Thinking through the details, making the perfect route, and packing for the trip are all essential. There is no doubt that every trip needs a personal touch, so there will be a variety of opinions and advice you’ll get as you tell more people about the trip you want to do.
Years of experience and thousands of happy customers can tell you that when it comes to motorcycle travel, EagleRider is the top choice. We put together a list of our top 30 tips for motorcycle touring and riding a motorcycle across the country. We hope this list helps you plan you ride, whether you do it with EagleRider or on your own. This list of touring tips will get you started on some key things you need to arrange for your upcoming adventure.
TRAVEL TIPS
1. Set the date – commit to the trip
Someday can be today. Thousands of riders dream of getting on a bike and doing a trip, whether it’s 3 days or 30. But mostly the dream ends there. Family commitments, work, finances, and so many other things get in the way that dreaming is what most riders surrender to. It doesn’t have to be this way. Plan ahead and set the date. Commitment is the first step.
Having flexible dates won’t help you secure travel, visas, motorcycle rental, or anything else. It won’t help you get a buy-in from your family to do the trip. Firm travel time is necessary because you’ll be able to plan everything else around it.
2. Ride your own bike/rent/tour – how to know which one
There are three main options for riding anywhere:
- Do it on your own bike
- Rent/borrow one
- Do a self-drive or a guided tour
Which one works for you ultimately is a personal preference. GUIDED TOURS are more expensive, but also take care of most of the logistics and travel arrangements. You trust that you’re with an experienced guide who knows the local areas and you are also looking forward to exploring the new land with like-minded motorcycle riders.
RENTING A MOTORCYCLE is becoming easier as we and other motorcycle rental companies offer a variety of makes and model at numerous riding destinations. Rental gives you the freedom to keep a pretty open daily riding schedule and riding your own bike is the cheapest option.
You can absolutely ship your bike across the ocean if you live overseas, but it’s not going to pencil out financially in most cases.
Creating your own custom route can take a lot of time and is also a fun experience. You get to learn about new places, get insights from other riders, and pick the pace of travel that works for you. At EagleRider, we have a team of tour architects that can assist with route planning for your rental or custom tour.
3. Best time to ride – early summer, early fall
We get asked every day about the best time to ride a certain route, such as ROUTE 66 and our WILD WEST tours. Your trip can be anywhere in the world and most likely you will face a variety of weather and riding conditions. But for riding in America, there are definitely several windows of perfect weather: early summer and early fall.
In winter you can enjoy Florida and the Southwest, or even do a tour down to CABO SAN LUCAS IN MEXICO. Our GUIDE TO WINTER RIDING offers all the best routes and trip suggestions. Summer offers a must consistent level of temperatures and in the desert areas, you’re very likely to face extreme heat. Not everyone is ready for that, so some riders opt-in to ride in months that are a bit cooler.
There is no single answer to this, especially if your trip is 3-6 months long across multiple continents. But for most 2-week trips, early summer and early fall offer a really nice mix of temperatures. If you want to save a buck, Shawn offers some great tips for this in his Q&A Q&A ABOUT NAVIGATING EAGLERIDER PRODUCTS.
4. Motorcycle with ample storage that fits your riding experience and preference
How to pick a motorcycle is one of those questions that we can spend hours contemplating. It’s very difficult to recommend something because we all have different riding preferences and levels of experience. Some bikes are great for touring but can be too heavy especially with a passenger and full touring packs with clothes.
The best suggestion you can get is to look at motorcycles that fit your riding experience and have enough storage for the trip you are planning. We put together a DETAILED GUIDE ON CHOOSING THE RIGHT BIKE for your trips, which will be a great reference point for your upcoming adventures. On a guided tour our van carries all the luggage, but on a camping trip, you’ll need to carry everything in your saddlebags and attached to a sissy bar.
In general, most riders prefer bigger touring bikes for 7+ day trips, but you should only ride a bike that you are comfortable handling. For off-road riding, there is a completely different set of features you’ll be considering compared to perfectly maintained roads and highways of the USA.
You can always CONTACT US and explain what trip you want to do and your preferences for a motorcycle and our team of seasoned riders will assist with recommending a few models that we think will work well for you.
5. Route 66 is not the only way to cross the country
There are thousands of ways you can cross America, from ROUTE 66 to PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY
We offer 100+ pre-defined routes, all of which can be further adjusted based on your wishes. Some of our most popular routes besides the BEST SELLING ROUTE 66 FULL TOUR, include:
- TRIPLE B – BLUES, BOURBON, BBQ (New Orleans to Washington DC)
- COAST 2 COAST MOTORCYCLE TOUR (Los Angeles to Orlando)
- WESTERN COAST - PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY (Seattle to Los Angeles)
Many of our riders extend their trips to STURGIS and begin riding on either coast to then spend a week in South Dakota and after continue riding across the country. If the time allows, adding a few days at one of the iconic motorcycle rallies is a great way to spice up your trip and celebrate the life on two wheels with fellow riders.
6. Share your ride with others - take photos and videos along the way
Did you know that the most watched motorcycle videos on YouTube often are of the long cross country and cross-continent rides?
Following someone’s adventure through the lens of the camera or smartphone is better than not seeing it at all. Let your family and friends enjoy the road with you, share your ride on social media and your site if you have one.
There is a variety of apps and websites that allow for route sharing and you can also post images and videos along your favorite stops and moments on the road. The main thing is to share what you see with others. During or after the trip - your choice, but capturing moments on the road will make for a nice souvenir many years later.
Don't forget to tag #eaglerider when you share your photos and videos on social media. Every month we pick a random lucky winner and award $300 gift card towards future reservations on eaglerider.com.
Source: www.eaglerider.com
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