Knowing what to pack for a motorcycle tour at times can be fairly difficult. These tips will help you avoid the pitfalls.
PRE-TOUR
Before you do anything you should create a list of items you think you might need and edit that list as you go. Hopefully this will help you remember everything, but don’t stress, if you forget something small, chances are you’ll be able to buy it while you’re away.
PACKING LESS
It’s common to pack your bike for a vacation and when you get back you realise you didn’t wear half the clothes you packed. The aim is to keep it to a minimum; every extra item you pack adds to the weight and affects handling.
If you’re touring by yourselves it’s very simple, take only what you Need! Remember, you will be in your bike gear most of the day and spend very limited time in casuals in the evening. Depending on the length of your vacation you can do some washing half way.
If you’re joining an organised tour, any good motorcycle tour company should be providing a support vehicle to carry your luggage, this solves everything, but be kind to the guide and take one luggage case each, plus your bike gear, not two or three cases each.
MOTORBIKE LUGGAGE
If you’re on your own bike you should know what works best on your bike, but generally hard panniers and a top box are the way to go, you can clip them off the bike and in to your room which makes things super easy.
If hiring a motorcycle you could ask for the capacity of the luggage cases so you know roughly how much space there is, you can also pack your clothes into small bags which should slip straight into your luggage cases.
Magnetic tank bags are a great idea and can hold items you want to get to quickly, like your camera, money, water proofs etc, if hiring a bike and you’re taking your own tank bag with you the big question is to ask if the bike has a metal tank, many bikes like the BMWs are now plastic.
CARRIER/BIN BAGS
Keep your dirty clothes separate from your clean clothes with plastic bags, that way it makes it easier to tell the difference and keeps your clean stuff from becoming smelly. They can also be handy for storing dirty shoes, wet clothes and of course any rubbish you need to store until the next rubbish bin.
ELECTRICAL ITEMS
These are the things you may forget and not be able to buy in a foreign country, if you’re taking a camera, cell phone, Intercoms etc you will need the charger for each. It’s also a good idea to pack these items in separate bags, like zip lock bags or even better, zip lock school pencil cases. A couple of times I’ve been caught in rain and got something electronic wet, and don’t pack things like a bottle of water in the top box with your camera! Or the camera could soon be floating around happily while you enjoy the amazing bends on the road.
EMERGENCY ITEMS
On a guided motorcycle tour a first aid kit along with trained guides should be available, but if traveling alone you will need a small first aid kit, be sure to pack extra items such as insect repellent, bite cream, headache and antihistamine tablets.
If you’re travelling to remote places you can buy, or rent a Spot device or similar, these are simple GPS units that send a signal to a satellite showing your location every hour or so, there is an emergency button which sends a signal to emergency services if required, or send a pre-loaded message to a nominated cell phone number. A non-essential but fun feature about this is you can give a website url to friends and family and they can see where you are in the world.
Tool Kit, something that has all the essential items for your particular bike, most rental companies should have this available but don’t, so make sure you ask for a tool kit. Roadside assistance is also a great little gem to be included with a rental
DO NOT FORGET
Passport, Drivers licence, Travel Insurance, Sense of adventure
Don’t forget to make your trip list.
Happy riding everyone.
Similar Posts:
- Packing For a Motorcycle Tour – Top Ten Tips
- Motorcycle Bags and Luggage Bags For Your Motorcycle Holiday
- Motorcycle Touring Tips
- Motorbike Tour Preparation – Packing for a Motorcycle Holiday
- Traveling On A Motorcycle
