8 tips to make your weekend rides better

Motorcycling is heavily influenced by the spirit of adventure and nomadic tendencies, and if I may use a rather cliched word, wanderlust. While none of us can really move out of the city and make a sustainable living, riding into the canyons on the weekend lends a certain sense of tranquillity that very few things can match up to. When you ask a motorcyclist why they ride, I’m sure there’s a ton of emotions that bubble up to the surface. But the bitter truth is that every ride comes with its own hassles and fallbacks. Well we’re here to help you with a few pointers that will help you avoid being in untoward situations.

Prepping your bike:

In order to ensure that you have a smooth ride on the weekends with your buddies, the most important thing is to get your bike up to a 100 per cent of its capabilities. Simple things like cleaning and lubing the chain, along with adjusting it to the right position go a long way. Also, checking tyre pressure and tread wear also could make a world of difference. Fueling up the day before also gives you one less thing to do in the morning.

Riding in the daylight:

Something I have stuck to since day one of my weekend rides or touring is riding while the sun shines. While there are countless reasons for this, I’m going to list the two most important ones. First – visibility is a prime factor in every journey and secondly, the fact that it’s easier to spot landmarks and other essential services. Let’s not take away from the fact that the scenery is also a big part of weekend rides and that you’re probably going to see none of it if you’re riding in the dark. Preferably, you’d want to step out and ride at dawn so that you’re not under the scorching sun at noon.

Choosing your pack wisely:

Pace is another key factor in any weekend ride. So it’s really important to find people who ride at a similar pace that you do.This is important because a lack of it’ll simply lead to people being left behind and one person waiting for another if your pace varies. Why it is also preferable to ride with friends is that when something goes wrong, which is a very real possibility, they’re ready to help in any way they can. However, if you’re the kind who likes hitting the road by yourself, by all means, you should. Exercising caution is always the best way to do things without being dependent.

Carrying the right supplies:

If it hasn’t crossed your mind already, being prepared with enough food and drink to keep you on the road is essential for a weekend ride. Wherever you go, it’s always a good idea to stuff the pipe if your hydration pack into your helmet so that you don’t need to stop every time you want to sip on some water or beverage of your choice. Another thing to keep in mind is that many times, especially during the pandemic, local dhabas may not be serviceable or serve food that agrees with you. Hence, it’s a good idea to pack some grub from home.

Mapping out your ride:

Knowing where fuel pumps and rest stops are in your route can ease your mind to a large extent. You don’t want to be looking at your fuel gauge wondering when the next pump will appear like an oasis in the desert. While this contradicts the spontaneity of weekend rides, it just might help you be a bit less anxious about the journey. One up-side of riding motorcycles is that you never need to worry about toll booths because you can just ride past like its just another obstacle on the road.

Wear all the riding gear you own:

While we all just want to have fun on our weekend rides, safety should also take top priority while we do so. To ensure this, having a full riding kit will help reduce injury significantly, should something untoward happen. If you haven’t bought a lot of the gear yet, at least a helmet should be compulsory for obvious reasons. Trust me when I say this, the more gear you have strapped on, the more confident you are on your motorcycle, owing to the calm assurance that if you were to fall, you’d make it out with a few scratches and not a few broken bones.

Choosing the right destination:

While the journey is what a motorcyclist really enjoys, choosing the right point B can be equally as important. I hate mentioning this again, but a lot of our favourite spots could be shut due to the covid-19 restrictions. What I’m getting at here, is that if you’re riding to a point that you’re going to enjoy as much as the ride, it gives you a higher sense of accomplishment and satisfaction when you actually make it there. Since we’re on the brink of the retreating monsoons, a simple google search for waterfalls or lakes near you should make it pretty easy. One more quick tip is to find remote destinations so that you can chill with your buddies with no one around to create an issue.

Preparing for the worst:

They say it’s better to be safe than sorry. This holds true to any form of motorcycling as well. You can never really overdo it on the safety front since our roads are a dangerous place to be . In case of the worst, some things you can do are – keep emergency details available on your phone’s lock screen, wallet and anywhere else which would be easily accessible. Another age-old practice is to mention your blood group on your bike or helmet so that a medical worker would know the same in case you’re not in a condition to speak.

Lastly, I’d like to tell you that it doesn’t matter how fast you are or how low you can go while carving corners, weekend rides are all about having fun. Competition is great but should be left for the track only. You should never let anything get in the way of fun or pose a threat to the people around you. Be considerate in everything you do. Being kind and courteous to the people you interact with on your rides can go a long way in making your weekend rides an enjoyable experience.