Everything was planned, all of your friends were ready to go for that long awaited ride, your bags were packed, your bike was all loaded, you were ready to hit the road, but at the end moment, one by one everybody starts to back out, and you decide to go solo on your ride. Have you ever faced such a situation?

In March 2023, I took my first solo ride to Gujarat and I made a lot of mistakes – from lack of proper route planning to loading my bike with extra luggage etc.

In this blog, I have shared 10 things to keep in mind when taking a solo ride. These 10 things will help you prepare well for your FIRST solo ride adventure. Put on your reading gears and continue reading –

10 Tips to help you prepare for your FIRST solo ride adventure

Tip 1- Don’t be too much dependent on Google Maps

We are all dependent on Google Maps for navigation. When I was returning from my Gujarat trip, I entered my destination and started following that route. Little did I know that I was about to enter the road at night, which was infamous for burglaries. Thanks to the waiter of a restaurant where I took a short break who told me about the road. Google Maps wants to save you travel time; therefore, it will show you the route that is short, irrespective of the safety of the route. It’s always a good idea to confirm with locals about the road conditions.

Tip 2- Do a proper planning for solo ride

Proper planning is crucial for an easy and smooth ride, especially when you are doing a solo ride; therefore, you should ask yourself these questions below to help you plan your ride.

1. Which route am I going to take?
2. Where will I take my short breaks?
3. Where will I stay?
4. What is the weather condition?
5. Is there any festive season going on?
6. Do I need to do prior bookings for any event?

Answering the above questions will help you plan your route, your accommodations, what to pack according to the weather conditions, and whether you have to make any prior bookings for an event.

Tip 3- Don’t forget to take water breaks

While riding solo, there were two problems that were stopping me from taking short water breaks. Firstly, I was so fixated on reaching my destination on time, and secondly, the speakers of my helmet’s bluetooth headset were pressing against my ear, so every time I wanted to take short water breaks, the thought of removing and wearing my helmet made me skip it. Due to this, I was ignoring my body’s need to hydrate. This was one of the biggest mistakes I made on my ride because, after riding about 30–40 km in scorching heat, I was having headaches and dizziness. That is when I realized it was time to stop and have some water.

Tip 4- Keep cash-in-hand, not everyone uses Unified Payments Interface (UPI)

I was under the impression that after the digital India campaign, almost everybody in India started using UPI. When I was leaving for my ride, I carried a bit of cash with me, thinking that if I ran out of cash, I could just use UPI. Initially, everything went smoothly until I was on a country road in the middle of Gujarat, enjoying a cup of coffee on a fast-moving dhaba. When the time came to pay for the coffee, the owner refused to accept payment through UPI, and the cash I was carrying with me was all used up. Fortunately, on request, one tourist agreed to lend me some cash; in exchange, I paid him through UPI.

Tip 5- Make sure your bike is ready for a solo ride

Remember, this is the first time you are going for a solo ride. You don’t want your bike to get stuck on a highway, as it’s a strong possibility that there will be no one that can help you. Your bike is your only companion; therefore, before you start your solo adventure, you need to prepare your bike for long-distance touring.

Tip 6-Get a good night’s sleep the night before your ride

Riding a bike for long distances requires a lot more energy; if you are not energized enough, you will feel very groggy, and it will be very hard for you to concentrate on the road. You may also lose your focus or temper; therefore, it is very important to get 6-7 hours of sleep the night before your ride.

Tip 7- Learn to do basic-repairs on your Bike

It may seem that everything is going smoothly, but there are chances that you may find yourself stranded in the middle of nowhere. It happened to me on my Gujarat ride; my bike got dead in the middle of the ride. Fortunately, I had faced this similar situation before, so I was aware of what may have happened. My bike’s fuse was blown due to a faulty wire. So I changed the fuse, and the bike came back to life again. Problems do not come with a warning! Thus, you should learn to do these short- repairs.

Tip 8- Light is might! Pack light for the trip

You are traveling on a bike, so the space you have for carrying your luggage is very limited. When I did my first solo ride to Gujarat, I was heavily packed. As a consequence, my bike became very heavy, the bike’s fuel economy went down, and I was having a hard time moving it. The interesting part was that half of my luggage that I packed was returned unused. It’s also important to know what and how you should pack for your trip.

Tip 9- Try to hit the road before sunrise

Because you will be riding alone, it is best to begin your ride early in the morning, preferably before sunrise. This allows you to cover more ground during the day. Due to limited vision, you should avoid riding at night. If your bike breaks down, the chances of receiving help are slim, and you are likely to be robbed.

Tip 10- Don’t forget to enjoy the trip just because you want to cover long distance

I know it’s important to reach your destination on time, but that doesn’t mean that you become so fixated on reaching your destination that you forget to enjoy the trip. As I said earlier, I was so fixated on reaching my destination that I forgot to take a break and savor the moments. Later, I reminded myself that I was here to enjoy my trip and gain new experiences, not merely to complete my checklist.

Bonus Tips

• Hydration bags- It is similar to a bag pack in that it contains a pouch connected to a pipe via which you can drink water, eliminating the need to remove your helmet every time you wish to drink water.
• Secondary phone for navigation- I was using my primary phone for navigation. When I looked down to confirm that I am taking the right direction, my screen displayed “iPhone needs to cool down before you can use it”. (Thanks to sunlight, constantly charging and using my phone for navigation). Heat is damaging for our phones battery health. On top of that our phone’s camera is also equipped with Optical image stabilisation (OIS), and it is in the news that the vibration from the bikes can damage the OIS. Therefore, it’s advisable to use a secondary phone.