Why not go on a long motorcycle trip? I think that of/for everyone.
So many riders dream of taking that epic trip to somewhere on their motorcycle. Winding mountain roads, canyons, or north to see the midnight sun. They dream, some talk about it but many never get further than that. Why?
Asking them that question can produce many responses: I can't get time off, I have no one to ride with, my bike is not a touring bike, my spouse won't let me (saddest of all), but the one that confuses me is when a rider says they are afraid of going out on the highway.
Huh? The same person who will ride to a local coffee shop in the city, the same person that will commute to work on their bike, the same person that rides to a local park is afraid of highway travel? They are actually afraid of going out on the open road?
Here is a fact, city driving is much more dangerous than highway travel. You have more people changing direction, people in a hurry, distractions all around, a variety of large vehicles with blind spots and of course pedestrians who blindly walk out into traffic. Plenty of room for errors to occur. In short things you rarely have to deal with on a 2 lane black top way out in the country.
That is not to say that road trips are without peril. You still have traffic although by taking back roads there is much, much less. You also have to deal with wildlife and weather. Lets face it, if you are miles from nowhere and Mother Nature wants to dump all over you there's usually few places to hide, but, it beats sitting in an office all day!
I have heard some riders shy away from touring because they don't have a touring bike. Nonsense. I have heard of people going on trips on all sorts of mounts. If your bike can do highway speeds and has decent fuel range then you can tour. You have basic riding gear already like jacket, boots and gloves (I hope). Add a motorcycle rain suit and you are at the minimum to leave town.
Luggage? It can be as cheap as buying a waterproof river bag, like the white water rafting guys use. They can be very inexpensive. Toss in a few items, strap it to the back of the bike and you are off.
If you had fun touring, and I think you will, you can slowly build up your gear from there. Hell, my first tour, when I was young, dumb and "bike-broke" I did not even have a rain suit. I made one from garbage bags and duct tape (which I don't recommend) and finished my 1200km trip. That was across the Canadian prairies on a 450cc Honda...in April.
Now..tell me again what your excuses are for not doing a highway trip?
So many riders dream of taking that epic trip to somewhere on their motorcycle. Winding mountain roads, canyons, or north to see the midnight sun. They dream, some talk about it but many never get further than that. Why?
Asking them that question can produce many responses: I can't get time off, I have no one to ride with, my bike is not a touring bike, my spouse won't let me (saddest of all), but the one that confuses me is when a rider says they are afraid of going out on the highway.
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| Cabot Trail, Nova Scotia |
Huh? The same person who will ride to a local coffee shop in the city, the same person that will commute to work on their bike, the same person that rides to a local park is afraid of highway travel? They are actually afraid of going out on the open road?
Here is a fact, city driving is much more dangerous than highway travel. You have more people changing direction, people in a hurry, distractions all around, a variety of large vehicles with blind spots and of course pedestrians who blindly walk out into traffic. Plenty of room for errors to occur. In short things you rarely have to deal with on a 2 lane black top way out in the country.
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| Trans Canada Trail, middle of nowhere, Saskatchewan |
That is not to say that road trips are without peril. You still have traffic although by taking back roads there is much, much less. You also have to deal with wildlife and weather. Lets face it, if you are miles from nowhere and Mother Nature wants to dump all over you there's usually few places to hide, but, it beats sitting in an office all day!
I have heard some riders shy away from touring because they don't have a touring bike. Nonsense. I have heard of people going on trips on all sorts of mounts. If your bike can do highway speeds and has decent fuel range then you can tour. You have basic riding gear already like jacket, boots and gloves (I hope). Add a motorcycle rain suit and you are at the minimum to leave town.
Luggage? It can be as cheap as buying a waterproof river bag, like the white water rafting guys use. They can be very inexpensive. Toss in a few items, strap it to the back of the bike and you are off.
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| Reason #1 for owning rain gear |
Now..tell me again what your excuses are for not doing a highway trip?
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I always look forward to watching and reading about your adventures across Canada.
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