, you can’t expect a successful motorcycle tour without a good plan. Apart from a good plan, some tips & tricks will make your trip a smooth one with more excitement.
22 Motorcycle Touring Tips And Tricks
Have enough fuel, put on your motorbike helmet, and hit the road! It’s not that simple to have a successful motorcycle tour.
You need some pre-plan for the tour, plan for during the tour, and plan for the after tour issues. In between these plans, follow these below-mentioned tips and tricks to have a successful motorcycle tour.
- Make A-List
This is something you should make before the due date of the tour. Imagine you are 1000 miles away from your home and just remembered you left something important for the tour in the garage. It will make your whole tour an unpleasant one.
Make a list of everything that you will be needing during the entire motorcycle tour. Think about your riding, eating, and sleeping requirements.
What are your camping requirements or what are your indoor sleeping requirements? Think ahead of everything and make a list of them. Take a snapshot of the list on your smartphone.
- Lightweight Packing
Don’t forget, it’s a motorcycle tour with your friends for some adventure, not a family tour with car. You have to carry the pack on your bike and yourself. Do not make it heavyweight that will be too burdensome for yourself and your bike.
Lightweight packing ensures quick packing and unpacking which you will be needing a lot. It will help you find your needs quickly and will keep your head cool. Carry more than enough money, NOT unnecessary clothes.
- Use Plastic Trash Bag To Pack
Yea…there are a lot of waterproof saddlebags for that specific purpose. I would not be too much confident on their waterproof capacities; because things can go wrong under unfriendly weather condition.
To be in a safe position, pack all of your must-have stuff inside a plastic trash bag and put that bag inside a saddlebag. Fortune favors the most prepared!
- Keep A Spare Key
If it’s gonna be a long tour involving several days, you should keep a spare key. Anything that small in size can get lost at any time. You do not want to be in that situation. Make a spare key and keep it somewhere on your bike. You can use duct-tape or zip-tie to attach it.
- Check The Bike Each Day
It’s a motorbike tour, so your bike deserves most of your attention. Even before you hit the road, there are a lot of things to check. Is it in a tip-top condition? Check the tires carefully and don’t forget to take a portable pumping machine. Check loose chains. Does your bike require any oil change?
- Be Prepared For Flat Tires
You can’t carry a spare wheel like cars. But flat tire happens when you will be riding on the country roads. You need to be prepared for that. For tubeless tires, carry repair kit and pump machine.
Don’t feel hopeless if your bike has tube tires. Roadside repairs will be available when you hit the road.
- Backup Plan
Your tools and repair kits may not be useful for unknown situations. It’s wise to ensure roadside assistance. You can become a member of the assistance group or take an insurance policy. They are readily available nowadays.
- Prepare Your Body
Just like you take care of your bike and ensures routine maintenance, you need to think about your body too. You will be needing a lot of stamina on such long-rides. Regular cardiovascular workouts can help you there. Do some weight lifting to relax your muscle.
When you have a fit body with enough stamina, your brain and mind will work at their best and you will be safer on the road.
- Making The Seat Comfortable
You will be riding the bike for hours at a stretch. When you do so, the seat will start to feel like a rock. Your pant will get sweaty. Since your butt will be starting to hurt, you won’t feel comfortable riding it. You need to keep the seat as comfortable as possible.
The best way to keep the seat comfortable for a long-distance ride is to install a motorbike seat cushion pad.
- Maintain Cards To Stay Organized
When you plan several day’s long motorcycle tour, you can’t keep everything in your head. I would make separate cards for hotel information, locations to explore, and things to see there. That way, I don’t have to bang my head and regret later in case I miss something exciting.
I can just open the respective card and act accordingly. Give it a try, you will thank me later.
- Don’t Forget To Wear Earplug
The noisy wind is really bad for your ears. When you ride your bike on the highway, wind noise will start to hurt your ears. You do not want this to happen on a long motorcycle rides. Earplugs come in handy to solve this problem. They are so cheap and easy to come by that there is no reason to not having them.
- Layer Dressing
The best survival trick under any harsh environment is to dress in layers. From place to place you go, the temperature will also change rapidly. If you are dressed in layers, you can adjust your dress accordingly.
- Think About Eye-protection
Yes, eye-protection is a crucial part of motorcycle tour to make it smooth keeping your eyes trouble-free. If your helmet does not have a visor, then you can’t avoid it. But do not bring your most expensive glasses. They are very easy to get lost and it will hurt you a lot mentally.
- Group Communication
Always maintain a good communication channel among all of your rider friends. That way no one will get lost from the pack and each of you will know each other’s problem.
- Don’t Forget 911
Well, adventure comes with some danger. Your lucks may run out anytime. The best way to get help from the Rescue Team is to keep the records of wherever you go. You should keep the records of route numbers, road signs, towns, and anything that can help the authority to send help to you quickly. Fortune favors the most prepared. I love to keep saying that 🙂
- Call The Hotel
I don’t want you to be paranoid, but let me share my own experience with hotel reservation. I was in a very remote area. I reserved my hotel 3-days in advance. I got a call from the hotel manager saying there will be a conference in that area. A lot of delegates was there and the hotel had to cancel my reservation.
Hey, bad luck happens anytime. That’s the reasons call the hotel before you arrive to see everything is still okay.
- Download Map On Smartphone
There is a huge chance that there will be a network coverage problem for your cellphone. In remote areas that are not very uncommon. If you have a GPS tracking system on your phone, it won’t help much without the network coverage. The right idea is to download the map in advance.
- Time Management
To have a successful motorcycle tour, there should be better time management. You will find a lot of elements on the road to waste your time. Avoid crowds by all means to save time.
For breakfast and dinner, do not go to any restaurant. You will waste more time waiting for your food. Rather, you can pack healthy snacks with you. Whenever you need to eat, you can eat on the road saving you a lot of time.
If you can avoid wasting your time, you will make it home timely.
- Stay Hydrated
Being hydrated is the best way to keep yourself fresh on the road. It’s basically a road trip, so you will be dehydrated more quickly. Not just the summer season, the cold and the dry air will make you dehydrated within no time. You will be mentally fuzzy or worse; you can have a headache.
It’s not practical to stop to drink water. Rather, you can carry a hydration backpack with you.
- Taking Care Of Your Bike
Your motorbike will be on the outside most of the time during the entire tour. Think about all the dust, rain, and bird droppings. They will make your bike dirty and trust me you do not want this to happen. The best way to keep your bike dry and clean is to cover it with a motorcycle cover when you are not riding it.
- Being Flexible
Being adamant won’t achieve anything. Let’s not forget, your greatest road-side excitement may come from unplanned activities. So, stay flexible and be ready to embrace any change of plan.
- Make Moments Memorable
Yes, I am talking about taking a lot of selfies! You definitely should share your adventure with your friends and families. Take as many photos as possible of each location you visit or camp. You can bring a professional camera or your smartphone will do just fine.
Conclusion
Did you like my motorcycle touring tips and tricks? It’s all about making your tour a successful one safely. Without enough preparation and taking certain measures, you may end up having a bad experience.
You do not want this to happen. You do not want this to happen to your friends too. So, do me a favor sharing this article with your friends 🙂