So motorcycle overlanding

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ChasingOurTrunks

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ravenplague said:
I am on the fence of buying hard cases (Tusk) or pelican cases like yours. What do you think of them? I prefer how they look but hesitant about the side opening style.
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I had pelicans, switched to Tusk for the very reason you described. The top loaders hold more and are easier to use around camp.

It really is a personal preference thing. The way the Tusk footman loops work I can pop a lid and access the contents of the pannier even if I had stuff on top like a tent or sleeping bag. With the pelicans, I'd have to take that stuff off to get at things inside.

There's also lots of spare parts for the Tusk Panniers. As far as damage when dropping, hard panniers of any kind are not as good as soft bags off road, so that's another angle to consider. Hard bags and technical terrain can end up in nasty broken legs pretty easily.

Plus the most important part of bike travel is collecting stickers and they stick better to the aluminum than they do the plastic [emoji14]

Sent from my BBA100-1 using Tapatalk
 
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Yep...ADV moto guy here...you can see the 1290 at the top of the Moki Dugway in my avatar. Always been a bike guy and I hope to incorporate a smaller (XR650, EXC 500, 690 Enduro, etc) moto into my overland build and take on some farther away moto dirt. I want to do some high speed BRD trips in the near future and a smaller ADV bike with a basecamp overland rig parked nearby would be perfect.

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oldmopars

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I have been "Overlanding" on a bike for years. My buddy and I plan a trip every year. We have varied the amount of Off-Road and tent camping each year, but we still go. We have done the Washington BDR, went from Tacoma/Yakima to Yellowstone, Glacier, Lolo Pass. One year we went to the Alvord Desert and into Nevada. I was foolish enough to one year try to ride down HWY 101 from Seattle to Northern California in February on a KLR650. I though I was going to drown with all the rain.
For some reason the terminology is different. If you have 4 wheels it is called "Overlanding" if you have 2 wheels (or 3) it is called "Adventure Riding". There is a huge forum called ADVRider that is like this forum, but for bikes.
 
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Jeff B

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Adventuring around on motorcycles is fun. However, the limiting factor with them is weight capacity. Even the largest motorcycles can handle about 500 lbs of weight including the people. I have seen some seriously overloaded bikes out there.
 
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Jeff B said:
Adventuring around on motorcycles is fun. However, the limiting factor with them is weight capacity. Even the largest motorcycles can handle about 500 lbs of weight including the people. I have seen some seriously overloaded bikes out there.
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I have a very minimalistic setup that will support my wife and I for a couples days. Think of it more like backpacking with a motorcycle.
I think the biggest issue you’re seeing is people forgetting to address their suspension when planning to carry additional weight. I have an adjustable suspension system that allows me set my suspension for TwoUp loaded and unloaded riding or just myself as a daily commuter. MotoTrek just came out with a video talking about this exact subject, but it’s been one of those issues seen across the board from dirt bikes to mountain bikes.
 
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Narwhal said:
I have a very minimalistic setup that will support my wife and I for a couples days. Think of it more like backpacking with a motorcycle.
I think the biggest issue you’re seeing is people forgetting to address their suspension when planning to carry additional weight. I have an adjustable suspension system that allows me set my suspension for TwoUp loaded and unloaded riding or just myself as a daily commuter. MotoTrek just came out with a video talking about this exact subject, but it’s been one of those issues seen across the board from dirt bikes to mountain bikes.
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Motorcycle travel kind of forces you to buy good, light gear. Mostly back pack stuff. I had to do this over the years. I made the mistake of overloading and using gear that was meant for car camping. So, now I have a nice light weight set-up that fits my bike. Then I take it and use it in my 3/4 ton Suburban and its light its not even there.
The problem we all seem to have is that we pack for the space we have. I found when I was on my 500cc Honda I brought less than when I was on my 1500cc Goldwing. I do have to pack a CPAP now, but that is the only thing that I can't reduce the weight of or live without.
 
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Wile_Coyote

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Yup, if you want to Adventure Ride, the advRider forum is where you want to go.
Riding with some other yahoos, I got caught up in a snow storm around the Chama, NM area.
It was cold, really cold, and really slick, sticky mud.



 
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Wile_Coyote said:
Yup, if you want to Adventure Ride, the advRider forum is where you want to go.
Riding with some other yahoos, I got caught up in a snow storm around the Chama, NM area.
It was cold, really cold, and really slick, sticky mud.



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I think the ADV motorcycle community has an awesome opportunity through OLB. For example, I have been going on short day trips on some of my local trails with my friends and their 4x4 rigs. Each of us acts as a support vehicle for the others in the group. Some might see it unfair that a motorcycle can’t carry a lot of recovery gear, but they do carry an able body to help others get out of hairy situations. I usually spend my time scouting ahead or following up in the rear.

What do you think or mixed group trips with 4x4 rigs and ADV motorcycles?
 
Wile_Coyote

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Narwhal said:
I think the ADV motorcycle community has an awesome opportunity through OLB. For example, I have been going on short day trips on some of my local trails with my friends and their 4x4 rigs. Each of us acts as a support vehicle for the others in the group. Some might see it unfair that a motorcycle can’t carry a lot of recovery gear, but they do carry an able body to help others get out of hairy situations. I usually spend my time scouting ahead or following up in the rear.

What do you think or mixed group trips with 4x4 rigs and ADV motorcycles?
Click to expand...

Overlanding with mixed groups (4x4 and motorcycle) is certainly possible, but more difficult than you think. For example, the motorcycle is much more agile and faster on any terrain vs the 4x4. My KTM 500 EXC can ride Single track, and Dual-Sport rides, and do both very well. Given that fact, it will eat up any Overland roads very quickly, and handle the rougher terrain more easily, thus allowing the bike to cover more ground than a 4x4. Given that most bikes have between 8 and 12" of travel, they are just more capable off-road. But, as others have noted, the rider must choose wisely what they are taking, and most often, it's the bare essentials. My recovery gear for the Dual-sport riding is a 100' static-line rope and some pulleys, tire patching kits and a few tools. Most of what the rider has on their bike is the tent, food, water and some cooking gear. Whereas, the 4x4 has the drone, large DSLR camera kit, Dometic fridge, RTT, etc. Quit simple, with all that gear, the 4x4 can't travel as fast as the bike, and generally only has about 5 to 8" of travel, limiting the amount of abuse the 4x4 can handle without being shaken to pieces.

So, to answer the question of mixed groups, yes, it's possible. But, the bike rider certainly doesn't want to be the tail-gunner breathing in that dust of hermetically sealed 4x4 rig, so they tend to pull ahead, and most times, they are able to get w-a-y ahead, given their capability.

Yeah, it's possible, but not practical for either group.

I'm currently working on rebuilding a 2004 KTM 950 from the ground up, that I hope to have completed in the near decade.
 
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