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Photo by Marc Gibaud, Clouds on Tres Cerros and Mount Fitzroy, Argentinian Patagonia

25 years of HU Events


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Photo by Marc Gibaud,
Clouds on Tres Cerros and
Mount Fitzroy, Argentinian Patagonia



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Old 16 Jun 2013
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Originally Posted by plainshorse View Post
This is not the first tale of woe I have encountered in regard to the shortcomings of travelling using a vehicle loaded with state of the art electronics and I wonder why people put themselves in this vulnerable position. If, as readers surely do, you wish to travel to and in these places, wouldn’t it be more appropriate to use vehicles better suited to the task. That is a vehicle that is uncomplicated, that can be more easily repaired in the field either by the rider or by a local workshop; one that is not largely tied to being fixed by the manufacturer’s dealer network.

I cannot think of any reason for buying and using a modern high tech bike for adventure travel, unless you are doing it the Ewan and Charlie way. Can anyone enlighten me?
Personally I've grown very tired of anyone taking a modern BMW on an "adventure" tour being compared to Ewan and Charlie. The fact is that properly prepped, and if you carry a couple of spare parts, these bikes are generally very reliable. Several years ago I was with a group riding from China to France; mainly R1200GS, a KTM and one old BMW (R800GSPD?). Guess which one was the only one to break down and have to be shipped home from Siberia? Yes, the GSPD, despite having parts shipped for it from Europe, etc.

I think more problems tend to come up if you take a new bike right off the showroom floor and haven't done any research to find out about known weaknesses to correct them prior to the trip.

I think its great that people want to take their 20 year old bikes around the world and certainly agree that there is no need to go out and buy a newer bike to do so. But on the other hand, if you're buying a bike for this kind of trip, I see no reason to limit the choice to something without FI, electronics, etc. Ultimately it is up to the individual to decide what is appropriate for them, is it not?
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