What do you need for the RTW ride

[ChasF]

with all the stuff I read about Nick Sanders riding round the world on an R1 (and no support) just to prove a point and C&E with their hi-tech bikes and 3 4x4s as back up, it has got me thinking about what do you really need for a RTW trip.

Personally, I think a DR350 is working too hard, obviously good when the going gets rough but in percentage terms the vast majority of the trip is grinding along quite good roads. On the other hand I think a R1200GS is too big, much too complicated and just causes so much stress due to it's value.

For me the best bike is an airhead GS or G/S as I know them like the back of my hand, they're fast enough, light enough for a bit of off road and you can get service parts anywhere and other parts easily by mail order (can't even get brake pads for my 690 without a lot of hassle). I've got no particular opinions on carbs versus EFI or shafts versus chains but I'm sure you all have your own views so lets hear them.

[V_King]

at my point of view, there is no difference in the choice of bike, as long as it puts a smile on your face

people travelled around the world in all sorts of bikes and all of them were happy with their choice. from harleys to ktm's or honda cubs.

there is other aspect - the way you ride your bike on such trip. as the riding style should be preserving, so you would not race to every corner.

have quite a few friends, who start planing a journey, gets the "best bike", loads of accessories, learns the internet by heart. BUT forgets actually to put a few years aside for the journey :silly:
on the other hand, that helps to get all the needed bits cheap

so imho for rtw ride you need determination to actually do the rtw journey. everything else is just details.

[strimstrum]

We (that is me and Mark - Bushman on this forum) are setting out on our RTW trip next month. It's all on - I picked up our Russian visas in London this morning (great day for a bike ride it was too). We are both riding 1200GS.

Ah, they're too heavy is the advice that we get endlessly or they won't make it. When I ask these bearers of doom what they used when they did it I get a 100% response of "Well, I haven't done it myself". No, they have read that a 1200 GS is no good for the trip and invariably that article has been written by somebody who themselves has not done the trip on a GS.

Last year a guy called Oisin Hughes did do it on a 1200GS and successfully including the road of bones. Of course there were times when he wished he had a smaller bike and I am sure when I've picked mine up in the Mongolian sand for the 20th time I will feel the same BUT when I'm travelling 3,000 mles across the Kazak steps I will be more than happy to have a comfortable 1200GS between my legs than a single cylinder thumper banging away at my balls.

Incidentally, my GS has already taken me off roading in Morocco, UK to Tunisia and Libya and back, several trips to europe, lots of rides in the UK and most recently a 15000km ride across Greece and into Turkey along the Syrian border, Iranian border and Iraq border and back - all without a single problem.

So in our case the answer to the question is that we have gone for comfort.

[ricogebs]

We (that is me and Mark - Bushman on this forum) are setting out on our RTW trip next month. It's all on - I picked up our Russian visas in London this morning (great day for a bike ride it was too). We are both riding 1200GS.

Ah, they're too heavy is the advice that we get endlessly or they won't make it. When I ask these bearers of doom what they used when they did it I get a 100% response of "Well, I haven't done it myself". No, they have read that a 1200 GS is no good for the trip and invariably that article has been written by somebody who themselves has not done the trip on a GS.

Last year a guy called Oisin Hughes did do it on a 1200GS and successfully including the road of bones. Of course there were times when he wished he had a smaller bike and I am sure when I've picked mine up in the Mongolian sand for the 20th time I will feel the same BUT when I'm travelling 3,000 mles across the Kazak steps I will be more than happy to have a comfortable 1200GS between my legs than a single cylinder thumper banging away at my balls.

Incidentally, my GS has already taken me off roading in Morocco, UK to Tunisia and Libya and back, several trips to europe, lots of rides in the UK and most recently a 15000km ride across Greece and into Turkey along the Syrian border, Iranian border and Iraq border and back - all without a single problem.

So in our case the answer to the question is that we have gone for comfort.

sounds like an epic trip you got planned there strimstrum........... good luck with all the paperwork and details and have an amazing trip......... don't worry the GS won't let you down.... great bike


rico.

[ChasF]

Yes, I agree that when on any kind of long distance tour to remote locations you need to treat the bike with a little more respect than you may do when thrashing around in the Alps. We met a couple of lads in Namibia who had the latest BMWs supplied by the factory as their Father worked there. On the trip down from Europe they'd each had new frames shipped out and loads of other parts mostly to repair crash damage. We went riding with them in the dunes and one of them smashed the front end up. When we left they had settled in for a 10 day wait whilst new forks and wheel arrived from Germany.

I know from experience that there are always great distances to be covered on perfectly good roads so comfort is a major factor. It's also hard to travel light if you're going to be away from home for a year so load carrying is important too. For me it would probably have to have at least 2 cylinders although some modern thumpers are quite smooth now. The other important factor is assessing whether you can fix anything that is going to stop you going forward. The most common faults are electrical failures which may be as simple as a flat battery or a blown fuse but may also be a component failure - how many parts do you need to carry to be sure that you can get back to civilisation. Punctures can stop you going and from personal experience, can't just be fixed with a new tube, but this is the same no matter which bike. Mousses aren't the answer because they won't handle a lot of road work. Rear shock failure seems to be the next most common failure - I have a solid bar with eyes welded on each end which I carry on long trips, but as yet, I've never used it.

Most other things are just bad luck and you can't account for everythin. Fortunately, even in the remotest locations there seems to be a bloke with a pick up truck who'll help you out for 10 dollars

[James691]

All you need is the will to do it and the money for fuel and food.

The rest is just for extra comfort or speed.

You can get around the world on a Honda C90 if you want to.

The world is open for business and business is good

I had a ball zipping around the islands of Indonesia on a 90cc bike. Much to the amusment of the locals I love the fact that I could pick my bike up to my chest and turn around on single dirt tracks.

Best of luck on the RTW ride lads, really looking forward to hearing about your adventure

[ChasF]

You need a lot of extra 'will' and a bit less budget to ride around the world on a 90cc bike.

[scouse]

with all the stuff I read about Nick Sanders riding round the world on an R1 (and no support) just to prove a point and C&E with their hi-tech bikes and 3 4x4s as back up, it has got me thinking about what do you really need for a RTW trip.

Errrm... as regards Nick S, having someone sat in an office sending out situation reports and apparently doing all his border crossing paperwork and sorting out his bike shipping , which was quite clear from things showing up and information being requested by his "people" on bike forums during his last sortie ... that is not doing it unsupported.

This is doing it unsupported... http://www.millennium-ride.com/

[scouse]

But please remember to come home at some point to show us the piccies We Love piccies

[ipswichbiker]

You need to fake your own kidnap by Somali pirates and use the ransom money to fund the trip. You could disguise your lack of return to work by saying that negotiations are taking longer than expected but you are being treated well so best not to involve the police.

This idea is still a bit rough around the edges but its a work in progress. As you can see I am well into the planning stage of my trip. My other idea is something to do with a canoe.