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Good riding tips that you might not have thought of. Gets ya thinkin' anyway. For beginners and experienced riders.

1. Dehydration is one of the worst enemies to a motorcyclist. It is always wise to drink a lot of water the night before an extended ride, to hydrate the body, then continue to drink lots of water during the day. If you are thirsty when your riding, it may be too late to catch up, and means you are already running dry. Try and avoid too much caffeine on the day of your ride. If you do drink coffee, or a soda, drink equal amounts of water to compensate for the depletion. Avoid drinking too much alcohol the night before because alcohol is a diuretic.

2. Get a good nights sleep before you set out on that butt burner.

3. Try and wear clothing that covers as much of your body as possible. Any exposed skin allows that 65 mile an hour wind to pull moisture out of your body. Even when I was riding to Star Days across the desert, I always wore a light long sleeve shirt, jeans, and gloves. Bicycle shorts are an excellent undergarment, instead of cotton underwear. Cotton underwear will get moist from perspiration, and start to cause heat rash on your sensitive behind. Plus the seams from your jeans will also rub you raw. Bicycle shorts have a chamois material sewn in that will absorb the moisture, and give you a protection layer between you and any cotton clothing. Also they act as compression pants that will not allow your upper legs to atrophy, and become sore.

4. Always carry a good supply of water. I have a camelback which has an inside bladder that I fill with ice cubes and water, and a long tube for sucking the water out. You can actually put it on your back, like a back-pack, and run the tube into your jacket or shirt. Then you can pull it out and use it while your riding. Or, attach it to your back seat and put the tube where you can reach for it with your non-throttle hand.

5. There are these neck bandanas that have crystals sewn inside. You put the whole bandana into ice water the night before, the crystals absorb the water, and swell up. You tie the bandana around your neck and with the wind on it, it will keep the core of your spine cool, just below the head. This is very important, because when very warm blood is going up to brain, the brain can shut down to cool itself. Needless to say, that is when you black out. The bandana will keep the blood cooler, which allows the brain to function more efficiently. It also works to just take a regular bandana, and soak it at every rest stop.

6. I always wear a 3/4 helmet on long distance rides. It serves many purposes. It helps keep the bantering road noise down, decreases dehydration through the top of the head, and heaven for bid, if I do black out and go down, it might give the noggin a little more protection. What I do at each rest stop is, take the bandana I wear on my head, soak it with water, put it back on top, and pull my helmet back on. As you go down the road, with the vents open, it cools the top of the head better.

7. I wear goggles when I'm going long distances. The wind wrapping around regular sunglasses can be very annoying. If the air is very hot it can actually give your eyeballs a terrible wind burn. If it's cold air, your eyes will water, which makes it very difficult to see. I wear goggles made by Guard Dog, called Goggs. You can buy them with replaceable lenses, clear, amber, yellow, and tan. Something for every occasion. Eye fatigue can be very dangerous because you may not see something in the road, and that could be tragic.

8. Make sure that either you, or someone in your group has at least one of the following, first aid kit, tire patches or plugs, hand pump, oil, fuses, light bulbs, tools, flashlight, knife, bungee cords, duct tape, extra metric nuts and bolts, and anything else you think your bike might use or need.

9. I always have a dry set of clothes with me. Just in case I get caught in the rain, or my rain gear fails. I put a garbage bag in my saddlebags, and pack everything in there that I want to stay dry. You never know when the bags will leak. I carry a light weight set of rain gear. Teknic makes a nice set of light pants and jacket. I buy them a little large so if I have to stop on the side of the road, they will fit over my pants and jacket. Always make sure you try them on before you leave. Nothing is worse than stopping under an overpass during a downpour, and they don't fit. Keep a towel in your bag to wipe down your seat or to clean your glasses.

10. Use a heavy sunscreen, at least SPF 30, on your face and any exposed areas. It helps to hold moisture inside, and prevent you from severe wind burn.