Motorcycle touring tips

There is of course no one guideline for every kind of trip you might like to take. However, there are certainly sone general principles to keep in mind when preparing for any kind of tour.
 

The first step is obviously not packing, but planning. The gear you take with you is going to be influenced by the riding and road conditions. Whether you decide on the route months in advance or the night before, its a very good idea to check the weather forecast- in the former case for average rainfall patterns (or snow, if you're feeling particularly adventurous), in the latter for immediate forecasts. There are some resources for road conditions as well, see for instance (road conditions page). Feel free to submit trip reports on the site.

Preferably, you should plan each day of the trip, including starting and stopping times. Now, we all know that each trip takes on a life of its own, meaning that some days you might call it quits after only a couple of hours in the saddle, others you might ride from dawn until dusk. In general you should plan not to stay out after dark, or even during dusk. At night the turns can sneak up on you, and during sunset the motorists can't see you - both very bad things. Especially when travelling alone, try to reserve each night's stop and make sure somebody else knows your schedule.


This might seem a little paranoid, but it's good to get the safety protocols out of the way first so you can kick back and enjoy your ride. The harder the route, the more planning is required. If you're going to be riding through towns every so often on well-traveled routes with continuous cellphone reception, you can count more on getting help, should the unexpected happen. An adventure tourer faces greater obstacles in getting help, and is also more likely to have some kind of mishap. Having plotted your route on a GPS device and relaying that to external sources could go a long way. Especially when crossing borders and heading through underpopulated or underdeveloped areas, you want to make sure your insurance and medical assistance packages are comprehensive.

When embarking on any kind of motorcycle tour, I first try to think of what would happen if I got stuck a hundred miles from the nearest town on a deserted road. At night, with werevolves and zombies in the bushes. I'm lucky enough to have a power outlet on my tourer, and bought an adapter which allows me to charge my phone and iPod, even when on the move. If your tourer does not have this feature, it's worthwhile investing in one of the battery charges for mobile phones which run off ordinary AA or AAA batteries. These are super cheap and can be invaluable.

A light source is another absolute necessity when on a motorcycle trip. Repairing a puntured tyre is hard (and annoying) enough in broad daylight, but becomed nearly impossible during twilight or at night. I like carrying a headlamp, which are cheap, light, batteries last for hours and leave your hands free for repair work. Some offer only one setting, which yields a pretty diffuse beam. Since you might not only want to do a general survey, but do specific work on your motorcycle (such as tyre repair, adjusting suspension etc.), I suggest one with both a wide-beam setting and a spotlight. And, believe me, trying to make camp at night without light might detract somewhat from the enjoyment of your motorcycle trip.

Speaking of tyre repair, this is a vital skill. Riding with tubeless tyres takes a lot of the hassle out of this, because you never need to remove the tyre from the rim. If you do not have tubeless tyres, many bikers swear by carrying some dishwashing liquid to provide you with the necessary lubricant to get the darn thing back on after you've fixed the puncture. Either way, it's one of those things that need to be seen in action to learn properly. My suggestion would be to go down to your local motorcycle repair shop and ask them to show you how they fix a tire. Otherwise, there are several videos online that show you how to do this step-by-step. (Since I often ride with a small laptop, I've actually downloaded some of these in case I get stuck.)

Carrying a first-aid kit is pretty much a no-brainer. Obviously you're not going to put yourself together again after a big fall, but there are many instances where it'll come in handy. Make sure it contains some pain tablets (in case you stay up a little late around the campfire) and cream for insect bites.

For now, we'll leave the subject, until something new pops into my head. The next installment of this article will explore the rest of your packing for biking trips, and include a basic checklist.