7 Road Trip Essentials You Need To Have In Your Bike

Is a piece of heavy metal with 500cc your love? Is riding into the sunset with your girlfriend the perfect romantic setting for you? Do you feel a different connection with a motorbike when it wheelies on its rear wheel? If the synonym of adrenaline rush in your dictionary is a day-long bike trip on a route like Manali to Leh highway, then you are on the right blog post. Is it your first solo trip?

Or is it your N^th time? Does it matter? If it’s your first road trip with the love of your life -your bike, and of course your life partner too (if you got one), or it is the 10^th with her, the nervousness, the newness and a kick for a trip not pre-planned are always there. So to lift up your anxiety a little and to let the adventure rush in with full flow, let’s dive deep into the list of essentials you must have and know about like the back of your hand when you are planning a road trip with your better half and bike.

1. FYI – A safe head can wear a thousand hats

It may sound too mainstream but having a helmet with you on a long road trip on your bike is way too important than any other accessories. You might think to buy a protective headgear as a waste of your time, money and energy but having a high end and not a low standard helmet can give you a 1UP in life on the road. While buying a helmet for your road trip, only go for the helmets which have an ISO Mark on them.

These hallmarks promise you an all round and 100% protection wherever possible. Nowadays, as the roads explored on bikes are varying in geographical conditions, the helmets available in the market are also varying to a great extent. The variants range from helmets with an anti-glare mask to helmets with Bluetooth connectivity for receiving calls and GPS navigation are ruling the bestseller lists of many stores. Buy the best helmet for overall protection.

2. Avoid extortionate paint jobs with a Frame Guard

It just takes one slip, one punitive fall, one unbalanced move on a slippery road to take your bike down on and its wheels in the air. No one likes scratches on their perfect, glossy and shining bike. The scratch on your bike, painted to perfection looks like the only crack in the castle of glass.

So, of numerous motorcycle accessories out in the market, a Frame Guard is undoubtedly and undebated product to buy to avoid those extortionate paint jobs needed to make your metal babe flawless again. When you buy a Frame Guard, you buy the first line of defense for your bike when it falls on the ground. It is the only thing lying between your glossy bike and a flawed and scratched bike. So make sure you tell your mechanic to fit a Frame Guard in your bike.

3. Always carry a Tool Pouch

While you are on a trip several hundred miles long, casualties like some mechanical problems in your metal babe are common and can’t be avoided for long. For situations like these, you need to carry all the basic tools that you might need for a small job to get rid of some minor problem in your bike.

Also, you might need to gain knowledge about basic repairing your bike might need, examples given, changing oil, replacing tire tubes, repairing chain sprockets and brake shoe etcetera. Place all your small tools in a tool pouch to stay organized and sorted. Thank us later, when you don’t have to spare 20 minutes looking for a small screwdriver in your hefty traveler backpack. Welcome !! (in advance)

4. Your direction is always more important than your speed

When you read the above heading, trust me when I say that I mean it. Believe me, you won’t like the idea of varying your speed (decreasingly) and being non-uniformed. To avoid this scenario of stopping every one mile to ask someone about the way and direction, always carry a GPS with you while you’re on an unknown route. To have your GPS system in front of your eyes for every single second consider buying a Bike Mount for your GPS system. Along with a GPS system/device, you might want to buy a Bluetooth enabled and wireless earphone for an easy hearing of navigation steps.

It is always difficult to hear that low pitched voice steps your GPS gives in the clamorous noise pollution on our roads. You will not be needing a Bluetooth enabled earphone if you have a Bluetooth enabled Helmet. Having a GPS system mounted on your bike gives you a head start on traveling independently, with seamless and uniform speed. Believe me, when you’re on the country road riding into the sunset, it will definitely feel unromantic to stop and ask someone if you are headed in the right direction.

5. Stay Aerated

Imagine you’re riding your bike, happy-speed, feeling adventurous, and all of a sudden your fellow rider says you the words you wouldn’t want to hear – “Hey man, your tire is flat”. The feeling you will get is unimaginable and you, my friend would not want to feel this way. To avoid dragging your several odd pounds bike for a mile or two to get your plugged tire in a “good to go” shape, always carry a tire plug kit.

Buy the best quality tire repairing kit to get rid of a flat tire within minutes. Want to add icing on the cake? Don’t forget to carry a CO₂ tire inflator or a tire inflation pump. Your tire can run out of CO₂ on long rides due to irregular atmospheric pressure and temperature, these two inflator tools will come to your rescue in situations like this and you won’t feel embarrassed dragging your bike here and there.

6. All Charged-up is the new Fashion

While you’re on a road trip, hundreds of miles away from your home and electricity, you need to have access to remote electricity to stay upright and upfront. Always carry an authentic and genuine high mAH Power Bank to ensure that your GPS system and mobile phone is always charged up and never runs out of battery.

A discharged mobile phone is a distress call because you might need the gadget on your way to click amazing selfies, check for the route, or call your fellow bikers who have lagged behind you or gone forward. According to your need, carry a Power Bank for Android or a Power Bank for iPhone. If you’re a photographer at heart, and carry a camera to every trip, to capture the moments of life and happiness and then you know the pain of running out of battery on the wrong time.

Buy a charger for your camera’s battery to keep your cam’s battery electrified anytime. Along with battery backup for your gadgets, also carry a backup battery for your bike because there’s the slightest chance that your battery runs out of energy on a long and cold ride. Carrying power backups for everything will keep you upfront and in a good position to enjoy the ride seamlessly.

7. Pro Tip

All the essential things have been covered in the above points, now concluding the other essential things which cannot be and should not be ignored. Casualties like minor cuts and falls can happen in due course of time, and to control the bacterial outbreak and prevent the wound from being infected you must always carry a waterproof first-aid box to provide the primary health care to an infected person.

Along with a first-aid kit for your human buddy, always carry extra gas for your metal buddy too. Carrying an extra can of gas helps because there might be places where you may or may not find gas stations at regular intervals to pump up energy in your bike. This will prevent you from dragging the bulky thing to the next gas station.

Also, you might want to load your backpack with some snacks which will not let you die from starvation if you don’t find a place to eat for hours. Assuming a downside situation, if you don’t find a motel on your highway then you should carry a portable and foldable trekking tent to spend the night and freshen up.

If the conditions are overcast and the rain is hovering over your head then carrying a pair of raincoat and rainboots is a good idea for preventing yourself from rain and getting that cold which will ruin your bike trip.

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