Info 101, planning an overnight motorcycle trip; choosing the group

November 14, 8:45 AMShreveport Motorcycle Travel ExaminerMary Baker

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When planning an overnight motorcycle trip, there are many things to think about and do.  As the planner, it is important to get organized, and consider the many options.  A calendar and a checklist is essential in the planning process.  Use the calendar to determine the best date for the trip.  Read about determining the date and destination at Info 101:  Ride planning, road trip, Beale Street, Memphis, TN. 

Checklists for planning a ride are difficult to find on the web.  A quick google search brought up results that included mostly packing checklists, but I did find one site at MicaPeak dot com that allows one to make a customized checklist, and as this series continues, I'll use it to make a checklist of this trip and provide the final checklist in a future article. 

The first item on the checklist is to determine a destination and date, and in this series of Info 101, the planning will revolve around a trip from Shreveport, Louisiana to Memphis, Tennessee.  Now that the date and destination has been determined, next, decide what type of group; large or small.  Does the group have the same interests, same riding style, and will they get along on an overnight trip? 

• Will the group be large or small?  - This depends on how many days are available for travel, experience level and riding style of riders, type of motorcycles, and personal desires.  If there are only a few days available for travel, the group may have to ride long distances between rests, and all riders are not capable of this.  The experience level and riding style comes into play here.  Don't invite riders who can only go 60 miles at a time if you plan on riding tank to tank.  It's not fair to them, and it will only serve to aggravate the other riders.  The type of motorcycle has to be considered here, too.  If someone typically rides a metric sport bike or an off-road vehicle, their style will most likely not be compatible with that of a touring bike.  Be certain to address this question to prospective riders.  Also, bikes with smaller gas tanks will have no choice but to stop more frequently, so consider that factor, too.  Finally, personal desires must be addressed.  Determine what riders might expect from the trip.  Will it be a historical trip?  Will the destination be a party or rally?  In other words, address the "why" of the trip.  In this example, the trip is to Beale Street in Memphis, and will be a party atmosphere.  Non drinkers may not be interested in this type of ride.  On the other hand, they might.  It is important to discover this in advance. 

• How to select a group - In an era of social networking, your options are great.  You can use Twitter of Facebook to invite friends or groups, or post it on a blog.  If you don't want strangers asking to ride with you, be sure to use more traditional methods such as face to face invites, phone calls or other personal invitations.  If you want to open it up to a group you belong to such as the Harley Owner's Group, contact their director and webmaster for permission. 

Once the destination is determined and the group is selected, we'll discover the topics of choosing a hotel, planning an itinerary, packing for the trip, WIFI and phone service availability along the way, where to stop for fuel, excursions along the way, emergency tool kits, first aid kits, and more.  Stop by frequently for continuing planning articles or click on "subscribe" above to get notifications in your email in box when they are published. 

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