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Traveling Solo or with Riding Companions

Kristopher

Kristopher

This is my Car!
Benefits of riding solo, stopping when and where you want or pushing on if you want to, then again traveling with others is better if you had a breakdown or something. Any thoughts on long distance solo travel vs riding companions? Care either way?
 
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Generally, I prefer riding alone - I like my own company, and it's pleasing to do what I want, when I want. However, I'll always make an exception for one particular riding bud. He rides like I do, and we make the same choices about darn near everything. It is a pleasure to ride with him, and quite effortless; riding with anyone else is much less attractive.

With a cell phone and a credit card, one can easily go anywhere in the country alone. When I retired, I had no hesitation in taking a six-week trip by myself. I had a fabulous time.
 
On trips I ride almost exclusively with my wife, Annie. On local rides we may ride with a couple of other friends. When in a group I prefer not to be in the group... meaning we set a march objective at which we will all assemble to count heads, but everyone is on their own to get to that destination. We then set the next march objective. People can ride fast or slow, or stop for pictures as they wish.
 
dbrick said:
Generally, I prefer riding alone - I like my own company, and it's pleasing to do what I want, when I want. However, I'll always make an exception for one particular riding bud. He rides like I do, and we make the same choices about darn near everything. It is a pleasure to ride with him, and quite effortless; riding with anyone else is much less attractive.

With a cell phone and a credit card, one can easily go anywhere in the country alone. When I retired, I had no hesitation in taking a six-week trip by myself. I had a fabulous time.
Click to expand...



My situation mirrors yours. I had one traveling buddy [passed away last Jan] and other than traveling with him,..I prefer to go alone. Our stomachs & bladders were timed alike :D and our taste buds seemed to be the same on the same day :)

He being married, couldn't [go] every trip. But we managed about 2-3 a year. Otherwise I went alone.

His {Carl's} death hit me harder than I expected I guess, so last year was a slow [almost no] travel year...but I plan on getting back to it this season. Not sure just how many more years the old body will hold out :brow and there is still much I want to see .....roads I'd like to travel.
 
I like a good mix of both. The secret to riding with others is, as mentioned, is finding someone with similar riding style, road preference, eating and bladder habits, and a good personality. My wife is my favorite, although she does not keep the same pace in the twisties, it causes me to slow and see and "smell the roses" in my travels.

That said I have found several compatible riders that enjoy spending all day in 2nd and 3rd gears running up and down mountain roads, and like to wander with no real plans, and don't mind running up a dead end, or taking a dirt cow path once in a while. The best thing about having other people that like to ride with you is the phone calls that say "lets plan this trip", I get far more in that way. I ride at least once a year for a week or 2 in the Smokey's to meet others, and my wife expects it, also went to N Cali this fall on a trip to join some of my NC and Texas friends. The wife is far more tolerant of me taking multiple trips to meet friends, than if I just left to go and play by myself.

Like the old Candy commercial said, "some times you feel like a nut, some times you don't". It's good to have options.
 
I mostly ride alone. However, my friend of almost 50 years rides and we are going to Colorado for two weeks next summer. He and our wives vacation together every year and get along well.

I've ridden to Oregon and back by myself and found that I couldn't complain a lot about the company on that trip. :D

My wife doesn't ride but doesn't care that I take long trips so it is not all bad.
 
71243 said:
My situation mirrors yours. I had one traveling buddy [passed away last Jan] and other than traveling with him,..I prefer to go alone. Our stomachs & bladders were timed alike :D and our taste buds seemed to be the same on the same day :)

He being married, couldn't [go] every trip. But we managed about 2-3 a year. Otherwise I went alone.

His {Carl's} death hit me harder than I expected I guess, so last year was a slow [almost no] travel year...but I plan on getting back to it this season. Not sure just how many more years the old body will hold out :brow and there is still much I want to see .....roads I'd like to travel.
Click to expand...

You have my condolences. I lost my best friend in March of 12. Like you, I didn't expect to feel the loss as greatly or as long as I have. I know what you are going thru.
 
Kristopher said:
Benefits of riding solo, stopping when and where you want or pushing on if you want to, then again traveling with others is better if you had a breakdown or something. Any thoughts on long distance solo travel vs riding companions? Care either way?
Click to expand...
Easy answer-after trying it a few times you'll give the exact same answers(given that your even considering it) as those who posted-that have tried it.:thumb
There are those loners(I qualify to some degree at times) who never choose companion riding because their personalities differ that way & its not a character defect to be a loner. Some of us need that time & space part of the time & only you "can decide to be you".
 
Most of my trips are solo by design. I like to ride my ride and sometimes that means I slow down and smell the roses and enjoy the sights. Slowing someone else down isn't fun for them or me.

One thing I've tried that worked great was a hybrid of solo vs. riding companion. I've ridden with some buddies that really like to spool it up during certain parts of a trip. Rather than be joined at the hip the whole day, we agree to certain stops or just meet at the destination stop for the end of the day. They get to ride their ride and enjoy the hell out of it and I get to do the same. Usually makes for some interesting conversation over review beers at the end of the day.
 
dbrick said:
Generally, I prefer riding alone - I like my own company, and it's pleasing to do what I want, when I want. However, I'll always make an exception for one particular riding bud. He rides like I do, and we make the same choices about darn near everything. It is a pleasure to ride with him, and quite effortless; riding with anyone else is much less attractive.

With a cell phone and a credit card, one can easily go anywhere in the country alone. When I retired, I had no hesitation in taking a six-week trip by myself. I had a fabulous time.
Click to expand...

+1

Usually I ride alone, which permits me to do things at my pace (getting up early or sleeping in, riding long or short days) without inconveniencing anyone else. I very much enjoy my solo adventures, which have sometimes lasted weeks at a time. Occasionally it has been necessary to rely upon the kindness of strangers when unplanned events have occurred. It's part of the adventure.

Having said that, I do have five riding buddies (from different parts of Canada and the US), who occasionally I will team up with for a ride. These trips with a riding partner are just as enjoyable for me as when I ride alone.

In summary, riding with someone is a great experience, but do not put off trips for lack of a riding partner. Riding solo is also an equally rewarding experience.
 
Paul_F said:
+1

Usually I ride alone, which permits me to do things at my pace (getting up early or sleeping in, riding long or short days) without inconveniencing anyone else. I very much enjoy my solo adventures, which have sometimes lasted weeks at a time. Occasionally it has been necessary to rely upon the kindness of strangers when unplanned events have occurred. It's part of the adventure.

Having said that, I do have five riding buddies (from different parts of Canada and the US), who occasionally I will team up with for a ride. These trips with a riding partner are just as enjoyable for me as when I ride alone.

In summary, riding with someone is a great experience, but do not put off trips for lack of a riding partner. Riding solo is also an equally rewarding experience.
Click to expand...


Whew!

For a moment there I wasn't sure I wanted to read this since Paul and I will be riding together next summer to the Salty Fog!

The nice thing about Paul is that he is adaptable and very easy to get along with. He even stopped once, turned around, and drove back to the ambulance, just to see that I was OK. :clap
 
We have been presented with statistics that show various things (helmet color for one) having a bearing on our chances of being involved in an accident. I wonder what the statistics might be when considering riding alone or in a group? Is a group more than one machine or many more? Perhaps a group is more visible to other highway users, possibly safer. Perhaps riding in a group is more complex, possibly less safe. Of course these are only two considerations.

Are there any known facts about safety with group/non group riding?

I usually ride alone, occasionally riding along for a time with someone I meet (unplanned) on the road.
 
My bet would be statistically group riding is more dangerous, but like they say, there are white lies, damn lies and statistics. Group riding can cause people to show off, or ride over their heads (testosterone thing), many new riders ride groups, and we all know what rider and bike style rides in herds (many porcine type in a group are called a herd) and likes to frequent bars often for refreshment.


But those groups hardly represent 3 or 4 good mature riders riding single file with 5-10 seconds of separation between them. This is more like individuals riding to the same destination on the same road that a group
 
Ride either by myself or with my wife. She is my best riding partner. Don't care to ride with more than one other bike and that is hers.​
 
Cal said:
Ride either by myself or with my wife. She is my best riding partner. Don't care to ride with more than one other bike and that is hers.​
Click to expand...

+1

Annie is my best riding partner as well. She will absolutely not be forced into riding anyway but the way she wants to ride; not by friends and not by me. I think it is her strongest riding trait because it means she is always in control of how she rides. Keeps me in check as well. Even at my age I experience random bursts of testosterone that manifest themselves in immature behavior.
 
akbeemer said:
+1

Annie is my best riding partner as well. She will absolutely not be forced into riding anyway but the way she wants to ride; not by friends and not by me. I think it is her strongest riding trait because it means she is always in control of how she rides. Keeps me in check as well. Even at my age I experience random bursts of testosterone that manifest themselves in immature behavior.
Click to expand...

sounds familiar. The testosterone aided throttle/decisions are leveled out with H nearby or in my ear:D "what the heck are you DOIN?" crackling over the radio

We def enjoy sharing rides and travel well together. I also enjoy doing the lone eagle thing as well. She rides solo a lot...sometimes I get to follow, sometimes I can't keep up:bow

We have a few travel mates who all work well together ...MOST of the time:brow As mentioned, we seem to meet up at gas stops and destinations if it's a larger group. Try a few trips with a bud to see if it meshes or fly solo...both good.
 
Thinking of traveling out to Montana to see the Custer battle reenactment and battlefield. Bit of a ride from Pennsylvania. Something I have wanted to see for a long time. I usually travel with my brothers or wife and have never traveled that far solo, wondering if I will enjoy it. I guess I can only answer that but wondering about how many others enjoy the solo trips. Thanks for the replies.
 
Kristopher said:
Thinking of traveling out to Montana to see the Custer battle reenactment and battlefield. Bit of a ride from Pennsylvania. Something I have wanted to see for a long time. I usually travel with my brothers or wife and have never traveled that far solo, wondering if I will enjoy it. I guess I can only answer that but wondering about how many others enjoy the solo trips. Thanks for the replies.
Click to expand...

Kristopher, I took my first solo trip this summer from St. Louis to Salem Oregon for the yearly rally, and found that I really enjoyed the solitude.... And I never seemed to eat breakfast or dinner alone along the ride. Seems that a MC, loaded with gear for camping, is a natural conversation starter, which made it quite easy to start a conversation with people. I camped for 26 days, went where I wanted, followed several suggestions from people I met along the way, and made some fantastic new friends. My trip lasted just over 6000 miles, and am already planning for at least 8000 this next summer, starting at the rally in Minnesota, heading east to Maine and points north, and then down to Florida before heading back to St. Louie. As long as you do your homework on maintenance, and carry your Anonymous book in case of a problem, you will not regret your decision to strike out on your own, and let the wind take you where ever.... Good luck!:wave
 
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