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!
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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!
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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.
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how well new ktm 1090 adv R will compete with Africa Twin?
How do you think? Bikes more or less the same weight and cc,
yet ktm has more power and much bigger tank. The latter is big plus IMO
for adventure bike. Both bikes looks good.
I've ridden them both. I own a KTM 990 Adventure but am a novice offroad. Took the Afrca Twin 4 days in the Karoo (South Africa) last december. Gravel, sand and some tar. Total approximately 1000km. Verdict: very capable offroad, the AT feels light. Soft (too soft?) suspension, especially while on tar. Tends to dive in the forks. Bike misses the oomph I'm used from my 990. Although that oomph can be a little too much for a novice rider as myself.
Now the 1090 Adventure R. My dealer arranged one for me to test ride. Only for 2,5 hrs mixed sand, gravel and tar but I was convinced. It feels as light as the AT and lighter than my 990. The suspension works very well offroad (took a few bumps) and doesn't dive on the road. Ride by wire on sport gives that oomph. Even more HP than my 990. On offroad the power is very well managable. Big difference with my 990 which only seems to have an 'on' or 'off' setting on the throttle. Nothing in between.
Long story short: traded in the 990 and waiting for the 1090 Adventure R to be delivered.
I've ridden them both. I own a KTM 990 Adventure but am a novice offroad. Took the Afrca Twin 4 days in the Karoo (South Africa) last december. Gravel, sand and some tar. Total approximately 1000km. Verdict: very capable offroad, the AT feels light. Soft (too soft?) suspension, especially while on tar. Tends to dive in the forks. Bike misses the oomph I'm used from my 990. Although that oomph can be a little too much for a novice rider as myself.
Now the 1090 Adventure R. My dealer arranged one for me to test ride. Only for 2,5 hrs mixed sand, gravel and tar but I was convinced. It feels as light as the AT and lighter than my 990. The suspension works very well offroad (took a few bumps) and doesn't dive on the road. Ride by wire on sport gives that oomph. Even more HP than my 990. On offroad the power is very well managable. Big difference with my 990 which only seems to have an 'on' or 'off' setting on the throttle. Nothing in between.
Long story short: traded in the 990 and waiting for the 1090 Adventure R to be delivered.
so the ktm 1090 was more fun I understand, looks indeed as it is a direct replacement for 990 which I don't know why they discontinued instead of improve. KTM is a bit more expensive but you get more for your money, e.g. crash bars and complete, fully functional tool pack We'll see if they will be any reliability issues first year as even honda had some problems at that time.
__________________ "For sheer delight there is nothing like altitude; it gives one the thrill of adventure
and enlarges the world in which you live," Irving Mather (1892-1966)
Both bikes have 21/18-in wheels, but the tubeless setup puts the KTM ahead for me. I'm fed up struggling with changing tubes when I get a puncture.
forgot about that so another plus for ktm account.
So the only advantage of AT is so called honda reliability? Hard to earn this quickly but once you get it easy to ride on it few years for granted... It's probably more psychological but many guys included myself would feel uneasy in the middle of the desert on ktm
forgot about that so another plus for ktm account.
So the only advantage of AT is so called honda reliability? Hard to earn this quickly but once you get it easy to ride on it few years for granted... It's probably more psychological but many guys included myself would feel uneasy in the middle of the desert on ktm
Not sure what the common feeling about KTM reliability is... however my '09 990 never let me down in 10.000 km. Never missed a beat. Only regular maintenance, nothing broke down. New LC8 engines have a service interval of even 15k km.
Not sure what the common feeling about KTM reliability is... however my '09 990 never let me down in 10.000 km. Never missed a beat. Only regular maintenance, nothing broke down. New LC8 engines have a service interval of even 15k km.
KTM reliability? Depends who you talk to. KTM are the New Big Thing now. But they have a very dark history that you don't have to go too far back to learn.
The early KTM twins had LOTS of well documented problems. The later versions of the 990 seemed to be better and the 10, 11 and 12 series bikes are doing even better ... but certainly not 100% bullet proof.
And for maintenance ... with the most modern KTM's ... you may want to stay close to a KTM dealer for parts and service.
If you read the owners forums you can learn a lot about the history of these sort of things. As a NEW off road rider, I would not expect you to know much about this. I've been riding dirt bikes 40 years so lived through some of it.
If I was doing serious RTW type travel I'd go with the under powered Honda. But for me, both are too big and heavy if any off road is on the menu ... and a few other reasons as well.
The young guys can handle 600 lb. bikes off road, I no longer can ... nor do I want to. I would also feel terrible to subject a $22K (usd) KTM to the ultimate abuse it will encounter on a RTW trip.
I'd much prefer riding something cheap and expendable. Maybe this is why so many riders are going with used DR650's, 250's and Chinese bikes.
But no question the KTM will be more fun on short, local ADV rides with moderate off road ... and great on paved roads too. I just did a ride with 5 friends all riding 1290 ADV KTM's. Fabulous bikes on this ALL paved road ride .... I had to work hard to keep up on my 37 HP DR650!
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.
Virginia: April 24-27 Queensland is back! May 2-5 Ecuador June 13-15 Germany Summer: May 29-June 1 CanWest: July 10-13 Switzerland: Date TBC Ecuador: Date TBC Romania: Date TBC Austria: Sept. 11-14 California: September 18-21 France: September 19-21 Germany Autumn: Oct 30-Nov 2
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!
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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.
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