What we want is a long motorbike ride, so much so that we can say that we have not stepped on the ground for at least a few hours during the escape: sea, mountains, hills of olive trees and vines, no matter what the frame as long as it is the perfect image of freedom so as to finally feel on holiday. In this regard, you can discover some interesting itineraries in our section Jump on the saddle.
Yes, even in this case our imagination and imagination could play tricks on us. The image of freedom is so strong that we believe that we could even go for a while without a helmet! Feet on the ground guys, the bike must be, once again, safe to ensure maximum satisfaction.
Before starting, we remind you once again that our advice is not a universal rule to ensure safety and pleasure, but simply the experience of years spent on a motorcycle in real-life experiences.
Hygiene when travelling by motorcycle
You didn’t expect that, did you? Yes, travelling by motorbike, especially for long journeys, can lead you to reduce yourself to pitiful conditions even without you noticing: the bike itself is hot, it’s summer and you may not have the opportunity to eat properly at a motorway for a long time.
Make sure you have at least two bandanas to alternate along the way to keep your hair separate (regardless of the cut) from the inside of the helmet. The inside of the helmet is indeed mostly removable and washable, but this does not detract from the fact that protecting it during a long trip is not a good thing and an action that can give you a pleasant feeling of the cleanliness of the helmet even after many hours of travel.
A small bottle of hand sanitizer is vital to be able to wash your hands even in the total absence of water and the little you have to drink should not suffer from the need to be able to quickly rinse your hands for a guide that gives you the full feeling of cleanliness and freshness. Also, make sure you have a change of underwear, socks and T-shirt because you never know what can happen, but often you can change, or just know you can change, offers unparalleled peace of mind.
Practicality when travelling by motorbike
Being able to carry out fast operations during a long motorbike journey is very important, both to avoid wasting time in the sun and to avoid running aground in situations that are much more difficult to resolve than the initial reasons for stopping or slowing down and for this reason:
- make sure you have a tank bag for easy access to resources
- if possible, and if the journey requires the use of motorways, have a telecast with you to avoid unnecessary interruptions to the journey
- make sure that you have spare cash if the use of cards is not possible or is temporarily prevented
- bring with you, perhaps in the bag tank, a small reserve of water and concentrated proteins that, for the most part, can be synthesized in seeds and energy bars, avoid chocolate (which melts all too easily in the sun) and bulky foods and too easily perishable (such as fresh fruit that seems an excellent solution, healthy and energetic and that instead is not only composed of more than 90% water, but also that, after a few minutes that was fresh, immediately becomes old).
Safety and repair kit
As pointed out in some previous articles, unless you are an expert or a professional in engines and two wheels in general, it is rather useless and tiring to carry too many work tools. As usual, we underline the best practice of delegating to professionals any type of mechanical or electrical intervention on the bike rather than trying to make do, if you are more than certain of what you do.
However, it is good practice to have the minimum necessary to facilitate the intervention of qualified personnel. Usually, each bike has its mini-repair kit consisting of an adjustable wrench, a star screwdriver and a flat-headed Allen key for specific interventions on the specific model of motorcycle. In addition to this, you just need to have a pair of rags, pieces, a pair of pliers or a bitch with you and, if necessary, the cables to power the electric battery.
Other small details for a better journey
There are many other small things that you can consider for long journeys that are enjoyable by showing you what you need to be, whether you are travelling alone, as a couple or in a group. Much of this can be taken as a starting point, of course, and adapted to your needs and preferences. What is always important for everyone is that, every time you prepare a trip, you make sure to make a passage (even fast) at your bike workshop of confidence for a check of all those elements that can often affect the driving condition: tire pressure, control lights and indicators in general, oil and liquids and any peculiarities related to your vehicle and that only you and your workshop knows.
That said, as far as our personal experience is concerned, we can add some elements such as plasters, gauzes and a disinfectant, the navigator, the USB socket with the cigarette lighter for motorcycles, a fast evaporating towel and emergency bags as well as everything needed to secure the bike in the unlikely event that an unexpected event forces us to leave it along the way and have to move away from it. You never think that something could go wrong, but to think about it never means to bring bad luck to ourselves, only to be wise and far-sighted so it is good to have a disk block or, even better, a cemented chain.
Last but not least: always in anticipation of the worst, we recommend a keychain with a vial for documents with a piece of paper in which are written all your details and who to contact in case of need, as well as the phone numbers of people closest to you. We know very well that it could seem pure paranoia but we could tell you a couple of cases in which with the loss of the electronics and the need to call for help, that card is hidden in your pocket turned out to be a real lifesaving doughnut!
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