Summer is here and there is nothing better than taking a long trip on your motorcycle. You can take your Harley Davidson around town, across the state or even across the country. It really doesn’t matter as long as you are having a great time. For most people traveling is simply a way to get to their destination but for Harley Davidson touring motorcycle owners, the true fun is in the trip itself. Before you start planning a long road trip you want to make sure you have a check list of things covered to ensure the safest and most enjoyable trip possible.
- Map your route: If you are going to be taking a long trip you want to make sure that you know exactly where you are going. For example, if you are taking a trip from Orlando to Key West you want to know exactly which roads to take, the best time to be on those roads and so forth. The less you have to worry about that while riding, the more enjoyable the trip will be.
- Check the weather: One of the biggest problems Harley owners have is weather. Driving in the rain for a little is one thing, but having to do a long trip in pouring down rain is quite dangerous. You also want to make sure that you store proper rain gear.
- Storage: Speaking of storing gear, you want to make sure that your bike has all the necessary gear it will need for the trip. This is why touring bikes are the best for long trips. They have so much extra cargo space when compared to other Harley motorcycles. That extra storage is so valuable when you are taking a road trip but do not only take your stuff. Obviously you want a phone charger, extra clothes, water, medications, etc. but you also want to make sure you bring stuff you may need for the bike like a plug kit for the tires, road flares if you have to pull over and so forth.
- Big parts: There are so many parts to a motorcycle and if you are planning on taking a road trip you want to make sure that all those parts are in peak working condition. For touring motorcycles you may want to replace the dresser bars, fat mammoth spoke wheels, gas tank or any other parts that may need to be upgraded. A great example is the gas tank. There is actually a specific custom stretched gas tank for baggers that you can purchase. It holds more gas than standard tanks, perfect for long road trips.
- Small parts: This includes latch covers, dresser hand controls, mirrors and other small items. These are the ones that actually wear down more often because they are moving parts and they are smaller so they may wear down faster than handlebars would. They are also very easy and affordable to replace.
Before you take a long motorcycle road trip you want to also make sure you take your Harley out for a ride around town for an hour or two. Make sure everything feels right, you are comfortable and everything is working as it should. That way if any parts need to be repaired or replaced you can do it while at home, not while you are stuck on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere.
If a part needs to be replaced you want to know about it as soon as possible before your trip but what if you want to upgrade parts as well? Maybe your Harley could use a new set of dresser bars, hand controls, fly by wire grips or something else like that? Touring motorcycles are better for long road trips but they also have more parts on them so they will require more attention. So be prepared as best as you can, follow this checklist for the best motorcycle road trips and enjoy the ride.