Riding alone. Pros and cons.

I am of limited mechanical knowledge, so definitely one thing holding me back from a solo long ride. But many good points that I agree with.

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most of my riding is done solo - nothing over 6 hours so far though. Agree with he points made in the article and follow most of them. Don't have a GPS tracker on my person - can't have the wife knowing how many refreshment stops i make - :)
 
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Joe Bass said:
I am of limited mechanical knowledge, so definitely one thing holding me back from a solo long ride. But many good points that I agree with.

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Don't let this stop you. There are always helpful folks along the way. Take it from me, I know.

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Personally I do somewhat prefer solo...It is nice to ride with a group of friends, but too often than not you end up with people who want to ride at different times, at different speeds, etc, etc.

That said, you do need to remember you are less visible to others when you are out alone vs in a group, and also if you go down, there could likely be no one nearby to assist or even notice that you went down at all. I think the article does a good job though regarding letting someone know you are out, rough route, and when you should be back (in case you aren't), as well as bringing a cell phone, credit cards, etc. CAA Plus is also good in case you have a breakdown, and a battery pack isn't a bad idea in case you somehow end up with a dead phone battery.

As for mechanical breakdowns though...is that really something many worry about? Maybe it is just because I have modern vehicles, but that never really crosses my mind much, besides maybe a blowout if I hit a nail or something. Most modern bikes should be as reliable as most modern cars...
 
Those who ride in groups often are used to the group mind set.
Everyone goes the same speed, maintain your position in the group etc.
If you find yourself unable to deal with these attitudes, if you want to ride at your own speed and make your own stops, ride solo.
 
statsman said:
Those who ride in groups often are used to the group mind set.
Everyone goes the same speed, maintain your position in the group etc.
If you find yourself unable to deal with these attitudes, if you want to ride at your own speed and make your own stops, ride solo.
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Depending on the group dynamics though, sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't, as things can vary wildly depending on who shows up, and if the bulk of those who do want to ride reasonably, or ride more spiritedly in the twisties, or just want to flat out break the sound barrier 99% of the time. I still contend the best group riding is done with a small group of like-minded friends, as larger groups can be a lot more hit or miss.

I do a fair amount of group riding, but I typically watch to see who hosts and who all signs up to try and get a feel on what type it will be. So far I've only ever bailed on a ride 2-3 times due to wanting to keep my record clean, especially on boring straight roads. Let the host know that I bailed in all cases too via text so they wouldn't be looking for me afterwards.
 
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After finishing a long trip to southeast USA (solo) which had variable weather and a flat tire I will not go again (completely alone). The hotel cost is double as well.

I have a roadside warranty as well (free with the bike) including mechanical breakdown coverage. It does give you greater peace of mind if you are far away.

Bike came with soft OE tires which would pick up anything .Luckily I had slime installed into the tire so I could make it to a dealer to get a new rear tire.

I prefer to travel with one other for safety and max 2.

BB
 
Con- away from the other half for long periods of time

Pro- away from the other half for long periods of time.
 
meme said:
Con- away from the other half for long periods of time

Pro- away from the other half for long periods of time.
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I freaking love the way you think! Lolz ?

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statsman said:
Those who ride in groups often are used to the group mind set.
Everyone goes the same speed, maintain your position in the group etc.
If you find yourself unable to deal with these attitudes, if you want to ride at your own speed and make your own stops, ride solo.
Click to expand...

This is puzzling but kind of cute I guess. Today, out in the middle of nowhere/no cars for multiples of minutes, I comes over a rise in the road and what confronts me? Six yodudes riding *** to cheek. I don't want this explained to me.
 
I tend to ride solo on anything up to 5 days. Especially with Winding Roads lets me go at my own pace , take photos etc.
Longer trips I enjoy with the kid - SENAs make coordinating fuel stops ( he has about half the range of he Wee ) and food stops - points interest etc. Chatting makes boring parts go by and nice to share ooohs and ahhs on the better bits and DID YOU SEE THAT DAMN DEER!!!!!

We found the putting te navigating rider behiind shared the tasks better. Front rider kept an eye on road haards, interesting things - second rider navigated.
This only worked in non-urban areas.

Maybe lucky but no mechanical break downs ever in the modern era :D
Nastiest tho was a shredded tire in rural PA that turned into an 11 hour marathon to get a tow...glad the kid was available on that one.

With Smart phone tech - even out of network range is much more reassuring regarding fuel, food

Mostly solo for me ....the article is well done.
 
I ride solo all the time. I haven't had the time for a long tour in quite a while. If the opportunity came up I'd jump on it solo or not.

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Question for those who use iPhones for navigation...apparently the new Google Maps can do turn by turn? I haven't tested it myself, but it would be fantastic if it could do turn by turn on a custom route (done in Google Maps on a PC).

Arguably this is one of the main reasons I'm still thinking about a Zumo in future...really want the ability to set up a route the day before on a computer, then push to a device and have it feed me that route over the Sena.
 
All of my tours have been solo, but you do meet ppl along the way and hang with them a while sometimes. Longest was a month as far as LA and shortest about a week to Tenn.

No GPS or smart phones. Paper maps don't break down and give you a big picture to let you decide where to wanted to.
 
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That checks out. Distance and travel time is inextricably linked. I will also hang with people. That's more open ended.
 
Half my riding is done in small groups, balance solo. Key thing here is the size of the group. Max number of 5 riders (3 is ideal) and you have to be relatively compatible to make it work. Similar start times, break frequency and duration, riding style and competency, stop time etc...............

I've learned to stay away from large groups, in particular at ST events. You can say "Everyone rides at their own pace" 50 times but invariably someone gets sucked along riding faster than they are comfortable and crashes.
 
I just did a 7000 mile trip on my Harley by myself. Didn't think twice about it. I know lots of guys who prefer to ride solo, without the drag of other people. Group rides are fun too, but there are times when you just wanna go on your own you know? My bike is in great shape and I fix everything I own. Nobody but me repairs my bikes and I do most of my riding alone.

I can tell you I met some of the nicest people driving solo across the U.S.A. If you listen to the media everyone there is knife murderer, or a robber with a gun. It's all shameless negative sensationalism. There are some great people to meet and talk to. I don't think I would have met them if I was in a group.
 
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