The highway opens up before you, and a cascade of sunset washes across the road as the wind roars in your hair. Everything’s in place for your long distance motorcycle tour. Whether you’re taking in one state or fifty, with a night in Tijuana before heading home, a cross-country motorcycle tour requires a great deal of planning and forethought before you head out into the highways and byways of America.
Did you pack a toothbrush?
Motorcycles have a far diminished storage capacity than do cars. Even a motorcycle carrying a trailer will only have so much room to pack the necessities, and a sleeping bag may not be a necessity that actually fits into the bike. This means that you’ve got to make every inch count, particularly if you’re planning on bringing along your backseat buddy. Chances are good that she’ll be able to fill the trailer by herself, without figuring in your change of drawers. So, what do you do? For trips like the Iron butt rally, only the basics for the trip. Of course, you’re going to want a change of clothes, rain gear, and a first aid kit as the absolute essentials.
Of course, you really do have to figure out where you’re going before you start packing. While it isn’t necessary, strictly speaking, to know the exact town you’re going to visit, at the very least try to know what general direction you want to go in. North, south, east or west. That makes a good start. When you decide on a direction, plan for what’s in that direction. In the West, there’s grassland, prairie and desert. To the north, you’ll find rain, forests and cooler temperatures. Go east and you’ll run into cities, and head south and you’ll be hard pressed to continue for more than a few miles before you’ve got to get off and clean the dead bugs off your windshield. Of course, if you plan to go without a windshield, you’ll be picking them out of your teeth.
Once your direction is in place, you’ve got to make sure your bike is up to snuff for the trip. Make sure you’ve got good tires, fresh oil, and fresh radiator fluid if you’re running a liquid-cooled bike. It’s also a good idea to change or clean your air filter, particularly if you plan to ride through dry climates. Check your drive chain or belt. If the belt appears frayed at the edges, it should be replaced before you leave. The chain should be relatively tight. If it is loose or has excessive play, unbolt the rear axle of the motorcycle and pull the tire back as far as it will go. Then, tighten the bolts for the axle.
You might enjoy the convenience of your GPS unit, but it’s still a good idea to have paper maps of the states you’ll be driving through. You never know if your GPS will end up stolen, lost, or with a dead battery at a bad time.
You’ll want to have protective clothing for the ride, regardless of what season it is, and particularly depending on where you ride. Keep your leathers with you. A leather jacket does more than keep you warm. It can help keep you from becoming dehydrated in hot climates, too. While it makes you sweat to wear it, particularly when it’s hot out, the jacket keeps the humidity inside, rather than allowing it to wick away in the wind and dry weather.
The last things you’ll need for your trip are a credit card for emergency expenditures and backup safety glasses to keep the bugs out of your eyes. Once you’ve gotten all this rounded up, your cross country motorcycle tour will be as prepared as you can make it.
The Essential Guide to Motorcycle Travel: Tips, Technology, Advanced Techniques”; Dale Coyner; 2007
