Just to be clear from the beginning, when I say motorbike I don’t necessarily mean a Harley Davidson or a BMW, though I am sure they are quite an experience to travel with. As it happens, my hubby and travel buddy has lately become a Vespa lover so we began to travel on a Vespa a few years ago. You probably wouldn’t believe where our Vespa GTV 250 has taken us, so I am glad I have many photos to show you. But let’s start talking about this blog post’s subject which is how to prepare for a motorbike road trip.

Naturally, the first step would be to determine your route which is strongly connected to the departure point, how many days you plan to be on the road and what kind of motorbike you are travelling with; the latter will subsequently determine how many kilometres you should expect to be travelling per hour. For example, we usually calculated to be travelling on average by 60km/hour and planned to stop approximately every hour to rest and recharge. How many hours you wish to be riding your motorbike is totally subjective but it will determine the route in the end.

Here are the steps we follow each time:

Open the map and bring a marker

Put some music on and let’s start by determining the route. Visualising your trip is one of the most fun preparation stages. There are so many possibilities which make it hard to decide which one to select. Fear not, whichever you choose, you are bound to have an amazing time. At this point, we search on the internet in parallel for places not to miss within our route and mark them down on our itinerary. Next, we finalise our trip always taking into account the hourly/daily kilometres we plan to travel. Warning: this plan is for reference only. The most important aspect of every single trip is to stay open and versatile so you can adapt and alter the route as needed.

Do your research

Or not. There are two different opinions when it comes to this point; some travellers want to know in advance where they are staying and where exactly to stop for a break while others prefer to let the road show them the way and lead them from one experience to the next. You can choose whatever suits you best. Personally, we tried to locate the places we wanted to spend the night and we usually booked the first 2-3 nights, which felt right for us. However, we always preferred places where the cancellation policy was not strict and this proved to be very helpful once on the road. 

Pack your bags

This is a critical point when travelling on motorbikes since you must pack only the bare essentials. Even if you are a woman, trust me, this is possible. As this is a whole chapter on its own, I am planning to write a blog post with packing tips for women. One of the essentials for me during summertime is my swimsuit and a small towel for impromptu swimming at pools, lakes or the seaside. You will find the microfiber or dry off towels very useful and practical, as you will save space. A waterproof outfit and a small aid kit are also a must. Unless your mobile phone’s camera is great so you can save even more space, pack your compact photo camera as well. On your toiletry bag leave only what is essential, and then purge some more. You will be astonished to realise how few items you really need in the end. Don’t forget to bring along a good quality thermos to keep your water cool and handy on the go, it’s a life-savor.

Get your motorbike ready

Your motorbike will take you a long way so make sure it’s in the best possible condition. I am far from an expert in this field but I know that a quick trip to your mechanic before hitting the road is a must.

Gadgets

GPS, Bluetooth for the helmet, cameras and mobile phones are some of the gadgets you may want to take with you so make sure they are fully charged before you hit the road and don’t forget to pack their chargers. Will you need them all? Not necessarily, but if you have them it would be a pity not to be able to use them, right?

Travel outfit

Decide carefully what to wear on the motorbike. This will depend on the weather but as a general rule, try to keep your whole body protected wearing a thick trouser, adequate shoes and long sleeve even if it’s crazy warm outside. When travelling to destinations with a very warm climate and high temperatures, make sure to be on the road very early in the morning or late in the evening, when the temperature is at its lowest.

Have fun

The most important one! Don’t forget to have loads of fun wherever you are going, no matter for how long.

Have you been on a motorbike road trip recently? What else did you do while preparing for your trip? Share with us in the comments below!