5 tips for long motorbike rides

If there’s one thing our motorcycle customers have in common, its the first thing they say after collecting their bike from us following a period of long-term storage. “Time for a long ride!” they’ll tell us, excitedly. And who can blame them? After storing your bike away for countless months over the winter, there’s nothing quite like reacquainting yourself with your two-wheeled friend by taking it out for a long distance blast. For you, that might be a couple of hours on the back roads, but others go a fair bit further. If you’re planning on riding cross-continent or for several days to reach a distant destination, you’ll need to do some preparing, and we’ve got five brilliant tips for long motorbike rides that’ll help you make the most of what will be an unforgettable time on the road.

1. Take a friend

Unless you’re the sort who prefers their own space, or need to clear your head and get away from it all for a few days, a long motorbike ride is best spent with a friend or two. Despite the obvious benefits of friendly company, if there’s more than one of you one the ride, you’ll be safer, too. If someone suffers a breakdown or - worse - has an accident, there will at least be someone else there to help out and provide much needed support.

2. Don’t forget your earplugs

Do you wear earplugs when riding? If not, you’re missing a trick, and you’ll definitely want them on a long journey. If you’ve ever got off the bike and experienced a tinnitus-like ringing in your ears for a while afterwards, earplugs will provide some comfort. They’ll dampen the sound of the engine and noise from the road and are capable of making the ride far more enjoyable than you might think.

3. Rely (partly) on tech

There are a huge number of tech toys for motorcyclists these days, and there’s a number of gadgets that will serve you very well indeed on a long ride. Sat nav, helmet cams and apps that enable you to assess forthcoming weather conditions and best routes will become your best of friends. Just don’t rely too heavily on them; common sense and old-fashioned intuition often prevails in certain situations.

4. Be prepared for all forms of weather

Never trust Mother Nature. Whether you’re riding in the UK or southern France, prepare for everything from driving rain to scorching sun - you really don’t want to get caught short when several hundred miles from home.

5. Invest in a windshield

They may not look particularly pretty, but windshields are brilliant devices when you’re heading out into the unknown for a particularly long period of time. If you spend most of your time riding around towns, you’ll benefit from plenty of man-made windshields such as tall buildings, but if your long journey will feature stretches of wide-open road, a proper windshield will stop you getting blown around and negate the need to constantly fight the wind (which will become incredibly tiring).

Wrapping up

Long rides should be epic adventures, but if you fail to prepare properly, you’ll quickly run into plenty of frustrations. Use our tips above before heading out, and you’ll be perfectly set up for the ride of your life! Motorbike storage from just £12.50 per week Image credit