Travelling Solo or Duo?

[Abu_Mishary]

You are all alone doing nothing at home. You looked out the window and it is a bright sunny day. Suddenly you have this great idea for a ride. It's either a long ride for lunch or maneuvering the along the curves polishing your cornering skills. Before actually starting your journey, would you rather ride solo or have another friend to watch your back just in case anything bad happens?

[adouglas]

Solo the vast majority of the time.

The way you worded your question points to the reason why. You get this spontaneous idea to go for a ride. If you have to arrange for a companion, it's no longer spontaneous. It becomes a planned, organized activity.

The occasional group or +1 ride is fun, but logistics usually make it a PITA. Always concerned with where others are, can't ride your own pace, etc. etc. It always feels more like herding cats than enjoying a nice ride to me.

But then, I keep my own company pretty well. For many, sharing the experience is as important as the ride itself.

Depends on your primary motivation, I suppose.

Do you ride to reach a destination?
Do you ride as a social activity?
Do you ride for the joy of riding itself?

Those who ride to get somewhere often ask about long trips and how many days it'll take, planning on riding 500 miles in a day, stuff like that. You'll see them on the Interstate, trying to make time.

Those who view it as a social thing do a lot of group rides and often spend much of the day parked at an ice cream stand/burger joint with a bunch of other riders. I don't count bike night posers in this group... they're more about showing off.

Those who ride for the ride are often seen alone, on the twistiest roads, generally don't keep a schedule and have no problem changing plans/routes/destinations on the fly..

I'm firmly in the latter camp.

[NevadaWolf]

Solo.

Planned or spontaneous, just more fun riding on my own.

[HoneyBadgerRy]

With a friend, with bluetooth helmets, and take turns spotting corners so that we can go fast knowing there is no sand or oncoming taking up our lane.

[Jdero_620]

If I'm going far and wide especially off the beaten track I tend to take extra eyes along for a safety factor. However if I want to stay within populous areas, or popularly traveled roads, I don't care either way.

[Klondike1020]

I used to ride with my ex before we split. It was always very nice ridding with her. If one bike breaks we have the other. Nice to practice ridding and build skills. Nice to see sites and share the experience.

Some times it was a drag to put up with another persons' skill level, rest stops, route choices.

So solo has a very appealing aspect but I really cherished the time her and I spent adventuring together.

[Abu_Mishary]

Originally Posted by Klondike1020

So solo has a very appealing aspect but I really cherished the time her and I spent adventuring together.

From the way you said it, i believe those memories were sweet ones.

[verboten1]

I like to do both. The wife and I go out together often. We go on trips, we go on group rides.


I go out by myself, I ride hundreds of miles a day to explore, sometimes I ride for work, I'm usually by myself, but I like my Sena 20s, music, and being able to talk if I want to. My Zumo is also great, because I can get "lost" then find the nearest food and gas when I'm hungry or the bike is thirsty.

[VaFish]

I prefer to ride with someone else. But if it's a nice day and I don't get a response back in a few minutes from friends I'm out on my own.

[CaliGrrl]

Well, so far a lot of my miles have been with hubby and sometimes another rider. Just gone out on my own a few times.

Future? Likely to depend on my mood and who is available when I get an itch to go out.

[greenaero]

the majority of my riding is solo running errands or commuting. When I ride for fun it is mostly with my friends.

[greenaero]

But even commuting or running errands with a moto is more fun than driving!

[csmith12]

Originally Posted by Abu_Mishary

You are all alone doing nothing at home. You looked out the window and it is a bright sunny day.

This sounds just like what I do working at home. Work day or weekend, I may end up on a bike during lunch. Sometimes it's in the twisties, other times it's in the woods. I don't mind riding alone, but I do send a text to someone (wife) letting them know what I am doing and a ETA of my return.

[motoman]

I have only ever road two times with somebody else I did not enjoy it at all. They were both on very large crusers and they just left me behind. I spent more time catching up then enjoying the ride. Good thing no cops were around I would have lost my license. So I would rather just ride alone at my own pace.

[dreadfalcon]

As others have said, riding with others can sometimes be a crowded experience. For me riding is all about setting my own pace and my own goals and focusing on myself. It's about freedom, of destination, of speed, of style. The times I have ridden with others I felt they went too fast or too slow, or rode too recklessly or too carefully. I guess if you have a dedicated close group of friends that you train and plan together with its probably different.

I took the passenger seat off my bike completely, as well as the pegs. Doesn't get much more solo than me

[LittleRedNinjette]

Solo mostly. One of the things i like about riding is the alone time.

I don't like big groups as a norm but not against the occasional group ride. I wont lead though. Not with a lot of people. To much added stress bakes in not fun anymore.

I do have a couple people (literally 2) i feel very comfortable going out with. And by that i ean that i don't have to constantly watch where they are. It's like we're on our own solo ride, just together if that makes sense.

[HoneyBadgerRy]

Originally Posted by LittleRedNinjette

Solo mostly. One of the things i like about riding is the alone time.

I don't like big groups as a norm but not against the occasional group ride. I wont lead though. Not with a lot of people. To much added stress bakes in not fun anymore.

I do have a couple people (literally 2) i feel very comfortable going out with. And by that i ean that i don't have to constantly watch where they are. It's like we're on our own solo ride, just together if that makes sense.

For sure. I don't like group rides, and if I'm taking someone new out its like I'm babysitting a 6 year old. But I love to ride with my dad, or other mature (actually not mature as much as experienced) riders.