How to plan a motorcycle trip

Someone justly said, "Traveling in a car is like watching a film... Riding a motorbike is like starring in it." Long motorcycling road trips is all about seclusion, finding inner peace and especially enjoying the long wide road. But to make the trip a success you need to plan properly and take into account every important aspect while riding.

So below mentioned are some of the important parameters that you need to ponder upon before you embark on the magnificent voyage with you backpack & you motorcycle.

PLAN PLAN PLAN !!

1. Target your interest - You yourself should be aware of the places that you want to visit during the trip. If mountains and forests fascinate you, you must chalk out that places which are worth watching which are in the vicinity of your travel route. If you plan properly you wont miss any destination and would be able to avoid unwanted round trips thus saving precious time.
   
2.  Set ground rule for the distance to be covered - Its all about the journey, not the destination. So while riding you should set a practical limit of the ground to cover in a day. It majorly depends on the bike you ride, the type of road you are on and the weather condition. A distance of 250 km in a day is a decent stretch to cover & is achievable. If you plan to cover long patches, it might be tiring, and affect you upcoming days of riding. As you would be in a hurry to cover the distance, you won't be able to cherish the ride and deviate from the sole reason of riding.
    
3. Consider road and riding conditions - Some roads are not safe to travel during certain months of the year. Traveling the mountain passes during the winter or monsoon is not a good choice, as these paths are susceptible to land slides or heavy snow fall. Hence take into account the geographical location that you are about to venture into.
   
4. Time management - If time is not managed properly, you will be able to visit your planned destinations by the skin of your teeth. This will decrease the thrill of riding and increase strain. Whatever might be you plan, never forget to make a few pit stops in between. Else you would be suffering from sore saddle which would completely ruin your future road trips.
   
5. How do you prefer to travel: As a lone ranger or as a wolfpack - Riding is all about venturing into the unknown, discovering new places, discovering yourself and others surrounding you. If you prefer seclusion and want to ride according to your own rule then riding solo is the best solution. But if you want to share a few smiles and talk about the journey so far then you should travel along with your buddies. Either way, riding will open new frontiers and would definitely change your perspective towards life.
   
6. Spend Benjamin judiciously - While you are burning your rubber over the tarmac, you never know what you might encounter the very next moment. So you need to properly channel your expenses and evenly distribute your fund for the basic necessities like food, shelter & gas. You should also keep a decent amount for timely parts repairs or in case you bike breaks down.
   
   
   
7. Gear up - Proper gearing up is a must. When you are cruising over the highway at over 100km/hr, a single mistake would throw you off your saddle. And if, God forbid, any such mishap happens it would be your gear that would decide whether you would walk away for the accident or confine yourself to a hospital bed. Also, before starting your trip you need to get your bike thoroughly checked, especially, tyres, controls, lights, oils & fluids, chassis, stand, to name a few.

And the most important part of planning a long motorcycle trip is simply to have fun. So go ahead, plan well and let the trip leave an everlasting impression, which you would relish for the rest of your lives.