Guide to Motorcycle Touring
If your name is Jay Leno, you can stop reading right now. Jay won't have any trouble with touring, given that he is well-known and has significant resources. If you are not, not in possession of tons of money but having a dependable standard bike, it's time for a little trip.
The planning phase of the tour changes based on where you intend to go. Sometimes that will be a familiar place within 100 miles, and you simply. If it turns into anything where you need to sleep before you turn around and come back, planning gets a bit more important.
Since the bike in question is nearly a vintage ride (it's a 1980 Honda), you can be certain that a tour will involve sore buns. That is not a new item on the menu; the seat is ill-suited for long-distance riding. Perhaps the rider is, too.
What you will need, then, is some idea where you will sleep tonight, coupled with a plan for communications, food, and your underwear. No matter what you ride, sit down with a pen and a piece of paper, and have your phone nearby.
You will need to stop sometime
You have a couple of good options. Are you traveling alone? Then take a small tent with you, find some unused grass, and wink out for the night. Just ensure that you park the bike really close to the tent, and have a cell phone with you. There are a few other things you might need, too.
When the author rode out to Colorado Springs from Peoria in 2004, he packed a duffel bag (not fancy) with clothing, rain gear, and the all-important shaving kit. Everything inside the bag was divided into classes (underwear, pants, shirts, socks, shoes) and placed in plastic trash bags in case he rode in the rain or rain came while he was sleeping. Here are some other things that are handy.
Unless you have a watch with an alarm, carry a travel alarm. You really should not spend half the day sleeping next to a farmer's field; the state police begin checking pretty early unless they see movement. It is also good to take a small flashlight or an LED headband light. That way, your lighting is hands-free, and you can concentrate on nocturnal "duties" without fumbling the job.
Carry enough water with you to take a "bath" of sorts in the morning. You will also want to brush your teeth to remove the undergrowth that forms while you sleep. Do you have a favorite protein food in the cupboard? Try kippered herring and tuna with water on the road if you don't mind the smell; thus the need for water for brushing one's fishy teeth.
You might not be the camping type, but camping is a nice way to save some money on any multi-day trip. There is a magnification of that riding-is-freedom feeling at the same time, so how could you lose?
Nonetheless, if you would rather sleep between sheets at night, simply ensure that you call for a reservation at a motel near where you will end up. You can get all the shaving and showering out of the way the next day, and they probably have a continental breakfast including cereal and juice for you the next day. Whether camping or staying in a motel, the ride is the important part.
You might be back in two days
This notification is necessary if you live with an "other" more significant than a cat or dog. The cell phone you carry ought to be used to tell your significant other that you are okay despite the brief agricultural excursion from a slick bit of road yesterday. That will take care of the hurt feelings or the worry about your safety.
Unless you are a lot tougher than you look, you can plan your stops with a simple state road map. Given that some people like more, there are road map books designed for truckers, too. Using one of these will tell you exactly where to go, how to get there, and how long you should expect the trip to take.
It is amazing. You go out on the road to feel the wind in your face, and you find historical markers, former battlefields, a giant ball of string and the Grand Canyon. With all of that, anyone should be able to tour 300 miles and see a lot of neat stuff. On a bike, you will use less gas, have more fun and meet more people (very likely).
Try it! That's why motorcycles were made, isn't it?
