Planning Your Summer Motorcycle Road Trip
The open road is an irresistible draw for some people. To see new sights, clear out mental cobwebs, and escape the clutter of modern life are goals millions of travelers look forward to all year. A summer motorcycle road trip is the perfect way to achieve all those objectives and more.
But the difference between a fun trip you’ll remember with a smile, and a cautionary tale you’d prefer to forget, is preparation and planning before hitting the road. Whether you’re a veteran of many long-distance rides or a newbie setting out on your first cross-country trip, mapping out your journey and assembling necessary equipment in advance is the key to a successful tour of faraway places.
Meet Our Expert
For tips on motorcycle road trip planning, we checked in with Texan Brett Crow, an experienced rider who typically takes two long road trips on his Harley-Davidson Road Glide per year. He estimates he has racked up about 10,000 cross-country miles per year for the last 18 years, including riding from Texas to Alaska.
“My Alaska trip was a total of 10,000 miles in one month, and then I circled back to Sturgis week,” he recalled. “That was pretty awesome to do all on my own, but you have to plan for all your motels and fuel stops and take the right equipment to survive roadside problems. The Alaska ride I planned for about a month to get the fundamentals of what I was going to be in for.”
No two trips are the same, but thoughtful planning and preparation can keep every trip pointed in the right direction for good times you’ll remember for years to come.
Plan Your Route and Lodging
Are you traveling in a grand loop, with a new overnight stop every evening? Or are you riding to a destination you can use as a hub or home base for other travels in the area? Impulsive side trips are fine, but at the end of a long day of riding, you may not feel like trying to find a hotel or campsite with a vacancy. Reservations will make things go smoother.
As for motorcycle-friendly accommodations, there are certain common features. “I personally like to stay in the drive-up motels where my bike's right outside the door,” Crow said. “That's convenient for me, and I don't have to lug my gear upstairs.”
Research restaurants along your route ahead of time, especially when traveling through remote areas where dining options may be limited. Local diners, barbecue joints, and regional favorites can also become some of the most memorable parts of a motorcycle trip.
Using Google Maps to Build Your Route
Most long-distance riders like to avoid interstate highways and their legions of 18-wheelers and enjoy rides on twisty two-lane roads. Crow particularly likes trips to the Colorado Rockies, and east to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. He relies on Google Maps, not necessarily for turn-by-turn directions, but to avoid traffic delays and seasonal road closures, although he finds the travel times optimistic.
“When I travel, I look at the Google Maps miles,” he said. “Travel times are estimated based on a constant speed of, say, 70 miles an hour. You're never going to accomplish that. So, I take Google’s mileage, and I divide it by 50 to 55 miles an hour. I take into account that I'm going to stop for lunch and quick fuel stops. You can go 50 miles an hour as an average. That's what you're actually going to travel.”
Knowing how many miles you can realistically cover each day is an important part of trip planning, especially if you plan to explore unfamiliar areas or take the scenic route.
Using Trip Planning Tools Before You Leave
Modern riders have more options than ever when it comes to trip planning. While Crow prefers Google Maps, many riders also use a dedicated motorcycle trip planner or trip planner app to build custom routes before leaving home.
Depending on your destination, features like offline maps can be valuable when cell service becomes unreliable. Some riders use GPX files to transfer routes between devices, while others prefer the simplicity of a navigation app on their phone or other mobile device.
Additional resources such as Butler Maps and Google Street View can help riders preview road conditions, verify a location, and identify some of the best roads along a route. Many riders also compare other apps and websites to find the combination of tools that works best for their style of travel.
Whether you're riding an adventure bike or a touring motorcycle, spending a little extra time on route planning before departure can help you avoid surprises and focus on enjoying the ride.
Pre-Trip Inspection
Long before pulling out of your driveway, make sure all systems on your bike are in top shape. Give it a pre-trip tune-up, make a realistic evaluation of your tires, check brake pads and cables, change the oil, and inspect all fluid levels.
For a detailed pre-trip check-up, the TOPDON ArtiDiag Moto is a 5-inch motorcycle scan tool that provides full-system diagnostics and bi-directional control for ease of troubleshooting. It supports 15 major brands, so if you’re traveling with a group and need to make a roadside diagnosis, packing this user-friendly tablet could keep your buddies on the road as well as yourself.
Pack Riding Gear for all Conditions
Prepare for Changing Weather Conditions
Weather forecasts are fine, but Mother Nature is notorious for doing whatever she feels like. So, prepare for road trips by packing for wet weather, cold weather, and hot weather. Unexpected weather conditions can quickly turn a comfortable ride into a difficult one.
“You need a good rain suit, good rain gloves, and I wear a full-face helmet all the time so that I'm covered up,” Crow advised. To protect against a dose of cold temps with the rain, a mid-layer thermal jacket is a good item to pack, as are insulated gauntlet-style gloves.
“I wear overpants,” Crow said. “I’ve got a particular brand I like called Firstgear because they're built for American bodies and they have Gore-Tex, making them weatherproof, so they double as rain pants if you want, and they fit like jeans over your jeans.”
Packing Clothing for a Longer Trip
An experienced motorcycle trip planner knows the importance of clothing choices. In hot weather, a loose-knit jacket with air panels should keep you ventilated without constantly reapplying sunscreen on your arms. Gloves with mesh panels or perforated leather for breathability will keep your hands comfortable.
Cold and wet weather gear can be packed in a weatherproof bag that straps on the back of the seat or luggage rack, along with other items that need protection from weather, like clean-up gear and emergency equipment. Be careful not to overpack your weatherproof bag, as that could affect bike balance. Too large a bag can also be a drag on aerodynamics.
It’s up to you how many days you’ll want to wear the same clothes while riding, and thus how much clothing to pack. Crow said he’ll wear a pair of jeans for a maximum of two days while riding in the summer and change his shirt and socks every day. He keeps three pairs of clean jeans rolled up in his bag along with sufficient shirts. He seeks out a laundromat during his tours to keep his clothes clean and extend his trip.
Stay Hydrated on the Road
Packing water bottles for a road trip is obvious, but water alone may not be sufficient. On summer days, it can be easy to get overheated while on the road, and dehydration can lead to light-headedness and loss of strength, or worse. Remember too that altitude can increase how much water your body is losing.
Powdered electrolyte kits or tablets that can be added to water are a good way to improve fluid absorption and retention. Caffeine is a mild diuretic, so cutting back on coffee and energy drinks on riding days is another way to maintain sufficient hydration levels (and maybe reduce restroom stops and maximize time riding).
Which Tools Should I Take on a Cross-Country Motorcycle Tour?
Every ounce counts when packing for a motorcycle road trip, but select tools are essential. How best to pack them? A motorcycle tool “burrito” is a tool roll usually made of water-repellent canvas or leather. Tool burritos are a handy and compact way to organize and pack your tools, and you can find them ready-made tailored for specific bikes.
Useful hand tools to pack include a bit kit with Allen and Torx bits that fit key components of your bike, such as handlebars, seat, headlamp, and fender. A pair of pliers and an adjustable jaw wrench cover a lot of repair bases. Modern multi-tools pack a lot of capability into a small package. Zip ties are useful items that take up almost no space in your bags.
“I carry safety wire with safety wire pliers. I find those are handy for fixing stuff on the road,” Crow said. “I fixed a guy's bike with that up in Alaska. He broke a latch on his saddlebag, and I was able to get him going with stuff in my bag.”
Tire Repair and Emergency Equipment
A tire repair kit is a must when heading cross-country. Many readily available kits can service tubeless tires or tires with tubes, and most are compact and easy to pack.
Roadside emergencies can come at you from many different directions. The TOPDON V1200Air combines a tire inflator, 12V jump starter, and 3-mode dual-color LED light in one easy-to-use tool. It can also charge your devices, a welcome feature after long days on the road with few charging opportunities. At 2.6 lbs and compact dimensions, it’s an easy fit for your saddlebag.
Consider Roadside Assistance
Even with the best preparation, you’ll sometimes find yourself on the side of the road in need of a flatbed truck to haul your bike to a repair shop. Roadside assistance programs like those offered by AAA or the American Motorcyclist Association can cover the unexpected and offer peace of mind.
“I highly recommend getting something like that in case you break down somewhere,” Crow said. “You might be able to fix it, but I've been broken down before and had to be trailered away.”
Planning Fuel Stops Along Your Route
Part of avoiding roadside problems means not pushing your luck on fuel. “I calculate my fuel stops based upon my fuel tank. I travel about 150 miles before I stop for fuel. That leaves me a quarter of a tank left because I don't go past a quarter of a tank.”
Knowing how many miles your motorcycle can comfortably travel between fuel stops is an important part of motorcycle road trip planning and can help prevent unnecessary roadside delays.
Final Road Trip Details
Personal items to pack vary from person to person, but common-sense personal gear includes a first-aid kit, medications, soap and shampoo, toothbrush, bug repellent, earplugs, sunscreen, emergency contact info, and a microfiber cloth and spray cleaner for your windscreen and helmet visor. A waterproof leg bag or waist bag is a good storage option for small items.
Whether you're riding a touring motorcycle or an adventure bike, careful trip planning allows you to spend more time enjoying the best roads and less time dealing with preventable problems along the way.
You’ll rest easier after you’ve accomplished the planning work. Now it’s time to hit the road and enjoy the trip!