On the way home from our trip Sunday, we were discussing how as much as we love to ride our bikes to Deal’s Gap and back, it would actually be better if we did trailer them. Now, a lot of people say you’re not a true rider if you don’t ride your bike the entire trip, but we developed a list of reasons why trailering would be good.
First of all, we were 2 1/2 hours from home. About half way up there we noticed one of the bikes was leaking fluid from the front fork. He had a busted front fork seal. It wasn’t bad enough to stop him from riding from the day considering how smooth the road is up at Deal’s Gap, but if we had been riding on some rough roads, it would have caused a problem. Had we had any problems, he would have been stuck. If someone had wrecked, we would have had the same problem. Someone would have had to make the trip all the way back home to pick up a truck and trailer while the others stayed behind. That would be a lot of extra driving for one day. If we trailered the bikes up there, we would already have means to get them back without the extra trip.
Fatigue was another big issue. We kept having to stop on the way up because we were all hurting. I know my lower body fell asleep quite a few times, and we had the most comfortable bike out of the group. My friend Allison is still getting used to the feel of her R6 which is completely different from her GSXR 750, so she couldn’t ride for more than 45 minutes without having to stop. If we had trailered, we could have made the trip without any stops coming and going. That would have allowed for more ride time. Also, by the time we got there we were already tired. Adding high temperatures and full gear to the situation just made us all hot, tired, and cranky. By the end of the day we were all so sore, cramped, and tired, we didn’t know how we were going to make it home. We had to stop numerous times to rest.
I read an article over at Motorcycle Misadventures that gave me a solution to half the problem. We all only have liability insurance on our bikes, so if something happens we’re screwed. What if we could have a service that would pay for towing if something happened, and reimburse us for any expenses incurred by having to stay over night. The article made me want to look into becoming a member of the American Motorcycle Association. For $39 a year, it’s like AAA for motorcycles! I strongly suggest checking them out, especially if you like to make road trips. On top of the towing, hotel reimbursement, and stuff like that, there are tons of other benefits and discounts to becoming a member.
