What to Bring
How much you can bring depends, in part, on how much room you have.
1.Riding Clothing
2.Non-Riding Clothes
3.Tools and parts
Riding Clothing
This list of riding clothing has evolved over the years and will probably continue to evolve. I try to bring a minimum amount of clothes that will offer maximum crash protection and still protect me form the elements. Take gear to cover temperatures from below freezing to over 38° C, rain or shine. Take the same gear on every trip, no matter the time of year or where you are going.
Basic General Clothing For Reasonable Conditions
•Helmet
•Fog City visor liner
I always have one installed in my helmet. Some people don't like them but I think that they're great. They completely eliminate visor fogging.
•Spare clear helmet visor for those that have a tinted visor.
•Glasses, Sun Glasses
•Earplugs
•riding suit
A textile / Gortex suite with armour are very comfortable and convenient and are my preference when touring.
•leather jacket
One with large vents that can be closed.
•thermal liner for jacket
You do have a jacket with a removable liner, don't you?
•leather riding pants
•Jeans
I don't ride in jeans on tour but do wear them on short trips around town after I've stopped for the day. Jeans protect better than shorts but not much better.
•gauntlet type Leather Gloves
These are your regular riding gloves that you wear most of the time.
•long sleeved cotton T-shirt
A long sleeve cotton T-shirt under your jacket, no matter how hot. Yeah, you'll sweat but at you won't be sticking to the jacket. It's very uncomfortable when your skin is sticking to the jacket.
•Bike Pants
You wear these under your pants instead of underwear. This is the best thing you can to prevent but burn. They work great, even under Jeans. There are no seams across your butts that feel like stones after about 400kms and you don't stick to your pants. They are more comfortable when it's really hot and warmer in the cold.
•Sox
White cotton athletic sox.
•Boots
I presently wear Gortex Touring Boots. They offer about the best protection you can get. They are 100% waterproof.
For the Rain
•rain suit
I prefer a two-piece - they're easier to get on and off, and you can wear just the pants when the road is wet but it's not raining.
For Heat
•hot weather gloves
For the Cold
•neck cover / warmer
When you want to seal the neck opening.
•cold weather gloves
You can use any decent leather cold weather glove although a tall gauntlet will be warmer. Nylon or other synthetics may be warm but without at least a leather palm they probably don't have the abrasion resistance you need. Still, sometimes your choices are limited. Since I have heated hand grips I don't bring these.
•silk or poly glove liners
•flannel shirt or sweatshirt
For when it's cold.
•insulated long johns
Additional warmth for the legs I haven't really needed these on tour.
•Scarf
A scarf works OK for sealing the neck opening of the jacket but it won't stop the wind from chilling your neck as well a something covered in a wind-proof material like nylon or Gortex. Scarves also take up a lot more space when packed.
Non-riding Clothes
I'm not particularly fashion conscious and have a fairly lose definition of what constitutes presentable dress. I figure that as long as no one screams and runs or laughs and points I'm doing OK. Still, even I realize that my riding gear makes me look like someone who has escaped from the set of a Mad Max movie and is not really appropriate for wearing to dinner, shopping, or wandering around town. So, I bring along some normal clothes. How much and what I bring depends on where I'm going and what I'm doing when not on the bike.
•Hat
I bring a baseball cap or bucket cap.
•jacket or windbreaker
The only jackets I bring are my leather riding jacket and my rain jacket. I usually don't take a windbreaker and, without fail, at least once during the trip I wish I'd brought one.
•T-shirts (short sleeves)
For wearing in the evening after the day's ride.
•swim suit
So you can go for a swim.
•Underwear
•thongs
These are nice around the pool and in the bathroom. They don't take much space.
•Joggers
When you are done riding at the end of the day. They are quite comfortable for walking and pack reasonably small.
•hiking boots
These are the over the ankle style hiking boots with a stiff lug sole. I am happy to ride the bike while wearing these boots. In fact, I wear these boots for commuting and trips around town when I'm at home. They would make adequate riding boots but my regular riding boots offer more protection.
Hiking boots are also extremely comfortable while walking. My hiking boots are gortex lined and are completely waterproof. They are quite large and don't pack well. You can compensate some for this by stuffing things inside the boots. Still, depending on your luggage, you may not be able to find room for hiking boots.
Other things.
•lip balm
Lip Balm will keep your lips from drying and cracking.
•alarm clock
A small battery powered travel alarm your mobile phone is great for this.
•hand cream
I don’t use if though could be handy.
•suntan lotion
For the back of your neck and face.
•cleaning cloth for glasses
This is one of those fine woven non-scratch cloths made for plastic lenses. If you don't wear glasses you will be using it on your visor.
•anti-fog cloth for glasses
I have no need for this however for all of those that are required to wear glasses one application will last all day, the cloth won't scratch plastic lenses, and the anti-fog chemicals will not harm the lens or lens coatings.
•Toilet Kit
•Kitted out wash Bag
Toiletry bag with all of the essentials. The one I use for motorcycle trips is the same one I use for all my other non-motorcycle travel.
•Band-Aids
•eye drops
Eyes dry out and I need artificial lubricants for my eyes.
•Hay fever tablets
Make sure they are the Non drowsy type.
Tools and Parts for the Bike.
If the bike doesn't break, you won't have to fix it or get someone else to fix it. I know that this is obvious but some people forget this point. It's always easier to work on your bike at home than it is on the side of the road.
Tools aren't just another item to check off on your packing list. Tools are insurance, a sense of security, and, as much as your helmet and leathers, what makes a motorcyclist different from the cage drivers around you.
Today's motorcycles are very reliable, almost as reliable as modern automobiles. Like modern automobiles, motorcycles are also much more complicated and difficult repair when they do break. It's been my [recent] experience that most motorcyclists do not even change their own oil let alone fix things when they are broken. Many motorcyclists have no idea how to do even the simplest repairs. If your bike breaks and you intend to fix it, good intentions are not enough. You must have the experience and knowledge to diagnose and repair the problem. Having the proper tools will do you no good if you don't know what to do with them. If you don't do most or all of the maintenance on your motorcycle it probably doesn't make a lot of sense to bring anywhere close to the number of tools I have listed below.
•bike's tool kit
The bike's tool kit is usually stored in a special place that you won't be able to use for another purpose so you might as well take it. Sometimes the kit includes some special wrenches that allow you to omit some of the tools listed below or that simply aren't available on the open market (like the spanner for adjusting drive chain tension).
•bike's owner's manual.
Bring it, just in case.
•cloth rags
These are just rags taken from an old shirt. It's always nice to have a rag around. I keep them in a Zip Lock Freezer Bag to keep them dry.
•Zip tie
These are also called cable-ties. Buy in any electronics supply store. You'll seldom need them but when you do they are great and they take almost zero space.
•Race tape
Buy a small spool at the hardware store and flatten the spool.
•electrical tape
Buy the good stuff like 3M. The cheap kind won't stick very well.
•air pressure gauge
A good one is more accurate than the best pencil type gauge.
•tire patch/plug kit
You buy a prepackaged kit from you local motorcycle store.
•air pump
Compact hand pump for bicycles.
•CO2 cartridges
These can replace a hand pump.
•Leatherman tool
Spare Parts
•headlight bulb
Only if your bike uses a modern H4 or similar bulb. If you have an older seal beam type headlight you probably don't have room.
•tail light bulb
The proper bulb type is listed in the owner s manual.
•Fuses
2 of each size used in the bike. Keep them in a 35mm film can. Always bring spare fuses. Know where all the fuses are located on the bike.Remember, the main fuse and starter fuse are usually not in the main fuse panel. Find out where they are located before you go on a trip.
•spare clutch lever
This is for a replacement if you have a minor crash. Often the only damage in a minor fall is a broken clutch lever and a broken mirror. It is very difficult (but not impossible) to ride a motorcycle if you can't use the clutch. A spare lever doesn't take very much space.
Other Things for the Bike and general use
•chain lubricant
You can purchase small cans of spray chain lube
•Rain-X, or similar
Rain-X is a brand name for a product that prevents water from sheeting. You can put Rain-X on my helmet visor and the bike's mirrors. If you put it on you helmet visor it will be much easier to see in the rain, especially when it’s not really raining but there is still a fine mist in the air. The same is also true for the bike's rear view mirrors.
•tank bag
I like tank bags.
•map case
If a tank bag won't fit on your bike it's nice to have a map case. This is a cloth map holder with a transparent plastic cover. It attaches to your tank with straps.
•maps (road)
The appropriate maps for your chosen destination
•tail pack
These sit on the passenger section of the seat. They can hold a lot of stuff and are relatively inexpensive.
•Panniers
There are a lot of choices here.
•Flashlight
I use a Maglight Mini-Mag. It uses two AA batteries and they last quite a long time.
•Swiss army knife
I use the same one I carry every day.
•Mobile Phone
•pen & pencil
•spiral notebook
•Gps
•Camera
Camping Gear
Most of the gear listed here is very familiar to anyone who does any backpacking. You can buy these things in any camping supply store. While weight isn't as important in motorcycle camping as in backpacking, small size and ruggedness are still important. I am not an expert in camping or camping gear. It's been several years since I've done any motorcycle camping so the available gear may have changed. The following list is gear that I've used and found useful.
•Tent
Pick a tent that has a capacity of one more than the number of people that it needs to hold (e.g. If you're sleeping solo, you need at least a two person tent). The extra space will be needed to hold all the stuff you take off your bike (luggage, bags, etc.). Dome tents with external poles seem to be the easiest to set up and also have the best combination of headroom and floor space. Aluminum poles are stronger and more durable than fiberglass but they also cost a lot more. Make sure that the tent has decent ventilation. This means that there are windows or doors (with mosquito netting) at both ends. A rain fly with a vestibule is very useful. The vestibule can be used as an additional rain sheltered storage place and you can also cook there when it's raining.
•rain fly
Most modern tents are not waterproof. They have waterproof floors but the body of the tent is not waterproof so they need additional rain protection. All decent tents come with a rain fly.
•tent pegs
You can choose between plastic and metal. Metal is stronger and more expensive. Depending on the design of your tent you may not need pegs unless it gets real windy.
•ground sheet
Put this under the floor of the tent before setting up the tent. It will protect the floor of the tent from punctures (most tent floors are pretty fragile) and also provide an additional water barrier. Most tent floors will leak if there is water flowing under the tent unless you have a waterproof ground sheet. You don't really need to know how I know this.
•sleeping bag
I use a down three-season bag. Down is warmer and compress to a smaller size than most synthetic bag materials. This may not be true with today's modern insulating materials. Check with your camping supply store. IMO, small size is more important than insulation ability. If it's so cold that you need a four-season bag, it's probably too cold to be riding a motorcycle.
For Cooking
•cooking stove
There are lots of choices here.
•cooking pots
Aluminum cooking sets.
•waterproof matches
I carry the waterproof matches in a waterproof container made to carry matches. You might think that if you have a waterproof container you don't need waterproof matches. This is true as long as you don't need to use the matches when it's raining. If you think that you'll just quickly light the stove in the rain with conventional matches or a cigarette lighter, think again. Get the waterproof matches.
•plastic cup
Most cooking sets come with plastic cups but a few come with metal cups. Get a plastic cup if your set doesn't have one. With a plastic cup you can drink hot coffee without having to be super careful to not burn your hand and or lips.
•Utensils
You can get either plastic or metal. The plastic is cheaper and easier to find but I think that metal is more durable.
•Additional Toiletries
bath towel
•wash cloth
