If you have never ridden a motorbike, don’t suffer! you still have time to feel the roar of the wind and the views of the world before you. If you have always daydreamed about travelling hidden places on your motorbike, follow our beginners guide to motorcycle touring and life will never be as you know it today.
Motorcycle guided tours
The love of the road and unknown places are surely a good start to your adventure as a motorcycle tourer. However, the process of gaining enough skills and confidence on the road must be taken seriously. Getting started requires thorough practice and preparation; from training to equipment and safety matters.
Motorcycle tours for beginners with official instructors provide an amazing experience for brand new tourers; most of them including full insurance, experienced guides, amazing routes and plenty of roadside assistance.
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Why choose a group tour?
Booking a group tour is an excellent way to start off your adventure. Motorcycle trips can span from day trips into the countryside, to a whole month on the road. When you are heading out to unfamiliar locations, finding accommodation, where to eat, where to refuel your tank or even the best roads to take can be super tricky.
Which is exactly why travelling with a small group of people and together with the best experts, will teach you everything you need to know and will tremendously improve your riding technique. Plus, it is the most cost-effective form of personal transport! Control petrol and road tax costs, receive complimentary full insurance and economize both your eating and resting moments.
Plus, you will feel part of a new family; the world is full of amazing and very supporting motorcycle touring communities that grow every year.
Where go to? Stay close!
For beginners at motorcycle touring, we recommend no more than around 200 km daily, as more might leave body discomfort or seem overwhelming. Always remember to take a break whenever you feel like it!
So before choosing to immerse yourself on a long motorbike tour, best advice is to try different short distance motorbike trips first. Small tours close to your home will make sure you master the riding technique before the long-distance touring experience, like in preparing yourself for a marathon.
In motorbike touring, a journey matters more than the destination. Road tripping is the opposite to fast travelling, where you catch a flight and miss all in-between in the blink of an eye. So, discovering places close to home, helping local business and getting to know neighbor bikers’ communities is the perfect way to get you moving.
Discover: The best motorcycle tours in Spain
Beginner’s guide to motorcycle touring
Short distance vs Long distance
Get used to riding in your spare time short distances to build up your stamina for adventure trips ahead. Use these small trials to take with you all the gear you would need in a long tour, to feel the difference in balance and weight of the bike. This way, your body will give you insights into how comfortable the motorbike and equipment are, correct and/or incorrect postures and optimal riding distances for the day.
The importance of comfort
No matter the length of the tour/s you are planning, comfort for your passenger and yourself is number one priority, together with safety. Longer, adventure trips are much more convenient on larger touring motorcycles such as the Triumph Tiger 1200 or the Triumph Scrambler 1200, for a perfect combo of on and off-road trails. However, as a novice rider, the best beginner adventure motorcycle could possibly be the Triumph Tiger 900.
Specific touring motorbike models address specific needs better, especially in long-distance travel. You might want to check things such as the itinerary and type of roads, fuel tank’s capacity, weather protection, available storage and a low center of gravity for optimal comfort.
Storage
Size of storage plays a massive role in comfort and practicality, but luggage sets are also extremely expensive for most beginners to invest in. Which is why the best option is to test out rental luggage types when hitting the road for shorter tours and decide which one you feel most comfortable with.
You’d be surprised how much of your necessities fit into a small-size tail bag. Practically as many as in Mary Poppins’ carpet bag! These, located on the saddlebags, don’t interfere with the rider’s center of gravity and are therefore much better than big bags on the back of your motorcycle (these last make bikes unstable).
PS: Remember bringing always waterproof luggage and saving space for your helmet and jacket.
How to pack?
Packing should be divided on to two different compartments. The first will consist on water, your wallet and phone, some snacks and any form of documentation you might need at some point. This must be fully accessible at every point and are usually located in a small backpack or tank bag.
The second set of clothes, toiletry and travel necessities can be stored in the previously mentioned tail bag, since you will probably only access them at the end of the day.
Speaking about clothes, beginners usually picture rider tourers in leather jackets and aviator sunglasses, but these remain far from meeting the safety, usability and comfort standards for adventure and long-distance touring.
Keep reading: Motorcycle routes in pyrenees: a guide to riding through the mountains
What to wear?
When picking your motorcycle clothes, safety is the first condition that you need to address. Comfort and usability are also one of the factors to look after. Helmets are indispensable for obvious reasons. According to the statistics, helmets are 34% effective in preventing motorcycle deaths and 67% effective in preventing brain injuries.
Good pair of gloves is the second most important thing when it comes to safe motorcycle touring. In case of a crash, our first instinct is to catch our fall with our hands. An appropriate motorcycle riding gear will consist of at least a full-face helmet, a jacket, trousers, a good pair of gloves and boots.
Abrasion and weather resistant outer shells, waterproofing, rain-blocking and ergonomic features are the basis for a suitable touring hear. However, you must also pay attention to adjustments and measurements to ensure a correct level of comfort and protection. You might consider renting out your gear the first few times to check which materials and models you feel comfortable with.
First adventure rides
Andalusia offers a wide range of options for a fruitful first contact with adventure touring. Whether you are looking for off-road training courses, private circuits or longer on-road and off-road tours, Andalusia might be your dream come true.
It hosts many of the best and newest motorbike models in Europe, optimal weather conditions throughout the whole year, cultural heritage and delicious tapas to taste. Andalusia is a joy for life and has the perfect mix between urban charm (visiting Seville, Cordoba and Granada), spectacular beaches (visiting Malaga and Cádiz) and a hefty dose of curves and twisters awaiting you in the Grazalema and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges.
Willing to lose yourself in authentic and vibrant Spanish culture while riding your Triumph through spectacular scenery? Join our 9-day-long Andalusian experience tour.
Billy Goat Garage | Route Málaga – Granada 2018
Why choose Billy Goat Garage
If you are an experienced rider, you might consider traveling on your own, but it’s much more fun and safer to take a motorcycle trip in a small group!
Billy Goat Garage Spain is the leading company in motorcycle experiences in Malaga, Andalusia and Southern Europe, join us with your own Triumph or rent the latest models of Tigers and Scramblers from us to experience the ultimate thrill of on-road and off-road riding.
Full insurance, quality equipment and the best experts to guide you through heaven; whether you want to take a master class, tour through morocco or are planning to come all the way from the UK, contact us and discover the best side of riding!
