How much do you plan?

I am making the assumption that many of my readers don’t just ride their motorcycles around town but also tour on them as well. And I am pretty confident that most lifers will know that motorcycle touring is one of the things that I like to do most on two wheels.

Like most of the activities with which I have been involved in my life, motorcycle touring is one into which I just “fell”. I am not conscious of waking up one day and thinking to myself, “Hey, I might see what it’s like to go touring on my motorcycle.” I wasn’t influenced by others who were into touring as I recall but I had done quite a lot of semi-long distance riding, my brother living in Denman in the Hunter Valley and me in Wollongong and later Canberra meant that trips up the Putty were common. In fact, I can’t even remember exactly when it was that I  did my first motorcycle tour. I believe it was in 1981 and it was on my 500/4 that was fitted for the occasion with a plastic top box and a set of canvas throw-over panniers. As a concession to a seat that was nearly 10 years old and totally hardened, I added a lambswool cover that had previously served as a play rug for my two little children. I sewed some elastic strips onto it and fitted it over the seat and that was it.

I recall that I rode quite a long way; from Canberra where I was living, well up the north coast (though I can’t recall the northernmost point) and then back again via the backroads and home. There are some photos that I took along the way which I must dig out but one of the bike sitting on the Wisemans Ferry indicates that I travelled that road at least. I think I did about 1500kms that trip and, from then, I was hooked on touring. And, what do you know, here it is!

Did I take too much stuff? Of course I did. Did I get wet along the way? Pretty sure I did that, too. But it was fun and I loved it. I even started keeping a little notebook where I kept assiduous records of all the trips I did. It has only been in recent years that the book has fallen into disuse and it is now too late to try and bring it up to date.

But thinking about it led me to the thought of how much preparation do you do for a tour? The thought was also prompted by a friend’s post on Facebook yesterday where he posed the question of how much stuff do you carry under the seat of your bike when you are riding? Judging by the picture attached to his post, it seems his bike has the underseat capacity of a small freighter! Me, I carry a standard Honda tool kit and a rolled up one-piece oversuit in case it rains.

I often joke that it doesn’t matter how much I pare down what I take on a trip, I always end up bringing home stuff that I neither needed nor used. The golden rule of packing is, spread out everything you are planning to take on the lounge room floor. Then halve the amount and take just the half. You will probably still have a bit too much but you won’t end up carrying a pile of unnecessary stuff. I try to do this but the “I’d better just take this whatever it is, just in case.” effect usually kicks in at the very last.

But, luggage aside, and it IS an important part of touring, how much DO you plan when you set out on a tour? I’ve toured with people who have the whole deal planned down to the last detail and with those whose approach to touring is more laissez faire.

Outside of my local bike shop a few years ago I met up with a guy and the topic of riding around Australia came up. He told us that he had done it a few times so I started pumping him for info. “My first trip was the best,” he said, “I got home from work on a Friday night and was feeling pretty jaded (not the term he used). I decided it was time for me to do the trip, so I checked my wallet and made sure my credit card was in it and I headed off.” I was amazed but it appears that this is exactly what he did.

He completed the lap in a bit over two weeks and never carried any luggage of any kind. That takes a special kind of tough, in my opinion (to say nothing of a pretty generous credit limit on his Mastercard) but he maintained that he would do it again in a heartbeat.

I couldn’t do that, but I abhor the idea of over-preparation as well. I guess it is different for each of us and that’s the great thing about us all being different. I like to think that I’m pretty well prepared and could head out pretty much at the drop of a hat these days (especially since my retirement). I put on my top box which I don’t use when I am riding around town. In it is my “wets” a pair of thongs and a pair of shorts, a couple of t shirts, a couple of pairs of socks and undies and a small sponge bag with the bare essentials and a towel. I sometimes pack a pair of joggers as well so I can go for a walk each night and stretch my legs and, if it is change of season time, a sweat shirt in case it gets cold at night. A bottle of water and some sunscreen in the sponge bag are also essentials.

In my little tank bag I carry my wallet, my phone, my sunglasses and normal glasses, a silk balaclava in case I’m running low on funds and need to commit a quick heist, a spare set of ear plugs, a pen, a small LED torch and my .mp3 player and associated accessories. If I’m going to be away for more than a few days, the phone and the .mp3 chargers get chucked in as well.

And that’s about it. Pretty simple, lightweight and easily manageable. And, best of all, all that lot can be assembled in very short time. Since many of my tours are done solo or with my brother, the ability to decide to go and hit the road soon after is a bonus.

I’d be interested to hear how you go about preparing for a tour. I’ll probably discover that I’ve been doing it all wrong all these years!