Recommended Reading: Motorcycle Travel, Camping and Touring
September 30, 2009
While preparing to take a motorcycle camping trip, I found several books particularly helpful. I wanted to pass them along to you.
The Motorcycle Safety Foundation’s Guide to Motorcycling Excellence
The Motorcycle Safety Foundation develops rider education and safety courses. Motorcycling Excellence includes everything from the pre-ride inspection to riding in traffic. It will get you well on your way to learning safe riding techniques and strategies. Great for beginners and experienced riders alike.
Proficient Motorcycling: The Ultimate Guide to Riding Well
David L. Hough is one of my favorite motorcycle journalists. For many years, he wrote a monthly column on motorcycling skills for Motorcycle Consumer News. Proficient Motorcycling will expand on what you learn from the MSF’s guide. The free CD comes with 144 bonus pages.
The Essential Guide to Motorcycle Travel
Dale Coyner’s Essential Guide to Motorcycle Travel provides information on tips, technology, and advanced techniques for traveling by motorcycle. It is a good, all-purpose book for anyone planning a road trip. I particularly liked the instructions on adding a fuse block (for less than $50) to your bike, which I plan to do over the winter. (I would like to be able to charge my cell phone.)
Bob Woofter wrote this guide in 2002. If you have not gone camping with a motorcycle, Motorcycle Camping Made Easy will help you figure out how to select and fit “a hundred pounds of equipment onto a machine not much larger than a bicycle.” Some of it you will know; some of it you will not know. The book includes a list of equipment suppliers.
Get Motorcycle Touring Information Online
If you prefer to get your information online, Dale Borgeson offers a detailed tutorial on motorcycle touring for beginners. Take it “with a grain of salt.”
You can also check out Basem Wasef’s guide to motorcycles at About.com, particularly his introductory article “Planning a Great Road Trip: Motorcycle Touring 101.”
For touring news and features, check out Motorcycle USA.
Posted Under: Motorcycle Events, Motorcycle Products and Accessories Tags: Motorcycle Safety, motorcycle touring, motorcycle travel, motorcycle trip
