June 07, 2009
Motorcycle Touring Made Easy
....the eZine
....inside this issue
This month we're going to look at motorcycle touring from a different viewpoint. Instead of giving you the different aspects of motorcycling and motorcycle touring, I want to reflect on a recent trip and describe to you how the different aspects that we talk about fit into such a trip. We highlighted, in bold, those aspects below in our story.
So, let's get started.
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The Seamlessness of Motorcycle Touring
The ultimate goal that Judy and I have by providing information about motorcycle touring is to allow you to, at the drop of a hat, get up, head out and do what it is that you love. This past week, for me, was a perfect example.Although the circumstances were not the greatest, our knowledge and preparation of motorcycling made it all possible for me to do just that. See, I got a call last Monday from my Mom's friend. They were both in Florida and my mother became ill to where she had to be admitted to the hospital. After a night worth of tossing and turning I decided that I needed to be there.
The next morning I grabbed what I needed and was off. Packing was a breeze. Our toiletries we keep in a separate bag and hung in the closet. It has all the travel size items we need, just toss in the latest medications and we're off. I grabbed a minimum of clothes, knowing that I can do wash as needed. Rain gear is kept in separate plastic vacu-bags for storage. Our riding gear, helmets, gloves and jackets are all kept together and went right into the trailer.
Very little maintenance checks were needed. A quick check of lights and tire pressures and I was off. Keeping the bike maintained required no further checks or fixes prior to leaving. Cleaning and maintenance items are all stored on the bike. Ninety percent of the maintenance done on our bike and trailer is done using the tools I carry on the bike so there is no need for extra anything.
Once at my first gas stop about twenty miles down the road, I toped off the trailer tires, I noticed they were a bit low but drivable (they were 32 lbs and needed to be 40 lbs) Getting the essentials right off the bat is key. While there I picked up ice and water for the trip. One thing that we found was that eating right and staying hydrated while riding makes the entire experience much nicer and more enjoyable. One thing that we uses as a guide to our diet is The Gabriel Method, not so much for the weight loss aspect but rather for the healthiness of the method he uses. I found this to be a big factor to being able to put in over 750 miles and not feel fatigued during my ride.
During my travel, I broke up my ride into 100 miles sections. This allowed me to stretch out, refill my water, get a quick potty break and get back on the road. I found this helpful in managing the water I was drinking. I would have 20 ounces of water every 100 miles or about an hour and a half time. This kept me well hydrated and I never felt light headed or dizzy from the 95 degree heat.
Keep in touch with others while on the road. For my situation it was great to have a GPS that has Bluetooth. This allowed phone calls while riding so that I could stay up to speed on what was going on and those that tried to get in touch with me during the day could call and not even know I was flying down the highway at 75 miles per hour. Other technology such as a CB and Stereo helped out immensely with information and entertainment and allowed the miles to go by faster.
Comfort is a necessity. I can't stress the importance here of a good custom saddle with backrest and highway pegs. Even with the best of seat, your butt can only stay in one position for so long. The seat and pegs allow you to move around and keep from getting too sore.
Know your limits. Rain played a huge part of this trip and I had to spend over three quarters of the ride back in rain. Most of the time the temperature was warm and I didn't even bother with rain gear since it felt refreshing. It was the lightning that made me the most nervous though. I had to duck into the cover of a gas station for an hour but other than that I rode through it. Riding in the rain requires more attention and will wear you out mentally and physically a lot faster than riding in good weather. So take more breaks and make sure you stay as dry as possible.
Improvise when you need to. Like I said at the beginning I didn't worry about getting wet, but the further north I got, the colder it got. So I got out of my mesh jacket and put on a leather jacket, I got out a dry pair of gloves (wish I had leather gloves though) and since I had made one of the most important mistakes by not bringing boots, I had to improvise some rain gear for my feet which ended up being some dry socks on my feet with plastic bags from a convenience store tied over them, then lastly my shoes over the plastic bags. That at least kept my feet dry if not making a fashion statement.
All in all it was a good exercise for me to put all that I have learned to the test by just getting up and going. The end result opened my eyes to a couple of things that I can adjust and all things considered everything turned out well.
Oh, and for 75 year old Mom? She's out of the hospital and planning her next tennis match with the girls..... Way to go Mom!!!
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