Manufacturers are trying to make bikes that fit as wide a range of rider sizes and shapes as possible. My R100GS was made before they started introducing low seats, lowered bikes or even adjustable seats. The R100GS was considered a tall bike so the front part of the seat had minimal foam to make it...

The chap who rebuilt my R100GS seat said he would replace the original foam with Bultex. He didn't but just added some extra layers as wanted the seat 30 mm higher and 30 mm wider. He did make a new cover using grippy vinyl which was the biggest improvement as we almost always use the bike two up bu...

I'm trying to re-model a seat hopefully making it more comfortable for long distances. I plan to cut out a small amount of the existing foam to make the sitting part wider and then build the seat up using layers of thin foam 10 or 20 mm thick. Had a look on Ebay and ended up confused as I've really ...

My first bike trip to Europe was on my Le Mans to the pLe Mans 24 hour bike race in 1984 and again later the same year to Paul Ricard for the Bol d'Or. Both trips were on a wing and a prayer, no kit worthy of note, even my waterproof oversuit wasn't. Everything was strapped on the rack with bungies ...

For what it's worth most of the pseudo knobbly road tyres such as the TKC80 work OK off tarmac when they are brand new but as with knobblies (AC10, Metzeler six days etc.) they wear quickly when used on tarmac and once the blocks have rounded off their performance off tarmac becomes very poor. I've ...

Too many topics relating to bikes and riding are subjective. One person may like a tyre another will think it's rubbish. This is the downside of internet forums. Flagging certain people up as experts is just feeding their egos. Personally I never state anything as the definitive answer but always qu...

Yes, congratulations Wesley - mind you, having kids will put a stop to your nomadic tendencies for a few years :) Whilst we were on our travels we met all sorts of travellers (bikers, backpackers, 4 wheel drivers) who wereby our standards badly prepared. Some were happy travelling in a minimalist wa...

Our overland trip from Devon to Cape Town was way back in 1992. We were reasonably well prepared even by modern standards. I'm a competent bike fixer, we had bought for purpose camping kit, complete medical kit, a decent budget etc. . We took a couple of guide books and a bunch of maps but the main ...

More manageable than the F800gs off road and although not easy yo find still a bit less rare than the X challenge and less fickle than the KTM 690. In France there are quite a few that have never been off road which makes them a better s/h buy.

The off road skills course is a good opportunity to throw someone else's bike down a muddy track. Even with your newly aquired skills it's still a different matter when it comes to your own pride and joy. My experience of the F800GS is that it doesn't crash well and it doesn't sound like it's fittin...