Sometimes we invite a friend to join us on a trip, and the answer is: I would love to do it it, but I don’t have the bike for it. It has very short autonomy.
This happens, most of the time, because the main objective of the choice may not have been to travel. But still, is it really that much of an obstacle to a longer getaway?
Most of the time, the biggest obstacle to giving an affirmative answer to a challenge of this kind that is launched, is not the autonomy of the motorbike. It’s accepting taking a step forward, despite all the existing stereotypes.
On the first longer trips we took, we were also faced with some “fears and ghosts” of isolation, distance, you mention them… But all of this was nothing more than the (legitimate) fear of those who were going to leave their comfort zone for the first time, to venture into other cultures, habits, and ways of being.
As the kilometers pass, we realize that there are genuinely good people everywhere, who want to live their lives and welcome people in their country. As for the others, there is a Portuguese music that tells you to, in these situations, “whistle to the side”!
Once these psychological obstacles are overcome, the world is the limit. Take the example of the Portuguese owner of “Tremoço (Lupine)”, the yellow Honda Monkey with which he traveled around the world.
The issue of motorcycle autonomy is a fallacy, easily overcome. Within reasonable limits, everything can be planned to deal with this issue. An important tip is that the longer the trip, the more often and over shorter distances you should stop, even for a short period of time. Not letting tiredness accumulate is the secret. Therefore, as is easy to conclude, the refueling issue is no longer a problem.
However, as even in Europe, at night there are many petrol stations that close, if for example the range is 200 kms, then in these situations, plan trips as if it were 100 kms and proportionally for greater capacities.
This grants you the room to what I call predicting the “fear factor”.
I’ve stopped to help other motorcyclists, who had motorcycles with a range of almost 400 kms, but forgot that they had to carry a puncture repair kit with them… and stopped on the road, with the tank almost full.
It’s a mistake to think that I have a motorcycle that only takes me here or there. Guess what, I’m the one taking the motorbike, it won’t go anywhere on its own!
I once read a phrase that I’ve never forgotten: It doesn’t matter what motorcycle you have, what matters is what you do with it!
Enjoy your ride.
