Top Three Things I Learned on my First Motorcycle Trip
22nd October 2019
I remember being hesitant on my first long distance motorcycle trip. We were taking a weekend down in Somerset, a trip that most of the group did regularly. It was my first long trip, the first time I'd gone over a few hundred miles in a day. I wasn't sure what to pack or what to expect. I was riding with people I'd never ridden with before. And I was still relatively inexperienced at the whole motorcycle thing. Regardless, the trip was a success, but not without its moments. So here are the three things I learned on that very first trip.
#1 Ride for you
I mentioned that I was riding with people I hadn't ridden with before. One of those on the trip was another relative newcomer to motorcycling. Let's call him Mark, because that's his name. Now Martin, who I've mentioned a few times in these posts, was leading our group. At the top of the A272 we had stopped at the services for fuel and Martin gave us a warning about the upcoming road.
"There are sections of this road that'll surprise you and catch you off guard, so take it easy and ride at your own pace."
Suffice to say we did no such thing. Mark, ahead of me was racing to try and overtake Pat on a larger bike. I was racing to keep up with Mark, keen not to be the slow one of the group. A few miles in we turned a corner and were met by a sudden bridge. Well my bike gained some air for the first time, came down with a thud and I, rather rattled, resigned myself to indeed riding at my own pace.
As an aside I failed my first driving test for a similar reason. I hadn't taken any points during the test so far, so jubilant on my return to the test centre I got a little cocky. On a perfectly straight road was a sign signalling a hump. Sure enough in front of me was a bridge. I thought the bridge was the hump. It wasn't. The humps either side of the crest were the humps. I hit the first with a bang and the second sent us airborne. All the paperwork in the back took flight and we came down hard. Instant fail.
Mark, however, pressed on to try to overtake Pat. And neither of them saw the sign for traffic lights just after the bend. Turning the corner they met Martin, stopped at the back of a queue of cars. Pat hit his brakes, and with ABS stopped just before the first car's bumper. Mark however had no such luck.
With his options being an abrupt stop in a car boot or a detour off road Mark opted for the latter. Bouncing through brush and bushes and sliding in the mud before finally bailing from the bike just short of a stream, Mark demonstrated his motorcycle acrobatic skills. His shoulder dislocated and pride wounded Mark reappeared from the ditch. It took four of us to drag his bike from the ditch. Luckily, a roll of duck tape, some cable ties and some manhandling better his bike was rideable. Even if the fairings were mostly destroyed.
I learned a lesson here at Mark's expense. The bravado and competitiveness of trying to race others on the road often leads to misfortune. Even trying harder than you're comfortable with to keep up with others can cause issue. You have to ride at your pace and to your comfort level. The worst case is that your friends might have to wait a few moments if you're slower. But the other options can be much worse, I promise! Even now when cars signal to let me past, my first thought is
"You do you, I'll do me".
That's my motto for group riding now.
Anyway, back to my failed driving test. The instructor explained to me that I had indeed failed due to a major infraction. While I had maintained control of the vehicle, we had technically left the road...
#2 If you think it's going to rain, put your waterproofs on
This is a pretty simple one. The worst thing about this trip was it raining on our way back. We had a long trip ahead of us that was going to take us all day and into the evening. Stopping for fuel in the morning the clouds overhead were an ominous grey. We discussed putting our waterproof overs on. It was decided that, since we were hopefully going to ride through the grey patch quickly there shouldn't be too much of an impact on us. We were wrong.
Not long into the next leg of our journey the heavens opened. The deluge we were now caught in soaked us through. A few people pulled over at the side of the road to try and hurry into their waterproof gear, but the damage had already been done. All they achieved was soaking the inside of their waterproofs too.
Once the rain stopped we were left riding the remainder of the journey in soaking wet, freezing gear. My lesson was learned. So now, anytime it starts to spit or it looks like I'm about to ride through rain, I'll stop and put my waterproof over-suit on. It's five minutes at the side of the road that saves hours of discomfort later...
#3 Pack lighter!
This final point is the one that I got the most wrong and that has taken me a few attempts to get to a state I'm comfortable with.
The problem is that each trip presents its own scenarios and issues and you have to make decisions and compromises all the time. This being my first long distance group trip I decided that I wanted to take everything. I took panniers filled with cameras, chargers, books, notepads, clothing, spare clothing, food, the kitchen sink. And you know what, I used none of it. I charged my phone and headset. I wore half the clothing I took. I ate in pubs and cafes. I took photos on my phone.
When I next did the same trip I took a tank bag which held everything I needed for the weekend. And not once did I wish I had any of the extra things I'd taken on the first trip. The advice I received and am now passing on is,
"Pack, then unpack, throw half of it away and pack again."
It's not perfect, but it's a start.
There's a lot more detail that can go into "What should I pack for a motorcycle trip", so I'll do a full post on this soon.