So, what do y'all consider "touring"?

[dmiles]

Just curious to hear how different folks define it. Doesn't have to be exact, just general terms.

[RICZ]

It's when you pack your toothbrush and it's longer than a day ride, by at least by a few days.

[Peter Aawen]

For me, 'Touring' means that Travelling of an extended nature which exceeds one day of ryding, usually with each day's travel having different start & end points, that is generally of a 'recreational nature'.

For example, if the Child Bride & I get on the Spyder & head off to visit family in another State, covering 650 or so miles in one day to get there, that's NOT touring.... BUT, leaving from the same start point & arriving at the same end point as above, only taking a few days & covering somewhat more miles as we stooge around a bit checking out all the sights along the way, then THAT IS Touring!

Works for us!

Ps: We do a fair bit of 'touring'; and a lot of 'point to point' ryding covering long distances & often multiple days of travel too!

[bigbadbrucie]

For me, 'Touring' means that Travelling of an extended nature which exceeds one day of ryding, usually with each day's travel having different start & end points, that is generally of a 'recreational nature'.

For example, if the Child Bride & I get on the Spyder & head off to visit family in another State, covering 650 or so miles in one day to get there, that's NOT touring.... BUT, leaving from the same start point & arriving at the same end point as above, only taking a few days & covering somewhat more miles as we stooge around a bit checking out all the sights along the way, then THAT IS Touring!

Works for us!

Ps: We do a fair bit of 'touring'; and a lot of 'point to point' ryding covering long distances & often multiple days of travel too!

Not zure if I agree or not. I do agree that it is point to point, but in my mind it is also sort of touring. With your analogy, what if your point to point trip took 2 or maybe 3 days? Still point to point or did it switch to touring? In my mind, touring is any multi day trip. For me there is day trips (begin and end at home) or touring. Anything else is too complicated.

[Bfromla]

Well there’s Day touring & Touring: Day touring; semi local no plans just want to get away, find new places to visit or just wander around looking for roads have not been on yet. Touring; week or longer usually more planning & actual destination timing goals.**exploring & enjoying key for both**

[Little Blue]

...Well, for me 'touring' is when you don't get back home on the same Day.
I understand that some people have different types of touring. So I just say that I am going on a 'trip'. Be it one or more Days.

Be sure you lock the house and turn off the lights.

[troop]

I guess, for me, touring would be a ride that requires at least (1) overnight stay. I have done plenty of 200-300 mile day trips. Ha .. But like above, if I have a toothbrush, I'm touring

[cruisinTX]

I used to consider "touring" a trip of more than two overnight stays where I did not stay in the same place each consecutive night. I aged and began to like the thought of not packing/unpacking each morning/evening more and more. So, now my "touring" involves traveling maybe two to three days to reach a destination (home base) then making all day rides to explore one area for several days then repeat the trip home but by a different route than what got me there. That allows me to get to know more roads, eateries, attractions and sites around one area much better than just passing through to the next overnight stay.

Now that I'm retired, one of these days, I hope to link a few of those treks to a "home base" together for a longer total trip of a month or two.

[Peter Aawen]

Not zure if I agree or not. I do agree that it is point to point, but in my mind it is also sort of touring. With your analogy, what if your point to point trip took 2 or maybe 3 days? Still point to point or did it switch to touring? In my mind, touring is any multi day trip. For me there is day trips (begin and end at home) or touring. Anything else is too complicated.

If we are heading somewhere, but aren't really stopping to check out the sights &/or do something similar along the way, then we aren't touring, we're just driving point to point, even if it does take a couple or 10 days!

You gotta remember a couple of things - Firstly, that here in Oz, except on a few relatively limited distance major roads (mostly in our Northern Territory &/or near the major Cities) we have a National Speed Limit of 100 kmh/about 65mph and NO-ONE travels too much faster than that for very long, or they WILL get caught! Get caught more than just a few times on any day/any week, and you WILL, then your vehicle will be impounded. Get caught more than a few times such that any vehicle you are driving/riding is impounded, and barring a few really rare extenuating circumstances, that vehicle gets crushed! So don't lend your car/bike to anyone who's already had a vehicle impounded twice, even if it was different vehicles, or it might be yours that gets crushed! . Secondly - apart from local rides/day tripping, just about everything in Oz takes at least a couple of days to do! It's sorta like driving/riding half-way across the USA. The Child Bride & I can & do still manage to do 6-800 mile days, sometimes more (it comes from decades of practice, not just years. ), so we can travel from Adelaide to Melbourne or Adelaide to Sydney in just one day. And that's just the closest two State Capitals after our own; most of the others take a week or so of fairly solid 'point to point' riding to reach; and pretty much every time you deviate off the direct path, or stop to check out anything much besides the facilities in a servo or one of the small towns you pass thru, will add about a day to your 'point to point' travel time! So we can 'drive/ride' somewhere, 'point to point', and easily take 10 days, but it's JUST driving/riding to get there; while if we're Touring, it might take us 10 days just to get out of this State!

So for us, THAT's why driving/riding is travelling 'point to point', no matter how many days it takes us; while Touring is Travelling of an extended nature which exceeds one day of ryding, usually with each day's travel having different start & end points, that is generally of a 'recreational nature'. If we actually get to stop & check out things, maybe even smell the wildflowers, then we're Touring.

[bikerbillone]

Peter, how much is fuel in Oz?

[Peter Aawen]

Peter, how much is fuel in Oz?

Right now, the Spyder fuel I use (our 95 RON) is about $1.90 per litre, the equivalent of about $7.60 per US Gallon for your 91..... but we have just recently had 20 odd cents per litre in Federal Govt Excise knocked off the pump price in order to keep the pump price below about $2 per litre.

[bikerbillone]

Oh my, energy costs are insane. My Canam trips have been shortened considerably. Sorry to digress from the subject post.

[dmiles]

This is exactly what I was looking for, love it!

[vito1943]

Touring involves seeing new places and riding unfamiliar and interesting roads. Maybe its my age, or that I am just jaded, but as much as I enjoy riding my Spyder, multi day trips are losing their appeal for me unless I have a specific destination in mind. Then touring becomes getting there but without rushing, without using the Interstates as the shortest/fastest, but least enjoyable route. Right now I only have one "touring" trip in mind for this riding season, to the U.S. Air Force museum in Dayton, OH. I'll take two leisurely days riding to get there, two days there, and then likely two days back. Usually my wife rides with me, but only for day rides, so the OH trip will be solo. I do miss having the riding buddies that I used to have for longer trips.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

For me ... if it's more than just a day trip , I think of that as " touring " ..... Mike

[EdMat]

For me it is multiday, even if its work related as long as I can do it on the back roads. If there are Interstates involved, except for short distances, it's just boring.

[BMac920]

Just curious to hear how different folks define it. Doesn't have to be exact, just general terms.

I have never really considered time or distance the defining criteria, more about riding style for me. I'm "Riding" when I go out and spend almost all of my focus on the road because of the way I'm riding the machine and consider it "Touring" when at a more sedate pace it allows me to do more sightseeing than when I'm "Riding". I guess Touring is an individual thing. Maybe that's why we all enjoy our Spyder in different ways and we need make no apologies to anyone for doing so! Enjoy your riding...Regards.

[RayBJ]

"Touring is Travelling of an extended nature which exceeds one day of ryding, usually with each day's travel having different start & end points, that is generally of a 'recreational nature'.

That's my definition as well. I 'tour' a few times a year. As few as 3 days to 2+ weeks on the loop. Always starting from home back to home and staying in a different place each night. Single day trips, even >350 miles are not tours IMO. But does it matter what you call it if you're enjoying the outing?

[ARtraveler]

The last two overnights we did were to attend Spyder Rallies. One in Grove OK, and one in Hot Springs AR. Even though they were motel stays, we found both to be on the exhausting side. We left Hot Springs a day earlier than planned. Just wanted to get back home.

I think we are now going to be relegated to "day" touring. We are very fortunate that a full days ride in any direction produces great, great rides. We have retired in the right place. Any more overnights and we will be taking the cage. I need the use of a wheel chair and rentals can be very expensive these days.

The up-side for us. We are not done traveling, just not by Spyder any more.

[ferrasr]

For us its packing up the bike and heading out on the road for 2 to 3 weeks to where ever you want to go. Stopping at a place we want to explore or a small rally to see friends in the US or Canada for 2 to 3 days where we can wash some cloths and head out again.....

Randy

[CopperSpyder]

For me it's leaving the driveway!!

[pegasus1300]

I've been reading thru these trying to define what "touring" is for me, because I never really thought about it. In over 50 years of riding I have gone thru different stages of what I consider touring. I think I am at a stage now where anything that isn't riding to work or an errand is touring. As an example my friend and I left Spring City yesterday and decided to ride to Salina to a little old style drive in for lunch. We know US 89 very well, it is the main street of Sanpete and Sevier Counties, yet since it is Spring here in rural Utah it looks different almost every day. We have been to this drive in many times. The staff are always the current crop of junior and senior girls from the local high school so they are always changing. They are always full of life, excited, and friendly. We are not just a couple of old men to them but exotic strangers on motorcycles, so they talk to us besides just take out orders. Since this is a true drive in there are no inside tables, but some outside tables under some trees. There is an older lady at the only other table so we ask her if she will share with us. She graciously agrees and we sit and eat while she waits for her husband to bring back their food. And visit. We find out they are from Minnesota and are on the way back home after being "Snowbirds" in Arizona. They are staying the night in Provo so we give them some pointers on things to do there and places to eat. They have a beautiful Red Ford F150 FX4 with some beautiful gold graphics on it Turns out her sister is a graphic designer and designed and made them for her. Since her husband is from Holland they have a cactus on one side and a windmill on the other. They leave and Ken and I decide we need ice cream. When we get back to the table the crowd at the other table has left and now there is a single old man. He turns out to be a local rancher who just sold his ranch, but kept a small portion of it - 2000 acres. I figure if a "small portion" is 2000 that ranch must have been huge. He tells us about setting up a bank in Moscow for the Russians several years ago and became friends with all the higher ups. He was telling us how lucky he was to still be alive and how grateful he was for being back in the USA. Turns out his wife was a music professor at the local college and knew my grandson who studied music there.
The point of this too long post is that a tour is what you make it. From 12:00 noon to 5:00 pm we had a wonderful tour only 40 min from home. In 3 weeks I will be leaving on a longer tour to the Pacific Northwest. I hope I have as much adventure then as I did yesterday. Every ride can be a tour.

[Briorick]

Just curious to hear how different folks define it. Doesn't have to be exact, just general terms.

The word "Touring", as I define it, means I'm going on a Road Trip. And, when on my "Road Trips", I take in "Sight-Seeing" along the way.

I am just too simple for my own good!

[Stubby]

I almost always carry a small bag in the frunk. Has a pair of socks, t-shirt, underwear,
toothbrush, 2 days of meds, an insulin pen and needles. Good for an unexpected overnight.

[Steve W.]

For me it is multiday, even if its work related as long as I can do it on the back roads. If there are Interstates involved, except for short distances, it's just boring.

I have seen it mentioned on some other forums:
Four lanes are for making time.
Two lanes are for making memories.

I knew a guy that was SERIOUSLY into Iron Butt rides on his Goldwing. His basic traveling philosophy was that he only ate at places that had someone's name in the place's name (Flo's Diner, Mac's Place, etc.) and if the motel had 3-digit room numbers, it was too big.

.