Monday Q&A: How to Plan for a Long Motorcycle Trip

I get a lot of people asking me about how to plan for a long motorcycle trip, so it’s time this made it into the Monday Q&A rotation. The truth is that there’s no “right” and “wrong” way to do *anything* related to motorcycle travel. It’s all up to the individual’s travel style, finances and tolerances.

You can have an amazing trip on a completely inappropriate two-wheeled vehicle with virtually no finances to start – just look at NathanThePostman on ADVRider.com – he made it from “Sydney to London on a moped called Dot” with practically no planning ahead, very little “gear” and very limited finances.

On the other extreme, you have Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman in Long Way Round and Long Way Down doing long-distance motorcycle travel on a much bigger budget, with film crews documenting the trips and support people handling a lot of the logistics.

Personally, I love both stories equally. Nathan’s got a great personality, and we love rooting for an underdog who starts out with practically nothing and has a life-changing trip with many adventures along the way. But it’s fun to sit in our living room and watch Charley and Ewan cope with long-distance travel and all of the ups and downs that entails. Sure, they’re entirely different trips, but neither is less valid – both are long-distance motorcycle travel, and both are shaped by the resources that each party has at hand.

That being said, for an average person setting out on long motorcycle trip, I would recommend undertaking a couple of basic prep items:

Test Trips!!!

Test trip Camping in NH and VT

I am constantly amazed at the people who set out on long motorcycle trips, having never tested the particular gear on a particular bike in the particular circumstances. If you’re planning a long motorcycle trip, one of the best things you can do for yourself is to take test trips.

Actually USE your luggage on your motorcycle. USE all of your camping gear. USE your motorcycle tools on the road. Find out how easy or difficult it is to set up your tent by yourself. How long does it take? What stuff do you want inside, and what can you leave on your bike? Is your luggage packed in a way that makes sense, or do you waste time digging around to find stuff? Does your collapsable camping bowl keep collapsing when you’re trying to use it? Does your dry sack poke you in the back and make you feel claustrophobic on the bike?

Test all of the gear you intend to use in the conditions in which you intend to use it. Only then can you determine whether it’s appropriate for the task, or whether it has annoyances that represent deal-breakers to you. Test trips give you an opportunity to vet your gear, find the packing configuration that works best for you, replace any items that aren’t performing in the way you want them to, and put you in the best position for starting out.

You should also test the riding conditions you intend to endure on a long trip. Sit in the saddle for 8 or 10 hours, and cover the average amount of distance you intend to cover on your trip. Now do it for several days in a row. Do it in the rain, in cold weather and in hot – in whatever conditions you intend to ride on your long trip. Do you need to add any pieces of gear to make yourself more comfortable?

Do you find that the 500 mile day, while do-able in isolation, isn’t sustainable over 5 days or a week? People who only ride a few days here and there on short trips often overestimate the amount of miles they’ll be able to cover on a day-in, day-out basis for weeks at a time. You may find that you need to schedule fewer miles, or give yourself more time to cover the mileage you intend to cover.

I could write an entire article about the value of test trips alone, but suffice it to say – do them. Ride in the conditions you intend to ride on a long trip, and use the gear you intend to use. Be honest with yourself about your wants and needs so you can plan accordingly.

Bike Maintenance

Have the right tools for basic maintenance, and know how to use them

This one seems more common-sense, but people still overlook it: make sure your bike is up-to-date on all maintenance before you set out on a long trip. Make sure the tires you have are appropriate and have enough tread life to get you through the trip, or make plans to change them along the way. Bring a patch kit or spare tubes just in case.

Carry an appropriate toolkit, and know how to repair tires and do other minor maintenance by the side of the road. Do an oil change before you set out, and make sure any factory-recommended service is up-to-date – or know that you’re comfortable riding without completing that service. Carry tie-downs in case your bike breaks down and you need to throw it in the back of someone’s pick-up truck.

Find out what usually breaks or wears out on your bike, and bring the parts to replace it, if they’re small enough to carry easily. Bring spare fuses, duct tape, electrical tape, a bit of wire. If you know how to use it, a Voltmeter can help you troubleshoot problems. If your bike has a FAQ or service manual, bring it along. You may not be able to use it, but it’ll help if you need some roadside mechanic to tear it down in the middle of nowhere.

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to spend a lot of money setting up your bike special for a long trip. All of the mods we made to our bikes were mods we would have made even if we *hadn’t* been going on a long trip – either to protect the bike, make maintenance easier, or make riding more comfortable. If you ride your motorcycle a lot and have set it up to be comfortable for you, you probably need to do very little to prep it for a long trip. Just make sure its service is up-to-date and maintenance and wear items are accounted for.

Finances

Your finances may never be "right" - but it does take money

Long trips always cost more than you expect. It’s a rule. Have access to extra funds – be it on a credit card, money you can borrow from friends or family, work you can do whilst on the road, etc. You WILL need more money. Period. But if you’re determined enough, you can find a way. And you’ll find that the kindness of strangers can go a very long way.

You don’t need to be rich to take a long motorcycle trip. We’re not. Many of the people who do long trips aren’t. You just need to be willing to adapt your lifestyle as needed, and make sacrifices to save money – both before and during the trip. But you can do it on a shoestring, a 401k, some investment returns, wedding gifts, or working extra to save up the cash. The point is that you can DO it. Money is out there, and there are always ways to earn it. All you have to do is make up your mind and DO it.

Which leads me to the final point…

Just DO it!

Just DO it!

Nike got this one right – whether or not you feel you have the finances, whether you’re riding a brand new, top-of-the-line motorcycle or an old, tiny moped, whether you’ve got all the right gear, whether you’ve taken enough test trips – just DO it. Make up your mind to go, and GO. Daydream for a while… but then make your daydream reality. DO IT.

There is a whole world out there to explore. Motorcycle travel happens to be an excellent way to do it, and remains my personal favorite. But whether you’re doing it by motorcycle, or some other way, know that taking a long trip will make you a richer, deeper person. You will see amazing sights. You will meet wonderful people. You will encounter obstacles; both physical and emotional. You may or may not make it to your destination, and the trip you plan may be radically different from the trip you take.

But if you remain open, you will grow and it will be an amazing experience and you will wonder why you waited so long. And when it’s over, maybe after some time has passed, you will be asking when you can do it again.