Jesus who sets up a bike like this? Just.... wow.

Ho Lee Chit, y'all carry a lot of stuff! You can get by with less. My tent, bag and pad weigh in at under 5 pounds. I'm going to Ushuaia in November using only 50l topcase in November.

You will be much happier and the bike will be happier if is isn't overloaded.

Give or take a few things...





20 + 35 + 31 + 27lt

How much does it all weigh?

Austin Vince and company did the set up, far as I know. Austin and his guys did similar set ups on their own bikes when they did the Mondo Enduro and Terra Circa rides. (Suzuki DR350) Lois's bike is a Yamaha 225cc Serow. Muchas problemas con este moto!

It actually worked OK for them ... but probably not ideal handling.

No idea, have no scales. Probably around 25k and certainly under 40 excluding water and extra fuel. My sleeping equipment (thermarest, fleece liner, thermarest pillow) are bulky but very light. Tools, spoons and innertubes are pretty heavy, but everything else is fairly light. This is my first overland trip that I intent to camp, etc, so will no doubt make some alternations in a few weeks (or days!). I could have certainly reduced that by using things like a 2/3 length mat, no liner, no pillow, small 1-man tent, etc, but wanted to try and achieve a balance between comfort and weight/bulk.

Will let you know how it works out

The direct answer to your question has already been given. Low, forward and (often overlooked) as "tucked in" as possible.

Nothing wrong with your bike if you can handle it on the dirt. Mongolian dirt is vast and relatively easy. Until it gets wet, but everyone already knows that.

I would also reconsider all your gear though. As Molly said, there is always time to do this, and these days there are plenty of luggage options if you get to the point that you feel like you can change it. But you can still go ahead with your setup even with much less in it.

There seems to be a misconception that it's ok for an overland bike to feel like a beached whale. It's not. It "should" feel as close to riding it without luggage. That's the ultimate price. The soft adventure luggage industry is really young but working towards is really quickly.

My first trip was in 2005 and there was nowhere near as much available like there is now, so I had the same traditional setup as you have. That trip was still the best because everything was a novelty. But I always wished I had less stuff so I could ride it like a motorbike should be. Particularly in Mongolia.

I've moved back to my old rule. If I wouldn't take it hiking for 3 days, I won't take it on the motorbike. A similar rule applies to tools. If I don't use the tools on a standard service, or I could do a task with a tool I've used on another task but less convenient. I'd leave the dedicated tool behind. You can reduce you tool kit to fit in a litre milk carton.

Do you really need a self inflating mattress that's full of foam and thus bulky and heavy? Do you really need a 4 season sleeping bag, or could you sleep in a 3 season and on freezing nights wear your puff jacket and thermals. Do you really need a > 2.5kg tent or would a 1.5 kg trekking pole tent or shelter do. Do you really need a full kitchen kit for the few times you cook a 2 course meal, or would a 1 litre kettle or 1.5l pot do to cook a stew? do you really need jeans, 4 t-shirts and 10 undies?

These questions, IF the answer is not really, can help reduce your kit to a 50l setup + 10l water + tools. But it's all about what your expectations are. Nothing wrong with your current setup, it'll just be a hand full. Most people end up reducing their gear, so these forums can help bypass that for new comers so you don't have to think in a few year, "that would have been awesome on a lighter setup", or "I wish I could have done that route if I had a lighter setup".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igzj...vGbBnvmztnN6aQ

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Tacos Tyring Travels.com

What he said. I have a 3 lb tent, 1 lb sleeping bag and a sleeping pad the weighs 8 oz and rolls to the size of a soda can. Weight is not the bugaboo it is in backpacking but sometimes weight and bulk go together. Water and fuel are very heavy so it pays not to carry it unless you really need it. I only carry extra fuel when I know I will need it, pick up discarded oil or antifreeze containers for the purpose and then discard them. I have a 1 l water bottle I use and a 2l Platypus container that get used for cooking but is usually carried empty.

Bulk is AS important as in backpacking/ hiking for the exact same reason. It makes everything much harden to maneuver.

Moment_of_inertia

The only difference is that is depends on how you intend to ride your bike. Highway, no problem. Single or double trail dirt, more so.

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Tacos Tyring Travels.com

If you enjoy riding a motorcycle that still handles like a motorcycle, then a shift in perspective is necessary.

Instead of the challenge being "how much can I possibly carry on my bike?", re-frame the challenge as "how little do I have to carry on my bike to be safe, reasonably comfortable and relatively self-sufficient?"

Which bike is going to be more fun to ride and less prone to mechanical issues related to overloading?

Here's Turkish filmmaker Tolga Basol on 'round-the-world adventure right now:


Or this?:

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Giant Loop Moto

Both have the same inertia problems. Go rackless baby.

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Tacos Tyring Travels.com

Great posts! How I love this website!

tmotten - a very thoughtful and interesting post. I actually did some sort of overland travel on two wheels in India, but just threw my backpack over the back and off I went, finding cheap accommodation and food along the way - not at all difficult in India. All the camping stuff really stacks up.

I don´t understand people who accummulate so much stuff. Even with the stuff I have in the pictures - and I reckon it´s not too bad - but you´re right, compared to what I did before - i.e. just backpacking around with a 60lt rucksack half-empty, I find myself getting frustrated and kicking the nearest stuff sack across the garrage, thinking wtf is all this stuff for?

I guess in one week or so, if I ever manage to leave, I´ll come back and let you know what ended up in the nearest skip.

$18,000 KTM, 150 HP, est. 600 lbs. (fully loaded & fueled) 35" seat height.
No doubt a fast, fun bike and handles well even loaded ... to a point.
All bikes are affected by load and the rider must compensate.

Lets take that KTM and put it up against your Vietnamese guy on a 100cc, 8 HP step through on muddy Vietnamese mountain roads. Lets see who makes it through first My money goes on the little guy on the step through.

"handles like a motorcycle ..." ? Kenny Roberts trained his GP team riders and many other Moto GP stars riding 150cc XR Hondas on oval dirt tracks. It's all about technique and skill ... the little 150cc bike just makes it easier to get your head round that ... and actually learn how to ride a motorcycle at speed. "Power is nothing without control" (Pirelli motto)

All that said, overloading a small bike is not ideal in any scenario ... but not the end of the world either.

The topic is packing - not bike choice. This is my point exactly: overloading a bike - any bike, large small, expensive, cheap - degrades the riding performance, fun, safety, reliability, etc.

With small bikes, packing becomes even more critical!

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Giant Loop Moto

Just a personal thing but all the KTM pic loose strap ends flapping around in the wind would drive me to distraction. Tucking them in every morning would bring the scissors out fairly quickly. At least the Vietnamese C90 rider has tidied everything up.

I can understand the consistant advice to travel light, that less weight equals better "riding" but what happens when you stop for the evening? The whole point of taking stuff with you is to make off the bike life acceptable. Leaving the camping stuff behind will save lots of weight but you are then dependent on finding a hotel or similar every evening. What do you do when you roll into a town and find there isn't a hotel there or every single one is full (and (the last time this happened to me) it's snowing outside). For me that's just swapping weight for stress.

You can cut everything down to close to zero, particularly if you're travelling in a warm climate but it just becomes an exercise in hair shirt living and you end up buying stuff as you go. I've done enough of that over the years and tend towards overpack (slightly) and dump rather than underpack and buy. If nothing else it's quicker to leave stuff you don't want rather than have to search out places to buy oddball items (usually in a country where you don't speak the language).