LONG DISTANCE MOTORCYCLE RIDING

Touring motorcycles are built for the long ride. Many people use them to commute to work or even head out on road trips. But before you head out for a several hour ride, you’ll want to ensure your body and your bike are prepared. It helps you make the most of your trip and prevent unfortunate situations along the way.

Here at Redwood Harley-Davidson, we strive to make your life easier. That’s why we gathered up our favorite tips on long distance motorcycle riding below. If you have any questions or want to look at touring bikes for sale, visit our dealership. We proudly serve those in Eureka, Ukiah, and Redding, California as well as Medford, Oregon.

Build Up Endurance

You won’t want to make the leap from short rides around town to a multi-hour weekend trip. Your body won’t be ready! Riding touring motorcycles may not be as intensive as running a marathon, but it still takes a toll on your muscles and joints. You don’t want your epic journey to be clouded by aches and pains because you bit off a longer route than you could chew. Instead, build up your endurance as you would training for a marathon. Start off slow and add more distance each trip. You could even hit the gym targeting the muscle groups you use to control your touring bike!

Make Your Route

When you are cruising around the city, you can spontaneously decide where to go. When you go on a long distance ride, planning is much more key. After all, you are spending much more money on gas, food, and maybe even lodging. Get the most out of your investment with some simple planning. It also helps you avoid getting home after your trip and realizing you forgot to hit one of those iconic tourist destinations you were hoping to see.

Start by making a list of everything you hope to do and see, from restaurants to tourist attractions. After you build a list of stops to hit on your touring bike, you can start constructing your route. Some riders prefer taking the quickest path so that they can enjoy more time at their destinations. Others enjoy making the journey a destination in of itself. Any approach works well! Once your route is done, you can reserve any overnight lodging. Booking in advance secures your spot and can sometimes land you an early bird discount.

Inspecting Touring Motorcycles

For touring bikes to be able to handle the rigors of long distance riding, they need to be running well. You don’t want to get partway to your destination and suddenly be stuck with a broken down ride! Then you might have to spend the majority of your trip finding a mechanic and waiting for the repairs to be done. To avoid this situation, you should always conduct a pre-ride inspection of your touring motorcycle. This involves looking over various parts of your vehicle to ensure everything is running as it should be. If you notice any red flags, you’ll be able to get them fixed before your big trip.

Start by looking over your tires to ensure the tread and air pressure levels match the manufacturer’s recommendations. Then inspect your fluid levels to ensure there is enough (and top off anything that’s low). Check that your lights are all functioning and clearly visible. Go out for a quick ride to test your brakes, throttle, and acceleration. Only go on your trip if everything is functioning normally.

We hope you found these tips helpful! If you want to look at touring motorcycles for sale, head over to Redwood Harley-Davidson. We proudly serve those in Eureka, Ukiah, and Redding, California as well as Medford, Oregon.