I travel alone 75% of the time and have almost always regretted the times I've let someone talk me into taking them along. I always get stuck with doing all the route planning, accommodation arrangements, leading on the road and basically all the responsibility -and all the criticism - too much highway - not enough highway - roads are too straight, too curvy, too hard, too easy - etc.
Anyway - I love travelling alone for other reasons. I like the connection I feel with my bike, the road and the countryside without the distraction of other riders. I agree with the point in the article that solo riders meet more people while travelling than in a group and I am never lonely on my trips.
I am aware of the increased risk in travelling alone, but I don't think its as much as some people imagine. I have my bike inspected and serviced before a big trip - I leave an itinerary, check in with my family at the end of the day and update if I change my plans.
In all my solo touring I only had one unnerving incident - in Colorado I pulled into a motel parking lot to ask at the office about vacancies and before I could park the bike, a half dozen scruffy looking men had come out of their motel rooms and were looking at me like I was meals on wheels - so I just kept rolling on - so a little common sense and trusting your instincts goes a long way.
I know a lot of riders (both men and women) who either prefer to ride alone or might like a companion, but wouldn't cancel their road trip because they couldn't find someone to ride with them - and no one I know has had bad experiences riding alone - at least in Canada and continental U.S.
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