My adventures and road miles almost result in a rider’s guide.
There are few things in life that can give me as much pleasure as the adventure and adrenaline of getting on a motorcycle and traveling without a destination. I’m one of those people who like to live life intensely and I’ve always been a road lover!
After a long winter, it was practically impossible for me not to take the motorcycle out of the garage and put on my helmet! So I decided to take a 7 day trip.
Before any road trip, there is always a routine that I follow religiously. Habits that I have gained along the years of travel. And believe me, it never let me down. It could almost be compiled into a rider’s guide for motorcycle lovers.
Whenever I think about a trip or a destination, the temptation to go even further is enormous. The days that I have to travel are never enough because there is always one more beautiful place in the neighborhood to see or a city that I cannot miss.
The miles should be well spread within the days of the trip we have so that we do not fall into the mistake of turning our relaxing trip into a race against time. It is important to analyze the stops, the places to visit must be updated according to our state of mind or tiredness. But never forget to leave time on the agenda to “let it happen”!
Personally, I like to leave the agenda very light in regards to places to visit and miles. Because the good thing about motorcycle travel is to leave space for unexpected things.
Make an itinerary using Google Maps or a paper map. Select optional routes, so you will always be prepared and have a backup plan.
At the end of every day on any trip we need to rest and sleep. The next question is: camping or a more comfortable place?
I personally like to keep everything as simple as possible, even if you just have to carry the sleeping bag and other essential items, camping always requires more things to carry.
I’ll tell you something that happened to me on my last trip. I had planned everything right, I knew where to stop for lunch, the places I would visit in the meantime and where to sleep.
In the midst of this, I knew that I would need to refuel in a small village, when, In the middle of an incredible castle, which seemed built for giants, I found a very nice couple. Just married, they had left on a similar adventure and as the conversation goes I ended up seeing my 1-hour plan extend to 3 hours.
After that, I continued my journey to the village where I was supposed to fill my motorcycle. What was my astonishment when I got to the bombs and they had closed at 1 a.m. Due to the size of the village, the petrol stations did not need to have a schedule as wide as in large centers. I was in a village, in the middle of nowhere, without fuel and without any way of putting the motorcycle in motion. My luck was that in the village there was a small motel in which I slept until the next day. But I learned from this situation. Now I study these stops very well, informing myself in advance if the places where I intend to supply are still open or not. In some cases, I even take some extra fuel so that it does not happen again.
It is also essential to pay attention to the motorcycle itself. Before going on a road trip, my neighbour, who has a workshop, always makes a general checkup to my motorcycle. Nowadays, as I already have adequate luggage for my motorcycle. This is another major concern, luggage should fit the trip and the motorcycle. There are numerous models, features and styles of luggage depending on the trip.
This is how I organize myself, and how much I enjoy every trip. My rider’s guide. I’m not planning every kilometer, but I think some preparation is important. The idea of leaving without a destination as lovely as it may be has a high probability of running not so well.
I leave you with my rider’s guide, although knowing that each person has their own habits and methods!
The Rider
