How to plan a road trip on a bike?

Jonathan, one of the six in the group, says the freedom his motorcycle gives him has allowed him to get to places few people could have got to at his own pace. For example a detour on a dirt road for a breathtaking view of the Grand Canyon, or crossing the Colorado Mountains via rugged trails.

“I’ve crossed rivers in Central America where even a JEEP wouldn’t have dared to get his wheels wet,” he adds. Charles, his biking road trip friend, says the same: “We really go where we want “.

Oh Boy, those two…

Audreyanne who also likes a certain kind of sporty driving, goes for the scenery, the trees that sometimes form a hedge of honour on the road and then…the adrenaline that awaits you in the curves.

For Emmanuelle, who travels with her spouse, the advantage of this mode of transportation, in addition to seeing the landscape, is that it allows her to smelleverything. In the Gaspé Peninsula, the salty air delighted her. She likes the slowness of the motorcycle road trips she undertakes and the fact that she travels with the bare necessities.

Stéphane agrees and points out that he can enjoy the sun and the temperature when it’s good. He particularly enjoys meeting other motorcyclists along the way and being able to exchange with them. We both agree we cannot do this when in a car.

Plus…fuel economy does the trick.

Finally, Lucie likes to be outside, with the wind in her face, so she has the impression that all her worries fly away. Better than therapy, she says. Well yes, why not!

You had the feeling the milesopedia community was a heterogeneous group? You were right and that’s what struck us when we talked to our six road trip bikers.

First we have intrepid people in the group. Owners of a KTM 690 Enduro R 2019 and a gleaming Yamaha Tenere 700, 2021 which allow them to hum… how can I say, go on mud trips.

Their old 2010 BMW F800GS and 2008 BMW 1200 GS Adventure also took them off-road. Equipped with crash bars and skid plates. For beginners like me, I have learned that this type of equipment is a must for adventure motorcycling. The skid plate or engine block, for example, protects the underside of the motorcycle from the many impacts on unpaved trails. Although in Quebec, in the spring, asphalt or not…

We also have a road tripper on a Kawasaki ER-N-2014. The apple didn’t fall far from the tree, his mother is driving around on a Ryker, fully equipped. Of course he tried it!

The girls ride the 2011 Triumph Street Triple R, which is a sporty ride. Her father gifted her her first motorcycle for her 21st birthday.

Next, a Harley Davidson fan, FLHX Street Glide Special 2018 model, and finally as a happy passenger of a Polaris Slingshot after riding on a Polaris Vision and Gris Venture. Quite comfortable here.

How do our members dress? How do they prep their bike?

For the majority, there are side and tank cases, sometimes integrated into the model. One member opted for a simple backpack.

On the comfort side, heated coats and gloves for some, heated handles and helmets with headphones with double tinted visors for others.

I once got hit in the neck by a horsefly while driving at 120 km/hr. Never again without a full visor.

Charles

Well-ventilated protective clothing, for example made of Goretex. And in any case, raincoats that you keep on you or on top of your suitcase in case of emergency.

A word about helmets that retail between $100 and $1000. In Canada, DOT certification is required. Furthermore, the helmet is not mandatory in New Hampshire, it is optional.

When it’s wet, it’s wet…when it’s hot, it’s hot…when it’s cold, it’s cold…and when it’s cold and wet. Ouch!

Jonathan

And how many kilometres of asphalt do you swallow, ladies and gentlemen, in a day of road trip on a motorcycle?

Well, that depends. Let’s start with an extreme case. Let’s just say we’re not naming anyone. 1,700 kilometers in 24 hours. The Grand Canyon in 3 and a half days. Calgary-Bromont in three days. This is so that you can better enjoy the destination once you arrive.

Halfway there are those who will do 700-800 km in a day of road trip by motorcycle. Still.

It’s the opposite for others who want to take their time and will drive 400-500 km per day, to include a picnic stop and a restaurant in the evening. And finally, there are also those who only have the weekend to go to a festival, for example, and because of this they will limit themselves to 300-400 km of asphalt during the day.

Of course, it all depends on one’s temperament. For Jonathan and his “partner in crime”, Charles, the latter with his apprentice’s permit in his pocket, it was first Bromont, Albany, New York, Boston and back… in six days. We all agree that afterwards, he was no longer an apprentice.

For Emmanuelle, it was a tour of the Gaspé Peninsula that she would do a few more times. You know, the salty air!

For Stéphane, the first weekend getaway brought him to Chicoutimi via Route 175. He has nothing but praise for this road when leaving from Quebec City.

Audreyanne opted for Hampton Beach in and around New Hampshire for three days.

And finally, on their Harley, Lucie and her husband rode the mythical “Tail of the Dragon” to Deal’s Gap, North Carolina and the “Blue Ridge Parkway”.

As far as accommodation is concerned, some people opt for camping, but depending on the weather, youth hostels are quite popular. To be dry, warm, and to be able to use a shower and toilet nearby. Cabins and motels with kitchenette and sometimes BBQs are also popular for breakfast and lunch after a trip to the grocery store. But not everyone cooks on the road.

There are the proponents of the cheapest possible accommodation, but the bargain is not always a bargain when the air-conditioning makes even more noise than the traffic on the motorway next door and you pass the exterminator on your way out.

And finally we have of course those who prefer hotels with balconies, beautiful view where the restaurants are close enough to walk to, because you had a few glasses of wine. Their main expense will therefore be the roof over their heads, which will not be the case for our campers. Unless, of course, you use your points to pay for it.

I often use Air Miles, I set a valuation of 0.11 dollar for them. I also apply Cobalt Select points on this type of expenditure.

Emmanuelle

Gentlemen, ladies, you go have some special little stories to tell us. Anecdotes? Misadventures? Come on, tell me.

One day, I found a great beach to go to in Anse Bleue, New Brunswick. I put out the tent, I’m missing a pole… It’s in Escuminac, Quebec, where I slept the night before. I’m looking for a solution: the only solution is to go back and look for it, but it’s two hours away. I get there and I find it. I notice behind the Chic-Choc Mountains that the sky is threatening. I’m trying to get away as fast as I can, but the storm’s catching up with me. It’s raining so hard that the cars are stopped on the side of the road; I can’t find any place to pull over. There are literally torrents that cross the roads. I finally manage to hide in a garage that’s open. I found a hotel that was too expensive. The next day, I learned that it hadn’t rained at Anse Bleu. Um… all for a tent pole!

Jonathan

At the end of a trip in the Maritimes, the GPS directed us to a trucker’s route. For 4 hours, we drove without cellular connection, without service, on a road full of craters (not holes, craters!), among moose, deer and bears in the Siberian cold in the summer.

Well, we can say that since we have always been lucky in our travels that this misadventure is classified under the term “inconvenience” and that it was without consequence.

Emmanuelle

We went away for a long weekend without a booking. We came from Outaouais, an 8h drive to find no hotel/motel available. We turn back, stopping everywhere, and finally, we find something in Laval, of little quality, to leave for Quebec City the next day. This time not without first finding a place to stay for the evening.

You never get lost on a motorcycle… you just ride more!

Lucie