Motorcycle Safety on Long Rides
Like any trip, there are certain precautions that should be taken before setting out on a long motorcycle ride. Unlike other trips, however, there's a lot more that riders need to be concerned about than just flat tires and whether their GPS navigation is up-to-date.
Staying safe on a long motorcycle ride begins before even pulling the bike out of the garage. First, make certain that your motorcycle insurance has the proper coverage you'll need. Roadside assistance is critical since you don't have room to carry a spare tire in your saddlebags. If your insurance isn't all its cracked up to be, consider visiting MotorcycleInsurance.com, where you can find all the information you need to make certain that you and your bike are adequately covered for the trip.
The right gear can make or break a motorcycle trip. Carry high-quality rain gear on you so that you can be protected from the elements in places where you can't necessarily stop for long periods of time. A change of clothes and a leather jacket are also good ideas, regardless of what season you're riding in. A leather jacket does more than just keep you warm. It also helps prevent dehydration by keeping your sweat from evaporating off on a hot day. With the jacket's vents opened, you usually won't notice the heat. You will, however, notice the headache if you start to dehydrate
50k miles, probably 3x that many smiles
Since I really started riding scooters and motorcycles as my primary transportation 5 years ago, you would think that I would have hit this number a good while back. The problem is that for the first 4 of those years, I still had a car that I used far more than I thought. Add in that I do very little 'recreational' riding and all of the sudden, my mileage really wasn't that high. I had about 25k miles on the Kymco when I sold it. Before that I put about 1500 miles on a chinese 150. Well, the BV rolled past 24k miles last week, so that puts me into past the 50k mark.
Back when I started this adventure, 50k seemed like a bunch of miles. Conversely, having really committed to the scooter and given up the car, it does not seem like much anymore. The nature of my job means that I don't put an excess amount of miles in regardless. For the last 10 years I have averaged 12k miles per year, total.
These days, I find that I will go anywhere within 100 miles on the scooter and I simply don't think about it as being any big deal. Over 100 miles and I only have to think about it in the context of how much stuff do I *have* to take with me?.
Road Conditions
Dealing with less than ideal road conditions is probably one of the most stressful parts of riding everywhere and every when. A few weeks ago, I changed tires, and suddenly road conditions have become an issue again. For the last 4 years I have been riding on Michelin Gold Standards. My old dealer did not survive after it's owner passed away last year, so in the process of switching dealers, the new dealer only carries the Pirelli Diablo.
My first impressions of the Diablo were very very good. Excellent grip with a very smooth ride quality. Really, as an general use tire, I was very pleased right up until I got on one of the local highways that unloved surface of concrete with rain grooves. This was when a first impression went very bad.
Tracking down the road, the Diablo's seem to have a fascination with going where the grooves go, and not where the bike is pointed. Needless to say, this is an uncomfortable feeling. Not a deal breaker, I do not spend much time on this road, and have plenty of alternatives, but it was certainly a rude awakening.
Fitness and Living 'Better'
'Better'. A subjective term, particular when applied to the idea of living. Each person has a different view of what is better. This is not a bad thing. Every now and then we each make choices that we have to then 'live' with. Riding may be one that many of us share. For me there is another one, and while it has tangential references to riding, the res of this post is not about riding the motorcycle or scooter. Today, I want to talk about another choice. It is a choice that comes in two parts. Part 1 is getting fit. Part 2 is about living 'better'.
The choice is simply to add a bicycle into my commuting. Door to door, my office is 14 miles from the house using a mixture of rural roads and bike paths. The distance is not that bad. It takes roughly 30 minutes to commute by scooter. I can cover the commute on a bicycle in a little under an hour. In order to prepare for this, I wanted to make sure that I could handle the ride before I committed to doing it as a part of my commute, so for the last month or so, I have been riding 2-3 times a week in the evenings between 14 and 30 miles. I have also been working towards being able carry only an iPad on my commute.
Lessons Learned
At this point in my life, and in the experience of using a scooter, motorcycle or bicycle to get around, I have reached a conclusion. A conclusion that I wish I had reached much much sooner in my life.
When I was younger, high school and college age younger, I owned a car but I truly lived on my bicycle. I rode it everywhere and anywhere, including places I should not have. At that time in my life, I was in good shape. Riding was a mixture of pleasure and transportation. As I got older, got married watched my wife bring or children in to the world, I lost touch with the fitness and love of my bicycle.
I became distracted. The creature comforts of a car. The ease and "safety" as it is. I told myself I enjoyed driving, and I suppose I did, for a while. 10 years ago, I bought my first mountain bike, and started back to riding, casually and purely for recreation. The enjoyment was there, but the fitness was not. I had gotten old, fat and out of shape, so I never really committed to it. 6 years ago this moth, I bought my first scooter.
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