Two-Up Motorcycle Trip, It's a Team Effort
Getting together for a ride can turn a normal journey into a shared experience that will be talked about for years to come. However, before setting out on the road, take a gander at our checklist to ensure that your trip will be a pleasant one.
1. It's a Team Effort
It is said that among riders, a tandem motorcycle trip will test your relationship. Whether a friend, a spouse or a relative, two-up riding will test far more than your riding abilities many times over. It is one thing to take on a passenger across town or to the local bike-night and quite another to commit to touring tandem. Motorcycling as a sport is meant to be a liberating experience, a way set yourself apart from those confined to cages and the safety of climate-controlled comforts but not properly thinking through and planning for a two-up ride can easily turn your long-awaited touring trip to something you rather forget.
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2. Talk It Out
Anyone that has ever measured a ride based on "hours-per-day" on the saddle can tell you that no matter how exciting the ride or how exotic the destination something will go wrong. Your GPS will take you the wrong way (or you'll ignore the directions), the next stop will take longer than you thought, the hotel was overbooked, the camping grounds didn't have working showers or someone in the group you are riding with has a bladder the size of a walnut. If nothing else more serious goes wrong, these nuisances can really take a toll on your patience as well as your passenger. Talking through what could go wrong, having plenty of time to deal with delays, and riding out with a flexible mind will go a long way in ensuring that you enjoy your ride. Remember that unless you are riding alone (no passenger, no group) you are inevitably tied to everyone else's needs, limitations, desires, and attitudes.
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3. Packing
Have you ever returned from a vacation, unpacked, and realized you didn't wear half the clothes you took with you? It is easy to over-pack a motorcycle, and many times only one person knows where everything is. Packing together, and packing smartly will involve your passenger as an integral part of the trip and make your ride lighter and easier to handle. Any relationship expert will tell you that if only one of you plans, packs, and manages the trip, there is a good chance someone is not happy. The basic rule for packing a bike is to pack synthetic (clothes), dress in layers, dress loosely, keep it simple, and keep it practical. It often takes a couple of multi-day trips for people to perfect packing but there are tons of forums and websites with excellent tips on how to do it.
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4. To Each His Own
Everyone's concept of a dream vacation is different. For some, an RV with satellite TV and AC is the way to go while for others riding from sun-up to sundown and sleeping under a tarp attached to your Harley is what is all about. Whether you ride from hotel to hotel or sleep on the road, flexibility is key. Your passenger may surprise you and push you to go for that 1000 mile mark in 24 hours or make a request to stop after only a few hours on the road. Your idea of riding heaven may differ from that of your passenger, especially after a 500-mile day. Give your passenger purpose by charging her (or him) with giving you water and snacks, looking at maps, etc. This will also help you to ride longer and with more energy.
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5. Protection
The rider's image is a big part of the Harley-Davidson culture. Half helmets (or no helmets), no sleeves and the wind in your face. When it comes to touring, however, is all about how you feel at the end of the day and your actual ability to continue on the next day. I have to admit that I prefer a half helmet, however, experience (and severe wind and sunburn) has taught me that a full face helmet or a helmet with a full face shield is the way to go. Long sleeves even in the hottest of rides such as through Death Valley, California in summer will actually keep you cooler and you will likely out-ride many members of your group. This is old-hat for some riders but news to first-time tourers. Remember that there is nothing cool about not making your destination because either you or your passenger cannot continue because of a sunburn or dehydration.
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6. Do It Again
Motorcycle touring is not for everyone but for the adventurous souls that find it appealing and exciting there is simply no other way to be free. In the end, most of us enjoy doing something that few will ever attempt to do and more importantly, want to do it again. If your motorcycle trip will include a passenger and you want to ensure that you can do this more than once (especially us married folks) then preparing and involving your passenger in every aspect of the trip is just as important as preparing your bike.
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