37 More Tips For Your Epic US Motorcycle Road Trip
I took a 6 month motorcycle road trip on my small (but proud) Kawasaki Ninja 250 (in 2014-2015), so here is a continuation of my previous post, 40 Tips For Riding Your Motorcycle Across The US (On a Budget!). I hope these tips will help you and inspire you. Enjoy!
1. Google or Apple maps don’t exactly give the greatest routes, if your goal is scenery or the path less travelled. Make your own routes!
2. If you *do* use Google maps, just choose the route that avoids main highways. It usually ends up being pretty cool.
3. Post your motorcycle road trip adventures on social media! Instagram filters are so fun to use (for some), and your family will love live updates.
4. If you end up close to a border, cross it, because why not! Mexico and Canada are not that scary (Canada has bears, though).
5. Notify your loved one(s) of your location every night. It doesn’t hurt and can be reassuring for everyone.
6. Make sure you have emergency cash on hand. Or good credit, at the very least.
7. If you’re running out of money, just find a random job on the road for at least a couple of days.
8. Your trip will probably not go according to plan… but that’s when adventures happen!
9. Try to hang out with locals. Being in a new place with new people can give you mind-blowing perspectives.
10. Help is usually just a phone call away! Riding across the US is not that scary, I promise.
Me camping behind a Denny’s on my motorcycle road trip
11. Be spontaneous! If you have an opportunity to do something new, do it! You may never have the chance again in your lifetime.
12. Believe in the kindness of strangers. The world isn’t as horrible as portrayed by the media. Be open, and form your own perceptions.
13. The less money you spend, the longer you can ride and explore! I love the Daily Budget app for keeping track of spending.
14. If you’re not good at remembering details (like me), always write them down. It really sucks when you forget precious travel moments.
15. Life starts at the end of your comfort zone, so push yourself into challenging (but not overly risky) situations.
16. Send postcards to people while on your trip! No one ever hated getting a pretty postcard 🙂
17. Make an effort to keep in touch with the people you love. It’s easy to get caught up on a motorcycle road trip and forget how much time has passed.
18. Take the path less travelled. Google unusual or strange places to go/things to do in the area you’re in!
19. OH! Definitely charge your phone from your motorcycle using this.
20. Don’t do anything in a new place that you can already do in your own town (Like go to McDonalds.. wait.. you should never go there anyways!).
21. Don’t buy too many souvenirs. You don’t have room for them, and you shouldn’t be spending too much money on a motorcycle road trip. 😛
22. If you really want to buy souvenirs, ship them home so you don’t lug them around with you.
23. Bring dry shampoo, baby wipes, and Febreze, for those days where you really feel gross!
24. Local riders will usually welcome traveling motorcyclists with open arms.
25. Lots of people travel on sport bikes. This dude rode an R1 around the world!
26. Don’t pay for convenience. It usually ends up being boring when you pay for things to be easy.
27. Inspect your bike daily before your ride, to check for anything out of the ordinary.
28. Keep your ID and medical information (even a photocopy) easily accessible, just in case.
29. If you don’t have lockable luggage, keep valuables in your tank bag so you can easily grab it when you leave your motorcycle.
30. Bring a kickstand pad! Sometimes you make have to park on softer surfaces.
31. Keep a spare motorcycle key, extra cash, card and ID hidden somewhere. It could really come in handy!
32. Keep plastic bags, a garbage bag, duct tape, a mini tool kit, and zip ties on hand!
33. Lube your chain and check your tire pressure with (almost) every tank of gas you fill!
34. If you feel something “off” with your motorcycle and can’t figure it out, just pass by a local shop. They’ll be happy to help a motorcycle traveler out.
35. Don’t ride at night unless you have to. You can’t see the scenery, and you can’t see suicidal deer either!
36. Buy a GoPro (or any helmet cam) to record the best parts of your journey!
37. It’s pretty easy to just walk into a random state park/campground and use the shower, unnoticed 😛
In case you missed it, here is the prequel to this post: 40 Tips For Riding Your Motorcycle Across The US (On a Budget!).
Have any questions or tips you’d like to add?
Leave a comment below!
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My brother and I have always wanted to take a motorcycle road trip. I love your 21st tip about not buying too many souvenirs. You don’t want to be bog down with too much stuff. I guess the next step is to find a place to buy a motorcycle.
Great tips…and I especially love #15! It’s good to push your limits once in a while. Try new things and explore new places. I recently went to Nicaragua on vacation despite the fact that most people in the US still have sort of a negative opinion about the country. I did a little research and found it to be safe so we just flew there, rented a truck and drove across half the country exploring. We found it to be one of the friendliest places we’ve ever visited and for sure one of the best vacations ever! (also very inexpensive) And lots of people there use motorcycles and scooters to get around so next time we’re going to rent bikes and do some touring.
“30. Bring a kickstand pad! Sometimes you make have to park on softer surfaces.”
I aboslutely agree with this one. My loaded Kawasaki Versys would try to plunge its kickstand down into the centre of the earth, and I had a wonderful balancing act while placing the kickstand puck under the kickstand, so I bought an inexpensive kickstand plate off of eBay.ca and now I can park on most surfaces without the puck.
I found more variety on eBay.ca but I understand you like Amazon. 🙂
https://www.amazon.ca/PRO-KODASKIN-Motorcycle-Kickstand-Extension-KAWASAKI/dp/B07219S5YJ/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1500564492&sr=8-1-fkmr2&keywords=kickstand+kawasaki+ninja+250+plate+pad
Yeah, I did almost all my purchasing off Amazon because I had free prime for a month hahahaha! I’m so glad I have the kickstand pad, I definitely wouldn’t be able to park my Ninja 250 in many places without it. Thank you for the link!