10 Tips for Planning Your First Overnight Motorcycle Ride

Most motorcyclists start out strictly as day-trippers, meeting with other riders on the weekend for the proverbial breakfast or lunch ride. This allows them to focus on just the day of the ride. If the weather forecast is dry, they may not take rain gear. If they do get caught in the rain, there’s always dry clothes and shelter waiting at home.

The type of gear worn also may be more light duty in nature: half or three quarter style helmet, perforated jacket and pants, one set of riding gloves, no heated gear, no extra set of dry clothes, etc. On day trips, riders also may not bring along more tools than those that came with the bike, or navigational aids like maps, GPS, or other items often packed for multi-day touring.

Once riders are exposed to the vicissitudes of nature, unexpected road hazards, and navigational challenges on a multi-day ride, they quickly realize that they’re in a whole different ballgame, so to speak, than when they were just day-tripping to a restaurant and back home. Covering greater distances during long days of riding requires riders to do some pre-planning. As the old bromide cautions, “Plan for the worst and hope for the best.”

Touring multiple days on a motorcycle can be an invigorating, uplifting, and confidence building experience for riders. But, if you (or a riding buddy) haven’t done it before, here are a few planning tips.

While always a good idea to tour with a partner, it’s especially important for inexperienced touring riders to have a companion who is experienced. Unforeseen problems on the road are always more manageable if there’s more than one person to tackle them.

Make sure you have the gear that’s appropriate for the intended trip. Don’t wear anything, head to toe, that you wouldn’t want to crash in. Also, don’t leave home without reliable rain gear, extra layers of dry clothing, and a second pair of riding gloves.

Make sure your motorcycle has had its proper maintenance and is mechanically ready for the trip. Pack any extra tools, which might be needed, and make sure that your bike is properly loaded with luggage (weight centralized as much as possible). Anything loaded outside of side and topcases should be well secured with locking nylon straps, not elastic cords.

Make sure your planning includes consideration of the route to be taken. Will the terrain and roads be mountainous, flat, arid, wet, curvy, straight, paved, or unpaved? Are your skills, your gear, and bike appropriate for what is expected in the coming territory, which may be far different from your accustomed backyard riding routes?

It’s also important to gain as much advance information as possible about your route’s likely weather conditions, including range of temperatures, possible severe weather, etc. There is a lot of weather forecast information available nowadays on the Internet and via a smartphone.

Let’s say you’re accustomed to riding in relatively flat terrain, but are contemplating touring through mountainous areas with more experienced motorcyclists who prefer an aggressive pace. You should make sure that the other riders know that you will not be trying to keep up with them and that they should wait, periodically, for you to catch up. After assessing the riding risk environment and your comfort level, don’t be reluctant to decline their touring invitation. Meaning it’s okay to say “not this time.”

In unfamiliar territory, consider using up to three levels of navigational assistance. Level 1 is a GPS with the route pre-programmed on it. Level 2 is a paper map(s) with the route highlighted on it (usually a computer print-out of the GPS programmed route). We always do levels 1 and 2 because electronic devices can fail. Level 3 is usually a state highway map, which may not be sufficiently detailed to show the route, but will allow us to navigate to a more populated area for assistance if both levels 1 and 2 fail. We like to take precautions when it comes to motorcycle navigation.

A common mistake that first time overnight riders often make is loading their bike up with things that aren’t necessary. First, you don’t want to exceed your bike’s maximum load restriction (as specified in the owner’s manual), because that alone may precipitate an accident. Second, having a lot of stuff complicates the daily loading and unloading process. Most riders trips entail riding, eating, and sleeping so generally items needed are ones that directly support these three activities.

If you will be riding alone, it’s important for at least one person to know where you will be riding and when to expect your return. Cell phone coverage is often spotty in lightly populated areas so it can’t be relied upon as your only way of reaching out for help. Letting others know about your plans is a good failsafe backup strategy.

Whether you ride alone or in a group, be sure to let at least one person know your travel plans.

Although riding your own ride is sage advice for all motorcyclists in virtually every situation, it becomes paramount on a multi-day tour. Suffering an injury while far from home in unfamiliar surroundings is both physically painful and psychologically distressing.

Story courtesy of RoadRUNNER Motorcycle Touring & Travel magazine exclusively for WRN. RoadRUNNER is published by Christa Neuhauser, a passionate motorcycle rider.