How to Pack Your Touring Motorcycle

A touring bike is the perfect way to take long trips or commute to work on a daily basis. These spacious motorcycles are designed with plenty of storage options to help you keep your gear stored and out of the way while you’re riding. But it is important that you pack your bike with care so that it doesn’t become unbalanced and your cargo isn’t damaged in transit. Our tips should help you out.

Figure Out If Your Storage is Sufficient

While your touring bike comes with lots of storage on it, you may need to add some more storage to fully accommodate everything you plan to carry with you. You’ll want your additional storage options to be balanced and not too heavy for your bike.

These options might include hard cases, soft luggage, and tank bags. Hard cases offer great weather protection, but tend to cost more and be heavier. Soft luggage is lightweight, but less protective. Tank bags offer you a small amount of storage, but they fit easily on your bike and allow you to quickly access items you might need during your ride, like sunglasses or your phone.

Pack With Care

When packing your gear, you should pack heavier items lower on the bike and as far to the front as possible, while balancing the weight between the left and right sides of the motorcycle. Make sure that none of your items are crushed under others. It’s helpful to do a test-ride with your cargo loaded up to make sure that your touring motorcycle isn’t unbalanced and that you understand how it moves with more weight on it.

Ready to take a look at some touring bikes in person? Come see us at our California dealership in Westminster today to take a look at our great stock of new and used touring motorcycles for sale. We’re also happy to help you with financing your motorcycle purchase. Indian Motorcycle® of Orange County proudly serves the whole of Orange County and the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area.