Plan your bike trip: how far should I ride in a day?

This is all down to preference and practice. Like anything though, you have to build up to it. Don’t think you can just start out with a few 400+ miles and not feel the repercussions. Speed plays a big part. Motorway miles can often be the most tiring, mainly because of the concentration and wind blast involved. Be realistic in your daily targets, and if this means covering less distance over the duration of the trip then so be it, especially if you want to enjoy it. I’ve found over the years that a reasonable distance to give you time to stop and see things and ride at a relaxed pace is a maximum of 200 miles, possibly even less if you have a pillion passenger who isn’t used to being on the back of a bike. Obviously if you’re in a transit day and need to cover some ground then you can look to cover more ground, but the last thing you want is to spend your entire trip riding. Be ambitious, but also be realistic.

Read all of BikeSocial’s motorcycle adventure planning tips here.