I have done an iron butts and trip to Spain solo and loved both. This year myself and two friends are doing the trip to Spain for the motogp, going to be a first for me


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The term "herding cats" is indeed familiar. I do it at work while we try and nail jelly to the ceiling

Andy

Go solo...

Other people smell funny...

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2025 Planning.....

I've read an awful lot about the subject of Riding With Others or Riding Solo. There are strong opinions on either side, neither really incorrect.

I did a brief write-up on the subject a while back: LINK

Alone, it is much much better traveling alone..

Do what you want, when you want.
No arguing or told you so's..

Enjoy life..!

If you want to truly get to know someone, travel with them...

The above can be both a positive and truly, horrendously negative experience. Quite often the latter

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That concrete whizzing by five inches below your foot is the real thing...

I've made life long friends and have wonderful memories of people I've travelled with. And I also have one or two experiences where things didn't work out so well.

I think a long term DUO is difficult unless you're really lucky and you're both on the same wave length. Even then, things can get sticky.

Travelling with someone is like a marriage. It really is. It's almost a bit weird when you think about it. When you're pissed off, tired, ill, ratty and your far from home, your travel partner ends up being on the end of it. And vice versa.

If you're going to travel with someone I think you should know them first if you're making a long term commitment.

Be prepared, packed and able to travel 100% SOLO. Then if things get a bit too much you want your own space then you can separate. Even if it's just for a couple of hours, days, weeks etc. You HAVE To be prepared to go alone. It's important.

If I ride in a group I'd rather be in a 3 or 4. That way you can rotate travel buddies or go off solo without leaving anyone 'stranded'.

It's an impossible scenario to predict. If you're heading out long term with someone and your gut feeling tells you they could be a problem. DON'T DO IT... Niggles and annoyances are multiplied 100x when you're relying on each other.


A couple of years ago I did a canoe trip down the Yukon with a British guy I didn't know very well. We were alone together in the wilds of Canada for weeks on end. Just us and a canoe in the middle of nowhere.

HE DROVE ME CRAZY. He didn't get up until mid-day, smoked weed and passed out in the canoe, filled his water bottle with Whisky and got arrested for being drunk and abusive.

I could of whacked him over the head with a log and left him for the bears. No one would find him out there. I actually found myself thinking about it. THAT'S how things can get if you aren't careful about your travel company.

If the end, he ran out of money, whisky and weed and his dad paid for him to be flown out half way through the trip. Then I met a great Canadian guy in another canoe and we had a FANTASTIC time together. We're still good friends now.

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Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

Yip
I have done a few trips before. I always went solo but occasionally met up with others along the way, not by design just by chance. I prefer it that way. And I prefer to arrive in a town overseas and feel the need to get acquainted with strangers in bars etc. I like the unpredictability of that approach. You need to be careful of course but isn't that the mantra in life even when you're at home?
Travelling with a friend will show both of you if you are really friends. Travelling with a stranger just for the sake of saving money is not an approach I'd choose either. Keeping costs down is a good idea but suffering the rituals of a nobhead just to keep a few euros in my pocket is not for me. I'd rather stay at home.

I think I've meet your drunk. lol
John933

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To buy petrol in Europe. Pull up at station. Wait. Get out a 20 Euro note, then ask someone to fill up the bike. Give person money. Ride away. Simple.

I don't generally ride with groups (too many wheelies, close calls, and general poor rider experiences). When I do ride with a friend or two it's all about the fun of the ride. It is good to ride with more experienced people if you are somewhat new to this but always be sure to pull your own weight. As an example, I pack enough tools for a major rebuild and my pal Dave only carries the wretched kit that came with his bike (it looks like a child's toy tool kit). He compensates by always bringing along some odd, but very good food and in this way we have both contributed equally (canned borscht notwithstanding). You also need a partner in crime who is cheerful (or at least not petulant and whiny) and takes the adventure (rain, mud, suicidal wildlife, drunks, no food, bad food,canned borscht, etc) as a part of the experience, not the awful thing that they'll never do again. A similar attitude is a plus. Start with short trips and move up if it works well. I once did a trip with a guy I have known and liked for 20 years. On a road trip he required nice hotels, nice restaurants, and complained bitterly about every bump in the road (I like tents, cheap motels, plain food,etc.). The only reason I'm not posting this from the Auburn maximum security prison (for homicide, dismembering and cannibalism) is that we both realized what a disaster we had created and went our own ways to meet up again later. We are still good friends, but not long distance riding partners. Choose the person/people well and the ride will take care of itself.

In two weeks I'm leaving on a 3000 km bike trip with my son riding pillion. He is 13. I've always ridden long trips alone, and the most company is a weekend camping trips of 3 bikes. This is about mates and not so much about riding. Boys time. Then there is a week away with a girlfriend pillion. A woman pillion to me is just not enjoyable. You are restricted as to the technical dirt you can do, its more tiring on dirt, the bike is crowded 2 up with double the luggage, and if the day is too long, road rough, too hot or too cold, or it rains, you hear about it. This is also not really about adventure or riding.

It is different with a young boy. Although the roads you will ride are also restricted. They are appreciative, more willing to rough it and don't expect much, and the thrill of an adventure with dad overrides a lot. It creates memories for them and maybe one day a desire and confidence to go on their own adventure and strike out as their own man. It also gives them much to brag about when they get back to school and tell their friends who went on family trips in a cage lol. A boy will go along with what you say. No time wasted on blah blah. A father son trip is not a democracy or a Brussels type decision by endless committee and compromise, which only ends up doing what Washington says, who do what the bankers or Jerusalem say lol.

The more bikes, or even pillions, the more stops, the more blah blah about any changes to plan, blah about where to stay, where to eat, what time to leave in the morning, when to stop etc. You also meet less people since you are already a group. It defeats the whole concept of adventure biking which is freedom and adventure. It may add safety, but that also reduces the unknowns of adventure.

I figure leave group riding to the Harley HOG, MC, and sunday breakfast fun crowd. Or those too timid to ride alone. I find it boring and about the social, not about the thrill of adventure. For me, this is not what biking is about. Im an old school individualistic biker. I get on my bike and go, and no apologies to anyone.

In my part of the world we have a lot of Harleys. They are generally quite good bikes (simple to maintain and fix, infinitely rebuildable/repairable, solidly made, etc) and I've had a few. Many of the riders, however, seem to view their bike as a fashion accessory to a synthetic lifestyle. Rides with these guys are 2 hrs of getting everyone assembled/ pre-ride blather and then riding 12 miles to a bar (another 1-2 hrs of sitting about, 14 miles more (another bar). Finally, after all the strain and hardship (those 12 oz. curls are tiring) it's off to dinner then home. There are an awful lot of 8 year old Harleys with 3500 on the odometer. You do sometimes run into a set of serious riders and, generally they are older, experienced and never seem to go on and on about Japanese bikes being junk, etc. Most of my riding is done with my wife and we enjoy it, until the pavement ends and my wife becomes stiff and uncomfortable (My interior monologue at these times runs as follows: "For the love of god, I'm not going to fall off on the first bump! I'm not Ewan McGregor!). So, dirt isn't much of an option two-up, and I ride slowly an super carefully for her benefit (unlike when I am solo). The older I get the less likely I am to do a group ride unless they are very serious riders. A few weeks ago I might've wanted a pal along as I went into the rough on my woods beater DR350. Sliding out of a turn (I thought it was a left, then straight and it turned out to be an s instead, surprise!) I slid sideways into a pine that someone had thoughtfully sawed the branches off (leaving blunt 4 foot sections sticking out) and tore off my taillight and took one in the left kidney. When I woke up, only greyed out, I think, my first thought was "Where'd the bike go?" followed closely by a loud string of curses as I felt my left kidney occupying roughly the same place as my mangled spine. At 49 I am no wheres near as resilient as 20.The bike was okay and started up (hopping on the kicker was a joy...) and so I went home. The place I was in sees no one all week (just weekends, so it would've been good to bring a friend). Bloody urine for a couple of weeks and the spine still feels "interesting" but it's better to crash on your own than get run into by someone who doesn't ride well (as if I am the model of skill). You're doing your son a great favor by letting him see that the fun of a thing can be had through discomfort and that the experience of doing the difficult is always worthy. Cheers: (Harley ride prep)

IMHO, the first question you should ask yourself is what you do expect from the travel you are sketching up. What are you looking for?

Taking pictures, "have been there", a couple of selfies with your bike and mates, is silver. Putting yourself in strong emotional situations, meeting unexpectadly new (and precious) people / culture is gold. Overcoming your own (travelling?) fears is priceless.

Travelling alone is my best bet.

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*** Travelling is an everyday discovery of our own ignorance ***

Travelling alone is better as some companions can be pain in the bottom. You may meet people somewhere on your way and end up travelling together, only to find that they are selfish and don't contribute anything.....although some are fantastic and a joy to ride & camp with and would enrich your adventure. So travel alone as you will definitely meet someone on the road.

I prefere to travel alone as it is very hard to find someone that really matches the way of traveling (km per day, foto stops, hotel/tent). The worst thing is to travel with someone you dont know/like.