Traveling in groups is a great way to go, but it has its challenges. Don't ride too close, especially on winding roads. If someone makes a mistake you don't want the whole group going down in a heap because they couldn't avoid hitting the person in front. Ideally you should adopt a staggered formation so that each rider can see the following machine in their mirrors. A decent gap between each motorcycle also allows other road users to pass without having to overtake the whole group at once. If you frustrate other road users, you may well become involved in an accident.

It's great to ride side-by-side with your friends, but it's also illegal in some Asian countries if you're sharing the one lane. Make sure you have a clear view of the road and its surrounds – ride too close and you often won't see the potholes until it's too late. I've been run up the back twice by other people. The first time resulted in a bent footpeg and smashed muffler, and I came very close to breaking a leg. The second was a early morning episode riding into sun light. The following rider was playing with its visor and sun-classes.

Riding abroad, especially in neighboring countries, brings another dimension of pleasure to your biking. Compared to Thailand, motorcycling can become far more enjoyable.

Positives include emptier roads, a greater pro-biking attitude and, if you visit the right spots, an abundance of brilliant routes, happy people – they seem to wave to anything on two-wheels – and scenery.

Life is of course different in these countries and you need to be mindful and prepared for this before you set off. Having problems hundreds of kilometers in a country of which you not speak the native language can be much more difficult to cope with. Doing your very best to prevent them occurring in the first place, or at least reducing their impact is important to enjoying biking in foreign zones to the full.

Carrying a passenger needs even more thought than riding solo. It alters the way your motorcycle performs thanks to the extra weight and where it's sited.

And of course there's another person's safety to consider. I've lost a pillion through my own negligence, and it ranks as one of the most shocking motorcycle experiences I've ever had.

Take a ride on the back of any big sportsbike, and you'll know they are barely fit for the purpose – something worth bearing in mind when you take someone on-board such a motorcycle, especially at speed. In saying that, with the right approach and understanding there's no reason why a pillion can't have as much fun as the rider.

The first consideration to make is for their welfare, which will be affected by the sort of motorcycle you have. Riding on the back of a Honda Goldwing is both secure and sumptuous. The seat is as big as a sofa and there's plenty to grab hold of. Something like an Aprilia Tuono is a very different matter. With virtually nothing to hang onto, the already wheelie-prone Aprilia becomes a liability for a passenger if it's used in just a spirited fashion, never mind hard.

It isn't much of a surprise if we happen to have the chance to visit a place we have longed to visit. Certainly, it is a surprise when, impulsively and within seconds, a decision is taken to set out for a certain destination.

The thrill of learning something new at Doi Mae Salong, my destination before me, was overwhelming. The motorcycle was rented and primed and ready; the traveler was primed and set to get going on the road; the freedom of travel was soon being experienced.

Along highway 110, Chiang Rai-Mae Chan road, my motorcycle glided along smoothly. I remembered the rental guy saying: “Take special care when you ascend the mountains; the road is particularly steep”.

A short distance from the city, I couldn't help but stop the motorcycle to enjoy the sight ahead. It was something I hadn't seen in years. Around a dozen people, toiling in the field, stopped work and gave me their warm, welcoming smiles. They asked me questions like, “Where are you from? Which way are you headed? Won't you get lost? Why are you taking our photographs? Will you return to Chiang Rai?” I smiled in return, finding it hard to keep up with their questions, before waving farewell. This must be what is called “roadside friendship”, I supposed.

It's easy to get caught up in the bigger-is-better paradigm of custom cruising. There's nothing like having a huge engine to show off to your friends and admirers, so they can all remark on how potent it looks. But after all the oohing and aahing, it's still your motorcycle to ride.

Honda's premium VTX line I divided between two platforms – the 1800 and 1300. While the 1800 is a fine powerplant, don't underestimate its more compact brother. Doubtlessly, for two-up touring, the VTX 1800T has the strength most riders will want to take a passenger and filled saddlebags on a long-distance ride. But, for the solo tourer with some back-roads on his agenda, the Honda VTX 1300T presents itself as a compelling option.

While it shares the same 69.5 cm seat height as the Honda VTX 1800T, the VTX 1300T is over 23 kilos lighter, has a wheelbase nearly 5 centimeters shorter, and slightly narrower tires. These statistics add up to a bike that is more nimble on mountain roads, and still has plenty of torque to authoritatively pull itself our of corners.

They say first impressions are crucial. That said, I immediately found the Kawasaki ER-6N harsh and uncomfortable. Unfortunately, the seat seemed to lack padding and, if you're sitting correctly you place a lot of pressure on your prostate. When I look at a friends ER for a run, the seat had no such problem and I suffered no discomfort at all. This begs the question whether it was that particular seat, or maybe it is indicative of the newest model, potential buyers will have to assess this for themselves.

Next, the suspension seemed overly hard, and this is something that my friend agreed was a problem on his Kawasaki ER6N too. I had even wound the rear pre-load right off, but, while this improved things, it was still very stiff, unyielding, more suited to smooth surfaces, freeways of highways, no the average Thai road. I did a round trip of 300 kilometers over some local average rural Thai roads and spent the last half of the ride wishing it was over!

The pillion gets the better seat with excellent grab rails, plus, I'll bet that if I'd had the chance to chauffeur someone around, it may have well made the hard suspension behave itself. What my friend spend a good amount of money for replacement Ohlins rear shock/spring and, yes, this fixed the problem (but why should it have to be done?) Interestingly, Kawasaki's own promotional material states “direct action offset rear shock absorber delivers a smooth and supple ride”.

If you're thinking of booking a motorcycle holiday this year, with hotels, transportation and routes all taken care of by someone else, then take heart – there's more choice than ever before. Not only are there more tour operators vying for your business than there used to be, but the range of destinations is growing too. Want to visit China and ride up to Mongolia? You can this year. Take a cruise ship up to Borneo, then ride a bike around the island meeting people from Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia? No problem. Tibet? Goes without saying. Half a dozen companies will guide you through Asian countries, and if you fancy riding in the mountainous area of North India, you can do that too.

But it's not just exotic locations offering greater choice than even before. You might think that there's nothing new to see in countries like Thailand, or Vietnam, but greater competition has spurred the motorcycle tour operators to offer new destinations this year – Thailand and Vietnam are both big countries, with plenty of good bits that most of us have never yet seen.

As ever with organized tours, they don't all do it in quite the same way. Some try to keep daily kilometers low, others include long days of over 350 kilometers. Not many insist that you ride as a group all the time, especially over longer distance, just giving everyone a rote map and leaving them to make their own way to the hotel or next destination. A lot of riders prefer this – you can go at you own pace and stop whenever you like, secure in the knowledge that you'll meet up with the rest of the group at day's end. Whichever company you go with, a guide on a motorcycle is part ot the package, though now increasing numbers are offering self-guided tours as well – they book the hotels and work out the routes, which you then ride on your own. Which way suits you depends on what sort of holiday you want.

The Honda GL1800 Gold Wing is impossible; hurling a stupefying mass of metal and plastic around at seed isn't new – bi, fat, touring buses have been doing it for years – but the Honda Gold Wing brings FireBlade levels of handling, control and agility to the party. So where the old Gold Wing wallows and shimmies or takes ages to haul to s standstill or feels breathless over the ton, the GL1800 is capable of squirting round the outside of lazily-ridden liter sportbikes.

This makes the Honda Gold Wing GL1800 unbeatable as a touring bike. Pillions – most unnoticeable, whereupon the extra weight and its relative height dramatically increases the Gold Wing's ability to topple over – are astonished by its power and reassured by its poise; they feel safe and protected. They also feel most of the bumps – a side-effect of being such a composed beast at speed is less than flawless ride quality. Who'd have thought it; the Honda Gold Wing GL1800 has a sporty ride.

The BMW R1150 GS. Cynics would have you believe it's a two-wheeled SUV, never to see as much as a cobbled track. BMW R1150 GS owners say something else, they will tell you it's the most capable adventure bike ever made. It's a bit of both. It has become one of the most popular machines in the motorcycle adventure riding business.

Two English guys, McGregor and Charley did a trip around the world on the BMW R1150 GS Adventure variant.

The BMW R1150 GS is a reliable and invariable owned by well off, more mature types who follow the service schedule religiously. Official after-market accessories and value - crash bars, extra light and luggage systems. Every BMW R1150 GS should have luggage. BMW offer optional 'mud' super-knobblies that are best kept away from tarmac.

Before you set off on your big motorcycle trip, pack all your gear on the motorcycle and ride it around for an hour or so. Make sure the load stays stable and doesn't affect the bike's handling. Next, spend the night in a nearby campground or in your backyard. That way if you forgot something important, or if some piece of equipment doesn't work, you can pack up and go home. The trail run has the added advantage of letting you develop and practice your camping routine, so that when you arrive at the real campsite, everything will go a lot more smoothly.

Choosing a Campsite

Once you arrive, it's time to set up camp. Choose your campsite carefully, and avoid pitching camp in low areas where rain might collect and for might settle at night. Make sure the prevailing winds don't blow smoke from other campsites toward yours. Avoid sloping or rough, rocky ground. Open up your sleeping bag and lie down if you're unsure if it's level – in five minutes you'll know. Look for hives that might house bees, look in the grass for ants or other bitting insects. Watch where the sun tracks and set up your tent for maximum shade or sunlight.