Preparing for a Long Motorcycle Journey: Mental and Physical Readiness

There’s something very special about that quiet time before the ride—when the map’s still folded, the bike’s waiting, and your heart’s just starting to lean toward whatever you may find down the road. That’s when the journey really begins.

In this episode, we get into the soul of trip planning—not just the “where,” but the deeper “why.” Are you riding to shake loose the dust of everyday life? To chase a dream route that’s lived in your head for years? Or maybe to feel that kind of freedom you only get when it’s just you, the bike, and the open road. Whatever it is, let that purpose guide your plans. It’ll shape your ride in ways a GPS never could.

We’ll also talk practical prep—because a well-loved motorcycle deserves some love before the adventure. Do your maintenance early. Take her out for a shakedown ride. Pack with purpose: layers, tools, tape, and those little things that become lifesavers when you're miles from the nearest town. Think of your route like jazz—lay down the structure, but leave space for improvisation. Rest days matter. Getting lost can be beautiful. And yes, stop for that homemade pie.

Whether you’re riding solo or with your crew, planning isn’t about controlling the ride—it’s about creating space to be present. To wave at a kid in the back seat. To pull over for a view that stops your breath. To feel the road not just under your tires, but in your soul.

I'd love to hear what you’re planning and why you ride. Drop me a line at [e-mail]

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Episode Transcript

Ron (00:13):
Today we're diving into something that stirs the soul of
every motorcycle rider.
I think it's safe to sayPlanning for a long motorcycle
trip, and not just preparingyour bike and your gear and your
map and all the barenecessities, but also preparing
yourself, having the mindset,developing the rhythm for the

(00:36):
road, the intention behind thisepic journey that it very well
may be.
This is one of my favoritetopics as I plan my own long
rides for this summer.
Just love it.
Can't wait to talk with youabout it.
So thank you so much forjoining me today.
Stay tuned.
Recorded in beautiful Loveland,colorado.

(01:03):
Welcome to Peace, love Moto.
The podcast for motorcyclistsseeking that peaceful, easy
feeling as we cruise throughthis life together.
Are you ready?
Let's go.

(01:30):
As we speak, I'm planning amulti-day motorcycle ride.
I'm going west, I think A bitnorth at first and even a bit
south mid-trip, but mostly west.
I know that sounds a little bitimprecise, yeah, I know, but
that's how I like to travel.
When I'm traveling alone, Idon't know.
Too much planning feels toobinding, for lack of a better

(01:54):
word.
But that's just me, I know.
Not enough planning iscertainly a bad idea, but I
don't know.
Too much planning too justbothers me, takes the fun out of
it, I think.
So here's some advice Beforeyou start marking up your map
and tuning the bike and gettingready for this journey, take a
moment to ask yourself why thistrip?

(02:18):
And why now?
Are you chasing some kind ofhorizon that's out there that
you've not seen before?
Because I don't know, becauseyou want to clear your head.
Are you searching for something, maybe even escaping from
something?
Or maybe you're just honoring alifelong dream to ride the

(02:39):
Pacific Coast or the Blue RidgeParkway or the open plains of
the Dakotas?
Yeah, I get it, I've been there.
So here's a suggestion Let yourwhy shape your ride.
If it's solitude you're after,maybe avoid the big motorcycle
rallies and lean toward thosequiet, scenic routes and the

(03:02):
little bitty towns in the middleof nowhere.
But here's a suggestion Letyour why shape your ride.
Consider this, if you will.

(03:23):
There's no wrong reason to takea long motorcycle ride.
Just make sure the tripreflects your intentions.
That's how the ride becomesmore than just a ride.
That's how a motorcycle rideturns into a journey, something
that may even shape you.
Yeah, I think there's a largedifference between a long ride

(03:48):
and a journey.
Your motorcycle is more than amachine.
It's your partner in thisadventure.

(04:08):
It's a partner you will reallydepend on when you begin
planning a ride that's going tobe far from home.
So before you begin yourplanning for a long trip, don't
just check the basics.
You know oil and tires and allthat good stuff.
That's a no-brainer.
If you're completelycomfortable with your own

(04:31):
maintenance, then check yourbike end-to-end and if you're
not that comfortable, go to aprofessional.
Have your bike looked at reallyclosely, whether it's a local
shop or a dealership.
But here's a tip Do work withyour bike well in advance of
your departure, maybe even weeksbefore you leave.

(04:51):
And my suggestion is, after youdo that maintenance and have
those changes made or whatever,ride a few hundred miles on that
bike before you head out onyour real long trip.
Make sure everything is good togo.
Take it from a guy who haslearned the hard way a time or
two to yeah, do the work on thebike, ride it a lot, then head

(05:16):
out on your trip making sureeverything is good to go at that
point.
Here's another tip Pack light,but pack smart.
Here's another tip Pack lightbut pack smart.
Bring wearable gear that layerswell, tools for basic repairs
and the two items I take onevery ride zip ties and gorilla

(05:37):
tape.
You may find yourself in themiddle of nowhere with the need
to secure something and youdon't have the right size bolt,
for example.
Maybe if that happens, then zipties and gorilla tape can be
your best friend.
I have experienced that myself.
And now comes the fun part theroute.

(05:59):
Will you be camping or moteling?
Have you decided?
If you're going to go camping,well, that's a whole other stack
of gear.
Right, we won't go there thistime, but yeah, that takes some
extra planning.
If you're planning to moto camp, Are you planning to take the

(06:19):
back roads or just hit thehighways?
You're going out and back, ormaybe doing a large loop?
You know, I've heard it saidthat you should plan your ride
like a jazz musician have astructure but leave room for
improvisation.
Build in rest days, days whereyou're still on the bike, maybe,

(06:43):
but just a little bit lessmileage, just taking it slow,
lots of breaks and leave spacefor the unexpected.
The best stories usually comefrom the roads we didn't plan to
take or some amazing people orplaces we didn't expect to
encounter.
That's been the case for meover and over again.

(07:03):
That's part of the reason forthis podcast too.
I've met so many wonderfulpeople along the way and seen so
many wonderful things thatmother nature has put right in
front of me right there on theroad things that Mother Nature
has put right in front of meright there on the road.
So, that being said, when you'reout I keep calling it in the
middle of nowhere, which we havethat out here in the West where

(07:30):
there's not always cell phoneservice.
So don't depend on your phonenecessarily to guide you along
on your journey.
Like I said, like here in theWestern United States, there are
lots of locations out therethat there is no cellular
service.
So a paper map, maybe yourfriend, and most definitely a
GPS something maybe your phonedoes this too if you have a
later model phone, but a GPSdevice can be super duper

(07:55):
helpful.
I ran into a situation where Iwas looking for a bed and
breakfast type of thing inBritish Columbia way up, when
there was no cell phone serviceand I had no GPS with me and I
was trying to find an addresswhere I could not find this
address forever.
So finally did.
I'll share that story anothertime.

(08:17):
It turned out to be a wonderfultime at the home of some
wonderful people.
But, yeah, I kind of got lostin British Columbia for just a
little bit.
So a good map will serve youwell, and otherwise just ask for
help.
I know us guys don't typicallydo that, but just pull into the

(08:37):
local gas station and just sayI'm lost, can you help me out?
In most cases, they can Keep inmind too.
There's some wonderful apps outthere, and maps certainly, but
an app that I use every once ina while is Reverb.
I think that that's been quitegood, and then Butler Maps are
certainly wonderful to helpbuild your put together a

(08:58):
wonderful route.
And remember, though, that thisis your ride.
Don't let technology or evenmaps dictate what kind of
experience that you may have.
It may be just fantastic, evengetting lost occasionally.
That can be pretty great.
A long ride can be exhilarating, most certainly, but it can

(09:39):
also be a little bit lonely.
Know that before you start on along ride, so that you can have
the right mindset.
And here's a tip Practicemindfulness.
If you don't already know whatmindfulness is, I've heard the
expression breathe, and knowthat you're breathing.

(09:59):
Yeah, that's a whole subject ofits own, but it's weaved
through this podcast quite a lotactually.
But here's a tip Spend time offthe bike too.
We love to ride, but spend sometime off the bike to take a walk
and even meditate.
Just be quiet, listen to yourmom, listen to Mother Nature out

(10:23):
there.
She speaks quietly sometimes.
Right, we talk about that a lottoo.
It's especially important too.
As a motorcycle rider and youprobably know this as you've
been riding for a while you'vegot to stretch.
That's where all the aches andpains come from, is we're
sitting in the same spot forhours at a time, oftentimes with
our hands and our feet in thesame position sometimes, and we

(10:46):
just need to stretch.
So if you're traveling solo,get comfortable with being by
yourself, and if you're ridingwith others, set the
expectations for the group earlyon.
This always pays off what theriding pace is going to be.
If you don't know your fellowriders, where the fuel stops
need to be Some bikes can go alot further on a tank of gas

(11:09):
than others and evencommunication signals those are
really, really helpful.
So the road is not a place forconfusion or disagreements.
Get everything settled early on.
Either, like I said, if you'reriding by yourself or riding
with others, have the rightmindset and just be ready for an

(11:29):
epic journey with twists andturns that you may not expect at
all.
And most importantly, I guessalong that line is just stay
flexible.
Not every day is going to go asit was planned.
There's going to be detours,weather issues, road issues,
maybe sore muscles most likely.

(11:51):
But just breathe, take a breath, adjust yourself, adjust your
mind and be grateful to thestars above for the opportunity
to ride.
I'll kind of begin to closewith this.

(12:11):
When you finally do hit theroad, just be present.
Don't chase the miles just tosay you did.
I'm so guilty of that.
Savor the ride, savor the time.
Smell the pine trees.
Wave at that kid in the carnext to you who's staring.

(12:32):
It'll just thrill them.
That'll make their day if youwave at them.
That'll make their day if youwave at them.
Take the long way when you canStop for a pie and a great cup
of coffee at a local cafesomewhere.
And remember your planned tripis not just about going
somewhere, it's about beingsomewhere.

(12:54):
Every ride is a chance toreconnect with yourself and the
world around you, and that's thebeauty of motorcycling.
It is a beautiful thing, it isa beautiful gift that we get to

(13:16):
do.
So, wherever your journey takesyou, from high mountain passes
to open prairies, may your heartstay open and your spirit stay
curious and, most importantly,stay free.
Thank you so much for joiningme today.

(13:36):
If you're planning your ownlong ride, I'd love to hear
about it.
Drop me an email and share yourroute, or just say hello.
That's ron at peacelovemotocom.
So until next time, ride safe,ride far if you can and ride

(13:59):
with your heart.
No-transcript.