Motorcycle touring: best bike, luggage & accessories
First, let’s define motorcycle touring. For me it’s taking a bike on a multi-day trip whether that’s a weekend, a week or even longer. I’m not talking about round the world (RTW) trips or off-road / dual-sport biking.
I’m by no means a motorcycle expert. I got a 125 towards the end of 2014 and my full licence the following spring. At time of writing I’ve only done 10 or so multi-day trips ranging from long weekends in hotels or pods to a 10 day camping trip.
When I started biking, I didn’t know any active bikers so everything I know, I’ve learned the hard way. If I can pass on any pearls of wisdom to help budding motorcyclists or anyone that’s looking to get into riding longer distances, then that’s great.
What’s the best motorcycle for touring?
It really depends on your preferred style of bike and what you want to do with it. Personally, I like the look, feel and luggage capacity of adventure bikes. They work for me as I do a lot of camping so they have plenty of space for kit and equipment. For bigger miles, a bike with fairings and a screen is recommended.
It’s always tempting to buy a brand new bike from a dealer but usually, unless there’s a deal going, a bike is all you get. Luggage, especially hard panniers, cost a small fortune. Add that to all the other little trinkets & accessories that make touring more comfortable then it’s another big whack on top of the bike price.
For a while, I had a used 2013 “roadie” Triumph Tiger 800 with Givi Trekker Outback luggage and loads of touring accessories. You get a lot of bike for your money, especially as used adventure bikes usually come with plenty of kit already fitted. The Tiger rode well and was comfortable enough that I could do any length of trip. Little things like hand guards, heated grips, a tall touring screen and an upright riding position made all the difference when riding 6+ hours whatever the weather conditions.
Personally, I don’t spend big money on bikes and, apart from my first bike, always buy second hand. At time of writing, used Honda Africa Twins are around £7,000 including luggage and extras. A Honda Transalp (the newer XL700) with all the kit can be bought for around £3,000. Not the biggest on power but it’s a solid, reliable bike and would be my personal choice as I only tour occasionally and prefer older bikes, especially Honda. If horsepower is a factor then I’d recommend a Tiger 800 - you can get these used and fully kitted for around £4,500 these days.
If you prefer a sportier ride then a sports tourer is worth looking into. A friend of mine swears by the Honda VFR800 for a solid bike with great handling. Bear in mind that you’ll be a bit limited by the kit you can carry without a tail bag or strapping dry bags to it.
The reality is, any bike can be taken on a big trip. It’s just that some are better suited and more comfortable for riding bigger miles.
Motorcycle touring on a 125
My first bike was a brand new Honda CBF125 and the most I ever rode was a few hours at a time; short trips in the evenings and weekends. 125’s aren’t designed for touring. The closest you’ll find is a Honda Varadero but these seem to be rare as hens teeth and pricey. That said, there’s no reason why you can’t take a 125 on a big trip. Perhaps the most famous small cc adventure is Nathan Millward riding a 105cc “Postie bike” (Honda CT110) from Australia back home to the U.K. - the long ride home. I recently met a biker at a campsite on the Isle of Skye on a 125cc Yamaha cruiser. He rode back to Edinburgh, with a huge bag of camping gear in one day - that’s a fair ride even on a big bike.
Lesley has done a bunch of trips on her Honda CG125. We always have fun, even if there are limitations on the 125cc; specifically low top speed, especially up hill and not being allowed on motorways. The upside is huge MPG!
What luggage do I need for touring?
The main thing you need is a way to carry your kit. There’s a diverse range out there from hard panniers to soft panniers to a basic roll top dry bag. It would take it’s own post to discuss all the various options so I’m going to focus on adventure style luggage.
I started with a 30L Autokicker tail bag and it did the job for my first few weekend trips and even my 5 day trip in Florida - but it wasn’t ideal. It leaked after a proper soaking, you packed it like a pillow case, it was a pain to keep strapping it on and off the bike. and I constantly worried that my kit was going to come loose.
I’ve ridden with guys that have burned holes in brand new tents because it slipped back in front of the exhausts. I’ve also been behind a friend who’s soft panniers were unzipped, flapping in the wind while kit was flying out. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve seen lopsided kit wrapped in black bags flapping down the motorway. An accident waiting to happen.
From my experiences I prefer top loading, lockable hard panniers for these reasons:
Security: I can stop for lunch, coffee or to go explore and just walk away the same way I do with a car and not worry about having to keep the bike in sight or unload luggage and take it with me.
Safety & sanity: I never have to worry about kit coming loose or straps flapping in the wind or getting caught in anything. They’re also great for weight distribution as the weight is low down and balanced over both sides of the bike, unlike a top box.
Weatherproof: no matter what the elements throw at me, I know my kit will be bone dry at the other end.
Simplicity: with hard panniers, you just click to lock and go. Avoid the side loading ones. Unless you have separate (usually custom moulded) inner bags, trying to stuff kit into them is a nightmare.
Versatility: the adventure variety of hard panniers (basically a box) can be used as seats and a top box can be used as a table when camping.
For me, these benefits outweigh the downsides which are the extra weight, making your bike a lot wider and having to store the empty luggage when not in use.
I really rate Givi products and my Tiger 800 had Givi Trekker Outback panniers which were brilliant but they are expensive. These need a PL/CAM rack which is only made for a handful of motorbikes, mainly adventure bikes. Givi also has hard luggage for their PL/PLR racks that fit a wider range of bikes; the Trekker Dolomiti (DLM36) and the new Trekker Alaska (ALA36). They have lighter & cheaper plastic E22N panniers, great for a smaller bike (2kg vs. 4.5kg each) but are not designed for sitting on.
For 2-up adventures, a top box is recommended for extra luggage capacity and it’s more comfortable for the pillion passenger to lie back on.
To get started without spending a fortune, have a look at soft panniers / saddle bags or a dry roll bag like these offered by Lomo. Watch out for canvas soft bags with rain covers as they’ll eventually let water in. I’d advise getting proper watertight roll-top dry bags even though they aren’t particularly stylish. However, if you’re doing big miles and ride frequently then I’d invest in hard luggage like the E22Ns. Kappa is a slightly cheaper brand of Givi and is exactly the same gear.
What other kit / accessories do I need for touring?
You don’t “need“ anything listed here. If you have a bike and can strap some kit to it, you’re good to go. That said, certain accessories and modifications do make longer trips more comfortable. There are countless accessories and mods you could do but here are a few to think about:
Motorbike sat-nav / GPS
I use sat-nav because I like to squeeze a lot into a day and getting lost or taking a wrong turn tends to make it a long day and adds extra stress that can be avoided. I understand the sentiment of just getting out there, following the road and taking things as they come but if you’re riding in an unfamiliar area and have pre-booked accommodation, I believe it’s best to have a rough route planned and factor in plenty of time to explore.
Garmin seem to be popular in the motorcycle world but I’ve always used TomTom in the car so I started with a TomTom Rider 42 (no longer sold). I found their MyDrive website and smartphone app made it easy to plan routes and sync them with the device. It has it’s flaws though. Finding places wasn’t as simple as a Google search, you need an address, and the syncing didn’t always work.
I ended up selling my TomTom and using my iPhone with a Quad Lock RAM mount. Coupled with a waterproof phone case, a Quad Lock universal adaptor and an UNBREAKcable it’s a far cheaper, compact, and more versatile solution. I just plan my routes on Google maps and store the links on my phone. You can make maps available offline on the Google Maps app so you don’t have to worry about having signal or data. The only annoying thing about Google Maps is that if you have to use multiple waypoints (you usually do to ride the good stuff) then it forces you to tap the screen at each waypoint to continue. Very annoying as you have to stop, take off a glove, click continue and carry on. I can’t understand why Google don’t have a setting to bypass that “feature“ but, for now, I just suck it up.
Ideally, you want your device mounted above your instruments so you just need to glance down a fraction to see it. From experience, having a sat-nav mounted low on the bars or tank bag is useless and even dangerous. Having it in your pocket and stopping to check it, like I did in Florida, is also useless. Some people Bluetooth to their intercom and listen to the directions. I’ve never tried it and it’s not an option for me. We got rid of our intercoms and I always have the sat-nav sound muted - there’s nothing more annoying!
I’d advise to always take a paper map and verify your “digital route” to get a feel for the general directions. GPS can fail and it’s best to have a backup. Besides, you look a lot cooler in the pub the night before planning on a paper map with a pint!
Inner dry bags / liners
I use Givi inner dry bags (T506) inside my panniers (picture above) so when I get to where I’m going, I just open up the lid, pull them out and walk to my accommodation with the messenger style dry bags over my shoulder. The heavy, muddy and usually wet panniers stay on the bike and in the morning, you just pop your dry bag back in, lock the lid and get on your way – easy!
Side stand extension / wide foot
For all they cost, I’d always get a side stand extension. Side stands are great for going from driveway to cafe car park but if you need to stop on loose gravel or wet grass then the narrow stand can dig in and topple your bike. It’s happened to me, so I bought one for my Tiger 800 and it was great - always rock solid on any surface.
Tank bag / Givi Tanklock
I always like to have a tank bag so I have quick access to certain items: keys, wallet, camera, water, snack, sunglasses, glove liners, buff, etc. Where possible, I like to use Givi’s Tanklock system instead of straps or magnets as it’s super simple to fit and remove the tank bag and gives a solid fitment. It doesn’t have to be huge, I’d say maximum 15 litres like the ST603B or XS307. I had a 4 litre ST602B on my Tiger 800 and it was great, but I was tight on space on bigger trips. I’d have liked to get at least an extra layer and spare gloves in there too.
Hand guards & heated grips
Hand guards tend to be a common addition to adventure and touring bikes and they really do deflect the wind & rain. Heated grips can come factory fitted but are usually an OEM or an aftermarket accessory. When riding long hours in cold conditions they do help keep your hands warm.
Tall touring screen
If you don’t have a bike with a screen then it’s worth looking into a bolt-on aftermarket one to help deflect the elements on bigger trips. Touring and adventure bikes will come with a screen but you can usually get an upgraded tall or adjustable screen, like the Givi Airflow. They do a better job at keeping the wind off you and provide clearer visibility in the rain.
Scottoiler
On longer trips, especially if you get a soaking, your chain will get dry. If you don’t want to carry oil, a rag and a brush then a Scottoiler is worth fitting. They’re simple enough to fit yourself but you can get a garage to fit them for you. You fill up an oil reservoir that’s hidden under the seat or strapped to the frame. It then continuously drips oil onto your rear cog & chain via a tube and nozzle. The oil is quite thin and is designed so that the crud flicks off when the bike is moving so the chain and cogs self clean and oil at the same time. With that in mind, it does create a fair mess on parts of the bike close to the chain & cogs. On longer trips you’ll need to take a small refill bottle but it’s a quick & clean job to top up the reservoir.
The Scottoiler vSystem is the cheapest one and work by connecting a vacuum hose to the engine. That’s what I got for my Tiger 800 but I could never get it dialled in. It either dripped almost no oil or hosed out and soaked the chain. The vSystem seems to have fallen out of favour in recent years and the electronically controlled ones have became the norm. The relatively new Scottoiler xSystem is electronically controlled so is more predictable in terms of flow. There’s also a more advanced, and more expensive, Scottoiler eSystem with a digital readout & controller.
Hugger
This one all depends on how clean you like your bike and whether you’re happy to find time to wash it on big trips. I found that my Tiger was caked in grit and dirt around the frame and swing arm after riding in bad weather so I fitted a Givi hugger. It’s basically a moulded piece of plastic that “hugs” the rear wheel and catches all the water & crud so it doesn’t go onto your bike. I liked it as it was one less thing to think about. I never cleaned the Tiger once on our 10 day Cornwall trip even though we rode through bad weather a good few times. The bike was always pretty clean.
Centre stand
Sometimes these come factory fitted but sometimes they’re an extra and a pricey extra at that. In my opinion, the only reason to fit one is if you’re comfortable doing your own maintenance like adjusting the chain and patching a punctured inner tube (not tubeless tyres) on trips. Otherwise, they’re just a few extra KG to lug around. If you’re my size and weight, try getting a big, fully laden touring bike onto the centre stand - slim chance! I fitted one to my Tiger 800 as I intended on doing a big European trip. In retrospect, seeing as I had tubeless tyres and a tyre repair kit (Givi S450), there was no need for a stand. I did use it for servicing the bike at home, but I could have used my £25 paddock stand instead of the £200 Triumph centre stand.
Steel cable & padlock
If you like to park up and explore away from your bike, I found that a steel cable and padlock is handy to secure your helmet. Pop it on a mirror, pass the cable through the visor hole and through the handle bars, and it’s secured to your bike. We could secure two helmets on 2-up trips and on hot days we’d also passed the cable through an arm of our jackets so we could both leave our jackets secured to the bike as well. It just gives you peace of mind to be able to venture away for an hour or so. I use a 10mm Kryptonite Kryptoflex 2.2m cable with a rubberised waterproof padlock.
In summary
Motorcycle travel is all about getting on a bike, riding the miles, seeing the world, and having fun along the way. You can do that on a basic bike with basic kit, but it can be easier and more comfortable with hard, lockable luggage and a few accessories.
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