Riding more than 1,000 kilometres in 24 hours begins well before the engine starts. It begins with a map, a realistic timetable and an honest assessment of the person holding the handlebars.

The distance is the challenge. Good preparation gives riders room to enjoy it.

And the most important part of the plan remains Rule No.1: Come home safe.

Build the ride around daylight

Start with the check-in time and work backwards. Look at daylight hours along the route, fuel availability, suitable overnight accommodation and places where the plan can change if necessary.

Aim to cover as much of the distance as possible in full daylight, avoiding dawn, dusk and night riding wherever practical. Wildlife collisions are a particular concern around dawn and dusk, while darkness makes animals, bends and road surface problems harder to see.

An early departure can look attractive on paper. Consider what it actually means: an interrupted night’s sleep followed by several hours on dark country roads. Leaving later, riding a substantial first leg during daylight, sleeping overnight and completing the remaining distance the next morning may make a better plan.

If riding in darkness or around dawn or dusk becomes necessary, slow down. Choose a speed that allows time to identify hazards and stop within the road clearly visible ahead. The posted limit is a ceiling; conditions may call for considerably less.  Build that slower pace into the timetable. It should never become something riders feel they must compensate for later.

Use the 24 hours wisely

A 24-hour window does not require 24 hours of continuous riding.

Where the route and check-in time allow, plan an overnight sleep between two manageable riding legs. Book somewhere suitable, check arrival arrangements and allow time to eat, settle down, sleep and prepare for the morning. A seven-hour accommodation stop does not automatically deliver seven hours of sleep.

Use realistic journey times, including towns, roadworks, fuel stops, meals, breaks and slower conditions. Leave a comfortable margin for the unexpected.  If the timetable only works by cutting sleep, skipping necessary breaks or maintaining an optimistic pace, these are signs that a review of the timetable or the route is in order.

Consider making the check-in your finish

Although a FarRide can include a mid-ride check-in, there is much to recommend completing the qualifying distance at the destination.

It removes the pressure to leave lunch with hundreds of qualifying kilometres still ahead. Riders can relax, enjoy the company and decide what comes next with the distance already completed.  Better still, staying overnight becomes a pleasant option and a rationale for the journey. Turning the destination into part of the experience is a great way to get the most out of your ride.

If continuing after check-in, plan a shorter, unhurried leg, with another overnight stop where appropriate. Completing a FarRide does not reset the rider’s fatigue. Home might be familiar, but the kilometres getting there still count.

Prepare the rider as carefully as the bike

Checking the motorcycle, luggage, that the navigation is loaded and riding gear tested before departure day, covers off the functional elements of your ride. Confirming access to fuel at hours that matches need, particularly where a closed pump would leave few alternatives would be recommended too.

However, the rider preparation is even more important. Building experience through progressively longer rides; discovering an uncomfortable seat, a troublesome helmet or awkward hydration arrangement is easier to manage close to home and well before the FarRide date.

Building endurance requires practice, with a focus on fatigue control, and Don Arthur’s Fatigue and Motorcycle Touring offer several useful reminders in relation to the latter. Fatigue can creep up unnoticed, impair judgement and make riders less able to recognise their own deterioration. So starting properly rested, finishing preparations before bedtime and leaving a time cushion in the ride are critical planning elements focused on the rider. And note well, use of stimulants is no substitute to reverse sleeping debt.

Read the original Don Arthur paper in our FarRiders fatigue management blog as part of preparing for the ride.

Hydration belongs in the plan

Water should be easy to carry, easy to access and regularly replenished.

Drink regularly throughout the journey, with more frequent opportunities in hot weather. A hydration pack can help provided its use is familiar and does not distract from riding. Fuel stops should include also mean checking the rider’s water supply.

Dehydration can increase fatigue, impair judgement and slow responses. Eat small amounts regularly and avoid relying on a large meal or repeated coffees to carry the day.  Never reduce drinking to avoid toilet stops. Just allow for those stops in the schedule.

Speed is a poor time-management tool

Trying to recover lost time via throttle creep, creates more problems than it solves.

Higher speed leaves less time to interpret what is happening ahead and respond. It can also increase wind pressure and buffeting, adding to the physical work of riding. Wind, noise and exposure already contribute to rider fatigue. You will also need to stop more for fuel.

Consider the arithmetic: over an uninterrupted 100 kilometres, travelling at 110 rather than 100 km/h saves only about five and a half minutes. A few distracted minutes at a service station can swallow that saving.  Hence, choosing a steady, legal pace suited to the conditions is typically the best plan. If delays put check-in beyond reach, revise the plan and let people know. There is no requirement to turn a late arrival into a dangerous one.

Give fuel stops a purpose

A good fuel stop is deliberate and focused.

Before pulling in, recite what is needed: fuel, receipt, toilet, water, food, clothing adjustment or a proper rest.

A simple routine helps:

• Refuel and secure the required receipt if necessary.

• Park safely away from the pump.

• Attend to water, food, toilet and clothing needs.

• Check the next leg and assess readiness to continue.

Keep payment methods and receipts in consistent places. Sort navigation while parked. Avoid repeatedly unpacking luggage because something useful has disappeared into its depths.  Four stops that drift ten minutes beyond their intended purpose consume forty minutes. That can remove much of the margin carefully built into the route.

Efficiency means avoiding wasted time while allowing all the rest the rider needs. A necessary break is time well spent. If a fuel stop reveals that sleep is needed, the stop has just acquired a more important purpose.

Respond to fatigue early

Yawning, tired eyes, poor concentration, rough gear changes, missed signs or running wide in a corner are reasons to stop and reassess. Riders become less reliable judges of their own tiredness as fatigue increases.

Pull over somewhere safe. If sleepy, sleep. Allow any grogginess after waking to clear before considering whether to continue.  Coffee, fresh air and music may briefly increase alertness, but they do not cure fatigue. Slowing down is sensible when visibility deteriorates; it is not a treatment for a rider who needs sleep.

Decide before leaving that stopping, changing the route or abandoning the qualifying distance are acceptable outcomes. Make that decision while rested, rather than negotiating with a tired mind beside the road.

Let someone follow the journey

Share the route, planned overnight stop and expected arrival time with someone at home. Tracking applications can help loved ones follow progress, but check how they behave outside mobile coverage. Recording a GPS position and transmitting it are different functions.

Satellite equipment adds useful options:

• Compatible modern iPhones: iPhone 14 and later support Emergency SOS via satellite in Australia, subject to availability and connection conditions. Find My also allows location sharing via satellite. This requires user action and should not be confused with continuous satellite tracking.

• SPOT trackers: devices such as SPOT Gen4 offer satellite tracking, preset check-in messages and SOS. Gen4 is a one-way device and requires an active service subscription.

• Garmin inReach: compatible devices provide satellite tracking, two-way messaging and interactive SOS with an active subscription.

Satellite communication can work beyond phone reception, but it is not guaranteed everywhere. A clear view of the sky matters; terrain and obstructions can affect connections.

Set everything up and practise before departure. Check batteries, charging arrangements, subscriptions and sharing permissions. Keep emergency equipment accessible if separated from the motorcycle. Agree what someone at home should do if tracking stops or a check-in is missed. Send an update when plans change and let people know if stopping or arriving late.

Leave room to enjoy it

A well-planned FarRide leaves room for daylight, sleep, water, purposeful stops and an enjoyable arrival.

Finish at check-in where practical. Stay for the company. Give the journey home the time it deserves.

It’s Just a Road. There will be another ride.

Rule No.1: Come home safe.