Solo touring | GTAMotorcycle.com

Solo touring

nobbie48

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A lot of people ask who goes with me when I take off for a ride or tour and are mystified when I say I travel solo. The pros are I stop when and where I want. Gas up, P and eat when I want and sleep when I want. I meet more people because strangers are less reluctant to open a conversation when you're not part of a group. I do use a Spot GPS locator so I can be tracked.

The down side is the "What ifs?"

Do you worry about the "What ifs" and/or is there a point in your life where the importance of the "What ifs" changes to more important or less important?
 
I'm about 50% solo
mainly because my work schedule is unusual
and it's difficult to plan trips with friends because of that

never really thought about the what ifs
but I'm a pavement only tour guy
so a what if is relatively easy
though could be expensive
situation to resolve

even when riding with friends
I don't want a communicator
talking and especially listening
is highly over rated
so really the biggest difference riding solo
is the dinner/beer afterwards
I miss the company a bit
 
No problem going solo...

I actually wonder what it is with some people who can't seem to go anywhere/do anything without it being a "group thing".
Like no offense, but I find the whole "group ride" phenomenon weird.
 
I did one group trip, it was painful. Great guys, but their idea of a long day was 300 km.

I ride alone with a cell phone in my jacket pocket. Hopefully that is enough to save me if things go wrong. If I was doing James Bay or Translab I would probably rent/buy a spot (or similar). I have been stuck in the mud without cell service near maynooth, but that is an opportunity to work on problem solving and physical fitness.
 
I used to be a “solo” tour type, but lately some of the “what if’s “ have happened to me. I have hit a deer in PA., been chased by a bear on the Blue Ridge Parkway, and have been forced into a ditch by a semi on the “Snake”. But the event that really caused me to prefer to travel with a buddy, was coming across another rider laying on the shoulder of a road in WV. with his bike in the ditch and not a soul around, completely alone without anyone to call/go for help. So I think it is just more prudent to travel with another bike if you are venturing far afield. But that’s just my opinion.
 
Most of my trips have been solo. Don't think I'd want to do a big group, but with one or two others, it might be alright.
 
I have done a few group rides. Nice pace, nice people. Ridden with friends.
By far solo rides are my choice. Meet lots of fellow riders. Always up for conversation. Then happy to ride off on my own.
Then their is the other side of the coin, riders that like to show off. Not impressed. a few occasions where riders overtake me in my lane. Ignorant.
Riders that just have to go faster then me, overtake then you meet them at the lights or a few Kms down the road.
My pace, my comfort zones. Riding is sooooooo much fun and it makes us all happy, without having to prove anything.
 
I've done some different types. I like riding alone, but don't have a tracker, and some of the twisty routes around here are much less traveled and have spotty cell coverage. I have a friend that I ride these routes with sometimes, and that seems like a better idea. He's a little more aggressive than I am, but most people probably are. I've ridden in groups, and bigger ones usually have issues. I have a Vermont trip planned in the Spring, and will ask if I can join some others for the trip.
 
I don't necessarily worry about what ifs but I do feel better with a friend or a group of riders, that I trust, when touring. I've already been in problematic situations that were resolved quickly and efficiently because I wasn't alone.
I also don't tour to meet people (with that said, I have not noticed any reluctance from strangers approaching my group, I don't buy that argument) and I don't have a problem stopping whenever and wherever I want because my fellow riders are like minded.

Strength is in numbers. One thing that I'll admit - it is not easy finding compatible riders but once you do, it makes for great trips.
 
I used to be a “solo” tour type, but lately some of the “what if’s “ have happened to me. I have hit a deer in PA., been chased by a bear on the Blue Ridge Parkway, and have been forced into a ditch by a semi on the “Snake”. But the event that really caused me to prefer to travel with a buddy, was coming across another rider laying on the shoulder of a road in WV. with his bike in the ditch and not a soul around, completely alone without anyone to call/go for help. So I think it is just more prudent to travel with another bike if you are venturing far afield. But that’s just my opinion.

I opted for a Spot locator after reading a first time post on a Goldwing forum from a woman looking for her husband who hadn't arrived at his destination, a few days ride away. Hunters found his bike and body in a deep ditch a few weeks later.

With the Spot or cell phone, even if you are dead or incapacitated and can't hit emergency numbers someone tracking you can zoom in on your last spot and see if there's any reason for you to be sitting still for an unusual length of time. It might not save your life but would save the next of kin a lot of anguish.
 
I love solo touring too. I find a lot of solo tourers like riding company, I'm often covering parts of my route with other small groups and solo riders.

You also get to meet a lot of great people when travelling solo. I'll sit outside my motel room or by a campfire at a camp site, people seem intrigued by a loner on a motorcycle -- they stop by to chat all the time, it's never lonely.

I don't have a SPOT. I file flight plans and stick to covered routes when travelling alone. I also share my location through Google on my cell phone.
 
Do you worry about the "What ifs" and/or is there a point in your life where the importance of the "What ifs" changes to more important or less important?
Absolutely the 'what if' changes with where you are in life. More responsibilities and more developed or valuable relationships often mean that there is more concern or reflection about consequences.

Personally, I like solo touring because I can ride all day and not stop and never be concerned about someone else getting tired or fatigued or hungry or whatever. I also like small group touring, as long the the riders have similar habits, because the most amazing roads are best shared.

With solo touring I have met really interesting people at campsites, gas stations, restaurant and all over the place and that's because they approach me and start up small talk. With small group touring it's always great to get back to the base and enjoy a nice meal and drink together and shoot the breeze.

I don't worry about the 'what if' very much, but there have definitely been times where I know that good fortune has been on my side.
 
I too tour solo.
I have a group of friends who I take weekend trips with (never farther than a few hundred kilometers).
I don't feel comfortable going any longer as it may ruin the friendship.
But for a major tour it's always solo for most of the reasons listed above.
 
Solo 90% of the time here too. I’m naturally curious about things/routes/views/food etc that others sometimes aren’t so this way I get to do whatever the heck I want. If the weather is **** and the camping isn’t fun then I can pack up and go. If I don’t like where I started out going I can change it. If I want to stop for an hour and read a book under a tree I can do it etc.

Oh...and I got a DeLorme tracker thing last year for the what if’s. Always keep it in a pocket jacket and it’s useful for sending texts if I’m out of cell tower range which is surprisingly often around Kingston.
 
Solo 90% of the time here too. I’m naturally curious about things/routes/views/food etc that others sometimes aren’t so this way I get to do whatever the heck I want. If the weather is **** and the camping isn’t fun then I can pack up and go. If I don’t like where I started out going I can change it. If I want to stop for an hour and read a book under a tree I can do it etc.

Oh...and I got a DeLorme tracker thing last year for the what if’s. Always keep it in a pocket jacket and it’s useful for sending texts if I’m out of cell tower range which is surprisingly often around Kingston.

How do you like the Delorme? My Spot works OK but the set up isn't all that intuitive. My GPS choice has always been Garmin, easy to use.
 
I've been doing more of my riding solo the last few years -- Easier to pick when and where to ride, no dealing with people wanting to break the sound barrier all the time, can control how long and when I want to stop/need to stop for gas, etc, etc.

That said, I haven't toured into the US yet or done more than day rides, but I am thinking about solo'ing into the US maybe in the next 1-2 years (5 days in Placcid or something). Have a Sena, Zumo, and looking at adding TPMS, plus have CAA, so most of the bases should be covered.
 
'Funny how we've become so soft and reliant upon technology.
GPS, cell phones... How the hell did we leave the house b4 we had all this stuff... Lol.

I've got a ride to Vancouver planned this summer... I "was" caught up in the whole GPS, route planning thing until I realized... I know which way east west north and south are and we'll.... I can just follow the road signs.
'Done it b4... First drive to Vancouver was in 1993... no GPS... made it no problem
 
on that note - my next trip, I'm going to take the horse and carriage. Should only take me til next year to get down to the dragon.
:)
 
on that note - my next trip, I'm going to take the horse and carriage. Should only take me til next year to get down to the dragon.
:)

As an add on to that note...
Taxi drivers in London. U.K. are required to carry a bale of hay. The law has not yet been repealed from olden days. Or not allowed to reverse.
 
'Funny how we've become so soft and reliant upon technology.
GPS, cell phones... How the hell did we leave the house b4 we had all this stuff... Lol.

We had bikes you could easily fix on the side of the road (and 100 less hp so you were less likely to end up as a smear on a cliff face).
 

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