Ride solo ALL the time........can never get the schedules right or someone backs out....and it's easier....no one pushing or pulling you.....ride your own ride.......do what ya want.......leaving for the sunny south in a few weeks.........2 1/2 week trip.......total therapy!!

 

It stunk to read what happened to him, but that doesn't mean I am going to live my life in fear of the 'off chance something might possibly' happen. Especially where I don't live my life to the fullest. Nor am I going to let unfounded fear affect me where I feel the need to carry a gun. Fear wins at that point. You have a higher risk of getting killed in a motorcycle crash while on a trip than you do someone murdering you and taking your bike.

 

I prefer to tour solo. The only exception is when my youngest son is able to get time away to ride. He's the only other rider that I can trust to keep pace, not complain and enjoys the same experiences.

 

If you get to Colorado PM me, have a place to stay if you need. I live in northern Colorado 20 miles east of the mountains?

 

Before meeting Cheryl I always toured solo. Biggest difference was I had to stop to take pictures.....mostly.

In all seriousness, it became apparent to me on this last Black Hills trip with Cheryl that I forgot a lot of my solo adventures because I had no one to share them with. We went to the Target in Rapid City to buy a camera because ours went on the fritz. It was only after we left that I remembered that the last time I toured the area solo, I did the exact same thing - bought a camera at that very Target because I broke mine! It was quite the epiphany. A long lost memory retrieved. And that was the one part I didn't like. Standing there, taking in an amazing view of something, and not being able to share the moment. And when you can't share it, it gets forgotten with so many other memories. At least that's how it works for me.

Conversely, there's no better way to clear one's mind than going on a nice long solo ride. So I guess there's pros and cons. But having toured solo most of my life, I like the change.

And yes, the Larry Weaver tragedy really hits home for us. If there's a lesson to be learned, it's that we need to be aware of our surroundings in all regards - not just staying focused while riding. Go with your gut and stay in the better, more brightly lit hotel. If the exit you took to get some rest gives you pause, get back on the road and take the next exit. We ride big, expensive machines that,if sold for parts, buy a lot of meth. That on it's own makes us targets. My advice is to park the bike and forget about it until morning. 99.9 times out of 100, it will be right where you left it. If it's not, the trip may be over, but life goes on. That's the important thing. Get home to your families.

Ride safe everyone.

 

Because of the wife's medical condition she can't do the long trips. She's fine on the 2-3-4-5 hr rides which we take around our area and she rides with me 99% of the time.

All the week long trips I take I've never went alone. I've always rode with my Son and usually 2 or 3 of his friends..

I prefer to ride with just the wife and I putting around..

I don't think I'd enjoy a solo trip by myself... just me



.

 

Strictly solo for long rides and mostly even for local rides. The one time that I broke my own pattern for a long ride with an old friend, I could not get over his friggin' whining on the first day! It was either too hot, we were in the saddle too long, blah, blah, blah. That first night, we had a disagreement on where to eat (he eats crap food) and I shared a room with him. Yuck! The next day, we are riding and I am behind him and I was just fed up with the bs. I stopped along the side of the road and it took him about 15 minutes to realize that I was not behind him. I fear that he rode much of the time with his head up his butt. Right then and there when he came back, I said that I wanted to go the rest of the way solo and it had been real. He asked me if I was kidding and I said "no". He limped off to Branson, MO and I headed out to Sturgis, SD which was a month after the rally just to see the West and air it out a bit. First and last time I EVER rode long distance with another person except for a short jaunt down to Daytona one time with some acquaintances.


I agree with Nevada72, Larry's demise was a real wake up call on a lot of different levels. It made me decide that my trike is just a piece of machinery that I can replace and I do not plan to pack a gun and will just keep a fighting knife for a situation I can't escape from. I think I am going to leave my "macho bs and guile" at home from now on even though it got me through 10 years of working in bad *** prisons without harm as a forensic psychologist. I do practice situational awareness which is a partial byproduct of working with knuckleheads and my professional experiences/training.


Larry's demise really hit home because I just retired myself (6 weeks ago) and am probably only a few months older than he was. His sister and friends really pointed out what a really nice man he was and I dearly hope that he rests in peace knowing that a lot of people that knew him and even those of us who didn't will not forget him.

 

I do a solo road trip pretty much every summer. It usually lasts anywhere from 3 - 5 weeks, and covers 4000+ - 6000+ miles through the eastern half of the USA, visiting friends along the way. I try to route as many curvy/twisty roads as I can, and as few interstate runs as possible.

I prefer touring solo than with a group, because I really like the ability to set my own pace, choose when to stop, and where to go, without having to consult anyone else.

Cheers!

 

It's good to have a someone to ride with, especially if you're on the same page. I have an old friend I tour with. He and I are both go with the flow types and seem to always be on the same page. We get together a fews days before we head out to map out our route on a paper map. We don't use a GPS so sometimes we get a little lost, but we're both cool with that. Actually it's me who gets lost the most. lol

 

Exactly!
It's great having your time for you alone at your whim.
I've met a lot of great people along the way, and saw stuff for great road stories.
Think of it as a sabbatical, a quest for personal discovery..