3 Packing Tips For A Long Motorcycle Trip
If you’ve just recently gotten a motorcycle, or if you’ve never driven longer than a few hours, you might be a little nervous about your first long motorcycle trip. While it can be great to spend hours each day on your bike as you travel for days on end experiencing the world around you, it’s also important that you’re able to keep yourself, your motorcycle, and your belongings safe while you’re out on the road. So to help you accomplish these goals, here are three packing tips for a long motorcycle trip.
Have A Plan To Keep Things Dry
Even if you’re checked the weather time and time again and feel very confident that it won’t rain while you’re on your trip, it’s still a smart idea to have a plan to keep your belongings dry. Weather can change quickly and without much notice, and the last thing you want is to finish a long day of riding with no dry clothes to change into. To prepare for this, Jeff Smith, a contributor to BuffaloChip.com, advises that you line all of your bags with plastic, even ones that claim to be waterproof. It’s much better to be safe than sorry when it comes to keeping your things dry.
Pack Heavy Gear On The Bottom
When it comes to actually packing things onto your motorcycle, the best way to do this is to pack all your heavy gear on the bottom first. According to Motorcycle Cruiser, your heaviest gear or your bags holding the heaviest stuff should be closest into your bike and closest to the ground. This can help you keep your motorcycle balanced while you’re riding and can ensure that everything that need support is getting it. After you’ve got all your heavy gear packed, pack your second heaviest stuff on top of that. Leave your lightest gear for the top layer of your packs.
Keep Things Organized
At the end of the day, it’s going to be very helpful for you to already know where to find certain things in your pack. But the only way for you to accomplish this is for you to keep things organized within your packs. According to Spencer Hill, a contributor to Progressive.com, you should try to put things back into your pack from where you originally got them, especially if they’re things that you might want to get while you’re riding. This will help to keep you from getting too distracted while you’re riding and will keep you from having to search through all your gear just looking for one item that you can’t seem to find during a stop.
To help you make the most of your trip, consider using the packing tips mentioned above when you take your next long motorcycle ride.