Forget the listicles. Forget the gear ads and the influencer routes on Instagram. Touring isn’t about the latest gadgets or perfect packing cubes. It’s about what stays with you after the ride. These are the motorcycle touring tips I’ve learned. Lessons from the road itself—earned through detours, breakdowns, quiet moments, and years of doing it the hard way.
Ride the Bike You Can Afford to Drop
A cheap bike that’s yours will always beat a fancy one you’re scared to use. The more pristine the panels, the less you ride. Buy a bike that makes you want to ride it rather than polish it. Don’t wait until you can afford the ‘perfect’ bike. Ride whatever is in the garage. Because that’s where the stories come from.
Related: Why I Bought a Used Bike in 2025
Don’t Follow the Hype
Not every legendary route will change your life. Some of the best roads are nameless. If you zoom in on Google Maps, it won’t show you my most memorable rides. And your best moments won’t be marked either. Don’t ride where you’re told—ride where you’re called.
Related: Don’t Believe the Hype
Pack Less Than You Think. (Or Pack Everything)
Most people don’t need three jackets or backup jeans. Touring light certainly makes things easier. But sometimes, the small comforts—fresh socks, real coffee, a paperback—can make a trip more enjoyable. Don’t listen to anyone else. Carry nothing. Or everything. Whatever brings you joy.
Know How to Lift Your Bike Alone
You’ll drop it. Everyone does. In the middle of nowhere, in the middle of the road, with no phone signal and no help. Learn how to lift it before that happens. Not for the bike—but for your confidence.
Don’t Overplan. But Don’t Wing It Either.
Leave room for wrong turns and right detours. But don’t be the rider who gets caught out by snow on a mountain pass in October with no gear, no daylight, and no fuel. Flexibility isn’t laziness. It’s awareness.
Be Willing to Either Turn Around Or Tough it Out
Sometimes, turning back is smart. Sometimes, pushing on leads to magic. The trick is knowing the difference. Don’t assume the road you missed is better than the one you’re on. It probably isn’t.
Related: Entry 008 (Vol. 1) of the Quiet Tour Chronicles – The Wrong Way
You’re Not Slow. You’re Just Not Racing.
The road isn’t a leaderboard. It doesn’t remember the quick ones or the cautious ones. Ride at your own pace. Fast isn’t brave if it’s reckless. And slow isn’t weak if it gets you home.
Embrace the Shit Days
The best stories don’t come from the sunny rides. They come from ferry delays, soaked boots, closed passes, and wrong turns. You won’t remember the clear blue skies. But you’ll remember surviving the storm.
Ride to Get Somewhere Real
Not every ride has to be epic. Sometimes, the road is just a way to get to something that matters—peace, space, closure, or a conversation with someone who matters even more. The bike is the tool. What you find at the end is the point.
Fuel Early. Eat Early. Sleep Early.
You’ll never regret topping up too soon. Or eating something before the hunger pangs. Or finding your pitch before the sun sets. Get a head start in the morning, and everything else will follow.
Earplugs Save You
Use them. Wind noise doesn’t just irritate—it drains you. It shortens your day, fogs your head, and wears you out. Block it, and you’ll ride longer, calmer, safer.
Related: We Tested It: Pinlock Earplugs (Long-Term Review)
Don’t Try to Document the Moment. Live It.
Your best ride might never be seen. No photos or captions. No likes. That doesn’t make it any less real. In fact, it might be what makes it so special in the first place. Make memories for you, not for everyone else.
Related: The Biker Who Didn’t Post
Keep Something for the Ride Home
Don’t burn it all on the way there. Pace yourself. Keep a dry base layer, an emergency snack, and a little wanderlust for the return. If you don’t, you’ll waste half of your trip simply going home.
Don’t Wait for the Perfect Time to Tour
Your life won’t get less busy. Your job won’t become less demanding. The kids won’t need you any less, and you won’t find anymore time. But there’s always time for a small ride. An afternoon. A weekend. A ferry. So take it.
You’re Not Too Old
That guy in his 70s, still showing up. He knows something the rest of us don’t: that the ride ends long before you want it to. So show up. Now.
Fitness Matters
You don’t have to be Ironman-fit when you go touring. But having that extra pep in your steps goes a long way to getting the most out of your tour. It’ll give you the energy to keep going on those tough days. And the energy to enjoy your location when you finally get there. So in the months leading up to your tour, start hitting that treadmill in the gym.
Related: Motorcycle Fitness: Get More from Your Tour
Embrace Rest Days
Run a trail. Swim a lake. Grab a beer. Sit still. Let the place sink in. Touring isn’t about escape. It’s about presence. And sometimes, the bike isn’t needed for that.
Don’t Be Afraid to Tour Alone
Your friends will make promises in January and excuses in June. Don’t wait. Book it. Go. Ride alone with your head held high. You’ll likely have a better time anyway.
Related: 7 Self-Indulgent Solo Touring Tips
You Will Miss It One Day
You won’t remember the engine specs. Or the semi adjustable suspension. Or the intuitive TFT dash. You’ll remember the way the Petite St Bernard pass made you feel on that special Tuesday morning. And the coffee on the ferry deck with a loved one no longer with us. You’ll remember the ‘you’ that only exists on tour. So do it. And savour it.
For riding-related tips, see Motorcycle Riding Tips & Tricks (22 Nobody Tells You)