No dream. Just spent 1000km on the dirt this weekend. Didn't see a single big bore.

Prepping for 25000km on dirt routes in Africa where I don't expect to see many either if past experiences are anything to go by. Most people stick to routes where the bike is most comfortable. That's the world upside down.

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Tacos Tyring Travels.com

here you go

Looks stuck to me. Better turn around. There seems to be more of that ahead.

Might get some knobs too. They come in handy off the road

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Tacos Tyring Travels.com

Congrats on the 250's. Long time WR250X Adventure rider and love it. After I got my 250 I never went back to the big BMW. The 250 will actually be one of the larger bikes in Asia I would guess. Probably lots of fully loaded 150's will be passing you.


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F i n a l l y got my WR-R set up and ready to go south before it gets too hot.
Lightness really is the key - at least to me at the moment.

More here and more to come.

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Adventure Motorcycling Handbook 8 • Morocco Overland 3 • Overlanders Handbook 2 • Twit

Ditch those racks mate. Luggage has no place being carried there.

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Tacos Tyring Travels.com

Totally with you on that one Chris!
We have the same set up.


Although the only thing we missed this time: it would have been useful to have a little topbox on one of the bikes, to fit tools that we used all the time and the waterproofs, instead of an additional roll bag above the panniers.

We had sooo much rain and storms last summer across Russia and the Stans. So many storms.


And it was a pain in the &*%%& to remove the panniers! We had to get the roll bag off all the time... dealing with too many straps every day.


But Travel light is the way to go to enjoy the trails and added freedom. Anything we may need we can buy on the way.

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Maria

www.franglais-riders.com

Sounds like you're better off with the reckless bag from Mosko Moto then. I wouldn't bolt any hard luggage on a light bike. Particularly on a small bike. The whole advantage is that they're lighter so you can ride more aggressive routes. Sandy tracks for example. With those you'd need to place your weight further back which you won't with a hard luggage. It's also a hazard hitting potholes or stuff like that when the rear kicks you up in the arse. The rebound on these isn't great to begin with to keep that from happening.

The added advantage to this arrangement is that you can loose the racks which turn a nimble bike into a tight rope walker. Keeping it tucked in is everything. You can reduce the impact of the effective mass by over half.

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Mine is only a few weeks in a sunny region Maria, so my luggage is simplified.
If I was going on a C.Asia trip like you, I’d probably add something like my much-underused Peli 1400 on a small tail rack. Lockable and rounded but a bit heavy at 2kg in the wrong place. I'd actually like to see a much larger version of my old T'tech tail pack. Say what you like, but a box-like tailpack is dead easy to get to on the road.
I agree easy pannier removal and access are key. The less faffing with grubby straps end of the day when you’re tired, or start of the day when you’re dozy or distracted - the better.
Are those Magadans on the blue bike? I ran them a couple of bikes ago, lashed securely to rack/bike and just pulled out the inners to take indoors. Worked OK.
Up to a point I found the big outside pockets on the Mags mean your usual daily needs can be met without opening the main compartment. That’s why I got the strap-on 6L pockets with the new Kriega panniers. They’re currently empty - so is the tank bag and little tailpack and the main bags aren’t full either - so plenty of short-term expansion room for longer desert stages.

Good lesson from the road!

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Adventure Motorcycling Handbook 8 • Morocco Overland 3 • Overlanders Handbook 2 • Twit

The pelican case 1400 is heavy for the inner volume you get.
Now Pelican came up with a new design: " pelican air case" series.
They claim they are about 40% lighter. They have a more rectangular shape too.


Patrick

I think the bags Chris shows above are Kriege soft bags? But ... they are mounted on steel racks ... and set outboard quite far. Not great, IMO. And as said, the steel racks ADD WEIGHT. Do you really need them? Why?

I prefer throw-over bags using a cross seat strap to take the load/shock and support the bags. (soft bags of course)
Racks can be trouble if taking full load of panniers. They add weight and attachment points are famous for cracking/breaking after some rough riding.

On the WR250R you will need some sort of HEAT SHIELD for the muffler so soft bag can lay on the shield and not burn. Should keep the bags tucked in close, helping to centralize mass with less stress on sub frame.

In terms of fiddley straps ... ?? Inner bags! So easy. I never take my panniers off. Just open and grab inner bag and go. Panniers stay on bike.

Top bags are convenient and if lockable, good if passing more urban locations. But some over load them and few are spec'd for much over 10 kg. If you overload you risk cracking/bending sub frame. But perfect for rain gear and maybe just a few key tools?

If suspension is correctly set up, then rebound should keep seat from whacking you in the Butt over Whoops and such riding at speed. WR is pretty good stock, but can be improved even more and will be really GOOD.

If doing mostly PAVED travel then a big top box like a Pelican is OK ... I guess?
Not my cuppa unless doing a daily commute in the City where a big Pelican, GIVI or other is useful. I've seen these big boxes SNAP off riding off road.

If you're doing mostly paved or graded roads then you don't need a WRR. Check out 2.17 of this vid and let me know if the rebound is any good on the WRR. On every bike it's a compromise on safety though. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8VomeL0FZo&t=665s

The over seat bags are superior in every way but convenience. I take that very minor inconvenience every day because I tend to focus on the riding. But there are no stressed seams so it's way more robust, no racks are required, quick and easy to install and it's as tucked in as can be. Sadly there are no models available that have it low and are large enough for long distance stuff. So I made my own shown on the first page.

The stock heat guard is pretty good and I haven't needed anything further to avoid fire with my bag. But the bolt does get so hot that the rhinotek fabric gets broken down over time. The bag also gets a little too warm for comfort with that stock heat guard. I've tried increasing the reflective foam on the inside to a higher spec one. Not clear how much improvement that provides. I've also put a longer bolt to the exhaust on it, but I still prefer some more air gap. So I've added some PVC tubing under the bag to keep the fabric from the exhaust guard completely where it's hot and provide an air gap. Luckily I've sewed on heaps of molle webbing on it so tie-ing those one was easy and field repairable which to me is key with all luggage.
Racks have no business on bikes IMHO. The engineers spend most of their effort increasing maneuverability by reducing the width and centre of mass. Then the luggage boys (or owner) come along and turn all that upside down.

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I use a tank bag which I cable tied down to a rear rack which I keep stuff I need to get to fast, Tool to adjust the chain, Chain lube, weatherproof clothering, etc.
The tank bag has a built in rain cover which I use all the time stops sticky fingers?
Works for me ok

I keep thinking I might try one of these rackless ‘horseshoe’ bags, but volume, convenience and price puts me off. I could do almost as much with a couple of kayak dry bags. Mosko’s Reckless V2 system has lots of smart ideas, though it doesn’t look like the ’80’ refers to anything like capacity in litres. Plus it would cost nearly 600 quid to get a set to the UK. Makes GL look cheap.
I feel these horseshoe bags are great for BDR-ing and dirt-riding camping weekends where bike agility counts. Not so suited to overland travel (in the AMZ) where for most its not about the bike.

Once payloads and volume grow – aka: a travel bike – racks are hard to avoid. Unloaded, my WR probably weighs 150kg wet; the rack is 4kg – or say 90 miles of fuel. I’ll take that penalty over the drawbacks of throwovers.

I’ve had it all over the years: melts, fires and know people who’ve lost enter bikes - and took out a field of corn while they were at it. Plus modern, lean-burning bikes with cats run especially hot.

I was running throwovers on a KLX250 last year. I distributed the weight appropriately to limit bag swing and pipe/side panel pressure. But sure enough, as I dropped down I-17 into baking hot Phoenix I could smell melting plastic.

I agree weight centralisation is important on any bike. I load heavy items low and to the front of a pannier. And heavy fluids etc in the front pockets. It all helps. I’ve seen pix of some truly shocking set-ups - rotopaxes hanging out in another time zone.


PS
I can guess which famous WR vid that is… ;-).

FYI: I have a WR shock with a Hyperpro spring if anyone wants it to do the shim-stack thing.

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Adventure Motorcycling Handbook 8 • Morocco Overland 3 • Overlanders Handbook 2 • Twit

Chris,

For trying out those horseshoe bages you might be interested in these:
ROGAL XL

Quite a bit cheaper than what you find elsewhere.
Didn't try them myself, and Polish is just good enough to understand they are 50l and 187Euros...

They have a range of sizes and bags.

Rob