My first lessons in motorcycle adventure touring

I've was riding for almost 1 full year in the Los Angeles area before I actually took the big plunge. My local rides were around 22 mile commute (round trip). The trip, on the other hand, was a 740 odd mile (round trip) up the California central coast to Morro Bay (spring 2008) where the group has reservation at a campsite. I didn't think anything of it having made the same span in about 4 to 5 hours in a car, how bad could it be? This was what I learned:

1. Motorcycles and cars are very different with regards to long distance travel: cars are relatively comfortable whereas on a motorcycle one has to contend with wind, noise, lots of vibration, the elements and putting up with... cars and trucks!

2. In motorcycle touring where your destination is a campsite you literally ARE going camping... on a motorcycle! You have to pack enough gear, including cold weather gear and camping related equipment such as tent, sleeping bag, etc. Asking others in the group that had prior experience is a must. Most of all plan ahead and be prepared.

3. Even though we had breaks in between checkpoints (typically 70 miles) there were long durations where one's "derriere" gets very numb because of vibrations and sitting in one spot. One would learn how to alternate "cheeks" to help with the hotspots and legs stretched while riding.

4. My wrists hurt badly, especially for the right one, for being on the throttle and the other on the clutch constantly. I would later learned how to do a couple of simple stretching exercises to help alleviate the problem.

5. The weather during this ride was cold and with windchill became unbearable at times. Plan ahead with the correct clothing for weather is a must.

What I did correctly:

1. I thoroughly checked out my BMW F650ST motorcycle before the trip: battery water level, oil level, coolant, etc., basically all the regular maintenance stuff and suffered no mechanical problems. However, I learned something about the BMW F650ST motorcycle... it tended to overheat when I'm in low gear (1st, 2nd, 3rd gear-going slow) too often and for long durations (as it happened when we were in the mountains). I learned to watch that temperature overheat light!

2. Before the trip my brother and I decided on an intercom system, one set of radios each. It worked beautifully! And were the savior when people in the pack became separated. I rode tail while my brother rode lead and we stayed in constant contact. Besides that, the radios helped kill boredom on those long stretches when you have someone to talk to, keeping you alert and not fall asleep. Sure better than hand signals.

It was definitely a motorcycle adventure (and endurance) tour (lasted one weekend) and was extremely fun. Learned a lot about myself and my BMW F650ST motorcycle in the process.