Things You Must Consider Before You Go On A Long Distance Motorcycle Ride

If you’re planning a long-distance motorcycle ride in the near future, then these small pointers you should consider.

These pointers or checklists are based on the rides that we have done.

Find a hotel walking distance to a restaurant/bar: With this you don’t have to get back on the bike before before sleeping.
Eat light breakfast, have an early lunch, have filling early dinner: Having light breakfast allows you to stay fresh throughout the day. Having early lunch allows you to have lunch crowd arrives. Have the lion’s share for dinner when you’re done riding — because big meals take a lot of energy to digest and will make you drowsy. Have it early so that you could then relax more.
Don’t eat at chain restaurants, have local restaurants whenever possible. Local restaurants give a lot local flavour and you get to know more about people and culture. Plus the food tastes much better.
Carry dry fruits if you have the space. Dry fruits such as Dates, Cashew and almonds give instant energy and good calorie boost to your long hauls. Pack them in snack-size ziplock bags and have them whenever feel sleepy/ hungry.
Drink lots of water, stay hydrated: Carry water and make a point to drink some every time you stop (even if you don’t feel thirsty). It’s important to your alertness and your overall comfort level to stay hydrated.
Install a charging unit/cigarette lighter unit on your motorcycle: This would help you to charge your mobile phone, go pro and other electronic items like GPS while we’re riding. Alternatively, you could also carry travel power adaptor and use the same phone charger in hotels using an electrical outlet.
Stop and enjoy the ride: Enjoy the ride see the flora and fauna. Otherwise, you’ll later regret that you missed something. It also helps to find places ahead of time by searching online or viewing other motorcyclists’ itineraries. Pro Tip: Take a screenshot of your phone GPS or a photo of the exact portion of the map of the most interested place. This way, you could just zoom in to the “photo” of the map on your phone while sitting on the bike.
Take a photo at each and every stop — including state lines, historic roadways, and noteworthy locations. Try to take a group photo at the start of each day. this would help you summarise all the stuff into a collage or a video when you get back home.
Keep Spare spectacles and do carry contact lenses if you wear them: Take the cheap spare pair along with you rather than your everyday pair — in case you lose or damage them you have the original ones. You could also wear sunglasses that go over eyeglasses — so you could wear both at the same time.
Carry Earplugs: On chilly or windy days, wear clear silicone earplugs to keep the wind or even insects from entering ears.
If you have long hair, wear stretch headbands: If you have long hair, then your hair strands are constantly slipping out from under the helmet and slapping you in the face. Wearing a simple wide, stretchy headband underneath the helmet and it stays.
Carry cash in various Pockets and extra cash in a safe/hidden pocket: Many places, especially little towns, don’t accept credit or debit cards. Have plenty of cash available instead.
Things you could carry along:
1. 2 bungee cords
2. A roll of duct tape
3. Kickstand pad (for parking on grass/sand/gravel/asphalt),
4. Waist bag
5. non-cycling shoes & clothing
6. shampoo and soap (if not staying at a hotel).

So for anything that we might have missed, please write to us in the comments section below and let us know. Would be happy to feature your amends.

Pic Courtesy: Rhino Leather