The basics of motorcycle touring
More than the love of getting on a motorcycle and taking a ride, motorcycle touring involves a few more details. Where to go, when to go, how far to travel, what to expect and what to pack? If you have a month, a week, or just a couple of days, or an afternoon, these basic rules apply.
Prepare your machine:
Make sure your motorcycle is in good mechanical working order and that all current maintenance has been performed. Walking in the city is very different from walking in the country. If you think I can get a few more miles off that tire, or that it looses it will be fine, it won’t be. When crossing Wyoming, cities are few and far between. If a tire is punctured, you may be stuck out of the ground not knowing what to do. Exactly this happened to us a year on the way to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. We had to go knock on the door of a local farmer asking for help. Little did we know that the farm dog was docile, but the attack ducks took us for invaders and attacked. Seriously, the ducks had a seizure and they charged us. To get back into the story, we had to push the bike into the barn and air the tire, then drive about 70 miles out of our way through three different cities in search of a city big enough to change a tire on a Harley-Davidson Harley. full size. Looking back on experience, we should have changed the tire before leaving home for a 7 day, 2000 mile trip. As a side note, my loose headlight fell off later in the trip, so we certainly had some adventure.
Plan your trip:
Make a rough plan for your trip, but also let your trip guide you. I don’t know if this makes sense or not, but I have an idea of where it is going and how long it plans to take to get there. I usually plan about 300 miles a day, and roughly estimate my stops along the way. One thing that I always learn or remember the hardest in my travels is that big is bad, small is fun. By motorcycle, stay away from big cities and big roads. What I mean by this is that small windy country roads and small towns offer a better experience on a motorcycle. Big highways and big cities are full of busy grumpy people, but little roads just meander, offering little towns, little hotels, local restaurants, and more of a hometown feel. The only reason I get on a motorcycle on vacation is to relax. My idea of chilling out is not riding a highway all day only to stay in an expensive hotel and listen to the roar of trucks all night. A much better plan is a bed and breakfast in a city of 10,000 inhabitants and the possibility of having a list of the cows at night.
Launch your watch:
Leave your watch at home, or at least pack it in a place that is very difficult to reach. The only important time to remember is the 8:00 AM work start time. M. The day after the end of your trip. Just relax on the road and if you’re hungry stop for a roadside dinner or find a local malt sandwich shop. Let your body tell you when you are tired and need to rest. Again, stay away from the big cities, stop along the way, and ask for advice on local accommodations. I found this works about half the time, which means sometimes I get a great deal on a cute hideaway, other times I get a room that I will never forget and still laugh at to this day.
It’s the journey:
Remember the wind, the sun, the sounds, the smells, and the insects. Anyway, that is why you are on an adventure. Look for places on the map that are green and winding, winding roads such as mountain roads, or the flat, open roads of the desert, or the scenic beauty of our many national parks. The more varied the terrain, the better the roads.
To be prepared:
What should you pack? Well, this is where the more prepared you are, the better your advice will be. The rule comes into play. You must master the fine art of balancing what you need, what you can carry, and how to get there along the way. If you plan to stay in a hotel along the way, your packing is greatly simplified, if you plan to camp along the way, you should also plan a tent, sleeping bags and various other outdoor equipment. Pack less, pack less and pack less than you think you will really need, plan to buy some clothes on the go and leave room in your bags for these souvenirs.
When should you plan a motorcycle tour? Pick a warm, dry time to go, not too hot, not too cold, not too rainy. I know this is tougher than it sounds, but hopefully you won’t end up in Oregon heading to Utah in late fall, following the earliest rain / snow storm to hit the West Coast. If you do, you may end up driving in freezing cold for five days, you can only average 100-150 miles per day. I know from experience that a trip like this is too cold and dangerous for my liking.
That sums it up, have fun, relax, stay dry and remember that it is the journey and the adventure, not the destination, that awaits you. You will be amazed at what you will find on the road and you will remember Ride-Safe! For a detailed history of Utah tourism, check out my other articles on motorcycle tourism.