Total Motorcycle Community Forums

Hi Ladies,

Any advice on how to prepare for that first big touring weekend?

I've got just about four weeks before the "blessed event". I'm getting used to the lifestyle adjustments for commuting: get plenty of rest, waking up earlier, work an 8-hour day and then head home in moderate rush hour traffic.

I clock most of my mileage during the week. I can and probably should squeeze a long ride at least on one weekend day. Not sure where to go from here. Any suggestions and comments would be much appreciated. Thank you!

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2007 Virago 250cc

First things first. Do you plan to stay overnight?

Are you talking about getting physically ready or making sure you don't over do it?

Or do you mean, what to bring/pack on the bike?

OR all of the above?

P

Yes, we're planning on staying overnight. Ride up to our destination. Tour around the area for half a day. Rest up. Then ride and see as much as we can during the daylight hours.

(1) How to prepare physically is my main question? What are some guidelines for the frequency of taking breaks? How do my husband and I keep an objective eye on making sure the other is still capable of continuing on or turning back to home base?

Now that I think about it, as an avid hiker I do have a 10-item list of basic gear that I pack. Haven't yet decided if we'll ride if rain is forecasted. I'm pretty sure still being a newbie that leaf cover roads and rain are not a good combination.

(2) How about items that have come in handy for basic road repairs?

I could also take page out of my aviation experience. Plan the flight and fly the plan. You know its been a few years since flying and although a lot of what we learned and practiced as far as safety goes translates very well to motorcycling. I'm hoping to touch base with the seasoned riders out there. Thank you for any and all advice.

http://www.visi.com/~dalebor/
This was posted elsewhere in a different forum, but wanted to pass it on. I found this site handy on my first (and sadly only) long trip. Lots of gems on how to prepare for a trip, things to look out for, and ways minimize the chances you'll need a repair kit.

If you're looking for a list of items that come in handy to do basic repairs the page you want is http://www.visi.com/~dalebor/pack_list.htm#Tools .

Enjoy the trip.

These links are great! I only had a chance to skimmed through them briefly last night. They seem very comprehensive at the very least provides a very good overview for a beginner like myself with so many questions and seemingly so little time. This will do a lot to settle down my first tour gitters.

Thanks so much!

Thanks obfuscate. Those links are great. I'd love to meet that guy, he's a real character.
The Motel 6 reference cracks me up. We stayed in one in Santa Barbara and I didn't sleep cause I was peeking out the window at the bikes all night to make sure they were still there!
I haven't finished reading the whole thing, but I'm sure there are many chuckles/good advice still to read.

Oh good, I was reluctant to post it since it's not my advice, but I don't have the experience to justify giving my own thoughts, other than to agree with the guy's webpage that bees on a bike do in fact hurt to distraction. I remember both Blues2Cruise and Lion_Lady give good advice in this area that I used on my trip. Take advantage of them . Let us know how the trip goes and what advice was most/least helpful.

How far, away, mileage wise/time wise? 200 miles, 300 miles, more? My first long day was over 350 miles. From Baltimore, to a picnic in lower central VA and home again all on the same day. The wind kicked up big time on our way home, to add interest.

What is the greatest distance you've ridden so far? And how did you feel? Any discomfort (seat, back, etc)? Stuff to consider adressing.

A good rule of thumb, to keep creeping fatigue at bay, is to get off the bike, take off the helmet, and walk around for 5-15 minutes, about every 60 to 90 minutes of riding. (Since gas stations can be so depressing, I'll make gas stops "short and quick," and plan to stop/refresh at the next rest area.

Since the first thing to go as you become fatigued is judgement, it is really important to not push yourself too hard while riding.

(1) How to prepare physically is my main question? What are some guidelines for the frequency of taking breaks? How do my husband and I keep an objective eye on making sure the other is still capable of continuing on or turning back to home base?

Why turn back? Why not take a hotel partway there, rather than bail out entirely? Verizon Wireless VZ Navigator can find you a hotel, if you don't have a GPS (surely the other wireless networks have some similar feature, if you don't have Verizon).

If you've got a looong ride, eat a good breakfast, start early and plan to take a fairly long sit down lunch mid-day. You'll be better able to continue the rest of the distance.

P

I just hopped on the bike last year and went to make my first long trip which was 10 hours from MA from VA.

Remember, goals are flexible. Stopping for a potty break and a stretch make a big difference. Drink lots of water, make sure you have at least three meals, and enjoy.

Been getting some saddle time in since the last post. I have to admit this almost 45year body is having to get use to the longer rides. So as a guide, I'm increasing my mileage by about 25% to 30% each weekend.

My biggest challenge so far is learning to relax. The first long ride and in unknown territory, I was pretty stressed out. It took me three days to recover; too many strained and sore muscles.

Our recent ride was better. We had a good mix of highway and secondary roads, riding through small towns where they are pretty serious about the 25mph zone.

My second biggest challenge now is how to keep my mind and attention from wandering. On one of those long stretches of road, I realized that I was slipping into a "zombie" state and to snap me out of it the first thought I had was to start singing a nursery school song.

Funny thing is that it worked. You know songs like "ABCD. . .EFG" or "This old man, he played one. . ." Silly kids stuff like that. Anyway, it turned out to be a really great riding day and hey I'm not so sore today either. Just a little sleepy and distracted at work from such an exciting day trip!