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The start of a new trend in motorcycling?

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As the world puts the clock an hour back and days are once again getting shorter, the motorcycle season in many places is slowly coming to an end. All-in-all, we’re looking back at a strange and restricted, but a great summer for bike trips.

As the pandemic started earlier this year, Guido and I have written a number of articles on the increased use of motorcycles and the positive effects of riding bikes during COVID-19. If you haven’t read them here, have a look:

Another positive development for the industry as a whole are the rising sales numbers of motorcycles in the several segments. At the start of COVID-19, the industry found itself at a crossroads, with several socio-economic factors negatively impacting sales. I actually wrote about the plunging sales back then, but the pandemic has almost miraculously led to a spike in riding activity and sales. The real question then, will it last? 

Forbes interviewed motorcycle industry insider and market watcher Robert Pandya and asked him if the high-tide of sales will result in a renaissance for two-wheelers – a must read.

Comparing 9 Adventure Motorcycles – Yamaha Tenere 700 T7 vs KTM 790/890 Adventure R vs Honda Africa Twin CRF1100L vs BMW R1250GS vs BMW R850GS vs KTM 1290 SA R vs KTM 1090 Adv R vs Triumph Tiger 900 Rally Pro

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The journey of choosing my next motorcycle began more than 5 months ago when I wrote about being torn between the Kawasaki Z900 RS Cafe and the BMR R1250 GS.

Since then, my thinking has ‘evolved’. The Kawasaki was dropped from the list pretty soon, while other adventure motorcycles came to my attention. What you are about to read is the result of a 6 month process with dealership visits, test rides, watching countless YouTube videos, talking to other riders and a lot of thinking, weighing options and contemplating.

So, I quickly dropped the Kawa from the list. It’s just not the right motorcycle for the riding that I do. Living in Mexico, pavement quality is mostly bad, and having some gravel and dirt roads during a ride is more rule than exception here. The Z900 RS is just not the best bike for that.

Another thing happened since that article 5 months ago: I went on a motorcycle camping trip with some big and challenging off-road stretches in it… and loved it. Definitely something I want to do more of in the future. So, I started looking at more adventure focussed motorcycles, and over time, each of the bikes below, popped up on my radar and has actually been my first choice at one point or another.

Clearly I needed some structure to this all, and being the nerd that I am, I wanted to make a list and some sort of scoring system to compare these bikes against each other. And so, here it is 🙂.

Disclaimer

One disclaimer before we start the scoring. I’ve ridden only some of these bikes, sat on others, and some I’ve never sat on at all. Quite some input is coming from my own experience but I also got a lot of info from the countless YouTube videos I watched, comparison articles I read and forum topics I browsed. I’ve ridden on: the BMW R 1250 GS, the BMW R 850 GS, the KTM 1290 Super Adventure (the S model, not the R) and the KTM 1090 Adventure R. I’ve sat on: the KTM 790 Adventure (the standard model, not the R) and the Triumph Tiger 900 Rally Pro. I’ve not sat on: the Honda Africa Twin CRF1100L, the Yamaha Tenere 700 and the KTM 890 Adventure R.

The scoring system

Now that we’ve got that settled, let the scoring begin. I’ve scored these bikes against a bunch of categories, which are: weight, range, price, power, electronics, comfort, handling and reliability. Of course, with bikes it’s not all about numbers so I also added some comments where applicable.

Wet Weight

Obviously weight is important in an adventure bike. If you plan to do more off-road then your odd gravel road, you want a bike to be flickable and easy to handle. And when (not if) you drop it, weight will obviously make a huge difference too. Below’s chart is the wet weight with all liquids and a full tank of gas. I used measured weight where I could find it. Otherwise I used the wet weight / curb weight as indicated by the manufacturer.

Unsurprisingly, the 1250 GS loses the weight category big time, followed by the KTM 1290 SA R. The big GS is about 45 kg (almost 100 pounds) heavier than the Tenere 700 who wins this category. To put that in perspective… that’s 3 crates of beer.

Range

Fuel capacity varies a lot between these bikes. From 15 liters for the BMW 850 GS, to 23 liters for the KTM 1290 and 1090. But, fuel consumption also varies, which in its turn, is related to weight again. In the end, we don’t really care how much fuel a bike can carry, nor how fuel efficient it is (leaving environmental aspects and fuel cost aside). In the end, we want to know how far we can go on one tank of gas. In the end, we care about range. To determine this I looked at the fuel capacity of these motorcycles and the average real life fuel consumption I could find (on motorcycle fora and sites such as fuelly).

The KTM’s are clearly the winners here, because of their big gas tanks and efficient engines. The T7 and the 850 GS have a relatively low range because of their small tanks. The 850GS has 15 liters and the T7 just under 16 liters. A bit surprising is the Africa Twin. With almost 19 liters it has a decent tank capacity, but the engine is kind of a fuel hog with an average mileage of about 16.5km per liter / below 40 mpg (US). It must be said that real life mileage numbers do vary hugely depending on riding style. The numbers mentioned here are averages.

All in all, even the bikes with the lowest ranges can still go 300km / 200mi without a fuel stop. You will see the reserve light come on though as all these ranges are including reserve.

Price

For price I used the price in the United States, in US dollars, for the model with all the likely options one would get. E.g. for the 790 R this means I opted for the quick shifter and cruise control, and for the BMW’s I added the premium packages, as that makes the best comparison with the other bikes. Prices are not precise to the dollar. I made some guesstimates here and there. This is only an indication to see the relative price difference between the bikes.

As you can see, most of the bikes are around 15k /16k, with three exceptions. The Tenere 700, with its 10k, is exceptionally low priced compared to the rest. There is a reason for that, but more on that later. It’s also no surprise that the 1250 GS and the 1290 SA are more expensive than the rest. These two bikes are in a different class – the full sized adventure class – while all the others are in the mid sized adventure class, although this too could be argued for the Africa Twin and the 1090 Adventure R.

Power

Because comparing absolute power between these bikes wouldn’t be fare, I’ve opted to compare not only the absolute horsepower, but also the power to weight ratio. In other words, how many horsepower per kilo do these motorcycles provide. For power data I used the horsepower numbers as provided by the manufacturers. Of course some manufacturers report their numbers more favourable than others (I’ve written about that here), but overall they are a good enough indication for our purpose.

If you know a little bit about these bikes you are probably not surprised that the 1290 SA R, with its nearly 160 hp, is the winner in this category, followed by the 1250GS and the 1090 Adv R. The Tenere 700 is the underdog from a power perspective, although its low weight compensates for that somewhat. Perhaps most noteworthy is the comparison between the 790, the Tiger and the 850GS. They all offer 94/95 horsepower, but the power to weight ratio of the BMW is noticeably lower, due to its higher weight.

Electronics

All these bikes, except two which I’ll get to later, come with the rider aids and electronics that one might need. Rider modes, cornering ABS, lean angle sensitive traction control, some have wheelie control, others have hill hold control, yet others have electronic suspension adjustment, etc. Some have intuitive controls (Triumph, BMW, KTM), others take a little getting used to (Honda). Some have beautiful TFTs that provide very good overview (BMW, KTM) while others are less easy to read (Honda, Triumph). Some are fully equipped with all the luxury one would ever need (Triumph, BMW) while others focus more on performance and aiding the rider (KTM, Honda). There are some slight differences in the quality of the rider aids (KTM systems are the best), but all in all these bikes offer many of the same things. If you’d like to know the details please check out the many reviews on YouTube and blogs. Lastly, as the only motorcycle in this group, the Honda Africa Twin has Apple Carplay.

There are two motorcycles I would like to mention here. First, the Yamaha Tenere 700. The main reason why Yamaha was able to keep its price low, is the lack of electronics and rider aids. It only has ABS which can be turned off with a button, and that’s it. It doesn’t have a fancy color TFT, but in stead a very simple but effective old fashioned LCD display. Is that a downside? Maybe, depending on your riding skills and preference, BUT, it’s not as much of a downside as you might think. Because of the Tenere’s smooth engine and low weight it can do without these rider aids. Some even appreciate the purity of it all: no stopping to switch between rider modes, no distraction from an iPad like TFT display, just a throttle, a clutch and go! If anything I would have wished that Yamaha had made it possible to only switch off ABS on the back wheel.

The other motorcycle I would like to point out is the KTM 1090 Adventure R. It’s not as basic as the T7, but it’s less sophisticated (or more pure depending how you look at it) than the other bikes in this comparison. The 1090 has basic traction control and ABS which is not lean-angle-sensitive. There’s no wheelie control either and the 1090 does not have the modern TFT dash, but in stead an LCD dash with an old fashioned analogue rev clock. Again, not necessarily a bad thing, but something to keep in mind.

One more thing I’d like to note here. Yes you can call it ‘pure’ that the T7 and in lesser form the 1090 Adventure R lacking modern electronic rider aids, but please keep in mind that systems like traction control can save your life on the road.

Comfort

Although I’ve not ridden all these bikes I believe, based on the many reviews I’ve seen and read, that I can offer a pretty objective comfort ranking between these bikes. Nevertheless comfort is a very personal thing, so please take this ranking with a grain of salt. To get a good feel for comfort you really need to sit on-, and if possible ride these bikes yourself.

If you have any doubt about the BMW R 1250 GS having the highest comfort rating between these bikes, please go ride one and have a look at the many reviews and comparisons on the internet (I’ve linked to some of them below). There’s no doubt in my mind that the big GS is the most comfortable bike amongst this bunch.

I’ve given a shared second place to the Africa Twin, the Tiger 900 and the 850 GS. You might argue that the KTM 1290 should also be in second place, but on my short test ride on the 1290 SA S I found the wind protection a bit below par and the engine producing a lot of heat against my thighs and through the saddle.

I placed the 1090 a little bit below the 1290 because of its windscreen and fairing. I experienced quite some buffeting when I rode my friend’s 1090 R. The Tenere 700 is a light bike but most reviewers were surprised by its stable and planted feel on the road and its decent wind protection. Some complained about the saddle being too hard or narrow, while others were absolutely fine with it.

Lastly I placed the 790 and 890 at the bottom of this list. These are simply not the best machines for highway mile munching and relaxed twisty road cruising. These bikes want to be ridden hard. The engines are not made for slowly cruising along. Furthermore all reviewers complained about bad buffeting and some about wobbling at speeds above 150 km/hr (95 mph).

Handling

Like comfort, handling is very personal. Wether you find a motorcycle handles well or not depends on the kind of riding you do, the skill level you have and how hard your ride. There are a few things that stand out from all the reviews I’ve seen and read:

  • The 790 always comes out best for off-road handling
  • The Tenere 700 mostly comes in second for off-road handling.
  • The BMW 1250 GS is best on road and, as long as you keep it upright, is also very good off-road, mainly because of its low center of gravity and tractor of an engine. If you drop it though, it’s hard to pick it up without help.
  • The Tiger 900 is very good and sporty on road, and very decent off-road too. As the only 3 cylinder in this group it handles surprisingly well off-road.
  • The Africa Twin handles very well off-road and on-road, although it’s a bit top heavy at slow manoeuvring and can become a bit wallowy when you push it hard in the twisties.
  • The 850 GS is a very plush ride on the road. The front suspension eats up any bump, making you feel like you’re on a magic carpet. This softness does make it dive noticeably when breaking and it’s not the top performer off road.
  • The 1090 and 1290 handle very well on road and off-road. For some they can be a bit tall and on the heavy side in case of a drop.

Reliability

Reliability is a tough one as emotions can run high when it comes to someone’s ‘beloved’ brand. On top of that experiences can vary a lot. Some people are problem free with their bike while others with the same bike have it in the shop half of the time. Then it also depends on the dealership service and wether something is covert by warranty. KTM is notorious for not covering things in warranty, but then again, there are similar stories out there for the other brands.

Nevertheless I’ve tried to keep this as objective as possible. Here’s my reliability rating. This is mostly based on what I’ve read and seen on fora like advrider and on trustable YouTube channels I follow.

Of course the Japanese Yamaha and Honda are the winners of this category. It is well known and documented that Japanese brands are among the most reliable. In second place I put the BMWs and the Triumph. BMWs are not really known for their reliability, but based on my research and own experience I believe that you can be relatively problem free with a BMW and Triumph for at least the first 3 to 5 years, given that you keep up with regular maintenance and don’t neglect the bike.

KTM is a different story. KTM is known for bringing bikes to market fast. Their time from first idea to ‘in the showroom’ is short, not investing a lot in testing, often leaving teething problems in their first generation motorcycles. This is why I gave the 790 a lower ranking than the other KTM’s. The 1090 and 1290 are entering their 4th and 6th production year. A decent amount of time for KTM to get rid of the teething problems their customers found in the first years. For the 890 it’s hard to tell, but for now, I’ve considered it to be the next iteration of the 790 and hope that KTM has incorporated the ‘lessons learned’ from the 790, in their 890 production.

Miscellaneous things

Tubeless vs tubed

All these bikes have tubeless tires EXCEPT the Tenere 700 and the Africa Twin standard (the Africa Twin Adventure Sport does have tubeless). For some, tubed tires can be a dealbreaker, for others not. For me, tubeless is important, but not a dealbreaker though. If you’d like to know more about tubed vs tubeless and it’s advantages / disadvantages, have a look here.

Adding protection

The prices mentioned above are without any added protection. I wanted to mention this here because there is a bit of difference between the brands in how much more you need to spend on crash bars, skid plates and hand guards in order to protect your bike against drops.

Crash protection: The Tiger Rally Pro and the KTM models already come with crash bars or, in case of the 790 and 890, protective tank covers. This means you’d save money and weight as none of the other bikes have crash bars from the factory as standard. Some people don’t put crash bars on the T7, as apparently the handlebars take the hit in most cases and it’s relatively cheap to replace plastics if necessary. Especially for the 1250 GS you want to protect those engine covers. As they stick out that much it’s easy for them to get punctured in a drop, leaving the oil to drip out from your engine, ending your trip.

Skid plates: That’s an easy one. None of the factory skid plates are meant for hard off-roading. They’d have to be replaced if you’re doing hard off-roading.

Hand guards: All factory hand guards are made out of plastic and are more for weather protection than crash protection. KTM’s factory ones are apparently pretty decent, but for hard off-roading you’d want some bark busters or a similar brand with metal brackets. Especially on the T7 you’d want to upgrade your hand guards because the handlebars apparently take the biggest hit on drops as mentioned above.

Suspension

Not much negative remarks can be found on the KTM suspensions nor the BMW 1250GS suspension. The Tiger suspension is also very good, although not as good as the KTM’s. The Africa Twin suspension seems to be a bit wallowy when pushed hard in the twisties, but is excellent offroad. The BMW 850 front suspension is not adjustable, not even if you go for the adventure model (really BMW???). It feels plush and comfortable on the road, but dives when breaking and can be too soft on technical off road stuff. The suspension of the Tenere 700 is often a discussion point too.

Having said all this about suspension, please keep in mind that, for most of us amateur riders, the suspension on these machines are just fine. Most reviewers are semi-professional riders with lots of experience in the dirt, so they push these bikes hard. A lot harder than the average Joe (like me) will ever push them. If you’re not doing hard core high speed single track stuff and if you’re not jumping tree logs and rocks, I believe all of these bikes will have an adequate suspension for you. You might have to change the rear shock spring on the Tenere 700 for a spring that suits your weight better (the factory spring is for 75kg / 165 lb), but that’s a cheap (< 100 USD) mod.

Dealerships

Another thing to consider when making your choice is dealership support. I live in Queretaro in Mexico. Not all brands have dealerships in this city. For the ones that don’t I’d have to travel 3 hours (one way) for each service and reparation.

Valuable YouTube Videos

To make this comparison, I relied heavily on YouTube videos. Here are the most important ones which I believe can help you make a decision if you’re in the same boat as me.

Final Thoughts and personal choice

  • Yamaha Tenere 700 – This is the best bike for me and the amount and kind of riding I do. Good local dealer, cheap, simple, pure, light weight and still comfortable enough for some highway miles. But it’s not for sale in Mexico yet and not certain it will be sold here at all. If not, I’ll move to one of my runner up choices. Not sure which one yet.
  • KTM 890 Adventure R (or latest model year of 790 R) – My shared runner up choice. Good local dealer. Light weight. Best off road and fun in the twisties. Comfort and reliability is an issue though.
  • BMW R 1250 GS – My other shared runner up choice. Heavy and expensive compared to the two above and a bad dealer in my city. Would use other dealer further away. Great all-round bike though and most comfortable.
  • Triumph Tiger 900 Rally Pro – Very good all-round bike with lots of creature comforts. Too beautiful to drop though and no dealer in my city. Apparently delivery of parts from overseas can take a long time.
  • Honda Africa Twin CRF1100L – Only three Honda Powerhouse dealers in the whole of Mexico (not in my city). It’s relatively heavy, but reliability is the best and off road handling is very good.
  • BMW F 850 GS – Might just as well go for the 1250 in that case
  • KTM 790 Adventure R – Teething problems. Would wait for 890 to be for sale in Mexico or at least get latest model year of the 790.
  • KTM 1090 Adventure R – Might just as well go for the 1290 in that case
  • KTM 1290 Super Adventure R – If I’m going for a big bike, then I might as well spend more and get the best bike of its class. The 1250 GS.

So there you have it. My thought process in choosing my next adventure motorcycle. If you are in the same situation as me I hope this will be useful to you. If you have any questions, comments or feedback, please feel free to drop a comment below.

Ride safe and good luck with your choice,
Guido

UPDATE 7 dec 2020 – I finally made a choice… and it’s not one of the top 3 bikes. Read about it here.

The Hedonic Triumph Thruxton 1200R

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A while ago I wrote about the Triumph Scrambler 1200 Bond Limited Edition. This time I come with something even sexier: The Hedonic Triumph Thruxton 1200R. When reading about this interesting looking bike it becomes clear it is controversial, to say the least. Some say it is a brute, other claim it is an ‘elegant motor with bags of refinement rather than pure brute force’.

Hedonic’s Triumph Thruxton 1200R

Frenchman Serge Heitz’s Hedonic dedicated 150 hours of his life customizing it, he changed the faring, the front fender and many more things as you can see here. Truly a work of art. I would recommend you to have a look at this awesome custom builder. Serge can make anything made from steel look sexy. Check out his workshop here.

Hedonic’s Triumph Thruxton 1200R

Harley Davidson Enters Electronic Bicycle Market

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While not everybody will be cheering when they read this, it is a memorable moment. Harley Davidson announces it will launch an e-bike in 2021. It is called the Serial 1 and no price information is released yet. The news is no surprise as Harley Davidson already entered the market for children’s electric bikes through their newly acquired Californian company StaCyc.

The new Serial 1 (credit The Verge)

This good looking new e-bike takes its name from “Serial Number One,” the nickname for Harley’s oldest motorcycle which was produced at the beginning of the last century. A lot has happened since then. E.g. in June I wrote about its stunning Breakout model as you can read here.

The old Serial number one (credit Pinterest)

Since the beginning of this century the global e-bike market has grown a lot and was worth more than $US15 billion in 2019. It is projected to grow at an annual rate of more than 6% from 2020 to 2025. No wonder Harley Davidson wants a piece of the cake and my prediction is they will do so successfully.

Read more here and here

Epic Sierra Gorda, Mexico – an unforgettable motorcycle offroad camping adventure

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The frequency of our joint motorcycle trips has slowed down a bit during the last couple of months as a result of the covid pandemic and rainy season here in Mexico. This didn’t stop Guido, Coen and me from making a major offroad/camping trip in Mexico’s Sierra Gorda mountains last month.

Jasper couldn’t make it unfortunately, but Coen, a 43-year old adventure guide and camping crack, who has ridden South America from North to South on a Honda Transalp, did join us on this epic trail.

TLDR? Here’s a video compilation of the trip!

Planning

Planning the trip, Guido and I were looking to stay off the highways as much as possible. Since we were going through some uncharted territory, we had to use Scenic, Google Maps and Wikiloc to find a route that would take us about 3 days, hoping that we would complete at least 80% of it.

Day 1

Coen and I departed early on Friday morning from Malinalco (a picturesque colonial Mexican town where I currently reside) to catch up with Guido in San Juan del Rio, very close to the impressive Sierra Gorda mountain range. After a couple of greasy, but tasty tacos we took off to Presa Zimapan, a major lake at the foot of the mountains in the state of Hidalgo, from which we continued to the local mining capital of Zimapan.

After we fueled up on gasoline, wine and water (not sure how the wine bottles survived) we drove towards the mining complex, passing a number of sleepy, dusty villages on the way. As the mine (el Carrizal) is still operating, one should take extreme precaution while descending towards the river as big trucks with ore and debris are making their way up through the tight and gravelly hairpin corners, sometimes leaving just a foot of space for one to pass.

Once descended, the REAL adventure started – a 31km (20mi) offroad trail through a beautiful canyon with numerous river crossings, an ideal mix of dirt, gravel and larger rocks and virtually no one around.

The trail was exhaustive and took us more time than we thought. Guido’s old Yamaha, with low ground clearance and road tires was struggling to make its way through. As a result, Guido came off the bike on two occasions. Coen and I were riding a BMW G650gs and a KTM 1090 Adventure R, bikes that were better outfitted for the circumstances, but also nearly dropped it during a river crossing. 

Less than 500m before the end of the trail, my luck ran out when I hit a large rock with the rear wheel, causing a big rip in the tire. After inspecting the tire, we concluded there was little we could do to fix it. We then decided to ride 3 km to the nearest village (5 houses really) to ask for help. Lucky for us, there were a couple a guys with a pickup truck who offered to bring us 30 km (19mi) to a bigger town with a workshop.  

We decided to find a camping spot and set up camp in a camping shelter just a few kilometers from the town of San Joaquin. The bottles of wine and Guido’s Jack Daniels survived the trail and helped us stay warm in the foggy and rainy forest.

Day 2

The next day, we picked up the KTM from the shop, and drove via Pinal de Amoles to Jalpan de Serra, where we stopped for lunch. In Jalpan, we planned the second part of our trip, and while we were planning to go further north, we decided that we wanted to make camp somewhere close to a river, and basically just dropped a pin somewhere on the map close to a river.

After a combination of highway and some nice muddy offroad, we ended up in Neblinas, a small village some 2 hours east of Jalpan. There we had a well deserved beer and stocked up on some caguamas (1.2L beer bottles), and tried to make our way to the river, which according to some locals was not that far away. We parked the bikes with a very friendly local family, which helped us to find the trail that led to the river. “Not that far away” in this case was just about an hour’s hike with full equipment on a very slippery trail.

The hike was well worth it though. We reached the river, set up camp and managed to make a campfire with wet timber on which we cooked some tasty noodles and salted meat in the pouring rain.

Day 3

In the morning, after breaking up camp in the rain, we hiked all the way up to the house of the kind family where we left our bikes, where we were welcomed with a hot cup of coffee! Departing from Neblinas, we drove back via Jalpan de Serra to San Juan del Rio where we concluded our trip.

Despite the rain, dirt and flat tire, we’re itching to go on a similar trip soon!

Ewan and Charley vs YouTube Motorcycle Overlanders – What’s REAL motorcycle adventure travel?

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Most motorcycle riders are familiar with the “Long Way” series with Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman. If you’re not, the three seasons where the duo travels round, down and up the world on motorcycles are an inspiration for many motorcyclists. The series is very well filmed, fun to watch, and, even if you’re not into motorcycling, definitely binge worthy in my book!

The one critique that the ‘Long Way’ series always gets is that these are not real adventures, because all their gear (including the bikes) is being sponsored, they have a team helping them prepare, and on the road they have 2 support cars with a doctor, security specialist and small film crew.

Less of an adventure?

While all this is true, does it make it less of an adventure? In my opinion it does NOT! Is it different from what most of us do? In some ways sure, but in the most essential ways not! Did Ewan and Charley not ride all these miles, did they not do these deep and sometimes scary river crossings, did they not suffer on some of the worst sand, mud and clay roads? Did they not pick up their own bikes after coming off? Did they not do their own road side fixes when the bike broke down? Did they not meet wonderful people along the way? Did they not go (wild) camping? Were they not invited to share food and a roof with locals? Will they not remember this for the rest of their lives? Did they not fulfil their dreams?… Of course they did all of these things, just like anyone else traveling the world on a motorcycle.

source: longwayup.com

In fact there are only two differences between Ewan and Charley and most other motorcycle travellers. (1) They filmed it professionally and shared their adventures with the world (2) They had the financial means to outsource preparation and mitigate risk, like arranging visas and carnets, having support vehicles with spare parts, a doctor and security specialist. I guess…the real question is… would it have been more of an adventure without these things? Hmmmm… let’s see…

Season 1 – Long Way Round

Looking back at Long Way Round (2004) I can think of only one situation where the ‘luxury’ of having a support team made it less adventures, and that’s the river crossings on the road of bones to reach Magadan, where the support team had arranged a big offroad truck to carry the motorcycles (and support vehicle) over the water. Would it have been more adventures without that truck? Probably, but it would have definitely been more dangerous. And that’s exactly what the support team was for. To mitigate risk.

Season 2 – Long Way Down

For Long Way Down (2007) I honestly can not think of any situation where having the support team made the trip less adventurous. In fact, there were two situations where the support team made the trip more adventurous. The first when one of the vehicles tipped over and the second where the support vehicles had difficulty crossing a big pool of mud in Kenya. That’s not to say that more ‘drama’ equals more adventure, but often these are the moments we remember best. In this situation, where everyone was helping to get the cars across, the viewer can see the team dynamics changing. From that moment on there’s no longer two motorcycles. In stead there’s just one team consisting of a bunch of guys with 3 motorcycles and 2 cars, going on the same adventure.

Season 3 – Long Way Up

At the moment of writing, only the first 3 episodes of Long Way Up (2019) are out. Season 3 is a bit different because of the electric component. Ewan and Charley are riding Harley Davidson Livewires and the support team is driving two Rivian trucks. Already two times a mobile diesel generator had to be called upon because the bikes ran out of power with no way to charge. Is this a luxury other motorcycle adventurers wouldn’t have? Yes! But then again, I don’t think any other motorcycle adventurer would even think about riding an electric bike through big stretches of ‘nothing’ in Patagonia. Choosing to go electric ads a whole other challenge to motorcycle adventure.

Long Way vs YouTube

16 years ago in 2004, Ewan and Charley were a bit of pioneers in filming their adventure. With the movie-like production of their first and second journey, they brought adventure motorcycling to the masses.

They were not the first motorcycle travellers though. There are many who did it before, but in pré YouTube times, how big was the audience that could be reached? There were only books, magazines, newspaper and only in the late 90s the odd blog started popping up. Here’s an interview between Sam Manicom (himself quite famous in the motorcycle adventure world) and Ted Simon (the godfather of motorcycle overlanding as they call him), who rode the world solo starting almost 50 years ago, in 1973.

A lot has changed since then. Now we have YouTube, GoPro, Affordable video editing, Drones and more. Recording a motorcycle journey doesn’t require a crew, boxes of tape and helicopters anymore. You can carry all equipment on your bike, and shoot & edit the footage yourself if you’ve got the time, some talent and a bit of money.

YouTube motorcycle overlanders

Searching YouTube for ‘motorcycle travel vlog’ will render you thousands of hits. From there it’s a bit of trial and error to find the ‘Long Way’ – like channels. Here’s a selection of some of the motorcycle overlanding channels I enjoy following:

Lyndon Poskitt – Races to Places

Itchy Boots – One woman, riding solo around the world

Forty Times Around – Vlog, tips and tricks from Tim

On Her Bike – Kinga, solo from Australia to everywhere

Pedro Mota – Follow Pedro to the end of the world

The men and women above are true adventurers. They travel the world on a motorcycle, alone, without a support team and without a team helping with preparations. Are they more adventurers than Ewan and Charley? They definitely have balls, that’s for sure. The risks on these trips are big. From accidents, to breaking down in the middle of nowhere, hostile environments in some countries, etc. Furthermore these guys and gals do all the video work themselves which is hard work. Take for example, a shot where the motorcycle is passing through a corner… Ewan and Charley just keep riding while Claudio (their cameraman on a motorcycle) rides ahead to take that shot and then catches up later with them. The YouTube guys need to ride ahead, put the camera in position, ride back, turn around again to ride the corner for the actual shot, then ride back to pick up the camera again.

Did Ewan and Charley have less of an adventure than these men and woman? Again, I’d have to say no! I guess it all depends on how you define adventure. Is adventure related to the amount of danger you expose yourself to? Is adventure related to the amount of preparation you (don’t) do? Is adventure related to how much video work you do? Or is adventure experiencing the road, the scenery, the people, the culture and overcoming obstacles while riding motorcycle? For me, it’s the latter.

Are ‘Long Way’ like TV series still of this time?

I had to think long and hard about this one to be honest. No doubt YouTube is taking a big piece of the pie (the pie being our attention) nowadays. It’s my go to source for gear reviews, motorcycle reviews and more and more for entertainment too. Still I’m currently in anticipation of the next episode of Long Way Up. More than the next video of any of the channels mentioned above. Why? Maybe it’s nostalgia (Ewan and Charley are around my age), but it’s also the production quality of the whole series. Sure, as a solo YouTuber you can make really great videos, but there are shots and situations that can only be filmed with a crew that’s 100% dedicated on making a great TV show. And as a solo YouTuber you only have so much time to edit your videos while on the road.

So, Ewan and Charley… how does Long Way Diagonal sound?

Top 5 YouTube Channels to improve your motorcycle riding skills

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Over the years I’ve watched many videos on riding skills. Some good, some bad and some just downright awfull. To save you the effort of going through this all, I’ve listed my personal top 5 YouTube channels that help me brush up and improve my motorcycle riding skills.

This list is in no particular order.

MotoJitsu

MotoJitsu is hosted by Fast Eddie, a former marine and drill instructor. “Shut up and practice” is his motto. He developed a program that takes riders from beginner level (white belt) to expert level (black belt / coral belt), similar to Jiu Jitsu, hence the name. In his video he demonstrates the skills you need to master for each ‘belt’. His channel also has lots of specialised videos on specific riding topics. It’s all about street riding.

CanyonChasers

CanyonChasers has a long history and came about by a group of people in Southern California wanting to improve their riding skills. Some of them became instructors. In the videos it’s mostly Dave sharing his experience and knowledge about riding techniques, moto philosophy and learning how to ride well. Like MotoJitsu, CanyonChasers is focussed on street riding.

MCRider

MCRider is hosted by Kevin Morris, a Motorcycle Safety Foundation and Total Control certified instructor. Kevin has a very calm presence in his videos and a vast amount of experience in the field. His videos are mostly shot from his garage, with some images and videos to illustrate the skill or technique he’s trying to explain, where applicable. Like the other two above, MCRider is also focussed on street riding.

MotoTrek / Bret Tkacs

These are actually two channels. Bret Tkacs was the main presenter in the MotoTrek videos, but recently started his own channel. MotoTrek is still active, now with Rusty Wessels as main presenter. Also an excellent instructor. Both channels focus on offroad riding techniques. For someone like me, who recently started dipping his toe into offroad riding, these channels are an enormous help and source of information for learning (besides doing actual courses of course).

RIDE Adventures

The RIDE Adventures channel is hosted by Eric Lange, who has been an instructor and motorcycle tour guide for over 10 years. Like MotoTrek this channel is also focussed on Offroad riding skills.

So there you have it. My top 5 YouTube channels for brushing up and improving my riding skills. If you know of any other great channels that should go on this list, please leave a comment below.

1972 Munch Mammoth or 1978 Honda CBX 1050?

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Credit: Motociclismo

I know we mostly write about modern adventure bikes and that is for a reason. But there are definitely some beauties out there. Renowned custom bike builder Nick Christian is a big fan of the Munch Mammoth and swears by it but I prefer the sound of the Honda CBX 1050. Even though Nick says Honda didn’t have their sh*t together at the time, that sound is just, well, better than a F1 car! It comes to stage with an unparalleled symphony that makes necks turn around. Unfortunately it only produces a meager 105HP, which is not much nowadays.

credit: yesterdays

What do you prefer? Decide after watching (and listening) and let me know in the comments!

Video 1: 1972 Munch Mammoth

Video 2: 1978 Honda CBX 1050

Long-Haul Motorcycle Touring – Tips for Staying Awake

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I love drinking loads of coffee and riding fast, this helps me to stay awake. Ryan F9 comes up with a number of other strategies to prevent dozing off and I wonder what you do to survive long haul trips on your motorcycle.


What do you do to stay awake on long trips?

Ryan discusses the Naturalistic Driving Study which over the course of a number of years researched what causes accidents in traffic. Fatigue is a serious problem on long distances and believe it or not, waking up and leaving early is the solution to this problem. Learn all about it here.

Ryan continues with some long haul comfort mods for your bike such as a 150 dollar clip on visor against buffering and flies in your face and cramp buster throttle assist for people with arthritis. Check it out here.

What do you do to stay awake on long trips? Let us know in the comments!

Yamaha Considers Developing A Tenere 300

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The Yamaha Tenere 700 has only just been launched (here in Mexico we still have to wait a few months), and given the success of this type of bike, Yamaha is now said to be looking into developing a smaller version.

Yamaha is one of last of the big brands to join the party.  KTM’s 390 Adventure and BMW’s 310GS are selling fast in a market that is increasingly demanding nimble, easy-to-drive all-terrain motorcycles for a decent price. 

A Tenere 300 would do especially well in some of the fastest-growing markets for motorcycles such as South-East Asia and Latin America.

So, how likely is the development of a Tenere 300, and how long would it take for Yamaha to bring the bike on the market? Quite likely we think.

In an interview with Motociclismo, Production Communications manager for Yamaha Italy, Fabricio Corsi said that Yamaha could develop a Tenere 300 if there would be enough demand for it. The powerful R3 engine with a 321cc displacement is ready to compete with KTM, BMW and the other Japanese brands, and if Yamaha manages to keep the price close or under U.S. $5000, it may well become a sales hit in emerging markets.

Despite the already developed engine, the Yamaha Tenere 300, if announced, isn’t likely to be in the showrooms before 2023.