10 Ways To Find New Adventure Motorcycle Riding Buddies
Good riding buddies can help improve your safety and make riding more fun.
Many Adventure Riders don’t have riding buddies out of preference or circumstance. If you choose to ride solo, you accept that it comes along with additional risk. The risks of solo travel in the wilderness can be mitigated by sticking to well-traveled roads and carrying an emergency messaging device like the SPOT, but the safest way to ride is with other companions.
There are also good reasons to ride with friends beyond just safety. When you have good riding buddies, the ride becomes a team effort. You get help picking up your bike after a fall, assistance during repairs and a free tow if you break your bike. Get yourself in a sticky situation and you’ll quickly learn that two or more people can solve problems much better than one.
If you are a new adventure rider, more experienced riding buddies can help you learn how to become a better rider and get prepared for trips. Riding buddies can also help you push your limits to try new things you wouldn’t dare attempt alone. And after a long day of riding, it’s nice to have someone you can recount your moments of glory with over a few beers.
It’s up to each rider to weigh the pros and cons of riding alone and make their own personal choice. For those who prefer to ride with others, finding a riding buddy can be a real challenge. Here are 10 methods (in no particular order) you can use to find new riding buddies for your next adventure.
1. Motorcycle Hangout Spots
Find the scenic view spot, cafe or coffee shop in your city where motorcyclists of all types congregate. These motorcycle hangouts are typically found near good riding roads. Adventure Riders often own several different types of bikes, so even if you visit a known sport bike hangout, you will probably find riders that also own Adventure Bikes. One thing you’ll notice about motorcycle hangouts is that it’s easy to strike up a conversation with other fellow riders.
2. Meetup.com
Meetup.com is the world’s largest network of local groups that organize gatherings based on common interests. It’s a great tool for meeting people in your line of work or with the same hobby. Meetup.com is popular for local motorcycle groups as well and even has an entire section dedicated to it. If you go to motorcycle.meetup.com, you can enter a city anywhere in the world and search for local motorcycle groups with an interest in Adventure Riding. Join a group and you’ll soon find other like-minded riders looking to meet up for rides.
3. Adventure Bike Rallys
Adventure Bike Rallys are large motorcycle gatherings where you can get off-road training, attend trip preparation seminars, check out the latest Adventure Bike products and go for group rides. Most Rallys involve outdoor camping for an entire weekend in an area of natural beauty that offers good riding opportunities. With several days of mingling with other Adventure Riders, you are bound to make some new friends and find new riding buddies you can plan trips with in the future. To find a list of Adventure Bike Rallys from around the world, check out our international ADV Bike Rallys Calendar.
4. Adventure Bike Forums
Online forums are a great tool for finding new riding buddies. Popular forums like ADV Rider, The HUBB, Pashnit and Adventure Bike Rider all have sections for Adventure Bike group rides or regional sections that can be used to find other riders interested in going for a ride. Just create a post with information about your riding style, and you are likely to find other riders with similar riding ability that are interested in going for a ride. Also, look for organized group rides in your area that are open to riders on the forum.
5. Motorcycle Clubs
Motorcycle clubs are designed to bring local riders together with a similar riding interest. These clubs offer a great opportunity to meet new friends and learn from other experienced Adventure Riders. Clubs typically will organize large group rides and events on a regular basis, but you can also make plans to ride with friends you meet at these events. The Rider Clubs website is a tool you can use to discover Adventure Motorcycle riding clubs in your area (if you live in the U.S. or Canada). Clubs are organized by motorcycle type, manufacturer, riding style and location.
6. Group Rides
Group rides are organized in some of the best riding areas and offer an easy way to find new places to ride close to home. Plus you get nightly accommodations, gas stops and routes all planned out for you. GPS tracks and maps are usually provided, so you can ride self-guided at your own pace. Along the way you’ll have plenty of opportunities to meet other riders that are a close match for your riding skill level. Smaller groups of riders are usually happy to let you tag along if you can ride at their pace. To find a list of upcoming group rides in your area, check out our international ADV Group Rides Calendar.
7. Organized Tours
Sign up for an organized tour and each day you will have a unique riding experience to share with other riders in your group. Many tours are a week or longer, giving you an opportunity to develop deep friendships with like-minded adventure riders. You can find motorcycle tours in different places around the world using Horizon Unlimited’s tour operators search tool or check out the tours database on adventuremotorcycle.org.
8. Motorcycle Dealerships
Your local motorcycle dealer is a good place to start your search for new riding buddies. Dealers and large motorcycle gear suppliers like to organize group rides and events that bring motorcyclists together. BMW dealers are known to put together local adventure rides that help new riders get out and meet other riders in their area. These group rides usually welcome riders of other brands as well. Contact your local motorcycle dealership or gear supplier to find out if there are upcoming organized events in your area.
9. Off-Road Riding Schools
Improving your off-road riding skills will give you the confidence to travel further into the remote areas of the world. Riding schools are the perfect place to meet other Adventure Riders with a similar skill level as well. Multi-day classes make it easy to make new friends and find compatible riding buddies that are eager to test their new skills on the next adventure. Check out our global list of Adventure Bike specific off-road training schools to find a program in your area.
10. Social Networks
Look for social network groups like Facebook Groups, Yahoo Groups and Google Plus Communities. Search for groups dedicated to adventure riding or your specific adventure bike model. You may also find regional adventure riding groups. Join in the conversation online and you may meet other riders with similar interests and riding style. Some of the more active groups will plan group rides as well. There are also motorcycle specific social networking apps appearing online, designed to connect riders, like the We Ride App. So far these apps seem to have a hard time getting enough users to make them useful, but motorcycle specific social network apps may become more popular in the future.
If you know of other good ways to find new riding buddies, share your suggestions in the comments below!
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Do not think MeetUp groups are good way to find bikers, most of the bikers groups are not active.. I think Biker forums are better way to Motorcycle Riding Buddies.
JUST bought a Kawasaki klr650 in Lima Peru and will be heading to Patagonia in a week or two. Looking for someone to ride with
Rickvo
Or try using http://www.riders-share.com!
I live in northeast Fl. And can’t find any adventure motorcycle riders/clubs anywhere
Me either and I’m in south Florida. Nothing jng
I’m in central Florida and can’t find anything.
Riding motorcycle from Florida to Yukon in June 2019. Looking for other riders to go along. Will be gone for a month and planning to ride the Dempster road. 900 miles of dirt road.
Where is the dempster road,what state or country?
I am interested. Please email me details. Stevecabral1@gmail.com
I am looking for other adventure riders (who ride off road ) in the Wisconsin,Mighigan up and Illinoise area
Hi Tom,
I’m interested in planning some adventure riding for 2020.
Specifically looking to plan a trip on 2 wheels for March 2020.
I live in Northern Michigan, but am not adverse to traveling.
Nick
freedafishy@hotmail.com
[…] who can help you out. If you know anyone else with a bike, ask them to ride with you. If not, look for motorcycle groups in your area that you can […]
I live in south texas yall in area got a place for a break or overnight if you got tents or few could lay in shop
Looking to ride from CT to CA this spring/summer. Looking for a buddy. Will be riding an Africa Twin.
I live in Bedford pa and looking for some riding buddies