spectastic

I would've done a motorcycle tour, except my motorcycle is acting funky on me. I've always thought it would be sweet to tour beautiful places that would otherwise be very difficult for a loaded bicycle. you could easily go 300-400 miles/day, and and skip the boring stuff. you could even mount a bicycle on a motorcycle, and ride the bicycle to tour some fantastic places. a dual sport would allow you to explore trails or go off road for stealth camping. It sounds so cool.

Has anyone done something like this? how does it compare?

jeneralist 

I started off motorcycle touring, and switched to bicycles!

It used to be that I would spend a week in the summer on my motorcycle. I'd find some good twisties, maybe stop for a music festival somewhere. One time I even managed to catch international-level Highland Games in Antigonish, Nova Scotia.

For me, though, eventually all the *stuff* you need to do in order to ride a motorcycle safely got in the way of the pleasure of the ride. I was firmly in the "dress for the fall, not for the ride" camp, so a ride meant boots, motorcycle pants (or heavy denim if I was feeling like taking chances), jacket, helmet, gloves --- mix that in with a touring bike with a fairing, and I never got to feel the wind. Bicycles became more fun for tours, and putting on all the -stuff- means that I haven't gone for short rides for errands, etc, either.

I'm planning on selling my touring motorcycle, a BMW K75RT, in the next week or two. I just haven't used it since I started riding under my own power, and it's too nice a bike to go unused.

Then again, I'm wondering if I'm about to make the same mistake with my bicycle -- adding the weight of a rack and fenders to my sporty Bilenky before next week's vacation hurts!

timdow

Yea I have somewhere around 1/2 million miles motorcycle touring. Switched to bicycle touring for exercise and slower pace... bicycle touring is just the right pace for me. Also it is more satisfying, at least to me.

+1 to what jeneralist said above about all that gear... you have to dress for the crash not just for the ride.

engineerbob

I've done quite a bit, though not as much as timdow. I still like it. I ride a BMW R1200GS. I specifically removed its windshield because I prefer it that way. Like the others, I wear appropriate gear: Aerostich Roadcrafter, full-face helmet, boots and gloves. When I was in Mexico last year, and the temperature was (according to the bike's thermometer) 110F, I still wore all the gear.

For me, the motorcycle gives me more options. Although it can be tempting to bring along the kitchen sink, I carry as little as possible. On the trip to Mexico, I crammed everything I needed (and a few things I didn't need) into one dry bag and a tank bag for a total weight of about 40 pounds.

Try it. You might really enjoy the experience.

Bob

Shimagnolo

I was talking to a biker a week ago that told me about these: Cooling Vest at Motorcycle Superstore - Motorcycle Superstore

Jseis 

In high school. Interesting. Several hundred scenic miles a day 101 from Wa to Ca. Rains a B. Always wore heavy gear including rainsuit for wet days. Didn't carry all that much, maybe 25 pounds on a rear rack on my 350 SL Honda. Heading home into very strong NW winds wore me out, any fairing/windscreen would've helped though my bike was really light for touring. Nowadays I'd roll the really back roads and forego mainstream highways. I still roll on two wheels...under my own power.

bluegoatwoods

I crossed the USA on a Yamaha XS850 with Windjammer faring once. We're talking about a bike that's at the low end of the 'touring' spectrum. But it was hardly a wimp and it was comfortable.

Yes, I'm glad I did it. But, no, I don't recommend it. I had no idea it would be so uncomfortable.

I'll back-track just a bit. I'd do it again if time and money were not an issue and I could make 200 miles or less per day my target. That would be enjoyable. But until then, once was enough.

Want to check out an incredible two wheel tour/adventure?

Have a look at this. It's really good.

Underboning the World - 2 Symbas, 1 Couple, No Sense | Adventure Rider

DropBarFan

On late-fall Blue Ridge Parkway tour I saw lots of moto tourers but zero bicycle tourers. Moto folks were always polite, sometimes even waving "hi". A lot of 'em have panniers & rack case so it's hard to tell if they're day-tripping or credit-card touring or camping. Often when I'm struggling up local hills & see a moto pass I wish I had some of that horsepower.

Sweet setup here, camp trailer & sidecar to give rides to wayward females LOL:

BTW in reading about GPS device turn-by-turn routing problems I discovered that motorcycle tourists have same problems as bicycle tourists, ie moto tourists often want selected scenic routes not the fastest/most direct.

djb

Yes, but has been a long long time now. Same sense of exploring and feeling, smelling the route unlike a car. You still get to learn into apexes but don't work on the uphills.
I might do it again one day but haven't owned a bike in decades.

bradtx

spectastic, I have, but not on what would be considered a touring motorcycle. I also loosely separate the two types of two wheeled touring in that it's more of a trip on the motorcycle, if that makes any sense.

Brad

fietsbob

This town has dozens of bicycle and motor cycle tourists passing through town daily all summer long .

I took my Honda CB 350 from Calif around great lakes and back, in 1973, met my 1st ex girlfriend along the way.

staehpj1

I have ridden a broad range of motorcycles ranging from little dirt bikes to big touring models and I think that if I was to try motorcycle touring again it would be with a small bike capable of going off the beaten path a bit.

What most motorcyclists call touring does involve bigger bikes, but I think it would be plenty of fun to tour on a small on/off road bike probably no bigger than 500 cc and maybe as small as 175 cc.

The big rigs, some even with trailers and/or side cars, that I see folks travelling on have more in common with a car trip than a bicycle tour IMO. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but I don't see it having much in common with bicycle touring.

With a motorcycle you will never be all that long without access to food, water, shelter, and other services being available. I can see that being nice, but it also changes the character of the trip pretty drastically. You will also not have access to hiker biker sites and will not be invited to stay with hosts nearly as often if at all.

Bottom line... I really don't see it as having much in common with bicycle touring and think that the way it is usually done it will be more like a car trip than a bike trip.

djb

the twin or the four?

I remember both well, never rode the twin, but did once test drive a four cylinder CB400, they upped it from a 350 to 400 at some point, made a beautiful sound and the stock 4 into 1 pipes looked real purty.
Once in a blue moon you see an old cb350 twin around here, pretty darn rare though. About 15 years ago I knew a young guy who had one, he was totally into the whole "retro" look and thats why he bought it, finicky points and all.

djb

good comments, much of it ultimately reflects why I turned away from motorcycling and moved back to and embraced travelling by bicycle. Sure, I still feel an affinity to motorcycling, still ride one when I get the chance (keep my license) but your last sentence certainly reflects the majority of motorcycle tourers.

and can certainly relate to the enduro type bike comment, I've always felt that if I were ever to get a motorbike again, I'd go for one of those types--of which there are all kinds more nowadays. In fact, not two weeks ago while on a bicycle trip, I stopped at a roadside rest area and ended up chatting a long time with a guy who was sitting beside his Aprilia V twin motard type bike. Pretty cool bike and there are loads of these types out now, by all the major brands. I am surprised how so many of them have big honking engines though, but hey...

fietsbob

the twin, I looked under the hood at the little Honda Mini car and its engine looked like a expanded but same engine

I later bought an R 60 BMW * made in 68, but other than transportation, did not take more than a few day trips.

*the swing arm fork type.

Comparison? I could afford to pack my bicycle in a Box, fly the Atlantic, and take trips in parts of Europe on it.

Shimagnolo

A few months ago I met a guy at a convenience store riding one of those.
The darned thing was like new.
He had found it in a warehouse in the Northeast where it had been sitting for a few decades.

djb

fiets, I now remember you mentioning these bikes.
have a good west coast day

Shimagnolo

That looks like an old Ural.
I first learned about them a couple years ago when I met a guy putting gas in one at a convenience store.
He had a yellow labrador riding in the sidecar, and the dog was even wearing goggles just like the dude in the commercial.

djb

its funny how memories are, but one clear memory relating to this 400 four I test drove, was revving to 10,000 rpm for the first time ever. Was pretty cool at the time.
In the 60s Honda made a bunch of multi cylinder small bore racing bikes, 125 and 250s, and it seems to me they had a 6 cylinder 125 that really sounded badass. Do some youtube searches and the various RC whatevers from the 60s will come up, they almost sound like two strokes.

Bandera

I was very seriously into Long Distance motorcycling for many years.

Take the MSF Basic Riders' course, if taken before take it again.
Get your machine thoroughly serviced.
Equip yourself, as others have noted Dress for the Crash.

Read the Iron Butt Association's "Archive of Wisdom"

AOW Listing

-Bandera IBA #******

Shimagnolo

I recently read that as late as the '90's the big 4 Japanese mfgrs were building 250cc 4-cylinder sport bikes, but they were never exported to the US. The reason for these bikes was the tiered motorcycle licensing in some countries, including Japan. i.e. a newly licensed rider would be limited to 250cc for some time period, (at least a year), before he would be allowed to ride bigger bikes. So the result was there were riders with the money, (but not the license), who wanted to buy sport bikes.

The solution was to build sport bikes that were pretty much similar to normal sport bikes, except for the displacement. An interesting side-effect of shrinking the dimensions down was an engine that could handle a 20,000 rpm redline!

engineerbob

The Parkway is my favorite ride. I don't know how many times over the past 35 years I have ridden it, but it has never disappointed me.

Although some motorcyclists can be complete s___heads, many of us view bicyclists as allies who share common concerns.

Bob

BigAura

Nothing wrong motorcycle touring except when you compare it bicycle touring. 60mph misaligns you with the world as seen from a human-powered-travel perspective. As far a "skipping the boring stuff" there are those who jet back-and-fore LA to NYC just so they can "quickly skip over the boring stuff". For me speed doesn't necessarily escape you from feeling bored, and many times the "boring places" are where real adventure can unfold and instill awe.

engineerbob

I restored this 1975 CB400F a few years ago.

djb

very much so, the european small sport bike market was is because of the licence gradual cc increase with experience thing. I never understood why that wasnt adopted here, I did it simply because of economics and more common sense (I hope) so started with 125, 175, then 400 twin, to 550 four, to 350 2 stroke to race. But in any case, the graduated system wasnt around 30 odd years ago when i started and isnt around now, so despite what I think, its just isnt happening here. (insurance is waaaaay higher for young men now, so both getting a license and insurance and registration has gone up astronomically now, in a way to deter young guys with little experience getting onto "only" a 600 for their first bike....)

as for small sport bikes, we in Canada used to get bikes that never made it into the US, for example, in the early mid 80s, we got the 2 strokes, the Yammys, the odd RG replicas, the Honda RS replicas etc, but the two strokes pettered out and Im not sure if we still get stuff that you guys dont get, just havent followed bike models and such for years, so dont know.

PS, bob--pretty little things were arent they? My friend ended up buying one, yellow if I recall. They really were small bikes, and a nice seat, bar, pegs layout. Totally 70s flex-o-frame , suspension and brakes , but thats what it was at the time.....