Motorcycle road trips are memorable experiences, but any great adventure needs a good soundtrack. You want music that will heighten your sense of adventure, evoke powerful memories and fit seamlessly with life on the road. That’s why we’ve assembled our comprehensive list of the best songs and riding playlists for motorcycle road trips to help you make the most of your experience.

1. “Motorcycle Mama”

Neil Young’s laid-back cruising song from the 1978 album, Comes a Time, is perfect for those long highway touring days. Neil Young and Nicolette Larson sing together about love, lust and trouble–all timeless themes for all motorcyclists.

2. “Smoke on the Water”

The guitar riff, the angsty lyrics–all of the details of Deep Purple’s 1971 classic tune–evoke the free-wheeling spirit of motorcyclists everywhere.

3. “Born to Be Wild”

It’d be impossible not to include this song on a motorcycle road trip list. Steppenwolf delivers the ultimate, rebellious biker song that captures the thrill of the open road.

4.” Ezy Ryder”

Another 1971 classic, “Ezy Ryder” by Jimi Hendrix evokes an era of crazy hippies while also creating something altogether timeless. The lyrics say it all:

“There goes Ezy, Ezy Ryder

riding down the highway of desire

he says the free wind takes him higher

tryin' to find his heaven above”

As far as motorcycle lyrics go, it doesn’t get much better than that. The Hendrix guitar doesn’t hurt, either.

5. “Midnight Rider”

The Allman Brothers are an American treasure. This 1970s song strikes all the right chords. The lyrics evoke freedom, the highway, poverty, evasion and the life of a nomad. The guitar bridges and sweet, haunting high notes of the guitar riffs coupled with the steady beat of the drums conjure up life on the road.

6. “The Ballad of Easy Rider”

The Byrds’ “The Ballad of Easy Rider” is all about the flow of the ride and following the flow of life. It’s spiritual, it’s earthy and it touches on timeless themes of freedom, desire and the beauty of the natural world. Play this while you’re riding down country roads, and you might just find yourself someplace like heaven.

7. “Bat Out of Hell”

With this ten-minute masterpiece, Jim Steinman made the ultimate teenage tragedy anthem. Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman take this song from the end of the road, over the barricade and all the way to the watery depths of the ocean.

Making Your Playlist

When it comes to crafting the perfect riding playlist, you obviously need more than seven songs. We’ve provided these incredible songs to get you started and to give you an idea of how to cultivate the atmosphere you need and want while riding. However, there’s much more to it than that.

Maybe you want to have one massive playlist where you put any and all your songs for riding, but we recommend that you build playlists based on themes. That way, you know exactly what playlist to go to, regardless of mood and landscape.

Choosing Your Themes

Choose playlist themes that will work well with the landscapes you’ll be encountering over the course of your different rides. For instance, cruising along a highway out West evokes a very different mood from the back roads of the Northeastern states. Seaside Southern roads are different still and twisting mountain roads have a character all their own.

Build playlists that reflect the mood you want to cultivate while riding through these different terrains. Choose songs that evoke the hard-driving, amped-up freedom you love, or choose songs that fit seamlessly with laid-back, open-sky tours.

Ideas for Themes

Here are some ideas for perfect motorcycle playlist themes that can keep you going on all roads and in all weather.

* Chilled-out cruising

For this theme, choose songs with a steady, calm beat, well-crafted melodies and poetic lyrics. Neil Young’s “Motorcycle Mama” or almost anything by The Eagles is an ideal song choice.

* Rebel freedom

“Smoke on the Water,” “Bat Out of Hell” and anything punk or metal fit this playlist theme perfectly. Get your adrenaline going and enjoy the rush of life on the road.

* Country roads

If you’re in mountain country, why not enjoy a little John Denver, Johnny Cash, Garth Brooks or Emmylou Harris? Ride to the beat of down-home classics and enjoy the nostalgia of country music.

* ’90s teen spirit

This list has been ’70s-centric, but who doesn’t love a little bit of ’90s angst? Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Incubus, Nine Inch Nails, Led Zeppelin and Chris Cornell all make excellent additions to a ’90s throwback.

* Hippie riders

If you want to get in touch with your inner slow-riding hippie, make a playlist centered on the acoustic classics: Joni Mitchell, Patti Smith, Paul Simon and Joan Baez all bring back some stripped-down hippie blues. 

Download Your Playlists

If you need your tunes to keep you going through the backroads where you might lose signal, remember to download your playlists to your listening device. This can help keep you motivated even in the absence of cellular service.

Add to Your Playlists as You Go

Part of the beauty of playlists is that you can add to them as you go–add songs that your buddies recommend and create a time capsule of memories. The more you build and ride to your playlists, the more memories you’ll have associated with the songs and the themes you’ve chosen. Some things just get better with time, and the best riding playlists definitely fall into that category.

The Takeaway

Whether you enjoy chilled-out cruising tunes or amped-up Rock ‘n’ Roll, there’s something here for every rider.

Enjoy your ride, make those memories and savor the moments and the friendships along the way. The road is calling, and these songs can help you enjoy the journey.

 

 

 

 

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