What do you lot mean by 'prep'. Some of you imply that prep is improving the off road ability of the bike and some seem to take the view that prep equals reliability.
Most travellers seem to choose their bike on personal preference and in some cases a degree of inverted snobbery. If you've always ridden Suzuki you'll probably stick with Suzuki. Your budget determines how new a bike you buy (2 year Suzuki or a 10 year old BMW maybe).
Once you have your bike you would do four things by way of prep: - Set it up to carry your luggage
- Fix/improve any known faults/weaknesses with the particular model
- Improve things to your taste - seat, suspension, screen, fuel tank etc.
- Thouroughly service the bike replacing all wearing parts with new to give you the best chance of completing the trip without trouble
The adventure comes from going to new places not knowing what to expect but, in my experience, if you have an unforeseen mishap you will end up meeting some interesting people and whilst it may be a PITA at the time it is all part of the adventure and it would be a shame if it all went smoothly but, for me, keeeping the bike going shouldn't be a major part of the trip.
If you choose to 'simplify' your life and embark on a trip with no prep then at the end of the day your bike will bankrupt you and your trip will be much shorter and less adventurous than intended.
I agree that reading books/blogs that just list an ongoing list of breakdowns and bodge repairs until the bike becomes unserviceable is not very interesting.
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