Motorcycle Touring Gear and Road Trip Checklists

Motorcycle touring gear is a full riding kit you can live in for days: a helmet, jacket, pants, gloves and boots, plus layers for rain and cold. Add a small tool and document kit, load the bike low and balanced, and check the bike and the load before each day's ride. This hub sets out the touring kit and links to our road trip checklist and kit guides.

Key takeaways

• Wear the full kit even on hot days. A jacket, long pants, boots and gloves help prevent dehydration and sun or wind burn.
• Leather is not waterproof, so carry a rain layer.
• Most motorcycles aren't designed to carry much cargo. Keep weight low and over or in front of the rear axle.
• We sell the leather riding kit. We don't sell helmets, rain suits or motorcycle luggage.

The touring kit at a glance

How to judge each piece, from armor to seams, is covered in how to choose proper motorcycle riding gear.

The road trip checklist

Our motorcycle road trip checklist works through a trip in order: what to do two weeks before, what to pack, the 5-minute check each morning and what to look at every stop. It has a printable version. Start there if you leave this week.

Dressing for long days: heat, cold and rain

The California motorcycle handbook covers both ends of the weather range.

• Heat. Keep the jacket on. Full coverage helps prevent dehydration and sun or wind burn. Vents at the chest and back are preferred over vents near the elbows and shoulders.
• Cold. Long cold rides can cause severe chill, dehydration and fatigue, and numb hands make control harder. Layer up. A vest under the jacket is an easy extra layer.
• Rain. Leather resists water only briefly. Rain suits designed for motorcycling resist tearing apart or ballooning at speed. Let wet leather dry at room temperature, away from heaters.

Being seen after dark

At night, slow down, leave three seconds or more to the vehicle ahead and wear reflective materials. Some of our jackets have reflective piping. A reflective vest or strips over the jacket add more.

Loading the bike and setting it up

1. Put heavy items low, over or in front of the rear axle. A load behind the axle affects turning and braking.
2. Balance the two saddlebags.
3. Set tire pressure, shock preload and dampers for the extra weight. Most wobbles trace back to poor loading, unsuitable accessories or wrong tire pressure.
4. Riding two-up? Check the owner's manual for tire pressure and adjust the shocks and chain slack.

Touring with a tent

Camping adds a shelter, sleep and kitchen kit to everything above. See motorcycle camping gear and essentials for the full camp list.

Crossing state lines or borders

Helmet rules change at the state line. Only 17 states and the District of Columbia require every rider to wear one. Some countries also require gloves or other clothing. Check each place on your route in our guide to required motorcycle equipment by country and license.

Build your touring kit

There are no ready-made touring kits or bundle offers yet . Build the kit piece by piece. Everything is made to order, with custom sizes:

• Leather Collection touring jackets
• leather motorcycle pants or leather chaps
• leather motorcycle gloves
• leather motorcycle boots

You'll need a helmet, a rain suit and luggage from other sellers. For kits by riding style and budget, see our motorcycle riding gear hub.

FAQ

What should I bring on a motorcycle trip?

Bring the full riding kit, a rain layer and a warm layer, a small tool kit, a first aid kit, and your license, registration and insurance details. The road trip checklist linked above lists every item.