Bike trips are adventurous and can give the best times to anyone joining the escapades. The way the wind touches the riders, the sweet sound of the engine, the power and the punch that the throttle can bring out — it’s a beautiful and unmatchable experience. However, a bike trip isn’t just about those peanut butter vibes. There’s a number of mistakes that can give rise to several fiascos while you are going on a bike trip. In this post, we are addressing seven of those. So, before you gear up for your next bike trip, make sure you are avoiding the following mistakes at all costs.
1. Choosing The Wrong Motorbike
Anyone who has ever gone for a trip choosing a wrong bike would know the pain. For example, if you ever chose to ride a cafe racer for a 200-mile long bike ride, you might have ended up with a sore back and severe shoulder and/or neck pain. Similarly, a dirt bike may also not be too fit for a long bike trip. And this doesn’t mean that these bikes aren’t good. They are just not built optimally for long distances. A cruiser motorcycle may be your best bet for a long-distance bike ride.
2. Riding Without Safety Gear
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Self-safety on roads is one of the most important factors that every rider must consider. And this concern doesn’t end when you follow traffic rules. When you are on a bike trip, wearing qualified safety gear becomes crucial. The risks are inevitable, and many times, accidents don’t need more than a second to take place. That’s why it’s a must for every rider to wear proper safety gear. In that situation, you can call your motorcycle accident injury lawyers. You can find here motorcyclelawyerla.com. From chest and shoulder armours to leg guards, knee pads, elbow pads, a certified helmet, a pair of gloves, and riding boots, everything is important. Also, make sure that you buy your safety gear only from an authorized shop like MXStore.
3. Riding Uncovered In Extreme Weather Conditions
Although one must never ride keeping their body parts uncovered, still the idea may not be that bad during a happy spring or autumn season. But when the sun beats down upon the roads, or when the winds are cold, riding uncovered may be the unhealthiest and scariest thing to do. And we can all imagine the reasons. You wouldn’t want to have sunburns or a shivering body cold after a long bike ride. This will ruin your experience, plus the ride will be highly uncomfortable. So, make sure that you are wearing clothes that show the least amount of skin. In fact, while riding in the cold weather, it’d be best to wear an upper body riding jacket that covers your entire torso, and arms as well.
4. Choosing Unfamiliar Roads
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Regardless of the amount of experience that you have with your motorcycle, the world will always have some roads that may be unknown or uncomfortable for you. And there’s nothing wrong with visiting these roads or choosing them for your trip. However, when you start riding on an unfamiliar road, the need for being super-aware arises. This means that you should not ride these roads if your navigation system or smartphone is running out of battery. This also means that it’ll be best if you ride in a group and not alone. Also, it’ll be better to avoid roads with miscellaneous risks. For example, a road with a bad neighborhood is something that’s best avoided.
5. Underpacking or Overpacking
Are you going for a three-day trip and packing ten outfits for your bike ride? Or are you going for a ten-day trip, with only three outfits? In both cases, you are making a mistake. Yes, the scenarios mentioned in this section seem to be extreme. But, the point is clear. Underpacking and overpacking are both going to give you troubles on your trip. So, pack adequately. It’s also important to plan how you are going to carry the bags that you are packing. You can install side carriers on your bike. This will allow you to safely place and carry your bags through the journey.
6. Not Caring Enough About The Bike’s Maintenance
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Being excited about your bike ride is one thing, and neglecting its maintenance in this excitement is another. As you are going on a bike ride, you will be riding your motorcycle for a long stretch of time and distance. Your bike’s engine will be doing a lot of work here. If you have skipped a maintenance checkup before leaving for the trip, your bike may not perform optimally. Plus, severe issues may also crop up and lead to ruined experiences. That’s why it’s super important to look after your bike and make sure that it is not exceeding the service limits. The engine oil should be healthy, all the nuts should be fastened, the tank must have enough fuel, air pressure should be adequate, and you must be carrying a toolbox with yourself.
7. Going On a Long First Ride
This is not to demotivate you. Surely, long rides are ecstatic and let us explore our machines to their fullest potential. But the question is, are you ready for a long ride? A long bike ride can be tiring, including many stops. Such rides also test the patience of every rider that opts in for them. Also, some riders may even start feeling sick due to the discomfort that comes with many motorcycles. That’s why it’s recommendable to start with a not-so-long ride. Maybe you can pull off a 150-200 mile road trip to start with. Starting your motorcycle travelling adventures with a 500-mile trip may not be that happening.
Final words
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If you like the idea of going on bike trips, the chances are that you may be exposing yourself to a number of riding risks that may crop up on the road. In this post, we talked about those risks and seven mistakes that give rise to those risks. Hopefully, this was helpful.
