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1. Choosing Your Motorcycle
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?
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!
