Himalayan Biker Ride

Riding a motorcycle around the world is not the same as using a motorbike for daily commuting. When you plan to do some good off-road road adventures, you'll need to modify your motorcycle. The good news is that you can practically turn any motorcycle in an around-the-world-bike.

If you've chosen a royal enfield himalayan for your around-the-world trip and/or off-road adventure, then you find my tips to set-up your bike for such an adventure here.

Which luggage system should you choose for your bike? Hard cases or soft luggage? This remains a fierce discussion within the motorcycle community and one of those never-ending-discussions I'm afraid! This is simply because both systems have pro's and con's.

I set up my first himalayan “basanti” with hard cases and my second himalayan “dhanno” with soft luggage. What I liked about the royal enfield panniers is that they are affordable, rugged and you can lock them.

The downside of these panniers (or panniers in general) is that they are heavy and potentially dangerous because your leg can get caught underneath a pannier in case of a fall. Because I didn't open the panniers daily, I got condensation on the inside, resulting in wet spare parts and tools..

The main reason why I chose soft luggage for my second trip is because I wanted to travel lighter. Another advantage of this luggage system is that it expands and contracts to fit exactly the amount of luggage that you want to carry at any moment during your trip.

I chose the mosko moto reckless 80, with two additional one-liter bags attached at the front, and one additional 4 liter bag attached at the back. You can order a heat shield to place on to your exhaust to protect the bag, but the himalayan already has a standard heat shield at that position so I didn't need one. The luggage system is also designed in such a way that the bags will never touch your rear wheel.

Many people are concerned about the safety of soft luggage when it comes to theft. As an anti-theft protection, I have two safety straps from steel core (with stainless steel wire inside) and a lock, which I can use to secure the bags on the side. The 22 liter bag on the top is not secured with a lock, but I take that bag with me into my hotel room each day. When I was riding with the panniers, I also had a 35l softbag on my pillion seat which I took off every day and that wasn't secured either. In that sense, the setup didn't change much and it never gave me any security issues.

One of the most important parts on long trips is your seat. An uncomfortable seat makes your trip a lot more challenging! I've never been quite happy with the standard seat on the himalayan so when gearing up for my patagonia - alaska trip, I figured I had to choose something more comfortable.

I chose the royal enfield touring seat. I haven't tested it for 10 hours straight, but the difference with the standard seat is immediately noticeable, so I am sure it's going to be a much more comfortable ride now!

For my patagonia to alaska adventure I decided to change the standard handle ba