How To Stay Safe During Long Distance Motorcycle Rides?

If you are someone who enjoys riding a motorcycle, this is one article you must not miss! People who love motorcycles are mostly who enjoy adventures, thrills, and excitements. The rush of adrenaline one gets while being mounted on a motorcycle, zipping past other vehicles and feeling the wind on every inch of your skin, cannot be matched at all. But with that being said, sitting on a motorcycle comes with a lot of other responsibilities you need to keep in mind. Safety is one of the most important things you need to pay attention too. Only when you have taken care of all safety factors are you actually set and ready to enjoy your motorcycle ride.

Plan your travel and your route well

While being spontaneous can be fun and exciting, it can have its own drawbacks. Having the ability to see what’s coming and be prepared is what you must aim for. Outline your route, what type of terrain you will be dealing with, where you can stop and so on is a good step one must take while planning out a long-distance motorcycle journey. Keep a tab of motels and homestays where you can stay in as well, just in case you need a break.

Carefully make a list of travel essentials

There are many things a biker must carry, especially a long-distance road trip on a motorcycle. Some of those things include the right type of clothing, protective gear, helmet, water bottle, first aid kit, camera, earplugs, toiletries, good quality bag, sleeping bag, headlight, swiss army knife, GPS system, your license and other important documents and so on. One of the most important things is the type of clothing you are wearing while riding your motorcycle. Making sure that your clothing covers all parts of your body is a must. Unlike riding regular bikes in the city, you need so much more for the open road. Riding a motorcycle at high speed, every inch of your exposed body needs to be covered for maximum protection. Australia has some great roads connecting one city to another, so ensuring that you stay safe and enjoy the riding experience is a must. Some amount of attention needs to be given to your clothing. A safe and responsible rider always makes sure that their riding wardrobe consists of the following:

A full-face helmet – this helmet not only protects your skull but also gives your eyes protection from dust, and any other stray particles.
Riding gloves – if you are riding in extreme weather conditions, especially in the cold, then protecting your fingers is very important. Pair of high-quality gloves will also ensure that you have a great grip when braking and accelerating.
Riding jacket – high-speed winds sure are fun, but they can be quite deadly as well. Protecting your upper body is important, not only from keeping you warm but also from those unfortunate events. You can’t even imagine to what extent a good quality jacket is until tested in an event that was never intended along your journey.

Riding shoes/boots – protect everything from the joints, knuckles, to the muscles. Ensuring a safer journey throughout the ride.
Riding pants – is a must. Not only protecting you from chills but in those unfortunate events will be one of the first area’s that will come in contact with the road.

Regular jeans disappear within a split second, where high premium protective motorcycle jeans will be fit for purpose.

Choose the right motorcycle

By this, we mean the type of bike will be fit for the journey. The most appropriate types of motorcycles for this purpose are an adventure, touring and sports motorcycles used for very high mileage trips.

Do not drink and drive

This one is almost a given but we can’t repeat it enough – drinking and driving, under no circumstances, is all right. Be it one drink, one sip or one beer, make sure that you are not indulging in any type of intoxication, be it alcohol or drugs. Life on the road is fun but it is also unpredictable. Throwing alcohol into the mix does not help the situation at all. It only makes it worse. Leave the drinks until the end of the day when one or more is well deserved with your mates.

Check your motorcycle thoroughly before starting a journey;

Before you embark on your journey of adventure, it is a great idea to make sure your motorcycle is thoroughly checked out by a professional mechanic. This is a great precautionary measure every responsible rider must take before starting a new journey. Some of the checks you must make sure have been done are;

Filter and oil.
Fuel and air filters for any faults
Inspect the air pressure of the tires
Valves are correctly calibrated
Bike parts are fixed, if broken, replaced immediately
Lights & horn are working
Gauges & Brakes are working just fine

Things you must avoid while doing a long-distance motorcycle journey

Riding at night when you’re not too sure on the path you are taking. If you aren’t sure of the road, take a breather and figure it out. If you aren’t confident riding at night, listen to your gut feeling, rest it out and tackle it with a fresh mind during the day.
Being sleep deprived while riding your motorcycle, stop as soon as possible. Rest is important. Make sure you have had a good night’s rest before you mount your motorcycle.

Wearing correct protective gear while riding your motorcycle. Never underestimate what or whom you may come across. Whether this is a driver of another vehicle or an animal that ducked out across in front of you, especially on a fast-moving vehicle. Protect your body with high grade riding attire and make sure you are well-protected at all times during your journey.

Now all prepared, relax, stay alert & enjoy the ride!