If you’ve not travelled long distances by bike solo before and are somewhat nervous about the proposition, but do what to overcome this fear and explore, then read on. This article will hopefully give you some solo motorcycle tour tips to beat those fears and plan for a trouble-free motorcycle adventure.

Planning and Preparation

Thorough trip planning and preparation beforehand is a great way to both alleviate worries of potential pitfalls and ensure things run smoothly in practice. “Fail to prepare, prepare to fail” as the old adage goes.

Spend time on Google Maps and plan a route beforehand, whether it’s for your sat-nav, phone, paper maps or directions taped to your tank. Work out where you want to go, which towns you want to pass through, and note some potential pitstops for lunch, breaks and fuel. For your first trip keep miles and hours of riding per day lowish, say 150-200 miles / ~5hrs. Check sunset times and plan your route to finish at least an hour or so before. Riding unfamiliar routes in the dark can raise anxiety.

The more you familiarise yourself with a route before you go, the more at ease you’ll be with the route when riding it.

Do also check for any road closures before setting off, planned or otherwise – traffic incidents, flood, snow, etc. Unanticipated long diversions can impact your timing and refuelling plans, adding stress you don’t want.

When it comes to accommodation, it’s best to also plan ahead and book each night beforehand. Trying to find somewhere with free rooms late in the day is a recipe for stress and will undoubtedly cost you top dollar. Knowing you have a warm shower and bed waiting for you at the end of a long ride definitely puts one mind at rest.

Stuff to Pack

When travelling on a motorbike you will need to pack lightly, and you can often get by with a lot less than you might anticipate. There are however a few essentials you should definitely pack.

Clothes

Pack clothes based on the weather forecast for your route. Many thinner layers you can add or remove typically work better. You may set out on chillier mornings, hit mid-day heat, and then finish riding on cooler evenings. I personally prefer thin Merino wool layers as they’re comfortable under a bike jacket and can work well in a wide range of temperatures, either wicking moisture or trapping heat.

Ensure you have waterproofs, if you don’t you can guarantee you’ll be caught in the rain. A good textile suit can cover all weather, otherwise, some rolled-up over-waterproofs stowed in a handy place can be sufficient for the odd unexpected cloud burst.

A second set of gloves can also be a good plan, in case one set gets soaked in rain or to allow you to switch between a warm and cool pair as temperatures change.

Phone

Essential for emergencies, Google Maps, online banking etc. If you’re travelling abroad check your roaming costs, it may be more economical to invest in a SIM card specific to the country you’ll be in. Before leaving, download offline maps for the area you’ll be riding in, it’ll save on data charges and hassle finding a signal or wifi out there.

Charger & Battery Pack

Don’t forget that phone charger (and any travel adaptors needed). Take a decent USB battery pack too, you don’t want to be caught with no power left whilst out on the road.

Breakdown Cover Details

Ensure you have breakdown cover organised and have their contact details handy. A paper copy backup of their number and the policy details is also wise.

Puncture Repair Kit

Everyone will get a puncture at some point, it’s just one of those things that happens. Whilst breakdown cover can sort you out here, it’s wise to carry a repair kit and familiarise yourself with using it. It can make the difference between being stuck at the roadside for 20 minutes or 2+ hours. Most punctures can be (temporarily) repaired quickly and will suffice to continue your journey to the next town or hotel, where you can plan a garage visit more leisurely. A long wait on the roadside is the last thing you want when trying to catch a ferry crossing or other scheduled connection.

Buy the Gear Gremlin Tyre Repair Kit from SportsBikeShop

Credit Card

Take a credit card with you to cover any unexpected costs, e.g. breakdown or puncture repairs, any additional kit you find you need to buy etc.

If travelling abroad look for cards that offer good exchange rates or low fees. Whether credit cards or pre-pay cards (like Starling). It’s still wise to carry some local currency too in case you find places off the beaten track that don’t take plastic.

Water and Refreshments

Pack a water bottle or canteen which you can refill and drink plenty. A long day of riding can get you dehydrated quickly, which can drastically affect your concentration and cause you to make mistakes.  Take some sustenance like cereal bars, to give an energy boost when tiring, planned food stops don’t work out or if you happen to get stuck somewhere.

Miscellaneous

Other handy things worth packing:

• Carrier bags – to separate clean and dirty clothes, and keep things dry
• WD40, gaffer tape and cable ties – incredibly useful for all kinds of improv roadside repairs. Top Tip: wrap a load of gaffer/duct tape around a mini WD40 can to save space
• Visor cleaner spray and cloth – keep handy for use on each pitstop

Go Do It!

With the right preparation, most solo travel worries can be put to rest, freeing your mind to concentrate on the ride and enjoy the trip.  You may not stick to your plan 100%, detours may catch your eye, but with a good plan to fall back to you’ll be able to adapt with ease. Trust me, you’ll love the freedom of being on tour and you’ll be thinking of your next adventure the moment you return home.

Let us know if you have other great solo motorcycle tour tips, or if you have any stories from your trips.

Rev’It! Sand 3 Jacket Review

The Rev’It! Sand 3 jacket aims to tick all the boxes and provide an all-seasons jacket in the mid-price bracket for around £360. Provided for review by Fortamoto.com (the well regarded Amsterdam based motorcycle store), I’ve put it through its paces over the last few wintery weeks in London. Read on to see if it lives up to promises.

On hot dry days remove the waterproof layer and store in the back pocket for unexpected rain showers – perfect for the changeable British summer.

The Sand 3 is a Rev’It textile jacket with the tried and tested design of three layers, where the inner two can be removed. The outer layer utilises polyester ripstop, PWR shell 500D and polyester 600D across different panels, to give some initial water repellence but primarily strong abrasive protection. The middle layer is a removable waterproof Hydratex 3L liner, which gives full waterproof protection whilst being breathable. The third innermost layer provides thermal insulation for warmth. On top of that, you have Level 2 CE Seeflex armour on the shoulders and elbows. An optional back armour insert is available separately for about £35 (which I have in for this review). The philosophy is that in warmer weather you can leave the thermal liner at home, and on hot dry days remove the waterproof layer and store in the back pocket for unexpected rain showers – perfect for the changeable British summer.

It’s clear a lot of thought has gone into the design of the Sand 3 jacket to make it incredibly versatile for use in all weather. For hot days, as well as removing the two inner layers, you have zip-open mesh vents front and back, and the full length of the arms to provide loads of cooling airflow. On colder days the thermal liner provides ample warmth and the neck design keeps the cold wind out. In recent rides in the wet, snow and freezing temperatures the jacket hasn’t let me down, keeping me warm and dry so I can stay focused on riding. Of course, not being a laminate design, the outer layer did soak, but not as bad as I expected (or as bad as past jackets I’ve used from Rukka, Hein Gericke etc) and it was mostly dried out by the following morning. A reasonable level of water repellency in the outer layer is helping here. Overall, no complaints about wet and cold protection, but the final test on how it also performs in the summer will have to wait until later in the year when the weather improves.

Fit-wise the jacket has a longer design, coming to below the waist. It has plenty of adjustment straps to tweak the fit, even down to a tweak-able collar fastener for different neck buffs. All of which was perfect for me as a tall skinny chap at 6’1″, I usually take a UK40/EU5, roughly equating to the Medium-Large borderline in Rev’it sizes, but I opted for the Large for arm length and shoulder breadth, then pulled in all adjusters to fit my skinny frame. The jacket then fit well, but I did find some of the waist adjuster straps like to loosen off on their own after a while. All the adjusters are also great to pull in the fit after the inner layers have been removed. The arms are nice and long, which is a refreshing change as I find many jackets a bit short leaving a drafty gap. I found the cuffs better suited to wearing gloves underneath, the layers were a tiny bit bulky when tucked into my large gauntlet-style Gerbing’s heated XR12 gloves. Much of this is down to how the waterproof and thermal liners often creep out when putting on, or pull out when taking off the jacket. This appears to be because they’re fastened by poppers to one another giving some slack, also the thermal liner fastens with only a single popper at the wrist and the waterproof line has one popper set back further up the arm due to zip opening.

Pockets are where things get interesting on this jacket. First up are the two huge front pockets with ample space for phones, wallets, passports and other junk, kept secure with a Velcro and popper fold-down flap. Although outside the main waterproof liner layer, these pockets do keep stuff dry in a storm. They also have a secondary pocket behind with a side opening, which is great for keeping your hands warm when off the bike. My only reservation is these pockets give some stiffness to the jacket front which disrupts the natural moulding of the body when hunched forward on a bike. Probably less of an issue on a more upright adventure bike, but a little uncomfortable on a sports bike. On the lower back of the jacket is a huge pocket intended for stowing away the waterproof liner when not in use. Although practical, this does however make your arse look big! Inside there are small pockets, one on each layer, so you’ve always got one handy. Though I’m not sure why two are on the left breast and one is on the right side…

This jacket really is packed with loads of very handy features. There are shoulder straps to mount a camera, neck brace compatibility, attachments for a slot in cooling vest challenger insert and a hi-vis connector vest and HV chest connectors, seemingly a universal standard. The Rev’it hi-vis (£35) would beat faffing with zipping up an additional hi-vis over the top and so will be on my shopping list. A neck brace is not something I’d consider essential for London commuting, but the option of a clip in a water-soaked cooling vest (at ~£60) is intriguing.

It’s clear this is a decent jacket with a lot going for it, but for me, the big question is whether spending £360 on a three-layer jacket is a good plan when there are now many laminate waterproof textile jackets on the market at a similar price? With waterproofing laminated to the outer layer, you can avoid soaking out, getting chilled and the longer drying time. As such, you have to stack up the Sand 3 against the laminate likes of the Halvarssons Walkyr (£500), Oxford Mondial Advanced (£250) and even the Rev’it Horizon 2 (£310). The Mondial Advanced is a budget brand option and only includes level 1 armour. The Walkyr is quite a bit more but does include a removable hi-vis (£35 extra from Rev’it). The Horizon 2 is surprisingly cheaper than the Sand 3, but the Sand 3 offers far more features aimed at some serious touring and adventuring. The three-layer design also allows for a very cool jacket in hot weather. Such versatility definitely has some advantages if you need a single jacket for all seasons or plan longer touring through many different climes.

So far, I’ve been very impressed with how this Rev’it jacket has performed. It’s held up very well on some really cold and wet rides. It’s stuffed with practical and well-designed features, handy day to day and invaluable on a longer tour. There are cheaper alternatives, but none with as many features at this quality level. There is some compromise, with the useful pockets causing bulk that affects the look and flow of the jacket, but this is minor. The all-season versatility of the Sand 3 jacket is the big plus point and something I’m keen to try out over the coming summer months. I expect it to be a very cool jacket to combat those hot days on the bike, check back here for my long-term follow-up Sand 3 jacket review.

Find out more about the Rev’it! Sand 3 jacket black and other colour options at Fortamoto.com.

Rating 4.5/5

Update: The Rev’It Sand 3 jacket has now been superseded by the Sand 4 jacket.

Buy the Rev’it Sand 4 H2O Textile Jacket from SportsBikeShop

Best Motorcycle Routes (UK)

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Most of these routes are presented in Google Maps form, which can easily be sent straight to your phone, or can be downloaded in the universal KML format for import into Garmin or TomTom satnav’s.

If you’ve ridden any of these rides, do report back, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Similarly, if you have your own alternative detours or back roads, I’d also love to hear from you.

Please watch my videos, see if you can predict what is about to happen and spot the tell tail signs that give it away. I hope you find them interesting and possibly learn something that may help you on the roads.

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