That our travelling was going to be by motorcycle was clear from the start. We don't like being boxed in and looking through a sheet of glass at the world. On a motorcycle you don't just look at the world, you're in it. You experience everything so much more. The landscape you're riding through is around you, 360 degrees. Of course you also experience rain and cold much more than in a car, and appreciate the sunshine so much more after it.
In our planning section you can read not only about the planning of the trip but even more about which motorcycles to take on our trip. We have perhaps an unusual set of motorcycles for this but we have good reasons for taking them, whether you agree with them or not is up to you. The Chain section is all about chains, sprockets and their lubrication. We're lucky to have the support from JT Sprockets and so are you, as JT Sprockets allows us to write it as it is.
How the Triumph Bonneville, a motorcycle which seemed designed to go to the pub on a Sunday fared when we took them over the Dalton Highway in Alaska and battered the suspension to death (literally).
The Yamaha XT660R has a bit of a stigma to it as it is a learner bike in Australia. How it coped with a learner behind the bars can be found in the XT660R section. As you can read it did fairly well, despite unwilling Yamaha dealers and importers in New Zealand, Canada and the USA.
We looked at motorcycle GPS units too. Hasn't everyone? We rejected the dedicated motorcycle GPS units as too expensive, while car units aren't water or even damp proof. The other problem was expensive maps, especially when going through a lot of countries like we do. We did find a solution though, for both! Click at the GPS tab above to find out.
There is a lively debate on hard versus soft luggage. We have an opinion too and we've also found the best possible panniers from the most unlikely place; Poland! See the Nomada tab above.
Tyres are the only thing between your bike, and mine, and the road. There are lots of cheap and nasty ones about. Some expensive and nasty ones too. We found Avon Tyres decades ago and they still make the best tyres available today. Their prices are good too so why not try them? Read what we found under the Avon tab.
Most of the time it's great to be left alone. Unlike in a car, fellow travellers can't talk to you while on your bike. Isn't it great? Yet there are also times when being able to communicate is not just handy but a downright lifesaver. We have experienced it first hand while going through Mexico and Central America. Click on the UClear tab to read our opinion on UClear helmet comms.
Tribute is a tribute to a special friend. A friend that made it possible to see the beautiful places on this earth that I have been able to see. He got me out of trouble a couple of times too and doesn't complain about anything.
JT Sprockets came to the rescue when Yamaha Canada and Yamaha USA let us down miserably. The XT660R was never sold in the US, can you believe it? One of the most iconic Yamaha motorcycles that can race it's lineage back to the 70s and is one of the more popular models in Europe and Australia was never sold in the US or Canada. So when we needed a sprocket set, we couldn't find one as the XT660 has a unique sprocket. Yamaha USA and Canada couldn't even be bothered to reply, JT Sprockets did! Not only that, they even offered us support and sponsorship! Great people, read all about our experiences with their product under the JT Sprockets tab.
