I count myself incredibly lucky that I was able to take the new Tiger 1200 Rally Pro for a little spin ahead of the global Tiger 1200 reveal! Whereas I didn’t have enough time on the bike to provide a detailed ride report, I do want to share my first impressions with you. I am also very familiar with the Tiger 900 Rally Pro, having ridden over 15,000 + miles on it since its launch, so I will also point out some similarities and differences, for those wanting to make up their mind between the Tiger 900 Rally Pro vs Tiger 1200 Rally Pro.

My First Impressions

My first thought was: “Wow. The Tiger 1200 doesn’t actually look much bigger than the Tiger 900”. It has the same slim and narrow design which I really love.

Next the 21 inch front wheel stood out immediately. As a tall rider (I’m 1.80 m) who doesn’t struggle with the seat height, having maximum ground clearance is a huge advantage!

Then my eyes caught the shaft drive and I thought “yes”!! When you live on the road, having one less thing to maintain is a big bonus!

But of course what left me speechless was the low weight of the bike! It feels light and easy to handle. I honestly can’t wait to put some proper mileage onto the Tiger 1200 and take it off-road!

Tiger 1200 Rally Pro vs Tiger 900 Rally Pro

As I know the Tiger 900 Rally Pro so well, I was happy to see some of my favourite features carried over to the Tiger 1200. Let’s take a look at some of the similarities and then dive into all the new features the new Tiger 1200 Rally Pro offers!

T-Plane Triple Engine

The Tiger 1200 features the same T-plane triple engine featuring the new 1-3-2 firing order. But what does that actually mean? Simply put, the bike feels like a V twin at lower speeds to provide a better off-road riding experience but delivers all the benefits of a triple engine at higher speeds. You are essentially getting the best of both worlds!

7 inch TFT Screen

The 7 inch TFT screen displays the information crisp & clear. You can change the colours and layout however you like. And the graphics on the new Tiger 1200 are now even better!

6 Riding Modes

You can select one of 6 Riding Modes from the home screen. Choose between standard Road riding, Rain, Sport mode and two off-road modes. The regular Off-road mode will disable ABS on the rear wheel, whereas Off-road Pro removes it completely and also switches off Traction Control. And just in case that’s not enough you can even fully customise your own Rider mode. Honestly, I never tried as I feel that the various riding modes cover any riding situation I might find myself in already. But I think it’s pretty impressive to have this option!

Easily Adjustable Seat & Windscreen

The windscreen is easily adjustable to suit your adventure! You can lower the windscreen for off-road riding and raise it up for touring! I really like this feature as Adventure Bikes often come with tiny little windscreens designed for off-road riding. They often aren’t suitable for long-distance travelling. However, the new aero windscreen on the Tiger 1200 deflects even more wind providing maximum comfort for long-distance riding!

The seat is also easily adjustable by 2 cm. At my height I prefer the higher seating position. However, when riding two up fully loaded off-road I like the option of lowering the seat to give me a bit more confidence that I can still reach the ground on uneven terrain. You can also purchase a lower seat option which will reduce the height by an additional 2cm. The standard seat height on the Tiger 1200 Rally Pro is 875-895mm.

My Triumph Connectivity App

Underneath the seat is a little storage with usb charger. So you can charge your phone on the go and control calls and music via Bluetooth using the “My Triumph Connectivity” app. You can also access turn-by-turn navigation via the app. It works pretty well but I still like seeing a map, so personally I prefer to use Google Maps on my phone instead.

Control your Go-Pro on the go! We don’t use this feature enough because having the Go-Pro in stand-by drains the battery faster. But when we ride off-road it’s so handy not having to stop and start all the time. You can also see on the screen that the camera is actively recording so you are less likely to accidentally record or even worse think you are recording when you are not!

Quickshifter & Cruise Control

The new Tiger 1200 also has a quickshifter. Having enjoyed it on the Tiger 900 Rally Pro for the last couple of years I have to say I would miss not having one anymore. It’s so much fun in the twisties and surprisingly handy when switching gears off-road.

Cruise control is another very useful feature and really handy for the occasional long, mandane rides down the highway. I also find that I tend to go too fast on boring straight stretches so cruise control definitely helps me avoid those speeding tickets

Tubeless Tyres

Both the 21” front and 18” rear spoked wheels are tubeless

New Tiger 1200 Rally Pro Features

Now let’s take a look at all the fantastic NEW FEATURES you can expect from the TIGER 1200 RALLY PRO:

Keyless Drive

Keyless Drive including ignition, steering lock and fuel cap. Opinions always seem divided on this one, personally I love it!

Shaft Drive

Lightweight shaft drive. Again, for someone who travels permanently, the lower the maintenance the better!

Hill Hold

Hill Hold prevents the Tiger 1200 from rolling backwards by applying the rear brake until sensing that the rider is starting to move off. Although I never had issues starting on a hill I am embarrassed to admit that we did roll backwards once down a steep hill in Costa Rica. Our break pads were completely worn out and I panicked on a steep hair pin turn. I didn’t have the reflex back then to stall the bike in gear, so instead I pulled the clutch in and we essentially started rolling backwards. A horrible feeling! I doubt it would ever happen again (lesson learnt!) but nonetheless I think Hill Hold is a pretty useful feature to have!

Semi-Active Suspension

Showa semi-active suspension automatically adapts the pre-load for each riding mode. The rider is then able to adjust the front and rear suspension damping, which can be selected from 9 predefined settings. This can all be easily selected directly from the TFT screen. Now this is something I missed on the Tiger 900 Rally Pro and I’m very happy to see this feature on the Tiger 1200 Rally Pro!

Magura HC-1 Lever

The lightweight, compact Magura front brake and hydraulic clutch are easily adjustable and offer better feel and control off-road!

Brembo Stylema Monobloc Brakes

New category leading Brembo Stylema Monobloc brakes. As somebody who has been in a head-on collision I certainly appreciate having the best quality and most responsive brakes available!

LED Lights with Adaptive Cornering

The new Tiger 1200 Rally Pro also features a lightweight silencer and new LED lights with adaptive cornering

How does the Tiger 1200 Rally Pro compare to the old Tiger 1200?

It truly is a completely new bike compared to the old Tiger 1200 which was quite top heavy. The new Tiger 1200 is a complete transformation in weight, performance and capability and a whole 25 kg lighter than the old model! A lot of the weight loss comes from the new lightweight frame which is about 5 kg lighter. 

But the Tiger 1200 is not only significantly lighter than the previous model, it is also significantly lighter than its closest competition! If you compare it to the BMW R 1250 GS Adventure, you’ll find that the Tiger 1200 Rally Pro is 19 kilos lighter!

How much will the Tiger 1200 Rally Pro set you back?

The cost of the new Tiger 1200 Rally Pro is £ 17,700 ($ 22,500).

It’s available in the following colours: Matt Khaki, Sapphire Black and Snowdonia White.

The high service intervals of 10,000 miles help keep the maintenance costs down!

And if this is your first Triumph motorcycle, you will benefit from 3 years warranty (unlimited mileage) which can also be extended!

What accessories are available?

Triumph provides 50+ accessories to fully customise the style, comfort, technology and protection of the bike covering everything from luggage system, crash bars, seating options and even a Bluetooth communication system designed in partnership with Sena to offer an improved sound system!

Tiger 1200 Rally Pro vs Tiger 1200 Rally Explorer

I have only had the chance to ride the Tiger 1200 Rally Pro (not Explorer). But let’s have a quick look at the ADDITIONAL FEATURES you can expect from the higher spec TIGER 1200 RALLY EXPLORER:

• The 30 liter tank offers a fantastic range of up to 600 km for long-distance riding
• The Tiger 1200 Rally Explorer has higher and wider handlebars for better off-road handling
• Both rider and pillion seats are heated and can be adjusted individually
• It has a newly developed Blind Spot Radar system. Blind Spot Assist uses a rear facing radar to let you know when another vehicle is in your blind spot. Lane Change Assist gives off a warning if you want to change lanes while a vehicle is approaching!
• In addition to engine crash bars you also get fuel tank protection bars
• Tyre Pressure Monitoring

Why I am tempted to switch to the Tiger 1200 Rally Pro

The Tiger 900 Rally Pro was love at first sight for me. But certainly after putting some proper mileage on it I was sure – this is the the perfect adventure bike for me! I have ridden a few 1200cc Adventure Bikes before (KTM, BWM) and I never felt I wanted such a big bike for a round-the-world trip! Why? I felt that the additional benefits (more comfort, more power) outweighed the disadvantage of having a much heavier bike.

But now the Tiger 1200 Rally Pro is only 10% heavier than the Tiger 900 Rally Pro. That’s pretty impressive! And when I rode it, I really liked it.

It’s light, has a low centre of gravity and is very easy to handle and maneuver!

FIrst impressions riding the Tiger 1200 Rally Pro – Sandra (ADV TRavelbug)

Taking the Tiger 1200 for a spin has definitely inspired me to consider a larger Adventure Bike to continue my round-the-world travels on! Of course I need to spend much more time with it, take it on some adventures and most importantly see how I feel riding off-road with it. And I certainly can’t wait!

We’ll be sure to update you with a more detailed ride review next year after taking the Tiger 1200 Rally Pro for more than just a spin!

We hope you enjoyed reading about our first impressions of the Tiger 1200 Rally Pro. Check out our YouTube video as well and stay tuned for more updates! We’d also love to hear your comments below. Looking forward to the Tiger 1200 Rally Pro? Do you have any questions or feedback on this blog post? Let us know below

The post My First Ride on the NEW TIGER 1200 Rally Pro appeared first on ADV Travelbug.

Here we share what we believe to be the best products on the market for minimalist motorcycle camping!

Lone Rider ADV Tent for minimalist motorcycle camping

The Lone Rider ADV Tent is a great tent for around-the world-trips! It has been designed by ADV Riders for ADV Riders and is a sound, quality product with impeccable design. It’s not only great for solo travellers but perfect for a couple. Fiona and I feel very comfortable in it and love having a portable home! You can check out our YouTube video above to see us set it up. There are lighter tents on the market but if you are looking for something durable enough for a round-the-world trip then you’ll be looking at somewhere around the 1k USD mark.

The Lone Rider tent only costs around 300 GBP (412 USD). Realistically not everyone will be ready to fork out upwards of 1k USD on a tent, so although the Lone Rider ADV tent is about a kilo heavier than its competition, it’s an excellent choice for those who want great quality and durability at a much more attractive price point.

If money was not a decision making factor then we’d probably go for the Nallo 2 GT. It’s a whole kilo liter but offers much more space with an additional vestibule. This is very handy of course if you are going to camp in rainy weather a lot. You can also set it up in the rain without the inside getting wet. The reduced weight comes at a hefty price tag though and this beautiful tent will set you back nearly 1,300 USD. 

It’s a potential purchase for us in the future, but for now we are sticking with our Lone Rider ADV tent. So in the spirit of only recommending gear which we know inside out, we can honestly recommend it! 

So what have we got here?

The Lone Rider ADV tent is a 3 season tent made of the highest quality materials. It is incredibly light and compact and fits perfectly and easily into our pannier with a packed size of just 41x15cm (16.1″x5.9″). Alternatively you can place it on top of your panniers as it comes with a compression pack and molle system.

The tent has space to store luggage and gear on either side of the two entry/exit points. You can even personalise your tent, drawing your routes with a pen onto the maps. We really like the map design as it looks great!

Quality Quality Quality

• Poles and pegs are made of aircraft grade aluminium making them super light
• Fabrics of the tent are made of ultralight, UV-resistant, ripstop material
• Quality zippers that won’t break easily
• All of the seams are taped and coated to be 100% waterproof
  (we had our fair share of rainy nights and can confirm we never got wet)

Thoughtful touches

• The compression bag features a roadside breakdown safety triangle
• Hooks inside the doors mean zippers cannot easily be opened from the outside
• Loops to dry lightweight items
• 7 strategically located pockets
• Windows and zips in the corner of the tent help you to adjust airflow
• You can stash away the zipped open door for a superb panorama view
• The ground mat features a SOS rescue signal in reflective letters

Why we love the Lone Rider ADV tent for minimalist motorcycle camping

Great design, well-thought–out layout and durable enough for a round-the-world trip. I also like the colour, as it doesn’t draw much attention when we are wild camping!

Apart from the thoughtful design, we also love how easy it is to set up thanks to its single piece pole system. As soon as you pull the poles out of the bag most of them fall into place by itself. It only takes 30 seconds to pull the missing ones together and have the whole structure. Fiona and I can build the tent in 2-3 minutes and it’s just as easy to take down. The durability makes it the perfect tent to take around the world!

By the way, Lone Rider also designs bigger and roomier tents, which can even shelter an entire motorcycle. If you need more space check it out, but for minimalist motorcycle camping the ADV Tent is the best. We love it!

Exped Isomatt for minimalist motorcycle camping

Fiona and I were looking for the lightest Isomatt on the market. The Synmat HL MW claims to be the world’s lightest one at its warmth and comfort levels so it ticked all the boxes for us. It has microfibre insulation for 3 season warmth and its 7 cm thickness provides excellent comfort.

Quick overview

• 3 season isomatt with microfibre insulation
• 7cm thickness provides excellent comfort
• Camp in up to -3 degrees
• Only weighs 440g
• 5 year guarantee

It comes with a light pump sack which allows you to inflate the mat rapidly too. Fiona and I actually went for the double version of this mat, the Synmat HL Duo M. It fits perfectly into the Lone Rider ADV Tent but most couples will probably prefer the Synmat HL Duo LW. It is larger and more comfortable for two people but it was sold out when we were buying ours.

The Synmat HL Duo M is great for minimalist motorcycling camping at only 830g (105cm wide/183cm long). The Synmat HL Duo LW weighs 1.15kg (130cm wide/197cm long). Our Synmat doesn’t fill out the inside of the tent completely, whereas the larger version would fill the space out perfectly.

Why we don’t recommend the lighter Ultralight models

They are cheaper and lighter. And our ultimate goal is to find the best minimalist motorcycle camping gear, right? Yes but this mat has ZERO insulation! So it’s really only suitable if you are planning to camp on hot summer nights. Even a cool night on a summer day could be uncomfortable already. Round-the-world without any insulation is impossible I would say. The weight difference is really minimal and not worth taking the risk. There really is nothing worse than feeling the cold creep up from underneath you. It can quickly turn a fun camping trip into having a miserable night’s sleep!

For extreme temperatures there is also the Downmat XP 7 range which is suitable for temperatures up to -24 degrees for hardcore campers. However, if you aren’t planning to camp in minus temperatures there is really no need to go for this one. The down insulation adds quite a bit of weight! The HL range from Exped should suit most travellers for a round-the-world trip!

Cumulus Sleeping Bag for minimalist motorcycle camping

If you want a light sleeping bag, it needs to be made of down. If you want it to be ultralight, you’ll need to go for goose down. Poland is one of the largest goose down producers in the world. Cumulus, being a polish brand, offers high quality goose down sleeping bags significantly cheaper than some other leading brands like Western Mountaineering, who also use polish goose down but are much more expensive. But most importantly, Cumulus is an ethical brand that promote ethical goose breeding and animal welfare!

Cumulus X-Lite 300

• 465g
• Up to 2 degrees Celsius (comfort zone, not risk zone!)

We don’t like camping in any lower temperatures but if you do, check out the X-Lite 400 model. With over 25 sleeping bags to choose from, they have a pretty wide selection to suit all temperature ranges. In addition, you also have the option of custom making your own sleeping bag exactly how you like it.

We can highly recommend Cumulus and haven’t found any other brand out there that can keep you that warm at such a low weight, making Cumulus the go-to brand for sleeping bags!

Cocoon Sleeping Bag Liners

Don’t forget to add a sleeping bag liner to your shopping list! They help you keep your sleeping bag clean and add warmth! We also always use them when staying in cheap accommodation were the cleanliness of the sheets might be questionable.

Merino Wool Liner

• Very soft
• Naturally regulates temperature
• Adds up to 7 degrees Celsius to sleeping bag temperature rating
• 495g (heavy!)

I’m personally a HUGE fan of merino wool and love the soft feel of it. BUT if you want to go ultralight you’ll want to go for 100% silk!

Note: only available for single sleeping bags

Ripstop Silk Liner

• Ultra lightweight!
• Adds 4.8 degrees to the warmth of your sleeping bag
• Only 135g

Our recommendation is to go with the Cocoon Ripstop Silk Expedition. It’s just as light as the regular silk liner but is more durable and resistant to tearing!

Note: only available for single sleeping bags

Egyptian Cotton

• Soft & durable
• Lighter and more compact than regular cotton
• 210g Great compromise between cotton and silk

Note: You can buy a double if you are used to zipping your sleeping bags together

Fiona doesn’t like the feel of silk. So whilst I went with the ultra-light silk option, she opted for Egyptian Cotton. It’s a great compromise between cotton and silk! However, it’s heavier than silk and add less warmth.

Cocoon Ripstop Silk Expedition is the best option for minimalist motorcycle camping!

Sea to Summit Aeros Down Pillow

The best pillow for minimalist motorcycle camping is the Aeros Down Pillow.

To stay true to this blog-post about ultra-light travel I must highlight that the Aeros Down Pillow is 10g heavier than the Aeros Ultralight. However, given the additional insulation and comfort it’s the best camping pillow for us.

The weight difference is more significant for the larger version of this pillow (25g). Note that the Aeros Down also costs significantly more than the Aeros Ultralight (30 GBP vs 55 GBP for the regular size).

Fiona and I are travelling with the Aeros Down Deluxe, the largest size available (12 x 59 x 38cm) weighing 190g … sharing that is, not one each.

Sea to Summit Watercell X

Is it a shower? Is it a watercell? Or is it a water dispenser? The Watercell X is ALL of those! It’s a durable watercell made from flexible, abrasion resistant fabric. It has a clever multi-function cap for flow control and also includes a shower head attachment. So you can use it just as a water holder or convert it into a “kitchen sink” or shower.

You can easily hang, carry and attach it using the welded lash points and adjustable strap. In addition to that you can also purchase a separately sold drinking tube. It comes in 4, 6, 10 and 20 liters. Fiona and I went for the 6 liters (196g) as we both already have hydration packs. So this is just an additional watercell and shower facility for us.

I love that it’s multi-functional and made of such robust materials. We were originally just carrying the Pocket Shower, which is a lightweight dry sack which can hold up to 10 liters whilst providing 7-8 minutes showering time. It only weighs 120g and is likewise a fantastic product but we switched to the Watercell X because it’s so much more than just a shower.

Ready to pack for your minimalist motorcycle camping trip?

So this is it … our ultimate camping list for minimalistic motorcycle camping. What about cooking you might ask? Well up until now we were always travelling two up so for space reasons we decided not to cook. But we are planning to travel on two bikes in 2021 and are already eyeing up the Primus Omnifuel and Sea to Summit foldable X-Pot. Once we get to travel for a good amount of time and get some proper use out of it we will be sure to review them too

Was this guide helpful? Any questions, comments or recommendations? Fiona and I are always keeping our eyes peeled for ultra-light and super functional camping gear so if we forgot anything please let us know and comment below – we would love to hear from you!

The post The Ultimate Guide to MINIMALIST Motorcycle Camping appeared first on ADV Travelbug.

KLIM is the most VERSATILE MOTORCYCLE GEAR for Round-The-World Trips

We needed gear that would keep us warm in Alaska and when riding through Patagonia. But it was also important for it to get us through hot temperatures, upwards of 30 degrees Celsius. As soon as we started asking around, the ADV community would almost instantly point us to KLIM Motorcycle Gear. We hadn’t previously heard of them (they are the go-to brand in the USA but less known in Europe) but after many recommendations from various people we checked out their gear. Klim gear is expensive but we knew we wanted to get this part right and QUALITY was our TOP PRIORITY.

So what do we think after riding in Klim Motorcycle gear for over 1 year covering more than 30,000 miles? We rode in temperatures ranging from 5 degrees Celsius to about 46 degrees Celsius (Death Valley in August was definitely not a sensible choice). We are just as happy with our gear today than when we first got it. What’s more, after putting 30,000 + miles on our bike wearing the gear it looks just as new. We put it through torrential rain, mud, dusty dirt roads and washed it quite a few times too. You really can’t tell what it’s been through and there is no doubt this suit will last for a round-the-world trip and beyond.

Detailed review of the KLIM KRIOS PRO HELMET, KLIM ARTEMIS and ALTITUDE SUITS, KLIM QUENCH PAK and what we love about it below!

Meet the Klim Krios PRO

THE WEIGHT IS OVER – literally !

I owned quite a few different helmets over the years but the KLIM KRIOS PRO really does blow everything else out of the water!

Quick Overview

• Made of carbon fibre
• Transition Photochromic Lens
• Fid-Lock Strap closure system
• 1.3kg / 3lbs
• Lightest Adventure helmet on the market !

Everything about this helmet has been thought through in a lot of detail: refined aerodynamics, comfort, performance and airflow.

It’s also very versatile and can be adapted to any style of riding:

• ADV helmet: peak + transition lens.
• Dual Sport: add goggles
• Off-road: remove face shield and add goggles
• Street helmet: remove peak

I will point out that the KLIM KRIOS PRO is the only helmet which comes in size XS. At first we wanted to buy the regular KRIOS (non-pro version) which starts at 329.99 USD. But Fiona and I are both size XS so we couldn’t. It’s certainly common to wear size XS in Europe (we even get XXS over here) so we found this surprising. But of course we are super happy that this pushed us to discover the KRIOS PRO.

Why we love it

The comfort of wearing such a light helmet makes a huge difference at the end of a long riding day. There’s nothing worse than a heavy helmet for long-distance riding. In addition you can fasten the straps with your gloves on in a matter of seconds – so convenient! The vents offer fantastic airflow too.

At 699.99 USD the helmet might seem expensive. However, given the quality, highest safety standards and comfort it provides we felt it was completely justified and money well spent!

Meet the Klim Artemis Adventure Suit

This adventure suit has been designed with one purpose in mind: getting you around the world and offer comfort across a wide range of temperatures. And it does exactly that!

One size does not fit all !!

But before we get into all the details, may I just point out one of my favourite things about KLIM. At 1.80m I have always struggled to get motorcycling trousers that are long enough. Often the arms on the jackets are too short so. As a result I often bought gear designed for men, usually sitting baggy on me. It’s very rare for me to find something that fits properly. Not all brands offer “extra long” and even those are sometimes too short for me. But KLIM truly offers motorcycle gear for ALL SIZES. You can buy any suit in short, regular or long length! I think it’s great and really appreciate that! Now let’s talk about the gear.

Klim Artemis Jacket

Quick overview

• Gore-Tex Performance Shell will keep you dry at all times
• 10 well located vents for maximum airflow
• Plenty of pockets including hidden stash pocket
• D30 armour

The Klim Artemis Jacket feels like a quality suit as soon as you put it on. It has a Gore-Tex Performance Shell guaranteed to keep you dry. So unlike other adventure suits it doesn’t require you to pull over and throw on a waterproof layer. We have ridden through torrential rain many times and never got wet!

What sets it apart for me from other adventure suits on the market are the 10 well located vents throughout the suit. It has 2 chest vent pockets, 2 cross-core vents, 2 forearm vents, 2 bicep vents and two vertical back exhaust vents. One of my favourite features is also that you can clip the collar back maximising air flow. It’s such a clever design and it adds so much more ventilation. And most importantly it has plenty of pockets to stash things away of various sizes, including a hidden stash pocket.

It features D30 armour throughout – one of the best armour systems in the world. In addition it also has Klimatech cooling fabric technology in the mesh armour pockets for enhanced ventilation.

KLIM Artemis Trousers

The Klim Artemis Trousers have 6 pockets in total (2 thigh front and two on the back and two zippered cargo pockets). My favourite feature? The goat leather on the inside of the knees which adds tremendous grip on the gas tank when riding standing up.

In my opinion the Artemis Suit is the perfect choice no matter what the terrain or weather conditions. If you are looking for a versatile adventure suit that offers you the highest standard of comfort, safety and convenience then look no further! The jacket costs 699.99 USD and the trousers 569.99 USD

Meet the Klim Altitude Suit

Fiona went for the Altitude Suit. It offers the same outstanding quality and all the features mentioned above but is a little lighter. She doesn’t get cold as easily and has the added benefit that I’m sitting in front of her absorbing the majority of the wind. So far she has been just as satisfied with it as I have with mine. Here is what Fiona has to say:

“I love the look of the leather overlay on elbows and forearms. It’s a really well thought through design. The trousers have zippers allowing for a wider opening at the bottom and the straps on the jacket and around the hip allow you to further adjust the fit and style to your liking. I’m loving the clever ventilation system and the amount of pockets it has inside out. It offers maximum airflow in hot weather and keeps me dry and warm in cooler climates”.

Fiona Cheng

The Altitude jacket costs 629.99 USD and the Altitude Trousers cost 549.99 USD.

Klim BASE LAYERS Motorcycle gear

Klim offers excellent base and midlayers. Check out the 1.0 baselayers for warm weather or the 3.0 baselayers for colder climates (like the ones we are wearing above). Little sidestory about the picture…

We met Tracy on the of the Belize / Guatemala border. Another GS riders with Klim gear – spot the world traveller! We got on like a house on fire and ended up climbing a volcano together. It might not look it but it was freezing cold up there. As soon as we arrived at base camp we hopped into our tents and started layering up. When we came out we couldn’t believe that we happened to have the same base layers with us. What are the chances? Of course everyone on the tour thought our mum forced us to wear matching outfits (no one could believe we had literally just met).

Coming back to the clothes, I believe this particular model is discontinued. But you can check the new models out here. We each travelled with 1.0 base layers for everyday riding and 3.0 base layers for cooler climates. The 3.0 layers were meant to keep us warm in Patagonia and Alaska. Never mind that we never got to either of these destinations. As you can see we found alternative use for it along the way ;- )

Klim Quench Pak Motorcycle gear

The Klim Quench Pak is light and keeps you hydrated while riding. You can carry two liters of water with you. It also has a little space for a small camera and some essentials. Of course it’s super handy even for hikes when you are off the bike. It never leaked and wearing it while riding made it so much easier to ensure we keep hydrated at all times! The Klim Quench Pack costs 79.99 USD.

Why KLIM Motorcycle Gear?

To wrap it all up, Klim really does live up to its reputation of being the global world leader in designing, developing and manufacturing the most advanced riding gear! When wearing Klim you can really feel the thought process and passion that has gone into enhancing rider experience. We feel that we made an excellent choice choosing Klim for our round-the-world adventure. And we have no doubt the suit will hold up nicely for many years to come.

Are you familiar with Klim yet? Share your experience and let us know what your favourite piece of gear is – we’d love to hear from you!

How to Prepare for a RTW Motorcycle Trip

The post KLIM Motorcycle Gear Review for ADV Riders appeared first on ADV Travelbug.

We had just abandoned our motorbike and all our belongings in Colombia. Covid-19 had us in a lockdown and didn’t look like it was going anywhere soon. Our round-the-world trip stopped abruptly and we found ourselves back in Europe. Fiona visited her parents in the UK, and I found myself back in Germany with mine.

When we got the amazing opportunity to ride the brand-new Tiger 900 Rally Pro for the summer we were ecstatic! In addition, we also got to compete with it at the Adventure Ride Competition (ARC). Who would have thought, with everything that was going on and covid rules changing by the week?

But this blog post isn’t about our awesome trip across Europe. Find out more about that here: TOP 10 TRAVEL DESTINATIONS IN AND AROUND GERMANY & AUSTRIA.

This blog post is about why I fell in love with it, what maybe isn’t so great and why I think you’d be hard pressed to find a better Adventure Bike in the middleweight class on the market today!

It’s not a full on technical review (there are plenty of reviews out there covering that better already). Here I share my personal experience after riding it over 3,500 miles + across Europe, as someone that literally lives on Adventure Bikes.

The Tiger 900 Rally Pro is a Seriously Good-Looking Adventure Bike

Okay, can we please just state the obvious before we go any further. Isn’t the Tiger 900 Rally Pro just such a good-looking Adventure Bike? I have to say that I’m not someone who gets very passionate about the looks of Adventure Bikes. They are usually not the sexiest bikes out there but I ride them because they are best suited for a round-the-world trip. For once I have to say though, I really LOVE the looks of it. It’s not as beasty looking as some of its competitors and has a rather slim design – it comes across aggressive without being intimidating!

It Handles Beautifully Off-Road

I had the opportunity to compete in the Adventure Ride Competition (ARC) in 2020. The ARC is the largest riding competition open to ALL BRANDS in the world. The terrain is very varied and challenging. You have everything from deep gravel, single trails, sandy motocross trails, steep hills and mud. How is that for a test ride?

At only 201kg it is significantly lighter than our BMW F800 GS and was so much EASIER to handle off-road. The Tiger 900 Rally Pro also has a lower centre of gravity than its predecessor and the top-notch suspension made for a very comfortable ride. It felt worlds apart from our current set up (BMW F800 GS + Scott Steering Damper). The 900cc three-cylinder engine offers plenty of power, while the bike itself is light and agile – what a beautiful combination!

It comes with a series of High-Spec Features

Errrr … okay. Where do we start? The Tiger 900 Rally Pro has a 7-inch full-colour TFT screen. You can easily change the layout and it’s super crisp and clear to read anything of it. You can sign up to the My Triumph connectivity system for GPS navigation, as well as enabling phone and music operation. I have to admit that I’m not used to such fancy screens. In fact I’m so used to reading Google Map directions of my phone that I did stick to it (shame on me). Now what’s seriously cool is that you can control your GoPro without having to stop to switch it on and off. That’s seriously nice!

Tiger 900 Rally Pro Riding Modes

The Tiger 900 Rally Pro has 6 ride modes in total: Road, Rain, Sport, Off-Road and Off-Road Pro. Off- Road Pro is for serious off-road riding, allowing you to disable ABS & TC. And just in case that’s not enough you can also customise the settings and save them to suit your personal riding style. Little side note: you’ll need to switch the off-road mode back on each time you restart the bike!

The Tiger 900 Rally Pro is full of high-spec features!

The Tiger 900 Rally Pro also offers Optimised Cornering ABS and Traction Control. Nice! It comes with premium Showa suspension and Brembo brakes – both top-notch quality. All fancy stuff but my absolute favourite feature, and totally unexpected, was the quickshifter. Never had one, didn’t think I’d enjoy it so much but oh my, yes please! Super nice when riding in the mountains.

Also noteworthy is that it has spoked tubeless front and rear wheels. I’ve wanted tubeless wheels ever since getting my first tube puncture. We’ve had to fix ours a couple of times in pretty remote areas and it wasn’t fun!

Did someone say heated seats ???

Now in case all that wasn’t fancy enough, here was Fiona’s favourite feature: Heated seats! That’s right, not just for the rider but also for the pillion. We were both able to adjust it to our liking! I didn’t think I’d need it in the summer, or in general, but we did run into some cold weather, even heavy rain and we both loved it. I suspect we’ll be missing it greatly once we reach Patagonia – no doubt!

It has a 20 liter tank

Okay so as an ADV Rider, who is always off exploring remote parts of the world this is obviously something that I really appreciate! On our old bike we were only able to get 20 liters as we fitted an extra 5 liter tank on it. Fuel consumption is roughly 5.2 liters/100 miles. Love it!

You can adjust seat height & windscreen easily and quickly

A tall windscreen is great for touring, but can be dangerous off road. The Tiger 900 Rally Pro has the perfect touring size for me. But my favourite feature is that I can adjust the windscreen on the go. I can push it down when riding off-road and it’s just as simple to raise it back for touring. Adventure Bikes usually come fitted with a tiny little windscreen which I don’t like. So I really appreciated not only the size but flexibility to move it up and down so easily.

In addition you can adjust the seat height very easily too. I’m 1.80m so have it on the highest settings. But it only takes a moment to lower the seat, which I did when riding the whole day off-road. During the ARC for example I kept the seat on the lower setting, but increased the height for the rest of our trip. It’s such a great feature when riding very technical terrain fully loaded also. Being able to get my feet firmly on the ground even on uneven ground is a big advantage!

Anything not so amazing?

If you are going to do some serious off-road riding I would recommend to upgrade the bash plate. The Tiger 900 Rally Pro boasts so much build quality that I would have liked it to have a better skid plate that hardcore off-road riders wouldn’t need to worry about.

I also think the tyre pressure sensors are oversensitive. It’s clearly a great feature but the warning sign for low tyre pressure sometimes came on when it didn’t have to.

Anything missing? Well we’d have to be super critical as it’s truly a very high spec motorcycle that has every feature you might need. One thing it doesn’t have is electronic suspension adjustment. Does it need it? Not really as I didn’t have to change it once riding in the ARC or later two-up with luggage on our road trip, so we didn’t miss it.

Verdict?

I was trying to be as objective and critical as possible but you can probably tell that I’m head over heels in love with the Tiger 900 Rally Pro!

What makes it perfect for long-distance travelling for me is that it’s light, agile, has a fantastic suspension and comes with a 20 liter tank. The quickshifter just makes that smile bigger on my face when twisting the throttle.

The bike is not only pure fun but incredibly comfortable! I forgot to mention that as someone who always upgrades to custom seats this is the first motorcycle where I don’t feel I’d need to.

Is the Tiger 900 Rally Pro suitable for a round-the-world trip?

100%. Fiona and I think it’s a BIG UPGRADE to our current set-up and we wouldn’t hesitate for one moment to take it around-the-world. Lennart & Maia from Finding-Neverland just rode it from Switzerland all across Africa. They really tested the Tiger 900 Rally Pro in all possible off-road terrain and gave it a big thumbs up!

Have you had a chance to test ride the Tiger 900 Rally Pro? What are your thoughts? Or do you perhaps have any questions about it? Let me know in the comments below and I look forward to hearing from you all !

The post Triumph TIGER 900 RALLY PRO Adventure Motorcycle appeared first on ADV Travelbug.

Both have clear advantages and disadvantages. Ideally you’d want to be owning both and depending on where you are going choose the appropriate option. But when going around the world you’ll need to choose which one will work best for you throughout your trip. You’ll need to prioritise what is most important to you: is it safety or security?

Hard Panniers

Volume

We started our travels off with Jesse Hard Panniers. They are very secure and have survived a ridiculous amount of bike drops! What I like about them is how much you can fit in. Get yourself a soft bag that supposingly fits the same amount (in liters) but you’ll never quite be able to fit the same amount in.

We know this because after purchasing our first Adventure Bike with hard panniers, we instantly wanted to switch to soft motorcycle luggage. We even found someone willing to trade our hard panniers for Wolfman Luggage. A pretty good deal for the other person as Jesse panniers are significantly more expensive! But we were baffled when we saw that it wasn’t just a straight forward switch. Unfortunately, we had to stick with hard panniers at this point! We simply had too much stuff and the soft bags wouldn’t hold the same volume the hard panniers could.

Convenience / Compartmentalising

What we both like about hard panniers is that you can not only carry considerably more but you can also divide everything up nicely inside. It’s way more organised and convenient, there is no denying it. In addition they are waterproof and didn’t require us to use a waterproof bag liner. Many hard panniers have waterproof bags inside, which also makes it harder to organise your things nicely. They also protected our kit, especially electronics like drone, gimbal etc. way better than any soft motorcycle luggage could.

The Biggest Issue with Hard Panniers

All this convenience however comes at a very high price of personal safety! If your leg gets caught up between the pannier and ground, you are very likely to break your leg or sustain a serious injury. Also consider that when dropping your bike with hard panniers, the weight is concentrated on a single point of impact! This puts more pressure on the frame and luggage rack, which in return is more likely to break. As I previously said our hard cases survived all the crashes but the luggage rack has had a number of welding jobs on the side of the road. They never cost more than 2 USD. But it’s obviously a pain to deal with. With soft panniers you are much less likely to have this problem.

Security

If you are leaning towards hard panniers, bear in mind that they are more secure BUT ultimately not impossible to get into! If someone really wants to steal your stuff, they’ll be able to break into it.

Soft Motorcycle Luggage

Soft Motorcycle Luggage is Undeniably Safer

We are riding two up and need every bit of space. But after one year on the road with hard panniers we finally gave in and decided to give up a bit of space and convenience in return for safety when riding off-road.

Soft motorcycle luggage is much more likely to absorb the impact of a bike drop and distribute it. Therefore you are much less likely to damage the frame or luggage rack. Likewise you are much less likely to break your leg or cause serious injury if your leg gets caught between the pannier and the ground.

It does fit less stuff as previously discussed but often comes with a Molly system which will allow you to expand and customise your motorcycle luggage set up. For sure your gear will be less well protected compared to hard panniers. Therefore it’s best to keep electronics or sensitive stuff closer to the bike frame and ideally place it higher up.

Soft Motorcycle Luggage is Much Lighter!

I think if you start off with hard panniers it can be harder to switch to soft motorcycle luggage. You’ll need to give up some space and convenience! But soft luggage is so much easier to take off the bike when you need to. It also weighs much less than hard cases. So it doesn’t weigh your bike down more than it needs to and is more convenient when moving in and out of accommodation!

There are some locks available for soft luggage, some better than others. But of course it’ll be a deterrent more than anything else. No doubt that it’s easier to break into your stuff compared to hard panniers.

Your choice might also depend on how much off road you are likely to ride. The more off-road you ride, the more likely you will be to go for soft luggage. At least that’s what happened in our case.

So which luggage solution works better for you?

Choosing the correct motorcycle luggage is just one of many decisions you’ll need to take when setting off on a round-the-world motorcycle trip. Read our FULL GUIDE on HOW TO PREPARE FOR A RTW MOTORCYCLE ADVENTURE here.

Where do you stand on the eternal soft vs hard luggage debate? What would you choose for a round-the-world trip? Or perhaps you can share some useful experiences of why you’d choose one over the other? Please leave a comment below – I’d love to read your thoughts !

The post Soft vs Hard Motorcycle Luggage appeared first on ADV Travelbug.

Transporting your Motorcycle Around-The-World

Cost of Transporting Motorcycles

Have you considered the cost of shipping or flying your motorcycle from continent to continent? Transporting motorcycles is pretty expensive and can often outweigh the cost of the actual motorcycle itself! So please make sure to check costs and avoid any surprises if you are going down this route.

Benefits of Transporting Motorcycles

But let’s look at the benefits of it! If you have a heavily customised bike that you built for your round-the-world adventure and spent a lot of money in accessories for, you might be better off shipping it from continent to continent. It would be a nightmare to take all the add-ons off with the intention of installing it on your new bike each time! Getting a garage to do it for you is pretty expensive too depending on the amount of customisations you have. It would rarely make sense unless you did this yourself. And even then, it would be such a hassle! Likewise, finding a bike that would have all the exact customisations you want won’t be so easy. So you might end up having to add a few things on each time.

We bought our bike fully customised. Click here to check out all our customisations!

Riding on your own motorcycle allows you to get to know it inside out. It also increasing your confidence and many people feel attached to their own bike. Many ADV Riders even name their bikes! In fact it’s so common that I started wondering if I was doing something wrong as I had never thought to name my bike (yet). I’m not sure if it’s due to my personal attachment issues or perhaps, and more likely, that I did not customise our bike myself.

Is it worth Transporting Motorcycles?

The most important thing to bear in mind, costs asides, is that transporting motorcycles across continents will always require a little admin/paperwork headache. And you should expect that delays can be very possible! Personally, Fiona and I have chosen to buy & sell as we go. So let’s have a look at a few reasons why.

The only time we had to transport our motorcycle was when we sailed with it from Panama to Colombia. We don’t have experience shipping or flying our bikes. But if you want a detailed guide on International Motorbike Shipping then please click here.

Buying & Selling Motorcycles

No Shipping Costs but Bigger Headache compared to Transporting Motorcycles

Now the main benefit of this option is of course that you will be saving a pretty substantial chunk of money on shipping costs! You also don’t have to deal with all the paperwork when preparing to ship your bike. Though that’s not really an argument since you’ll have the extra headache with buying and selling too. Imagine having to find a buyer and seller at each new destination! In fact, that is also its biggest downside. It can be pretty stressful, especially if you don’t have much time.

Complications when selling your bike

Another important thing to remember is that in many countries it may only be legal to sell your motorcycle on to another foreigner! Sure there are tons of forums out there to connect with people but just be aware that you can’t sell it to just anyone.

During Covid-19 our bike was stuck in Colombia. Our T.I.P. (Temporary Import Permit) was only valid for 3 months. With monthly fines imposed for not exiting the bike on time this was a headache! I wanted to use this opportunity to sell my bike as I wanted to change so many things about it. However, there were were very little foreigners I could sell it to. And selling it to a local person was not allowed, leaving me pretty stuck.

So is it really worth it?

Well I’ve worked in sales all my life and I actually get a thrill out of getting a good deal. My plan was to buy the bike for a very good price, ideally under market value, and try to sell it at a premium. I was actually quite excited to see how much I could sell it for. My goal was to sell it for so much, that if we did the maths, owning the bike would have cost us something like 100 USD per month. Renting Adventure Bikes abroad is very expensive, sometimes more than 100 USD per day. So that would have been a pretty good deal for us!

If you don’t care about the make of your bike too much you can get your hands on some seriously cheap bikes! I met bikers in Vietnam who picked up 250cc bikes for 100 USD. One of them sold it on for 100 USD when he was done. The other for about half of that. And the third one simply gifted it to a local guy (loved hearing about that!). But they were pretty old, crappy bikes that were fun for a 3 weeks road trip. Obviously fine for their holiday but not very suitable for a round-the-world trip.

If you are planning on buying and selling bikes you need to be sure that you know what the real value of the bike is. You also need to consider that you might be selling a completely good bike just to find that the new bike you purchased has some issues you’ll end up having to fix. So it does come with its risks!

Conclusion

If you are a little risk taker like me and Fiona and like getting a good deal this might be the best solution for you!

But if the thought of having to buy and sell bikes in countries you don’t know stresses you out already, then it’s probably not.

If you are looking into transporting your motorcycle vs buying and selling you might also enjoy reading our guide on How to Prepare for a Round-The-World Motorcycle Trip

There is no wrong or right, just different preferences and priorities when figuring out what’s right for you. What is your preferred option and why? Leave a comment below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

The post Transporting MOTORCYCLES VS Buying & Selling appeared first on ADV Travelbug.

1. Engine Crash Bars and Cylinder Protectors

A no brainer really. They are obviously essential, some adventure bikes will come with them (or they can be added on for a fee) and of course there are many great company out there selling them. Check out SW-Motech or Touratech for example.

2. Skid Plate

Again, absolutely essential and not all are created equal so make your choice wisely. Our skid plate is from Black Dog Cycle Works (BDCW). It’s solid and offers probably some of the best protection you can get. It is however very heavy. If you aren’t going to do hardcore off-road riding on a regular basis than you might prefer to go for something lighter. I wouldn’t change it because I love knowing I have this solid protection but if I was customising a new bike all over again I think I would go with something lighter.

3. Radiator Guard

I wouldn’t travel without one. Stones can easily penetrate exposed radiators causing some pretty serious damage and potentially leading to loss of coolant/oil and it can easily leave you stranded on the side of the road, if not cause a crash. Get one!

4. Headlight Guard

Another essential. It’s like an insurance policy and will save you money in the long run, let alone the trouble of having to change a headlight. You can get them dirt cheap like 10 GBP but a good quality headlight guard will cost you about 150 GBP. They are usually very easy to install yourself.

5. Pivot Pegz

Essential. They rotate slightly allowing for better comfort and control when riding off-road. They also offer better grip and make standing up for long periods of time much more comfortable.

6. Aftermarket Break & Gear Levers

Not super essential but I love upgrading them. It increases safety and riding pleasure as they enable you to control application of the breaks and gears more precisely with two fingers. They make your ride more comfortable, allow better adjustment for optimal rider position and are less likely to snap. And let’s face it – they look damn good!

7. Steering Dampner

My motorcycle came with the Scott Steering Damper installed. It looks good, it feels great off road but I have to say I wouldn’t want it again and I’d rather invest in better suspension. One day we were riding in California along the coast and a car suddenly pulled out in front of us. Having ridden in London for so many years and avoided my fair share of accidents I’m fairly good at swerving around obstacles. But although you can adjust the steering damper (high or low setting) you cannot switch it off completely and that maneuver felt so terribly slow and delayed that I wasn’t sure if we would make it. Ever since then I’m not a fan and I’d happily get rid of it. It’s noteworthy that many of my ADV friend have them and totally love them – it’s personal preference.

8. Auxiliary Lights

Very nice to have, but careful if you install them after market. My bike came with AUX lights installed. We barely used them and never seriously needed them but that’s because we don’t tend to ride after dark. We generally set off nice and early and usually found a place to stay before it gets dark. Then we sailed from Panama to Columbia and some water had gotten under our seat causing the fuse box to blow up. Bummer! I send a photo to the BMW dealership in Bogota who advised me that it wasn’t a genuine BMW part (this was added in order to accommodate our AUX lights). It was such a nightmare to fix and caused us many problems. AUX lights are definitely nice to have, I don’t personally use them much but if you get them, make sure they are probably installed.

9. Wind Shield

Yes please but watch out for size. We got a really nice and high wind shield. It’s so nice to be protected from the wind so much and makes for a comfortable ride. But having such a high wind shield can be quite dangerous off road and therefore I would never go for such a high one. Sure adventure bikes usually have tiny little windscreens and I’d like something higher but just bear in mind the drawbacks off road and selecting your size. The Tiger 900 Rally Pro comes with a wind shield that you can shift up and down (very easily even when riding). I found it to be the absolute perfect height for touring and appreciated being able to lower it when riding off-road.

10. Upgraded Seat

Yes, yes, yes! Just as I believe it’s always worth investing in the best mattress on the market since we spend so many hours a day sleeping, why wouldn’t you splash out for the best comfortable seat if you might be riding for many hours a day on it? Ours is custom made by Mr. Ed’s Custom Moto Seats. We love it. I think money spent on a custom seat is money well spent.

That’s about it … oh hang on … we do have an extra tank and we love that feature. Of course you can also carry fuel bottles or canisters with you but it’s pretty nice having it attached to the bike and provides me an additional 7 liters of fuel. Customising your bike can be super fun, but also expensive. You can also get carried away installing things you might not need. With so many aftermarket products on the market it’s easy to do. Know what’s essential, what’s optional and think about what you nactually need

What customisations do you have on your bike? What is your favourite aftermarket add-on and what is the most essential to you? Let me know in the comments below – I’d love to hear your thoughts !!

The post Check Out The List of Customisations on Our BMWF800 GS appeared first on ADV Travelbug.

I never had a particular love for Adventure Bikes. Living in London you didn’t see many of them and I mostly thought they were unnecessarily big and ugly and I certainly had very little use for them living in the city and just needing a bike to get around whilst being able to cut through traffic. When I chose to buy my first Adventure Bike it wasn’t for looks but rather practically and functionality. I wanted the most suitable bike for long-distance travel. After owning and putting so many miles on my Adventure Bike I couldn’t imagine riding anything else any more. The comfort and freedom it offers you to truly get lost off-road is simply priceless to me.

I wrote this blogpost for people pondering about which Adventure Bike they might want to consider for a round-the-world trip. With Adventure (ADV) Riding being one of the fastest growing segments of motorcycling and so many fantastic bikes out there we are truly spoilt for choice these days. By far, the single best way to determine what suits you best is to ride as many bikes as possible and figure out what works best for you. But often we don’t have the luxury of doing just that, so here are a few questions you can ask yourself to help you make the right decision when choosing the right bike for your adventure.

1. What is Your Budget?

It sounds like a no brainer. Of course, you are only ever going to buy what you can afford. But is that thought alone enough? Most of us have limited financial resources and planning long-term travels will most likely mean sticking to a particular budget. Buying your motorbike and gear will probably eat up a considerable chunk of it. You will also be riding through countries where most of the time you will not have the option of buying fully comprehensive insurance including theft. What would happen if your bike got stolen or even worse, you had to write it off in a crash? Could you afford to buy yourself a new bike and keep travelling or would losing your bike signal the end of your travels? If my budget would be 10k GBP then I’d probably be more comfortable buying a bike in the range of 5-6k GBP, knowing that if worse comes to worse, I could buy something similar, if need be a little older, but I’d be able to stay on the road. Secondly, don’t underestimate that it can be very expensive to kit your bike out for a round-the-world adventure. Click here to find out more about all the customisations we currently have on our BMW F800 GS. It all adds up: footpegs, bashplate, crash bars, luggage rack etc. Make sure you factor  all these things into your budget. Also consider that maintenance costs of a bike can vary quite a bit so given the on-going costs throughout your travels you may want to keep this in mind when selecting a bike. If money is not an issue and you can afford to buy yourself the latest model of the adventure bike you really want, one last thought should be, is it too flashy? Our bike is from 2013 and we’ve put so many miles on it and dropped it so often that it looks a bit like a warhorse now, compared to when we first got it. But even though that’s how we perceive it, even our old bike draws a lot of attention in third world countries. I can’t imagine what it would be like to be on a brand-new, shiny Adventure Bike. It’s something to keep in mind.

2. Are you Riding Solo or Two Up?

Let’s say you are planning a round-the-world trip and eyeing up the Ténéré 700. This might seem like a fantastic choice when travelling solo but would most likely be unsuitable and not comfortable at all when riding two up. We are riding the BMW F800 GS two up and we feel extremely comfortable on it. We know quite a few couples who rode this bike two up across the world too. We have often encountered people advising us to upgrade to 1200 cc for maximum comfort. I’m tall, not very heavy and Fiona is much shorter, weighing even less. We don’t need to upgrade for comfort. Granted, for two people that are bigger and heavier our bike may not be comfortable enough, but don’t assume you need a 1200cc bike just because you are riding two up. I think we could have even felt comfortable on the BMW F700 GS (although I prefer the ground clearance of the 800cc) but the 650cc for sure would not be comfortable for us riding two up at all. So dual sports bikes and small Adventure Bikes are great for solo travellers but riding two up you will most likely need to be looking at a 800cc Adventure Bike and upwards.

3. How Important is Comfort to You?

We already addressed comfort when riding two up but just because you are riding solo doesn’t mean all bikes will offer you the same amount of comfort. Sure, you can customise pretty much any bike to a comfier seat that suits your height but some bikes will inevitably be more comfortable for long-distance riding than others. And yes, the bigger the bike the more comfortable it tends to get, which doesn’t mean you need to go for the biggest bike out there. Consider the customisation upgrades available on the market and weigh up your priorities. People are generally happy to compromise on comfort in return for a smaller and lighter bike. Are you? I find myself somewhat in the middle. I could benefit from a lighter bike as I’m not the best off-road rider out there and riding fully loaded through sand or mud is a challenging for me. So likewise upgrading to a heavier bike is not an option. We have downsized in an effort to travel lighter and decided to get rid of our super-heavy Jesse Luggage panniers but I would not want to downsize to a smaller Adventure Bike because I do value my comfort. So I feel the middleweight Adventure Bikes are best for me.

4. What about Carrying Capacity?

The carrying capacity you require will depend not only on whether you are riding solo or two up but also on your travelling style. Have you mastered the art of travelling light and make do with few things on the road? Are you going to stay in hostels or do you require space to fit all your camping gear? If you are travelling light and solo you might be able to make do with a reckless system (check this one out from Mosko Moto) that you can easily throw on pretty much any bike you choose. However, if you are going to travel two up with camping gear and electronics for photography, filming etc. you will certainly need to install luggage racks and find the appropriate luggage set up to suit your needs. You need a bike that can handle the weight of your luggage, especially if you are not going to travel light. Check out Lukasz and Marta from LATG … see the amount of luggage they have? Now clearly they couldn’t be riding any smaller Adventure Bike as they completely maxed out their carrying capacity. Not every luggage solution will work on every bike. Fitting hard panniers on your Honda XR250L would be a terrible idea (soft luggage works better for small bikes and is always safer for off-road riding in general) but just because you are riding a big bike doesn’t mean you should use its entire loading capacity, or even overload it. Yes, big bikes can handle an incredible amount of cargo and we sure fell down the rabbit hole of adding more and more luggage to our bike surprised just how much more would fit on it and how useful Rock Straps are. We were so impressed by just how much we could fit on the bike that it took us a while to own up to the fact that we were carrying way too much and needed to downsize. The bike was much more difficult to handle off-road and it was a pain to carry all the stuff in and out of places we were staying at day in and day out. Load distribution is equally important to bike handling and rider safety and should be given some serious thought. The biggest favour you can do yourself for a round-the-world trip is to travel as lightly as possible. But whatever you do, make sure the bike can handle the weight safely.

Soft vs Hard Panniers

4. Where Will You Be Riding?

Of course if we are talking about a round-the-world trip then there should be the assumption that you should be able to ride everywhere and anywhere with your Adventure Bike. But doing a round-the-world trip can mean a lot of things. It can mean truly riding through every single country on each continent which would take you many years or simply doing a few stretches of long-distance riding across the world and shipping your bike from continent to continent. If you are going to ride your motorbike across the US, then ship it to Australia to ride the East Coast, followed by a roadtrip through Europe you could get away with riding no off-road at all. If you are going to ride from Alaska to Patagonia and stick to the Pan-American highway you’ll no doubt encounter less off road then someone riding from Alaska to Patagonia not sticking to the Pan-American highway and instead exploring each country in more detail. So first of all, you should consider where you will be riding and what the conditions are like. How much off-road are you likely to encounter? You can spend 3 months in the USA and not even get close to exploring all the off-road it has to offer. But you can also spend a year riding across the US and avoid off-road altogether if you wanted to. Some other countries won’t afford you the luxury of having a choice. Hit South America and the further south you go the more sand you’ll encounter. The same is true for riding across Africa. With so many ADV Riders out there and great forums online (be it a Facebook group or simply asking someone who’s currently out riding a few questions) it’s ever so easy to get information on road conditions and know what to expect. But where you will be riding will also be important for other aspects like availability of spare parts and other things we will explore in more detail below.

5. How much off-road will you be riding?

Do you live for off-road adventure? Will you be searching for the toughest off-road routes wherever you go? Or is your motorbike simply meant to get you from A to B and you accept that one day it will be on tarmac, the next it will be a dirt road? When we first took off my idea of our adventure was not to do any off-road at all. I just wanted a bike that could handle a gravel road, the occasional dirt road and perhaps some muddy patches if we ran into rainy weather. But that soon changed. I started enjoying going off-road and it felt very rewarding to have the freedom of reaching some very remote places by bike. It changed our travelling style completely, for the better. In the beginning I was quite nervous about riding on gravel or dirt roads but one year into our trip this became second nature to me and I became more anxious about riding in deep sand or volcanic ash, both something I had never dreamt I would ever consider riding through. These days off-road riding has become as enjoyable as the travelling itself for us. And as we embrace it more and more we have started thinking about how we can travel lighter, potentially downsizing to a lighter bike and train to improve our off-road riding skills. Despite the fact that we now really enjoy off-road riding, I am not quite able to give up the comfort that comes with a middleweight Adventure bike. Sure, a little dirt bike or dual sports bike would make for some pretty awesome off-road riding. However, we still do long-distance riding on tarmac, sometimes 6 hours a day to get to our next destination and I can’t imagine doing that on a smaller bike. But we met plenty of people who do and love it. It means you can drop the bike countless times and it’s a breeze to pick it up. They are super fun off-road and most of them much easier to fix as they don’t have all the electronics that come with the heavier Adventure Bikes these days. I’ve rented dirt bikes before on holiday to have some fun, but for a long round-the-world trip I personally prefer a middleweight adventure bike. The key question to ask yourself is if you are just riding to get from place to place or if you will be actively looking for off road adventure.

6. Can you Pick it Up?

When I first decided to buy my BMW F800 GS I never asked myself if I would be able to pick it up. The answer is, I can’t. We are riding two up so it has never been an issue but if I was riding it by myself I do believe that I would have gotten myself a lighter bike by now. The Yamaha Ténéré 700 dry weight lies at 187kg whereas the BMW R 1250 GS Adventure weighs 249kg. Sure, it has the benefit that it never lies entirely flat due to its boxer engine and generally has a lower centre of gravity but do you need, and most importantly, can you handle the extra weight? If you are setting off to ride around the world I strongly believe that if you can’t pick it up by yourself then you shouldn’t be riding it. Our friend Tracy once dropped her bike in the Sierra Madre Occidental mountains of Mexico. She’s riding a BMW F 700 GS and couldn’t pick it up even after she removed all her luggage. After 3 hours and no one passing by she started to get worried and hit the S.O.S. button on her Spot Satellite Tracker. A couple of hours later someone came to her rescue. When I heard Tracy’s story I realised for the first time that if we weren’t travelling together I wouldn’t want to be riding my BMW F800 GS, because I can’t pick it up either and wouldn’t want to have that worry at the back of my mind, as it would most likely deter me from doing too much off road in remote locations. There are certainly techniques that will make picking up a bike much easier and they are very easy to learn. But it doesn’t mean that everyone will be able to pick up any bike they want. Personally, I have very little strength in my arms and coupled with my pelvis that I have fractured in numerous places and my bad right knee that I’ve had a couple of surgeries on, I don’t appreciate when I’m told it’s “all about the technique”. Believe me, I tried many times. I really do want to pick that bike up but as it turns out, it also has to do with your strength. Fiona at 1.63 meters is able to pick our bike up without any difficulties, fully loaded. I’m very grateful for that! Are you able to pick up yours?

7. How Easy will it be to Fix Your Motorcycle If You Break Down?

Again, this will depend greatly on where you will be riding but it’s a very important question to ask yourself. If you are going to break down on the Yamaha Ténéré 700 or the XT660 in the middle of Africa, anyone will be able to help you out. Rock up on a BMW like we ride and it will be more complicated as it may require a diagnostics tool to read fault codes which needs to be connected to a laptop. This makes fixing Adventure Bikes with advanced electronics much more complicated, as it may not always be easy to get hold of the diagnostic tools required to fix your bike. Advanced Electronics on Adventure Bikes like Traction Control, Opitmised Cornering ABS, Tyre Pressure Monitoring systems, automatic suspension adjustment and so on are all fantastic features designed to improve your riding experience and most importantly rider safety but going back to basics and knowing that you can fix your bike almost anywhere in the world is also a huge benefit. Which is more important for you? In our case, we know that we have a super reliable bike and we keep on top of the maintenance religiously to keep it that way. We also don’t have a tight time schedule so if worse comes to worse and we need to order some spare parts and delay our travels then we’ll be able to cope with it. Perhaps if I was travelling alone I would be more drawn to going with a bike that can be fixed just about anywhere.

8. Availability of Spare Parts

It does make sense to carry some spare parts with you like a clutch and spare brake pads for example. But of course you won’t be able to travel with all spare parts your bike might possibly require so do consider how easy it will be to source spare parts on the road. If you are riding a simple no-frills adventure bike you might be able to fix it easily just about anywhere. But rock up on a BMW and parts may not be as easy to come by, potentially requiring you to have them shipped to you and delaying your journey. Fiona and I sailed from Panama to Colombia together with our BMW F800 GS. We tried to take every precaution we could to protect the bike from the salt water. As soon as we reached land we took it for a good clean to rinse all the salt of it. Suddenly steam was coming out from under the seat. We quickly removed it to find the fuse box and surrounding cables were melting away. Luckily we had the tools to hand to quickly remove the battery. We were in a major big city and required a fuse box but there was absolutely nowhere we could buy it. We would have needed to ship it from the BMW dealership in Bogota. We didn’t have the time to wait (sadly, because Cartagenia is a beautiful city I could have spent much more time in). Instead we settled for a questionable quick fix. The mechanic told us that with any luck it would get us to Bogota but that it needed to be replaced there immediately. As you can imagine we were pretty nervous throughout the 18 hour ride through the mountains of Colombia, though luckily we made it.

9. Your Off-Road Skills

To ride big Adventure Bikes off-road requires some skills, strength and stamina. Sure, it’s all about technique and if you enjoy riding off-road and aren’t too scared of falling off too many times whilst learning you can get your levels of skills up fairly fast. But without any off road skills why not make your life easier and get a small or middleweight adventure bike that’s a little lighter and easier to handle. Or perhaps you can handle a big, heavy Adventure Bike just fine but going for something smaller may actually be more enjoyable and less physically challenging. Picking your bike up fully loaded whilst wearing motorcycle gear in extremely hot weather conditions can tire you out quickly. It’s pretty impressive what people can do on big Adventure Bikes and I love seeing a big bike in super technical terrain on my Instagram feed. But riding a big bike in technical terrain is obviously harder than riding a lighter bike. If you are new to off-road riding ask yourself if you can handle the bike you are contemplating on taking around the world. Ideally, see if you can book an off-road training and rent the bike you are considering riding to test it out first.

10. What Do You Really Need VS What You Really Want?

Some people will tell you that the best bike to take around the world is the bike you already own. That wasn’t the case for me. I dread to imagine myself in South America on my old Suzuki Gladius. Perhaps it might be for you. It’s certainly tempting to think that way since it’s possible to customise pretty much any bike in so many ways. But is it really? Whenever I speak to people who have ridden their motorcycle around the world one common answer I get when I ask what they wish they did differently is this: many wish they had done it on a lighter bike. You might already have your heart set on a particular bike but don’t let your emotions take over. Is your dream bike actually the right fit for you? There are so many strong opinions on the subject of which motorbike is best to go around the world on. However, I strongly believe that there isn’t one motorcycle that will suit all and the only person able to determine what works best for you, is YOU.

How to Prepare for a Round-the-World Motorcycle Trip?

Hopefully the questions above have helped you a little in knowing what to look out for and perhaps even prioritise what the most important criteria is for you. Leave a comment and let me know what bike you are travelling the world on (or would want to travel the world on) and why you feel this bike is best for you – I’d love to hear your comments! 

The post 10 Questions to Ask Yourself before Purchasing a Motorcycle for a RTW Trip appeared first on ADV Travelbug.

Don’t let anyone tell you what the best ADV Motorcycle is to go around the world! This is such a personal choice, which depends on a number of factors and questions you need to ask yourself.

My First ADV Motorcycle

My first Adventure Motorcycle I bought with travelling in mind, and no knowledge of the ADV Motorcycling world, was a BMW F800 GS. Prior to that I had only ever ridden 600cc Naked Bikes. Knowing we would be riding two up, I wanted something more powerful that would be comfortable enough for us both. I read countless reviews online about the “best” ADV Motorcycle to go for and made a list of bikes I felt would be suitable candidates for a round-the-world trip. At the top of my list back then was the BMW F800 GS and the Honda Africa Twin.

I then simply decided that I would buy whichever bike I could get the best deal on. Although I spent significantly more than I had anticipated, I went with the BMW F800 GS. I knew the person who was selling it, which gave me some peace of mind that I wouldn’t discover any serious issues with the bike after purchasing it. Given that I didn’t have a clue about ADV Motorcycles, I feel I made a pretty decent choice. Nonetheless, I wouldn’t have chosen this bike with its current set up if I could start from scratch.

If you can’t pick it up, it’s probably not the best ADV Motorcycle for you

One of the most important questions I feel you should ask yourself is: can you pick the bike up by yourself? I never asked myself this question and I don’t even get close to being able to pick it up. Even when it’s not fully loaded! It’s never been an issue as we are riding two up and Fiona is able to pick it up without any difficulties at all. But if I was riding by myself I would have either switched over for another ADV Motorcycle by now or not taken a whole bunch of off-road routes along the way.

Whenever I discuss this issue, people always advise me to upgrade to the BMW 1250 GS. An even heavier ADV Motorcycle, but with a significantly lower centre of gravity. In addition, it never lies entirely flat due to its boxer engine. This makes it easier to pick up, despite being heavier. I rode the BMW 1250 GS before and it’s a beautiful bike. And yes, the lower centre of gravity does make a tremendous difference. But I never felt like I needed that amount of power! And I don’t believe the solution for me was to get a heavier bike.

Think about your needs!

My best advice is to not try to figure out what the best ADV Motorcycle on the market is, but rather to figure out what Adventure Bike out there is BEST FOR YOU! Think about YOUR NEEDS! How much off road are you planning on riding? Which countries will you be riding through? Can you pick the bike up? How easy will it be to service this bike if you break down in the middle of nowhere? How difficult might it be to get hold of parts in remote areas of the world? What’s your budget? After all you’ll want to ensure the bike is customised for a round-the-world trip. So don’t spend all your money on the motorbike you want and realise afterwards that you haven’t put the money aside to get it ready for your adventure.

Check out my detailed guide below on things to consider and questions to ask yourself. It will help you make the right choice FOR YOU!

10 Questions to ask yourself before purchasing a motorcycle for a RTW Trip !

2. Customise Your ADV Motorcycle

Before we set off on our round-the-world adventure, it never occurred to me to buy crash bars. I had been riding for over 6 years and I’ve never dropped my bike. When I bought my BMW F800 GS it came with a whole range of customisations! Nothing on the bike was not protected from a fall. I found this very excessive at first. Simply because I didn’t have the slightest clue about riding off-road and just how normal it would become to drop the bike.

Protect your ADV Motorcycle as much as you can

It wasn’t a question of IF, more than WHEN. Sure, if you are planning to ride one summer across Europe you don’t need to worry at all! But if you really want to go around the world you’ll soon learn that even if you don’t look for off-road, it will always find you. And you’ll want to ride an ADV Motorcycle that you know you can keep dropping or falling off from without anything breaking on it.

In central America it happened to us many times that the road would suddenly end. Then there would be a river crossing. And a dirt road that was supposed to connect back to the mainroad at some point. You cannot assume that there will always be a tarmac road. In my opinion, it’s best if you are able to protect as much of the bike as possible.

Are you planning to customise your own ADV Motorcycle that you will ship from continent to continent? Then I think it makes sense to customise your bike as much as you can afford! Or will you be buying and selling motorbikes on each continent? Then you might be less willing to go overboard with all the customisations.

TRANSPORTING YOUR MOTORCYCLE VS BUYING AND SELLING NEW ONES WHEN GOING AROUND THE WORLD

What are the Top Brands offering crash bars and ADV Motorcycle Accessories?

• Outback Motortek
• SW-Motech
• Touratech
• Black Dog Cycle

CLICK HERE TO GET AN OVERVIEW OF ALL THE CUSTOMISATIONS WE HAVE ON OUR BMW F800GS.

3. Pick the Right Tyres for Your ADV Motorcycle

ADV Riders are extremely opiniated when it comes to choice of tyres. A little bit the same story as asking people what the best ADV Motorcycle is out there. And once again, the choice will depend very much on your needs and preferences.

Our 1st ever tyres: Shinko

Fiona and I started off with Shinko tyres. They are considered good value for money, but personally I wouldn’t buy them again! Having a good quality tyre gives you that little bit of extra confidence and it’s something I enjoy spending money on. When it comes to tyres you really do get what you pay for. No doubt they are good value for money. But they are not great compared to other quality tyres you can get on the market!

2nd Set: Continental TKC 80s

As we had reached Mexico and expected a lot of off-road we decided to switch for Continental TKC 80s. My first impressions were that they were loud and slowed us down. I almost immediately regretted my choice.

But then we had to cross rivers and ride some dirt roads I didn’t feel comfortable with. And I have to say the grip on these tyres is honestly amazing! Still, I wouldn’t get them again. We ride a lot of paved roads still and they just wear down too quickly. Also, like most heavy duty off-road tyres, they don’t offer best performance on paved roads.

3rd Pick: MotoZ Tractionator GPS

Our next choice were MotoZ Tractionator GPS tyres. They are quality tyres, very popular with ADV Riders, don’t wear down too quickly and are excellent for a round-the-world trip. If you are looking for a heavy duty tyre but with longer wear life, they are fantastic!

What is the best tyre for your ADV Motorcycle?

The key question still remains: what’s best for you? Consider how much off road you ride and if you really need a heavy-duty off-road tyre. How important is the mileage you can get out of the tyre to you? And most importantly, don’t assume your off-road tyres will make you a better off road rider. Sure, having good grip will give you that extra bit of confidence but you need to do the rest. You don’t need TKC80s to ride in sand. You can do that with many other hybrid tyres.

The longer you ride and the more tyres you’ll try out, the quicker you’ll figure out what tyres are right for you. Knobbly tyres will be great off-road but they don’t perform as well on the road and wear down super-fast. If you are travelling slow and live for the off-road then that might just be perfect for you! But make sure you are honest with yourself whether or not you need them. And be aware that they come with drawbacks for street riding. In wet weather knobbly tyres can’t shift water well. As a result they are less safe when riding on the road in wet weather!

Best Hybrid Tyres for you ADV Motorcycle

However, if you want a tyre that will be great on the road as well as offering you good off-road performance you might lean towards a 50/50 option like Mitas E-07, Motoz Tractionator GPS or Micheline Anakee Wild. They are great for long distance travel on gravel roads but can also deal with the occasional  mud or sand.

I personally really enjoy trying out different tyres! And I don’t believe there is a best tyre out there for everyone. With so many great choices by so many top-quality brands you’ll need to try for yourself. But don’t make the same mistake we did, thinking that knobbly tyres are the best and safest tyres out there. They aren’t great in all conditions! And once they are half way worn down perform badly, particularly in wet weather when you aren’t riding off road.

4. Figure Out which Luggage Solution Works Best for You

My first advice is to not go with the luggage offered by your motorcycle brand! They usually look good and are great for weekend or short holidays. But I would consider better option for a round-the-world trip!

No matter if you are looking for hard or soft luggage, you’ll be better off going with a brand that specialises in motorcycle luggage.

Next, you’ll need to figure out if you want hard luggage vs soft luggage. In other words, what do you value most? Is it security (hard luggage) or safety (soft luggage)? Click here to help you decide which option is best for you.

Hard Luggage

Fiona and I started off with Jesse panniers. We were told they are bulletproof! After 30,000 miles on the road with them I can confirm they are really waterproof. Unlike some other hard panniers there is no need for additional waterproof liners. We’ve also dropped the bike countless times off-road. They survived every single crash! Unfortunately, this also comes at a price: weight and safety! That’s why Fiona and I have decided to switch to soft luggage. Another thing to consider is that although our boxes survived every crash, our luggage rack didn’t. We had to get it mended at least 4 times!

If you absolutely want to stick to hard cases, check out TRAX ADV by SW-Motech. They will offer you the security you are after but won’t weigh you down as much as Jesse panniers!

Semi-Rigid

Lone Rider is the only brand out there that I know of that offer semi-rigid luggage! I haven’t personally tried it but know many ADV Riders like @onherbike and @nattplu who use them. Both seem very happy with them!

Soft Luggage

If you are looking for soft luggage options, check out Mosko Moto or Kriega. Fiona and I have just switched to Mosko Moto luggage! We’ll be sure to write a detailed review once we get some proper mileage out of them! They are not exactly cheap but they are considered a market leader for ADV soft luggage solutions.

Still unsure if you should go for hard or soft luggage?

For a more detailed review of the pros and cons, please check out the following blog post:

SOFT VS HARD MOTORCYCLE LUGGAGE.

We wrote it to help you decide what will work best for you!

5. Choose the right ADV Motorcycle Gear

When it comes to gear I truly believe you should spend as much as you are able to afford. Having the best, functional gear will have a huge impact on how much you’ll be enjoying your ride. Freezing your ass off in Alaska or Patagonia will suck as much as riding through Death Valley without vented gear.

How much money we spent on our ADV Motorcycle Gear

Unfortunately, gear can be incredibly pricey. Fiona and I decided to buy everything from scratch for this trip. The gear we previously owned for riding around the city mostly (helmet, shoes, leather jackets etc.) just wasn’t suitable. We did some research and found that the market leading brand for ADV Motorcycle gear was Klim. After buying ourselves probably one of the best ADV Motorcycle Helmets on the market, motorcycle jackets, pants, gloves and some underlayers, we were looking at just above 5,000 USD. We were very lucky to receive a discount on the gear we bought but even without, buying the right gear was non-negotiable for us.

Click here to find out why we love Klim Motorcycle gear and our review having ridden in Klim Gear since May 2019.

What to look out for when choosing ADV Motorcycle Gear

So what should you look out for? Well first of all, this depends on the climate you will be riding in. However, if you are truly planning to go around the world, your gear will need to be extremely versatile. It needs to keep you warm in cold climates and most importantly dry. It also needs to provide you with enough ventilation to get you through hotter climates. Note, that you mostly get what you pay for. I’ve worn Gore-Tex adventure suits before that didn’t completely keep me dry. And having one vent on your jacket is probably not going to be enough. You need plenty of vents, well located in order to make a real difference in hot climates. I find our Klim ADV Motorcycle Gear extremely versatile! I can comfortably ride in anything from 5 degrees to about 32 degrees Celsius.

There are other companies out there like Touratech that make high quality vented gear and allow you to layer up for colder weather. Although I have never worn it myself, the venting system looks great. Everyone I know who owns one loves it. What would bother me though is that you are required to add an extra layer to make it waterproof. I find this very annoying. Sure, we go days, sometimes even weeks without rain. But it’s very inconvenient to stop and then get changed in the rain. In addition, we are often riding in very hot temperatures, where we might experience torrential rain for just about 10 min. I personally prefer wearing gear where I can just close my vents instead of getting changed into waterproofs.

Only ride with proper ADV Motorcycle Boots

When it comes to boots, I would personally not ride in anything that doesn’t offer me the same protection an Adventure Boot will. Especially not if you know you will be riding a lot of off road. When I first switched to ADV Motorcycle Boots I found it difficult to imagine riding through very hot climates in it. It certainly didn’t seem like the kind of boot you could go for a little walk in. But what I can say after riding through temperatures as hot as 46 degrees is, that when you feel hot and sweaty, the last thing you’ll complain about is your “hot feet”.

I’ve never felt that a proper ADV Motorcycle Boot was difficult to wear in hot weather. And it’s easy to underestimate how important they are. Ever since I seriously hurt my foot despite wearing top notch Adventure Boots (they’ll protect you but there will be nasty falls they might not save you from) I could never ride without wearing proper boots anymore. My absolute favourite ADV Motorcycle boot is the Alpinestar Toucan Gore-Tex (it’s unisex). My advice is, buy the best gear you can afford. You’ll be living in it after all so it’s one of the best investments you can make. 

6. Think about your Motorcycling Clothes/Underlayers

We started out with the KLIM 1.0 and 3.0 underlayers to cover us for hot and cool climates. They are somewhat expensive and you will be able to find cheaper options that fulfill the same function. But they are great quality! You are basically looking for something that will wick away moisture when you are sweating. This is a typical requirement when buying base layers from a skiing or hiking shop. Chances are you might already have something that’ll work!

Merino Wool is a GAME CHANGER!

However, what was a complete game changer for us was when we discovered merino wool. It is naturally odour free, keeps you cool in hot weather and keeps you warm in cold weather. You can buy superlight merino clothes for hot weather or thicker layers for colder climates. What I love about merino wool is that you can ride all day in ridiculously hot weather, sweat into it, and it won’t stink at the end of the day.

Make sure you buy from an ethical brand like Icebreaker or Smartwool for example. We like to shop at Icebreaker. One of their key selling points is that you can wear one t-shirt for an entire week. Honestly, that’s a bit of a stretch in my opinion. But you can certainly get away with wearing the same clothes for a few days. That to me is priceless, especially when trying to travel with as few things as possible. Just make sure you air them out in between!

The other benefit is that I wear it not just for motorcycling but also my regular clothing. Since discovering the benefits of merino wool I replaced my entire “wardrobe”. All my clothes when travelling now consist of merino wool, including my underlayers.

Layering

Next, think about your layering! Having various layers gives you more options / flexibility. And most importantly, in cold weather, that is what will keep you warm! As we ride mostly in hot weather I have superlight, COOLITE underlayers. Although I carry the Klim 3.0 underlayers for cool climates with me still. I then have a merino mid layer and a fantastic merino windbreaker jacket.

7. Protect your Ears

Are you currently wearing ear plugs? I didn’t wear any for the first 6 years of riding at all. Mostly as it never occurred to me to give it any consideration. As we started meeting more and more riders we realised that many of them wore ear plugs. When I looked into it a little more I was surprised that riding above a certain speed, even as low as 40mph, causes excessive noise under the helmet which damages the ear. Regardless of your choice of helmet the noise level will over time damage your ear. It’s unavoidable! Just as you wear the right gear to protect yourself from a fall, you should also protect your ears at all times !!

Which earplugs are best?

We started off with foamy earplugs, then switched to some silicon ones with filters built in. These options are fairly inexpensive. But the problem is that they easily come out of place if you yawn for example. And let’s face it, you are unlikely to stop just to insert them properly again.

Knowing that we’d need them every day we decided to get custom made ones. As we were in the USA at the time we went with Big Ear. They are a little old fashioned but very comfortable and effective. At 250 USD a pair we had to spend quite a bit of money. But we now have super comfortable ear plugs with high quality filters which we can switch out. And they always stay perfectly in place!

Fiona has quite small ears and her pair didn’t fit as perfectly as mine. So she had hers made with laser technology in Germany. They are also MUCH smaller than mine and don’t cover your whole outer ear. So there is definitely better technology out there than Big Ear offers! But if you walk into your local hearing aid store, they should be able to make them for you to measure. It’s a standard requirement for many professions: musicians, building workers etc.

Will I still be able to hear music and speak to other riders?

Yes you will. Whilst the ear plugs cut out engine and wind noise you can still hear the traffic. It simply reduces the noise to a safe level. You will still be able to listen to music or speak to your pillion!

You can also buy earplugs that will act as your earphones. But as we really like our Sena system we never tried those ones out. Forking out 200 USD + for earplugs might seem like a lot. But if you are going to wear them every day for the foreseeable future isn’t it a worthwhile investment? Since owning a pair I really dislike riding without them. Only when you cut the noise out, will you realise just how much noise you used to expose yourself to when riding.

8. Take some Off-Road Training

We are often willing to invest more money into our bike and gear then we are willing to invest into ourselves. Yes, off-road training can be VERY EXPENSIVE but it’s a great investment. Before setting off to ride across the world, it didn’t even occur to me to take any off-road training. I guess that was probably due to me thinking that riding off-road was a choice. I initially didn’t think I’d be going round looking for dirt roads. A lot has changed since then. I realise now that off-road finds you whether or not you are looking for it. But most importantly, I started to really enjoy it!

Unfortunately, off-road training can be really expensive BUT when you first start off, the learning curve is very steep! With other words: even with a few lessons you can get so much out of it. Learning the right technique to riding off-road when you start, rather than unlearning the bad habits you picked up over years later, is really worth it. I also think that you should never stop learning. Honestly, if money wasn’t an obstacle, I would have done so much more training by now. But nonetheless I train on a regular basis.

Try to keep up your learnt skills

One of the most important things you can do is take a little time here and there to practice! You can easily practice basic skills, especially slow-speed manoeuvres, like tight turns or balance by yourself! You don’t need this skill on a day to day basis so it’s easy to not take the time. But you’ll get so much more out of training when you keep up practicing in between!

Best Off-Road Training in Europe

My best training in Europe was with the Enduro Action Team in Germany. The terrain is fantastic and offers you everything from sandy motocross, deep gravel, trail riding and super steep inclines. However, it really is one of the most expensive ones too.

If the price tag is too steep for you, you might want to check out ADV Academy in Poland. They have some English speaking trainers and can be up to 50% cheaper.

9. Learn Basic Maintenance Skills

Fiona and I didn’t know the first thing about motorcycle maintenance. Shortly after visiting Yosemite National Park in the USA within the first month of starting our travels, we bumped into a lovely couple in their 60s riding on their BMW 650 GS. We had a nice, little chat and they pointed out that our tyres looked worn. Fiona and I didn’t know what that even looked like, let alone that we needed new tyres. We had changed them only a couple of months before so it was the furthest thing on our mind. It turned out the couple were from California where we were headed to and they spontaneously invited us to stay with them. So, a few days later we took them up on their offer and Bill promised to give us a crash course on bike maintenance.

The more you know the better

We spent a couple of days doing basic things like changing oil, changing brake pads, air filters, checking valve clearance and fixing whatever looked like it was missing a screw or like it was falling apart. Does it mean we now do all the bike servicing ourselves? No, BUT it’s certainly helpful to know how to do basic maintenance.

This also proved pretty helpful when we were in Costa Rica. We met a Belgian Expat who owns a motorcycle garage there and thought it’d be appropriate to charge two women 400 USD to change our rear brake pads. Something a BMW dealership would charge around 60 USD for. All other garages we visited were genuine and honest! But it certainly helps to know what the labour you are asking someone to do is worth.

The absolute minimum you should know about maintenance before setting off

We know more or less where what is and how long it takes to do the work. If need be, we would manage to do basic maintenance ourselves too. In short, learn how to fix a puncture, carry out basic maintenance and carry tools for your bikes. Even if you are not able to fix something yourself, you want to have the tools to hand for someone else to help you. Don’t assume that just because you find a motorcycle garage in central America they’ll have tools to change brake pads on your BMW or Honda motorcycle. Have them with you when travelling! 

10. Don’t Get Caught Out by Poor Planning

Fiona and I consider ourselves very lucky that we don’t need to stick to any time schedule while travelling. This means that we don’t ever plan too far ahead! But one thing we do keep an eye on is when the best and worst times are to travel through the countries we want to visit. You can’t ride up to Alaska or Patagonia at any given time of the year. So when riding from Alaska to Patagonia we ensured that we knew exactly during which months it would be possible to ride to these places.

Check visa requirements before you travel for ALL countries you are planning to ride through

We also checked what the visa requirements were for each country! So we knew more or less how long we would be able to stay in each of them. When we have less time, we tend to plan more thoroughly. Like the USA for example. There is so much beauty to explore and we only had 3 months. So we planned ahead and were on the move every day to try and see as much as possible. Once we crossed over to Mexico where we could enter for 6 months without a visa, we slowed down. We took a week off to go wine tasting and surfing in Baja California, before finding our rhythm again.

Don’t assume countries are hot all year round

We also try to avoid rain seasons as much as possible to avoid muddy dirt roads. Also, don’t assume that countries are hot all year round! And pay attention to the temperatures changing at night, especially if you are planning to camp. If you are planning to camp you will need to ensure that your camping gear is suitable for all weather conditions.

Click here to take a look at our ULTIMATE Camping Packing List for Minimalistic Motorycle Travel.

Prepare for Border Crossings

Depending on where you are in the world, border crossing tend to be fairly similar. Most border crossings in Europe (excluding the Schengen area) will have a similar process, just as most countries in Africa or in South America do. We knew that when riding from Alaska to Patagonia we mostly needed the same paperwork: 

• Passports 
• Driving License 
• Insurance (sometimes)
• Proof of bike ownership 
• T.I.P. (temporary importation permission) 
• Money 

We knew it was recommended to have at least 5 copies of each of these with us for each border crossing. If you don’t have it, they’ll send you off to a little booth that will make the copies for you. This can be incredibly time consuming though. So we always print them in batches and have plenty with us. When we change over to another continent, like Africa, they will require a carnet de passage. We’ll deal with that closer to the time. Point being, understand what the process is and be prepared to save time. Border crossings can be lengthy as they are. Even if you are the only overlander there. So make your life easier and be prepared!

Are you ready for YOUR Round-the-world Motorcycle Trip?

We hope you find this blog post useful and perhaps it highlighted something you have not yet considered. Disagree with anything or feel I missed something important? Or simply want to share your opinion and/or experiences? Let us know your thoughts and leave a comment below – we’d love to hear from you!

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