Top 5 Tips For A Great Motorbike Adventure Trip

1. Planning

   Most guys underestimate this point, at home you have time & access to everything, so use this to plan your trip.

   Define the general route, check if the roads, border crossing, ferries, bridges, tracks, etc are open/running, this will define the big parts of your route.

   Don’t forget to allow time to get any Visa’s you need.

   🙂

2. Daily Riding distance

   Don’t try and ride to many km’s in a day. On good roads 300kms is an easy ride. In the back country 300kms can take all day or longer.

   For me the average trip limit of 250km absolute max, 200km is better. I want to see and experience to countries that I ride through, to enjoy the food & culture. This takes time, but I think it is time well spent,

   It’s also a good idea to plan a rest day each week, this will add a buffer of time, which helps cover breakdown, bad weather, etc. After 6 days hard adventure riding, the body needs rest & time to recover.

   🙂

3. Prepare your bike

   The reliability of you bike is going to make or break your trip so make sure that all the service work on your bike is done:

   Engine: Valve checked, do any engine maintenance or updates, oil & filters service
   Suspension: forks & shocks serviced
   Drive system: check / change chain & sprockets, service shaft drive
   Electrics: replace the battery if older 2 year,  carry spare fuses
   Tires: install new tires & carry spare tubes, front & rear
   Visual inspection: allow an hour, I open a beer, as working on your bike should be fun. Then inspect the frame for damage, check under the bike as well, skid plate, foot pegs, gear & brake levers, main & side stands, rear swing arm etc.
   Next spend 20 mins just looking @ the bike from front to back, both sides. Check for damage, loose parts, signs of wear, etc
   Bolt check: Motorbikes vibrate, with vibrations bolts come loose, so check them, you will be surprised what you find, this also helps you to know your bike & save big problems out in the back country.

   🙂

4. Gear

   The gear you are going to need is relative to your trip, for hot conditions you need different gear than cold conditions.

   Important gear: good first aid kit, extra fuel, navigation (maps & compass, GPS*), dry bags, cooking, food, camping, type of riding gear, wet weather gear, dry cloths, spare parts & tools, 12v compressor.

   Note: *take both, because things to not always go to plan. Safety first is a the best plan!

   🙂

5. Weight

   What’s your ride weigh?

   The KTM 950 adventure is about 215kg; on a single trial it’s big and heavy, add 50kgs of gear and try riding a mountain single trails, it will very hard or worse, impossible.

   From your route planning you know what sort of terrain you are going to ride.
   You will also have a gear list by now, & you will know if you are taking side cases of not.

   How much weight you add to your bike is going to have a big impact how fun the trip is.

   🙂

   Motorcycle adventure is all about having fun! 😉

Kind Wish.
The GAS Team

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