Any touring groups?

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Hey,

After taking a short road trip to Dover, I'm seriously wanting to start touring with my bike (M696). My eventual goal is to ride to St John's, NFLD and back with other riders (as opposed to going alone).

I'm wondering if there are any touring groups out there that do regular day-long or multi-day trips?

Thanks for any info!
 
I'd definitely be interested in this as well. Day longs to start before a weekend trip.
 
I don't want to be a debby downer, but touring alone can be more enjoyable. You're not confined to a groups schedule, route, sight seeing plans... etc. I used to do group rides (day rides only) but after having to deal with some overly anxious people (read: crashing and speeding) I decided to tour alone and I've never looked back.
 
I agree to a point but touring with a partner is safer and we Scala G4s to chat along the way.

I think anymore than 3 is a stretch tho we did have a hoot on last weekend with 5 ( originally 6 which speaks to your point ).
But it depends a bit on the experience/maturity of the riders.

I tend to be a tourist but will ride aggressively in the twisties at times.
I think the longer trips are safer with a partner and the Scala makes it very easy to make decisions and go on side trips.
 
I have done lots of group and solo trips.
The best ones by far have been solo. I can ride where I want, as long as I want, stop to piss or eat when I want, set up camp where I want.....and no one disagrees with my decisions,LOL I also like to see abandoned places etc, which often entails riding on less than perfect roads, sometimes no roads at all. This is often difficult or a problem with other riders.

That being said, had anything gone wrong (mechanical failure, crash etc) when I was solo, it would have been much worse to deal with than if I had been riding with someone.
 
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I've got a friend that I tour with. We know our riding styles are compatible and we get along well off the bikes which is also important when your spending a week or two with someone. I know that when he says "let's meet for breakfast at 7:30" he will be there and he knows that I'm the same. Like MacDoc, we use intercoms which allows us to chat, discuss directions and itinerary, and give heads up when we see hotties in cars. We always get separate hotel rooms which gives us some time apart when were on the road. There is a sense of security when you're riding with a buddy so that if anything does go wrong you've got some backup.

I'm planning on doing a 4 day solo ride in the fall which will be a new experience that I'm looking forward to.
 
The "Ideal Situation" is to have one riding partner who rides at your pace and can leave at a moment's notice. However, this is next to impossible, so I choose to ride alone. Last long weekend I went to WV. I arrived at the Buffalo border at 5:20 am yet still had to wait a half hour. A riding partner would have suggested a later departure time which would have meant a +2 hour wait at the border. As well, I can ride at my own pace. To be honest it gets lonely eating dinner by yourself, but over all I still prefer to ride alone.
 
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I think people get a little unncessarily intimidated by the term "touring". A road trip is just a series of day trips strung together. If you can ride 500 kms a day (which is a pretty easy day), you can do a 5,000 km road trip - it will just take you ten days to do it.
 
omnivore said:
I have done lots of group and solo trips.
The best ones by far have been solo. I can ride where I want, as long as I want, stop to piss or eat when I want, set up camp where I want.....and no one disagrees with my decisions,LOL I also like to see abandoned places etc, which often entails riding on less than perfect roads, sometimes no roads at all. This is often difficult or a problem with other riders.

That being said, had anything gone wrong (mechanical failure, crash etc) when I was solo, it would have been much worse to deal with than if I had been riding with someone.
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I agree somewhat with this and what some have said about riding solo. It is often better.

Generally I do not get lonely.

My aproach:
- have a bike in good working condition
- take a cellphone just in case
- get a hard copy map so no reliance on electronics working or not getting a signal. Map works in all conditions
- put cash & passport in pocket
- get CAA health insurance & towing
- ride until your heart is content

Sometimes when riding with other(s) they may want to have a few drinks at night which is when you might see them change a bit and start lying.....which can eventually put a damper on the trip or its memory.

On one of my previous solo trips I ended up getting an airplane ride offer from another bike rider in Nashville who was a retired ABC reporter. I declined as I did not have the extra time but will look the person up next year maybe. I meet all kinds of nice and interesting people when I stop to eat, ask for directions or in the evening. Once I got invited to a big biker bbq for charity in Vermont when at a gas station.

Of course if you have a person who is 'special' to you that comes along then that can improve a ride/tour.
 
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My wife and I just finished a week long 2300 km trip around lake ont and into lake George, ny. It was our first trip and it was kinda nice just to drive when we wanted break when we wanted. I've gone with buddies but sometimes that just seems to scheduled. I guess it just depends on what kinda riding you want to do and if the group is into the same style of riding.
 
just did a 14,700 km solo trip in 28 days this summer....had a blast, people are very open & friendly on the road but it does get a little lonely sometimes. My ideal trip would be with a compatible rider/friend, but I'd rather tour solo than not tour at all. Touring with a person you clash with would be hell. Hardly a day goes by that I don't think about my next long distance bike adventures. "Just do it!"
 
matthew said:
I don't want to be a debby downer, but touring alone can be more enjoyable. You're not confined to a groups schedule, route, sight seeing plans... etc. I used to do group rides (day rides only) but after having to deal with some overly anxious people (read: crashing and speeding) I decided to tour alone and I've never looked back.
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Matt is spot on. Unless you're with a small group (2-4) of people you know well and who's riding you trust. Group rides are generally a cat herding affair with the opportunity for mishaps thrown in.

Riding by yourself ensures you leave and arrive when YOU want. It also means that YOU get to call the shots. I find nothing is more liberating than coming to an intersection and picking the direction based on which road looks more interesting. That said it's nice now and then to follow someone you trust and then just take in the scenery knowing that the map reading/directions are in somebody elses hands.
 
Not sure where you are but there are clubs that do all day rides as well as long rides. Our club rides Tuesday evenings as well as all day Saturdays, we also get away on long trips once or twice a year.

You can check out Golden Horseshoe Riding Club www.goldenhorseshoerc.ca There are many good reasons to belong to a club but as you have heard, there are also people who have either had a bad taste or just like to ride alone. I respect their right to ride alone and I hope they respect your right to chose. Check out the site and if there is not a chapter in your area you may think about opening and running a chapter in your town or city. I like to ride with a group and at times by myself or with just my wife who also rides..
 
I like to have a compatible riding partner and ideally with a Scala as chatting makes some of the boring stretches go by and allows easy comm for " let's try that road" or pit stop etc.
We found that having the trailing rider navigating while the lead rider kept an eye out on road hazards etc was best method as it's easy to tell the lead rider where to turn and the lead rider can tell the navigator about any upcoming issues.

Doing more and more solo now Jay is moving out west and with a fancy new camera probably that's the best course for me tho riding to area it's nice to have company and maybe meetup for breakfast or supper and compare notes.
Not riding the twisties as hard this year - getting my jollies on forest tracks in Australia and the new windshield is a tad higher so not quite as good viz in the twists.

Looking more for photo ops lately. My 2¢
 
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