all the above is great advice. Camping is different for everyone, then add the motorycle element and there are 1000s of variations.
Most people might camp 3-5 nights a year out in the great outdoors. It will be a very slow trial and error to find out what they enjoy and dont. I spend about 50-60 nights a year camping off my motorcycle. Many times just a Friday night northwest of Ft. Worth at different locations. Here is my camping progression:
1. boy scouts till I was 18 years old, camping every month from the time I could join till they kicked me out at the old age of 18.
2. camping from a truck when family was young.
3. tent camping on motorycle, I literally looked like the beverly hillbillies. I have probably had 20 different sleeping pads. It would take me a week to pack for a trip. I went through about 3 different tents till I settled on one I enjoyed.
4. Started hammock camping about 20 years ago. Used a sleeping pad inside hammock for many years, kept sliding off the pad and arms would get cold. I also used a sleeping bag, very frustrating to get in and move around. Super frustrating during the middle of night pee pee time. I almost gave up hammock camping when it got cooler than 60 dgrees.
5. Discovered top quilts, new types of hammock suspension, still used sleeping pad. Would set up camp and go to town to eat or eat before I got to camp. I was also introduced to the Solo Stove. I chopped wood at camp. I have used many different tarps and combinations. Started taking tent poles to set up tarp. Sometimes I use them sometimes I dont.
6. Discovered bottom quilts for hammocks, moved to freeze dried Mountain House meals to eat at camp. Discovered packaged wood at walmart or Ace for about $6 per bag. I grab a bag when I go camping for the Solo Stove.
7. This year a nifty hammock stand became available, changed everything. Now I like to cook at camp, relax in my hammock while I eat...and cook food. I also enjoy watching movies at camp, especially during non daylight savings time when it gets dark early. I really enjoy this with a nice campfire in my Solo Stove. A fire is campers TV.
8. Now I have been introduced to Dutchware gear. I have learned about "zing it", amsteel and dynameen line. Different ways to gear your tarp while saving space and weight. I can also have my stuff and bike packed in 10 minutes for a one night or week long trip.
There is a huge leap from #3 to #8. I don't thing I could have ever gotten to #8 with out #2-7. A person has to go through each step to discover what they enjoy and what they don't about camping. It is one thing to motorcycle camp, it is another thing to do it comfortable and be able to travel long distances.
I recommend not changing anything for several camping trips. There are a lot of people that cannot get comfortable in a hammock, there is a learning curve. If you want to try it.....grab a $30 eno hammock and try it out. You may want to splurge for the bug net
I have seen plenty of my friends invest $500 in hammock gear to only use once!
Here is a tip to justify to your wife when spending $ on camping gear. " A hotel for one night would cost me $100, so this $80 sleeping bag is actually saving me money because I will use it more than once:" Just imagine if you kicked that out to 5 nights! There is $500!
So the bottom line is grab a tent at walmart for $30, a sleeping bag for $50 a mountain house meal for $8 and go camp. Don't forget to take water and a flashlight....well now your phone is a flashlight so scratch that!