Quite often when people are on a motorcycle trip instead of spending the night out under the stars in a tent, they often prefer to sleep in hotels. This isn't because we motorcycle adventurers aren't as hearty as our caged brethren, but rather because riding a motorcycle all day, (especially if in rough terrain), is more physically and mentally demanding then driving a vehicle with four wheels. By the time you get where you are going, taking the time and energy to set camp often just doesn't sound appealing. There's a few options for pop up motorcycle trailers, but they're not exactly common, and not at all practical for any sort of off-highway travel, especially on a smaller motorcycle, like many people prefer for adventure riding. As a general rule, we don't have the option to tow a trailer, or mount a roof top tent, so we have far fewer options available to us for luxurious long-term travel.
On my recent ride through the Americas, I choose a now discontinued two-person tent made by REI that was on sale for nearly half-off. I opted for this tent because it is fairly small, and still gave me enough room to throw stuff inside while I slept; not to mention, it also had raving reviews, and let me mention again that it was cheap! Part of the driving force for my decision was that I needed a large, and consequently heavy winter sleeping bag, so I needed to save what space I could. However, had I had more money, I would have likely gone with one of the Nomad tents. They retail for around $450USD, so they are not the cheapest thing around, but they are impressive. The vestibule is big enough to not only park your full sized BMW GS inside, but also to work on it with the doors closed against the pouring rain that Murphy sent your way in accordance with his Laws. It also provides plenty of space to sit and have a cup of tea, drink a beer with friends, or simply park the bike out of site while you go for a hike. The sleeping quarters have a double wall construction, so when you decide to camp in the middle of the desert in summer (which of course I would never do such a thing) the inside of your tent will remain comfortable much longer then with the single wall construction of most tents. When you do get up and moving, the tent is tall enough that I can stand straight inside (I'm 6ft). Engineering wise though, I think the best part about this tent is that you erect the rain fly first, then the interior tent. For anyone who has ever set up their tent in a rain storm, the implications of this should be obvious. For those who have not had the honor, let me explain; with a normal tent, you erect the main body first, then put the rain fly over the top. There is virtually no good way to accomplish this without the inside of your tent getting soaking wet, along with anything you then throw on the floor of the tent afterwards. Erecting the fly first means all your non-waterproof gear can stay in it's waterproof storage until you already have shelter to take it out...amazing!
The only draw back I have seen to these tents, price tag aside, is that they are rather large when packed. However, if you are not getting too crazy with trails on a 250cc motorcycle, or don't have that mental cross-wire that makes you want to camp in the arctic requiring a huge sleeping bag, the size of the tent shouldn't be too big of an issue.
You can find more information on the Nomad tent here.
