Packing for Your Motorcycle Trip
There are three main areas of preparation for your motorcycle trip that you need to focus on:
- Your luggage
- Camping essentials (if you're going camping)
- What to pack?
- How to pack?
- The Actual Motorcycle Trip
Your Luggage
There are two types of luggage - hard vs soft and they can be described exactly as their name suggests. Whether you use hard or soft luggage for touring is really up to you at the end of the day, but I'll sum up the main pros and cons of each to give you an idea.
Hard luggage is rigid in construction and generally comes in the form of panniers and a top box. It is made of a hard plastic or aluminium and is rigidly mounted to your bike with metal or plastic brackets. (These brackets can be a pain when you don't ride with your luggage as they can stick out and catch your gear.) Unfortunately hard luggage is expensive, but this is for good reason. It is a lot more waterproof than soft luggage, and it has a much larger capacity to store things in. Hard luggage is also much more secure, both in terms of possible theft and in terms of falling off. In fact hard luggage can actually help reduce damage to a bike in a low speed spill. Unfortunately it can be difficult to find hard luggage that fits your bike and it can also be quite tricky to fit the mountings - but then again - all this requires is a bit of effort.
Soft luggage is made from strong material such as canvas, nylon or occasionally leather. Typically, throw-over panniers and tank bags come in the form of soft luggage, and these can be bungeed to the luggage rack or pillion seat. Some soft bags have internal stiffeners, usually made of plastic, so that the bag can hold its shape even when it's not full. The biggest drawback of soft luggage is that it is not generally waterproof, and will leak in hard rain even after applying a waterproofing spray. Soft luggage is also not very secure and it does not have the same carrying capacity of hard luggage. Well, why buy it you may ask? Soft luggage is relatively inexpensive and it is very flexible.
Whatever you do decided to use for your motorcycle trip I would highly recommend that you have a tank bag when you're touring. A good sturdy tank bag is ideal for carrying those things that you may need at a moment's notice, like your rain gear, water, passports, cash, camera or cigarettes.
If you feel that you need some more advice on luggage, check out my riding gear section, and if you would like to buy some touring luggage, I have listed top suppliers in my motorcycle directory.
If You're Going Camping on Your Motorcycle Trip
Camping makes packing for your motorcycle trip a little more complicated - but that is no reason not to do it. You just need to be even more prepared. Apart from the other packing essentials that I will list later on (link) you will need a tent, at least one sleeping bag, basic food suppliers and of course something to cook and eat that with.
If you are buying a new tent, go no further than Ready to Leave who not only have great tents for sale, but loads of other cool touring related stuff. A tent will cost you anywhere between £50 and £600 but if you're planning on going on more than one motorycle trip in a lifetime (of course you are!) then its worth paying more for one tent that will last, than having to buy a tent every time you go on a motorcycle trip. tIt is also a good idea to try and find a tent with the following characteristics:
- A breathable inner shell and a rain fly. These are much better than waterproof tents as you have an additional layer to protect you from getting soaked, and no matter how waterproof a tent is, it will also be wet and cold to touch on the inside
- A tent with screened windows and doors for cross ventilation
- A tent that hangs from some sort of external framework, like the domed tents. Tents with interior hanging poles will annoy you as the pole will get in the way
- A tent with aluminium poles, as although these cost a bit more, fiberglass poles break all the time
- It would also be a good idea to pack a good ground sheet to use with your tent. It is not heavy and it will make all the difference to sleeping in a drier tent
- Finally and very importantly while camping on your motorcycle trip - never park your bike right next to where you're sleeping in the tent. You don't want it to disturb your sleep (and a hell of a lot more) by falling on your head during the night
What to Pack for your Motorcycle Trip?
Paperwork Documents and Money
- Try to make copies of all the important paperwork that you need for your motorcycle trip, and if you are going to another country, then please read my section on foreign touring, as all the paperwork you need is listed there in detail.
- Apart from the usual paperwork that you need to carry with you whilst riding in the UK like your driver licence and V5 paperwork, you will also need your insurance certificate and your breakdown cover certificate with you on your motorcycle trip
First Aid Kit for your Motorcycle Trip
It is always smart to take a basic first aid kit with you, even if you are going to be riding locally. You can pick up a great first aid kit at Pack Your Bags or Ready to Leave
- Plasters and a bandage or two
- Anti-histamines for any allergies or swelling
- Tablets for an upset stomach
- Pain killers like Nurofen
- Antiseptic Ointment like TCP or Mercurochrome
- Salt tablets for rehydration
- Caffeine tablets for emergencies
Tools for your Motorcycle Trip
My advice is to take a few precautionary materials and the tools you use regularly. If you have tools at home in your garage that you never use, why on earth would you need to take them on your motorcycle trip with you - you probably would not know how to use them anyway!
- Spare light bulbs (a legal requirement if you take a motorcycle trip in Europe)
- A pencil with gaffer tape wrapped around it for fairing repairs
- Insulation tape to fix wiring problems and for your lamps
- An extra pair of brake or clutch levers if you have the space
- An adjustable wrench
- A chain breaker
- A couple of spare master links (that you have already checked fit onto your drive chains)
- A small plastic tarp will come in very handy if you have to act like Tim 'the tool man' Taylor on the side of the road
- A set of spanners (better if they are open on the one end and ringed on the other)
- A length of wire
- Some fuses
- Screwdrivers that are needed for the screws on your bike (probably small and medium head sizes)
- Tyre pressure gauge
- A piece of hose pipe for siphoning petrol
- A quality tyre repair kit that works - I have heard that a tin of Finelec can do wonders on sealing punctures)
- A substantial chain and lock to keep your machine safe on your motorcycle trip
- Tie downs, especially if you are taking a ferry
- Bungee cords if you are using soft luggage
- Oil - but only if your bike uses a lot of it - if it doesn't there is no need to take extra with you on your motorycle trip
Gear for your Motorcycle Trip
This is depends on where you are going to, the time of year and the weather. Regardless of where you are going for your motorcycle trip however - rain gear is essential. I think that three changes of clothes is more than enough, no matter how long you are going for as you can always wash your clothes with your shampoo or soap. Other items you may want to consider are a pair of soft shoes for when you're not on the bike and some sort of sun protection for your head like a cap. If you are going to a mountainous area, be sure to include some warm gear no matter what time of year it is, but remember that 3 thin tops are warmer, lighter and more flexible than wooly jersey.
I also always take out the inner liner of my jacket and use a fleece instead, as this can double up as a top in the evenings.
You can read more about motorcycle riding gear here. The section has great tips and advice, as well as size conversion charts. Alternatively if you're looking to buy gear for your motorcycle trip, you can also check out my motorcycle directory which lists other top suppliers
Other Personal Items for your Motorcycle Trip
- Spare keys and sew them into a piece of your gear, like your riding jacket
- A charged mobile phone (Call your network provider to make sure it works in the country you are going to.) SIM4travel offer a SIM card that can be used in over 120 countries with one single number. You can receive calls for FREE in over 80 countries around the world and when you make calls locally and internationally, the rates a very low – as low as 29p per minute from around Europe. Perfect for any foreign motorcycle trip!
- Some kind of a multi-tool, like a leatherman
- Your wallet
- A digital or disposable camera
- A lighter that works
- Your maps
- Suncream
- Mosquito repellant
- If you wear glasses, take a cheap spare pair along with you
- Spare loo roll
- A maglite or small torch
- Accessory socket if you're going to be camping on your motorcycle trip
- A pack of baby wipes - trust me, these will come in handy, no matter what you use them for on your motorcycle trip!
- A real compass in case your GPS blows
- A towel
- A small pair of binoculars can be very useful for checking out what's up ahead of you on the road
If you don't have any of the above, Ready to Leave have a great selection of muli-tools and other handy gadgets like binoculars and maglites, perect for long or short motorcycle trips.
Packing the bike for your Motorcycle Trip
The first thing to consider is that is much easier packing your bags in your bedroom that out on the road - so never pack your bags completely to the brim as it will be a mission trying to repack them whilst on your motorcycle trip. There are two other things to consider that should dictate how you pack - the weight distribution of your bags and the necessity of the items you are packing.
It is always wise to pack the heaviest things first so that the weight is as low down on the bike as possible. If you are using soft luggage, never strap or bungee one piece of luggage to another - they must always be attached to something solid on the bike. Once you're done packing - check the bike for stability when fully loaded by going for a decent ride. Having the right weight distribution will make all the difference to your motorcycle trip
It also makes sense that you are going to want the items that you use most often at the top of the bags, so pack your stuff in a logical order. I never keep all my cash and documents in one place and always spread them about for extra security.
Extra waterproof bags are a real bonus for your motorcycle trip - and plastic shopping bags usually do me well on my motorycle trips. The more stuff you can have in separate bags, the better protection your stuff has from wind, rain, dirt and leaks.
Finally ensure that none of your seams are pointing into the rain.
The Actual Motorcycle Trip
You're all set to go and the most important thing to remember is why you are doing the motorcycle trip. Whether it's for the open road, the scenery or both, it's a holiday and you should enjoy yourself.
The few tips below have been gleaned from valuable experience and should help max that enjoyment on the road:
- Try not to hydrate on your motorcycle trip. Take some water bottles or a camel pack and have a few mouthfuls every hour. Also eat regularly. It is better to have lots of small meals than fewer big meals while you're riding, as the big meals take a lot of energy to digest and will make you drowsy. Nuts, chocolate (M&M's or Smarties are great because they don't melt) or muesli bars are great for the road.
- If I am going to be riding in cold conditions or even on mountainous passes, I always used heated grips. It is important that you protect your body from the elements as cold hand or feet for example will distract you from the road. You can pick up heated grips at Get Geared Accessories
- Don't override on your motorcycle trip- it's not worth it and it won't be enjoyable
Finally, enjoy preparing for the next motorcycle trip - once you've been touring, it will be hard to stop!