Top Tips for Motorcycle Touring Comfort
Motorcycle touring forces you to spend many hours out in the elements. It makes riding exhilarating, but it’s also more tiring than covering the same number of miles in a covered vehicle.
To fully enjoy your multi-day motorcycle adventure, you should make the experience as comfortable as possible. But you might wonder what things you should consider before hitting the road—especially if you’re planning your first-ever motorcycle tour.
Here are RoadRUNNER’s top 10 tips to help make your riding tour as comfortable as can be.
Install Appropriate Wind Protection
Constant wind buffeting on the head and/or body is especially tiring for long distance riders. To begin with, your neck will get tired if the gust is constantly jerking your head around.
In cold weather, wind chill makes it that much harder for motorcyclists to maintain enough body heat. Vice versa, a certain amount of air circulation is desirable in hot weather for evaporative cooling, but too much can rapidly deplete body fluids.
Windshields, fairing kits, and other similar “wind management” devices should be a must-have for all serious touring riders.
Choose A Comfortable Seat
To keep the price of new motorcycles low, some manufacturers often cut corners with the seat. Yet, properly supporting your derrière is one of the most important factors for achieving a comfortable day in the saddle.
If your OEM seat leaves you wanting something better, there are many excellent products available in the aftermarket. Because our bodies are not all built the same, finding the best fit will vary by individual. If possible, find a seat maker that can offer or build a custom seat to fit your particular assets.
Maintain A Relaxed Leg Position
Rear pegs may look cool on café racers and sportbikes, but for most long-distance riders, a cramped leg position can range from uncomfortable to downright painful. If you start experiencing leg discomfort over a day’s ride, consider lowering the footpegs. It can make a world of difference in terms of comfort.
Assume A Proper Riding Posture
The best analogy for describing the most comfortable motorcycle riding position is that of an equestrian. Sit upright with a slight forward lean, thighs pressed snugly against the tank, back straight, and hands resting lightly on the handlebar.
A semi-reclined position, with feet in the air on highway pegs, may look comfortable (and cool), but your tailbone will soon protest.
A wide fuel tank can also make you uncomfortable by straining your hamstrings and inner thighs over long days in the saddle. In this case, try moving the handlebar up and back with an aftermarket adapter. Not only can this improve your riding comfort, but also give you better control over the bike.
Similarly, as already mentioned above, lowering the footpegs can help. You may sacrifice a bit of lean angle, but the added comfort will be well worth it.
Wear Appropriate Riding Gear
We all know the importance of wearing proper protective gear, but wearing appropriate general riding gear is also important for our riding comfort. In hot weather, it’s often advisable to wear mesh gear with armor that both protects and lets air circulate inside it to promote evaporative body cooling.
When the weather turns cold, it’s vitally important to keep the body—particularly the upper body—warm to ward off discomfort and potential hypothermia. We’ve ridden both when it was too hot and too cold, and nothing is worse than being cold on a motorcycle.
Well, except for being both wet and cold—always pack rain gear.
Keep Hydrated
Letting yourself become dehydrated while riding is both uncomfortable and dangerous. It’s particularly important in hot weather, when you lose a lot of bodily fluids through sweating.
Drink lots of water, but that alone may not be enough. You should also replace electrolytes by eating fruit and/or consuming sports drinks.
Reduce Wind Noise
Even with a full-face helmet, traveling at highway speeds results in a substantial level of wind noise. In addition to hearing loss, all of that noise is very tiring and distracts your riding focus.
So, always wear earplugs! Properly designed windscreens and fairings can also reduce wind noise.
Use Effective Eye Protection
Face shields and other eye protection help safeguard your eyes both from flying debris and from drying out. Sun glare can also be quite tiring and uncomfortable, especially in the colder months when the sun is closer to the horizon.
Sunglasses, retractable sunshades inside helmets, and darkened face shields can provide relief. However, if you use a darkened shield in the daytime, be sure to pack a clear one for low-light conditions.
Rest and De-stress Before Riding
Motorcycle riding is a very physical activity. Starting the day tired or emotionally upset isn’t likely to improve your riding enjoyment as the day unfolds.
It’s also obviously important, from a safety standpoint, to be fully alert and on top of your riding game. Get a good night’s sleep and try to leave any possible worries behind before the big ride. If you feel like your mind isn’t fully on riding, consider postponing your trip.
Take Plenty of Breaks
We generally recommend you take a break every one to two hours to stretch, relax, talk to strangers, rehydrate, tour roadside attractions, and discuss the day’s highlights with your riding partners. Above all, motorcycle touring is supposed to be fun, and being comfortable is a big part of keeping it fun.
Achieving the desired level of comfort for your touring experience is likely to involve some trial and error. For most touring motorcycles, it’s not terribly difficult to find appropriate OEM and aftermarket accessories to improve any of your mount’s shortcomings.
Remember that if you’re horribly uncomfortable on your motorcycle, you won’t enjoy the road, the scenery, or your riding company. Use these tips to make sure you’re set for a comfortable and thrilling motorcycle tour.