Things I wish I knew about touring

[HipGnosis]

 We've had some great threads about beginning riding and riding with a passenger.

 How about touring??

 Advance Thanks;  Jim

[RBEmerson]

Three thoughts: 1) It's the journey, not the destination, 2) the road is longer than you think, and 3) beware of zoning out.  

1) Really, it's the journey that is the good part.  When you get "there", it's time to stop.  While you're going, literally anything can happen from looking up and seeing a bald eagle flying as your wingman (honest! I looked up and there he was!) to meeting someone you haven't seen in years who just happens to be on the same bit of road (that's happened a couple of times) to moments where all you can say is "two years from now, this will seem like a good 'bar story'".  You'll see stuff other folks will miss, whether it's scenery that leaves you picking your jaw off the floor, or some little vignette that's there for a moment and then gone.  And you may even change the destination and never get where you planned to go in the first place.  

On the Concours Owners Group site is the account of a guy who wanted to ride from Ottawa to Yellowknife in the Yukon Territory to get ripped in the local saloon.  When he got to Yellowknife (not an easy ride!) and the saloon, he just kept on riding.  The journey was the destination.  

2) When you're looking at the map, the road looks short and it's "how hard can it be?" time.  When you're three hours into a seven hour ride, the road gets a little longer.  A thousand miles in 24 hours?  It's a good way to get IBA membership but not very good for really seeing what there is to see.  

3) On local rides, it's easy to keep the edge and stay really focused.  Start droning down the road, though, and sooner or later... zoned out.  Being well rested helps hold that off but, after a while, it's hard to keep the edge and stay mentally fresh.  The urge to get down the road is difficult to ignore; that "short 400 mile dash" is now looking a little longer, so it becomes "gotta keep moving".  But it's time to think hard about what's going on when you realize "I have no freakin' idea what happened for the last 15 minutes, or the last fifteen miles!"  

Enjoy the ride!  

[county]

Buy a good rainsuit.

Accept that some discomfort is part of touring and that you can enjoy yourself while not being comfortable.

Carry a spare key and spare faceshield.

And, today in a lotta pursuits there are a lotta people and whole industries that seem to insist that you can't do anything without a whole shitload of expensive accoutrements.  Don't buy into this.  Simplicity is a good thing, expecially on a motorcycle.  Minimalization is a good thing, expecially on a motorcycle.  Remember, before this current boom in motorcycling there was people (and still are) riding around America on little bikes with duffel bags covered with garbage bags bungeed to their bikes.

[happybusa]

Right on, both of you.
 

I "toured" for years,tremendous planning and many
long distance trips. Honestly, I dont think I would get
lost anywhere in the U.S.

BUT, in the last 5 years I have enjoyed riding more
because I have learned to
slow down and stop along the way
mainly by taking the road less traveled.
Oh yeah, and making new friends........on ST.n

Sully

[forester]

Touring rocks.  I haven't found a better way to experience the roaded countryside than being atop a motorcycle.  The views, the smells, the sounds of the engine and the feel of the wind.  There isn't a more pure road experience.

My advice:

-Know your machine very well.
-Carry proper tools and spare parts that may break.
-Carry enough of the right kind of clothes for your trip
-Minimize your load in weight and size.
-Maintain the machine properly along the way.
-Maintain yourself properly along the way.
-Avoid roads with a heavy traffic load when possible.
-Take the time to meet the locals by starting conversation in the local establishments.
-Stay sharp; watch and be ready to avoid road hazards.
-Be respectful to other motorists.
-Keeping an open mind and a relaxed schedule may lead to more adventure and enjoyment.

Good luck and have fun!

[CBRXXBLACKBIRD]

These are the threads that we should read good reminders for the bike season coming up for the regions that don't get to ride year round.

[Orson]

Everyone travels differently...

myself, I don't like to book ahead. I feel it adds pressure by feeling I need to be somewhere that night. I just leave it up to the luck of the draw. Wherever I am at 5:00 P.M. is where I'm stayin'   This approach also allows me to change course at the drop of a hat.

[RBEmerson]

A big +1 on that.  Although there have been occasions where it's getting late and the weather isn't looking so good and the bike sounds funny and maybe those burritos at lunch are speaking in loud and strident tones about departing by going up and/or down now and it's generally "my head aches, my feet stink, and I don't love Jesus" time and that's when all the places to stay announce they're booked solid.  Oh my...  

[Orson]

and that's when all the places to stay announce they're booked solid.  Oh my...  

this is an unwritten law of touring  

around 1:00 P.M., you'll pass a hotel with a spectacular view of the mountains, free internet and heated pool...

come 5:00 when you really need some place, invariably the only place available is Ma & Pa's roach coach chalet  

[Mrs. DantesDame]

this is an unwritten law of touring  

around 1:00 P.M., you'll pass a hotel with a spectacular view of the mountains, free internet and heated pool...

come 5:00 when you really need some place, invariably the only place available is Ma & Pa's roach coach chalet  

Oh, but those are my favorite!!! And I'm serious!. Maybe not the "roach" part, but the little motel that's been there since the beginning of time and has been forgotten because the highway was built 10 miles away. Yeah, I'll take that over a Holiday Inn any day!  


As for what I wish I knew... I guess I'll chime in about the gear. I wish now that I had just jumped right in and gotten good gear the first time around instead of gradually increasing the quality with each purchase, thereby costing me at least 3x as much as I would have paid if I had done it right the first time.

[Headmanbrewing]

and it's generally "my head hurts, my feet stink, and I don't love Jesus" time

Fixed that for ya. 

And if I remember correctly, in the song he was talking about the feeling you have after a long night of drinking.  Nevertheless, the sentiment is the same.

Edit: And I should add, I have no advice to give on touring, as I haven't been out for more than 300 miles in a day.  But it's comin'!

[MisterEd]

... but trust me on the sunscreen.

(somebody had to add that)

One thing that I've found in talking to people, especially newer riders, about touring and longer trips is that a lot of folks find a 3000 mile trip very daunting to think about.  The longer trips are the ones that start people asking the questions like "what do I pack", "where do I sleep", "do I lock up my bike or bring it in the room", "will I get mugged, raped, killed, run over, beat up, threatened, etc. etc. etc."

What I tend to tell folks that start down this spiral is that a long trip is just a series of short ones.  No, really, that's all it is.  I was talking to a friend just last week about this - I asked him, "what's the longest day you've ridden so far?"  He replied that he had done a ten hour day, that included a lot of long stops, that was about 350 miles.  So, I just pointed out that if you string five of those days together, you'd have a 1,750 mile trip.

The issue of "security" gets talked about a lot, but I've found that people in general are nice, normal, non-threatening folks.  Don't let my colleagues in the fright-night-for-a-buck news business scare you in to thinking there's a meth lab in every motel, a killer behind every 7-11 and robbers and bad guys waiting in every parking lot.  Yeah, you take reasonable precautions like anyone would - not leaving a $1,000 camera lying out in plain sight and so on, but this business that some folks focus on about being super-paranoid about their bike disappearing from the Motel 6 parking lot in Dubuque just ain't something to worry about.

Finally, if you're new to LD trips, spend some time "spooling up" before you tackle the big one.  It's way, way better to get used to how it feels to ride a 10,000 miler by doing a lot of 200 milers before hand.  Spend a few weekends doing some overnighters relatively near home to get used to packing and unpacking the bike (remember, if you hit the road for three weeks, you'll be loading and unloading that bike a LOT), living with the bike as your only mode of transport at your destination, how you pack (and how much you overpack...) and so on.  I've known folks that have tried 3000 or 4000 mile trips with virtually no preparation who ended up miserable and never travelled more than 150 miles from home on a bike ever again.

And always remember that there's a 90% chance that you WILL be better off replacing the stock seat on your bike  
Posted on: March 21, 2007, 20:40:54

Oh, but those are my favorite!!! And I'm serious!. Maybe not the "roach" part, but the little motel that's been there since the beginning of time and has been forgotten because the highway was built 10 miles away. Yeah, I'll take that over a Holiday Inn any day!  

Me too.  Yeah, I've stayed at my share of "Motel Chain O'The Day" but when you find the old rambling "Moonlight Inn" off in the far corner of some county, sometimes they can be the most fun of any place.

[ninjadad66]

Enjoy the trip, and be on the look out for new roads. I plan out my Alps ride every year, and the end product is never what it starts out to be. However, be advised that I have a strange condition called "Wheredoesthatroadgo".  There's no cure and every year it get's worse  

[PlayWithGravity]

Three thoughts: 1) It's the journey, not the destination, 2) the road is longer than you think, and 3) beware of zoning out.  

+1 on #2

That's the best advice I can give for LD touring.  Oh, and never forget to stop and take pictures of your bike many times along the way in the midst of cool landscapes, etc. to remind yourself of just how cool you really are  

[Corbeau]

But it's time to think hard about what's going on when you realize "I have no freakin' idea what happened for the last 15 minutes, or the last fifteen miles!"

In Kansas, it's 300 minutes and 300 miles!

In no particular order:

• sing in your helmet
• don't burp in your helmet after a hard night of drinking with new friends met at a campground
• if you see something and think "cool! maybe I should take a picture of that", stop, turn around and go take that picture. Otherwise, 3,000 miles later, your description of said cool thing will get fuzzy.
• never be a stranger when you meet people in old general stores. Take the time to talk to them.

[PlayWithGravity]

[li]if you see something and think "cool! maybe I should take a picture of that", stop, turn around and go take that picture. Otherwise, 3,000 miles later, your description of said cool thing will get fuzzy.[/li]

+1

I have one of those shots framed and hanging in my foyer.  Nice!  How do I paste a picture in here, I'll share.  

[PlayWithGravity]

Taken in north-central Pennsylvania on my way to Vermont.

[RBEmerson]

Suh-weet!

[Leanintree]

If you know what direction your going (approximately),

#1-TAKE A LIST OF LOCAL BIKE SHOPS.

#2-Call a few ahead to see if they have your size tire.

#3- Maybe even purchase one with plans to change it at that juncture.

For those long trips, I keep hearing about people that get a flat, or the tire gets too worn (or squared off), and they have to bend over and take it at the first available shop. Or the first shop doesn't have what they need. I've known a few folks who (when planning multi-thousand mile jaunts) will buy a spare, and have it shipped to halfway through their journey, with the intent that it will need changing by that point. Unfortunately, long days in the saddle can eat tires in a heartbeat (particulaly if you like riding on gumballs). Something to think about when you set out... how long 'til this set is is so square that your riding on legos?

Leanintree

[PlayWithGravity]

What does "riding on a gumball" mean?