On the road again…

It’s time to ride!

It has been way too long, I’ve tried to get my old riding buddies to go on another long trip but I’ve gotten nowhere with them, so I’m just going to pack up and do my first long distance solo ride.

Planning a trip can be exhausting due to the uncertainty of not knowing how long a day will be due to traffic and the type of weather you may ride into at any given moment. Being that you are on a bike it is entirely different how weather affects your ability to get from point A to point B. Traveling by car you can easily get thru rain and wind with little effort but on a bike it could delay you sometimes for days. Planning how far you can ride in a days time always depends on riding conditions. For instance, when mapping a route on Google, it might say total time of 4 hours and 20 mins. On a bike you can safely add 1 1/2 to 2 hrs to that time.

Planning a trip can also be exciting, as you map out sites to see and the best off the highway roads to travel. It is a bit of work to do to ensure that you get in as much as possible while off the cycle so as not to spend all your time just riding between towns and attractions. The difference between riding and driving is indescribable but being out in the open as opposed to in “the cage” puts you in the environment with more than a 180 degree view of everything, not to mention the aromas you experience that are missed while being in air conditioned vehicle.

Like I mentioned earlier, I’ll be riding alone this trip for the first time. I’m not going to tell you that it isn’t a bit scary thinking about all the things that can go wrong and being alone raises your anxiety level considerably. The thing is that I am not alone in feeling this way as many who travel alone always cite this as the first reason they put off doing solo trips but eventually after talking to others, they decide to get off the couch and live life.

Living in fear of what may happen will get you nowhere fast. Truth is, every time we as riders, get on our bike, we think of what can happen to us. Its difficult not to feel this way with all the noise we are constantly facing from friends, relatives and social media about the dangers of motorcycling. Everyone always wants to tell you about a crash they know of which freaks me out! Why does everyone want to tell you about crashes they see or hear of? Do they not realize as bikers we already know about the risk we take every time we ride?

I don’t know for sure if every biker feels this way but every time I saddle up and ride, I feel a little nervous and think that this may be my last time. Its scary and very hard not to have that thought but once I get that wind in my face, those thoughts flee very quickly. I am once again reminded just how much I love motorcycles.

Stay tuned for the preparation and the journey ahead..

The Regular Guy