Dreaming of a motorcycle trip to distant climes? This section will help you to plan your trip, whether it's to the next state, country or all the way around the world! Start here!
The Achievable Dream 5-part series - the definitive video guide for planning your motorcycle adventure. Get Ready! covers planning, paperwork, medical and many other topics! "Inspirational and Awesome!" See the trailer here!
You could just get on a plane with your credit card and passport and buy or rent everything you need when you get there. That includes the bike, riding gear, etc. etc.
Gear Up! is a 2-DVD set, 6 hours! Which bike is right for me? How do I prepare the bike? What stuff do I need - riding gear, clothing, camping gear, first aid kit, tires, maps and GPS? What don't I need? How do I pack it all in? Lots of opinions from over 150 travellers! "will save you a fortune!"See the trailer here!
So you've done it - got inspired, planned your trip, packed your stuff and you're on the road! This section is about staying healthy, happy and secure on your motorcycle adventure. And crossing borders, war zones or oceans!
On the Road! is 5.5 hours of the tips and advice you need to cross borders, break down language barriers, overcome culture shock, ship the bike and deal with breakdowns and emergencies."Just makes me want to pack up and go!" See the trailer here!
Tire Changing!Grant demystifies the black art of Tire Changing and Repair to help you STAY on the road! "Very informative and practical." See the trailer here!
With an HU blog, you'll get a lot more readers than in some obscure corner of the web, it's all set to go, no setup required, and it's free! Start your Travel Story Blog right now!
800+ HU Communities in over 115 countries! People who want to meet travellers - yes that's YOU - and can provide local assistance, and may be your new best friends!
Make a DifferenceTips on fundraising or donating time and energy to a cause.
After the big trip - Was the trip the best - or worst - thing you ever did?
Resources and Links
Horizons Unlimited Presents!
Ladies on the Loose! For the first time ever, a motorcycle travel DVD made for women, by women! These intrepid women share their tips to help you plan your own motorcycle adventure. They also answer the women-only questions, and entertain you with amazing tales from the road! Presented by Lois Pryce, veteran solo traveller through South America and Africa and author of 'Lois on the Loose', and 'Red Tape and White Knuckles.'
"It has me all fired up to go out on my own adventure!" See the trailer here!
Meet people who don't think you're crazy for wanting to ride your bike to South America or across Asia! They will encourage you, share their experiences and advice on how to do it!
We're not a big multi-national company, just two people who love motorcycle travel and have grown a hobby into a full time job and a labour of love.
When you decide to become a Member, it helps directly support the site. You get additional privileges on the HUBB, access to the Members Private Store, and more. Of course, you get our sincere thanks, good karma and knowing you're helping to keep the motorcycle travel dream alive. :-)
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T-shirts, Calendars, Stickers
T-shirts Cotton or synth sweat-wicking t-shirts with the cool Horizons Unlimited graphic on the front and a snappy slogan (changing every year) on the back.
Calendars Featuring the 13 winning photos from the Horizons Unlimited annual motorcycle travel photo contest!
World Map Sticker for PanniersShow your route on your panniers. Great conversation starter when you meet people on the road!
Travel BooksMotorcycle and travel books to inspire and inform you!
Videos - Watch and Learn!
Horizons Unlimited presents!
Achievable Dream The definitive guide to planning your motorcycle adventure! This insanely ambitious 2-year project has produced an informative and entertaining 5-part, 18 hour video series. "The ultimate round the world rider's how-to!" MCN UK.
"The series is 'free' because the tips and advice will save much more than you spend on buying the DVD's."
Advertisers- Horizons Unlimited is well-established as the first source of reliable, unbiased information on all aspects of adventure motorcycle travel.
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If you sell motorcycles or motorcycle accessories, riding gear, camping equipment and clothing, transport motorcycles, organize motorcycle tours, or have motorcycles to rent, you should be advertising with us!
You can get these blue campinggaz gas bottles near anywhere.
The definition of "near everywhere" depends on what's "near". I.e. how many miles and how many meals does each cannister cover?
If you have a truckload of space, carrying 3 or 4 cannisters through remote villiages might be easy. With 60 or 70 litres of luggage space on a motorcycle taking an extra cannister or two is a more difficult choice.
It also depends on what's cooking. For heating water for coffee, instant meals, a gas cannister may last a while. If you start with a browned onion or cook whatever you found at farms or markets then a cannister doesn't go as far.
Everyone has a different definition of "cooking" and makes different trade-offs if they have limited luggage space. I don't want to spend time every 3 or 4 days looking for a cannister. I DO spend time looking for gas anyway. Even on a single trip, some days or areas are great for buying prepared food and in other areas setting up camp and cooking a good meal is a great end to a riding day.
I just haven't seen those cannisters being as easily avaliable as pump gas.
A good thread.....have to comment on the coffee though. I agree with the morning coffee fix as well - if I could walk around with a permanent drip of coffee infusing into my veins I'd be happy.
I use a Coleman twin burner and use the Coleman fuel or Shellite fuel. Never tried the Unleaded though. Here in Oz I spoke to Coleman who suggested that if you start using one type of fuel it's best for the stove to continue using it..(but they may not be aware of the nifty tip of injector cleaner for the carb).
I get good economy out of the Shellite - I have used a twin burner for a week on a tank of it and a Coleman duel fuel single burner lantern for about the same time. I also have a single burner Coleman that has about a 3 hour cooking time per tank but it works like a blow torch - a bit hard to control the flame.
I do like my Gasmate butane cartride single burner, but bulky for the bike - usually sits in a day box in the back of the forby. The little single burner butane (Gaz size canister) burner I use has small canisters; I can cook 8 meals plus 1 cup of hot water per meal (supposedly one hour burn time per can). Not bad. Off course the meals are heated cans of stew or some such concoction takes about 6 minutes to boil and heat both water and can food. I use can foodstuff where I possible because I don't want to use dehydrated food types that require water to be added, as there is absorbable liquid in the cans and other food types (eg:can fruits) - not a problem if water isn't an issue though.
So I find the ColemanFuel or the Shellite the most economical, AND I agree on the gas cartridge problem developing around the countryside here in Oz. Some people have a nasty habit of dumping them in the scrub and its not unusual to see, in some places, a swollen can from heat lying around like a small bomb ready to go off - always a worry what we throw in the garbage and into the ground.
Thanks TT....not sure why the coleman goes like a blow torch.....its not that old......it has done since leaving the box and the 1st burn......its not a problemto live with just annoying at times when not in a mood to put up with its shennigans
I bought this a while ago. It was much fun for having a fire in the evening the first few times. Trying to cook on it failed. Tried to get a fire going with some tinder and a spark. That was a hungry night...
It's lightweight, easy to stack and quite stable. No risk of potatoes rolling in the grass...
Yes and IMHO, it's one the best wood gasification stoves out there- better than my original Bushbuddy which was great but did not have a sufficiently large enough burn chamber so had to be fed too often-
Lightweight and very efficient-
Fits packed inside an SS-MSR tin
The secret in lighting these is to use tiny tinder- a common mistake is to try to light a too large a piece of wood from cold.
Bring the heat up steadily then add larger pieces- and watch the magic of wood gasification (see pic)
If using 4 wheels, I carry pine kitty litter- ( so I am always sure to get a fire going even if I can't find any wood / dung lying around) one fill up cooks for 80 minutes!
Dung fires are brilliant in terms of recycling- add cow dung ( burns hotter) to horse or camel dung. Adds a distinctive flavour too !
Three cheapo tent pegs anchor it through the bottom holes for greater stability.
Oh wow! I never got it burning so well! I'll give it try soon again. Perhaps the secret lies in the litter because 80 minutes!! I usually struggle just to keep it going. .. but only used.. 5 times or so.
Hi I have used coleman twin burner for 3 years now and have only put unleaded in it works fine. has any one used a mixture of fuels ie petrol/paraffin/diesel mix in same tank full
As a so called "burned child" - who the Coleman died after 3 Weeks - I start prepared this time:
I carry an extra generator AND and an complete extra Pump/Tank/Generator Unit.
I still dont find an alternative in kind of capability and weight - who can replace the coleman dual flame.
Surfy
When you get home you can fix the old one.
I used a hot blow torch. Propane/Acetylene mix. £10 in Toolstation etc.
First soak the generator in petrol overnight.
Get the generator glowing red for a good ten minutes. Move the torch slowly up the generator pipe. The extreme heat vaporises the carbon deposits. I then used a very thin steel guitar string (8 gauge) to pull anything else through.
I'm certainly no expert, but here's my experience from this past August:
I use a MSR Whisperlite stove on unleaded petrol. Never had a problem with it. I bought it years ago at REI, and they sold me a Primus fuel bottle to go with it. One night in August I cooked dinner on it, same as always. The next morning, I fired it up to make coffee, and about 3 drops of fuel dripped out of the neck onto the concrete picnic table, and ignited. Before I could really react (other than blowing on it like an idiot), the neck of the bottle/pump caught fire. As I backed away, the pump "vented" and a large pressurized flame shot out about ten feet. My thought at that point (besides I'm gonna burn the whole damn forest and campground down) was "well, it will just burn itself out now". About 5 seconds later, the bottle exploded like a bomb. Literally sounded like a Howitzer. The good news is that the bottle flew about 8 feet and landed in the gravel, and was out.
About an hour later, a fellow camper stopped by and asked to look at my stove and fuel bottle. He said he was a sales engineer for MSR, and told me that the Primus bottle and the MSR pump were not compatible. All I know is they were sold to me as a pair, worked fine for quite a while, until they didn't. So, just a heads up:
1. Use an MSR bottle with your MSR stove (note that the inside of my Primus bottle is basically just a water bottle).
2. Always check for any slight leakage before you light the stove, and if you pump it once it's lit, use caution.
3. Have a plan for how you're going to extinguish a gasoline fire (water? I don't think so...just spreads the gasoline around).
Thank goodness I wasn't doing something really dumb like cooking in my tent....
Should work on gas canisters and petrol. I've never used petrol before and to prevent the burning off my eyebrows. . I'm reading to manual. Damn, I feel old now.
Anyway, look forward to burn it and will post a short review later.
Went to station, bought some fuel. Apparently did something very wrong because the lady was very angry with me and yelling in Mongolian at me. No idea why.. but the fuel was in the bottle already!
Tried the burner and it works good. Some things are unclear like a little handle that does... something? But it started good, after that it burns like crazy. The noise is really a downside for me, but that's will most petrol burners.
All in all, happy with it! Small, feels as indestructible, light weight, burns like hell. So, good stuff!
Have YOU ever wondered who has ridden around the world? We did too - and now here's thelist of Circumnavigators!
Check it out now, and add your information if we didn't find you.
Check the RAW segments; Grant, your HU host is on every month!
Episodes below to listen to while you, err, pretend to do something or other...
2020 Edition of Chris Scott's Adventure Motorcycling Handbook.
"Ultimate global guide for red-blooded bikers planning overseas exploration. Covers choice & preparation of best bike, shipping overseas, baggage design, riding techniques, travel health, visas, documentation, safety and useful addresses." Recommended. (Grant)
Ripcord Rescue Travel Insurance™ combines into a single integrated program the best evacuation and rescue with the premier travel insurance coverages designed for adventurers.
Led by special operations veterans, Stanford Medicine affiliated physicians, paramedics and other travel experts, Ripcord is perfect for adventure seekers, climbers, skiers, sports enthusiasts, hunters, international travelers, humanitarian efforts, expeditions and more.
Ripcord travel protection is now available for ALL nationalities, and travel is covered on motorcycles of all sizes!
What others say about HU...
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Horizons Unlimited is not a big multi-national company, just two people who love motorcycle travel and have grown what started as a hobby in 1997 into a full time job (usually 8-10 hours per day and 7 days a week) and a labour of love. To keep it going and a roof over our heads, we run events all over the world with the help of volunteers; we sell inspirational and informative DVDs; we have a few selected advertisers; and we make a small amount from memberships.
You don't have to be a Member to come to an HU meeting, access the website, or ask questions on the HUBB. What you get for your membership contribution is our sincere gratitude, good karma and knowing that you're helping to keep the motorcycle travel dream alive. Contributing Members and Gold Members do get additional features on the HUBB. Here's a list of all the Member benefits on the HUBB.