Motorcycle Accessories, Luggage and Riding Equipment

Every single motorcycle traveler brings more gear than they need. So lay all your gear out the night before your departure and remove half of the items.

You’ll buy food and other goodies along the way so make sure you have several liters of packing space available before you leave the driveway.

Also, it’s very common that you’ll have to carry additional loads for short stretches here and there. Think: extra gas, firewood, or additional water. So have extra straps and identify where you can safely secure an additional load.

Now that we’ve gotten the ‘don’t pack too much’ part out of the way. Here’s what and why we pack the way we do…

Click on the name or ▼ below to for some information and our feedback about the gear we use.

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MOTORCYCLE ACCESSORIES

Our smartphones are the technological equivalent of a Swiss Army Knife. We use it for nativation, filming, and everything else. Since the camera stabilization unit is sensitive, we use the Quad Lock anti-vibration mount for peace-of-mind.

There is never enough shelf or table space in motels – less still at wild campsites – so it’s a game-changer to be able to remove the Cardo PalkTalk EDGE from the helmet.

MOTORCYCLE LUGGAGE

The age-old debate among motorcycle travelers is soft bags vs. hard panniers. We prefer aluminum panniers because they provide additional protection for the laptops and camera equipment. We also prefer the peace-of-mind of locking the cases.

Even with locked boxes, any seasoned thief who wants your gear won’t have to work hard to get it, so we always opt for paid parking or when it’s available or we pay a local to watch the bikes. It’s a terribly small price to pay for the reassurance while we’re off exploring the village or hiking the volcano.

While we prefer hard panniers, a waterproof dufflebag like the Giant Loop Tillamook is much better than a hard top case. The gear inside a top case receives every last pebble of punishment from the road. Also, the duffle bag brings the load over the passenger seat and connects it to the motorcycle for less impact on the ride performance.

RIDING GEAR

We used to wear the four-season touring suits for adventure riding but not anymore. Now, we opt for more stylish and yet understated gear from Alpinestars. Here’s why:

1. On a hot day, you’re going to boil inside a 10lb touring jacket no matter how big the vents are.
2. Heat and blazing sunshine is the extreme weather that we face more often than extreme cold and rain – that was true even riding up to the Arctic Ocean.
3. As the day gets colder, it’s no big inconvenience to add layers.

One more consideration in our decision is this: Every motorcycle traveler looks like a space alien when we pull into a traditional village. But an astronaught-looking suit with huge cargo pockets, a dozen zippers, and noisy colors makes first contact a little more difficult. Wearing more understated riding gear helps a little in our experience and making meaningful connections has enormous value to us.

For head protection, there’s just nothing we’ve tried that looks as good, feels as comfortable, and moves as much cooling airflow as the NEX X.WED2. Challenge us on that – we dare you!

Lastly, for riding boots we want superior off-road protection but also walking comfort off the bike. You know your Toucan or Corozal is comfortable when you keep wearing them around the campsite at the end of the riding day!

Check out the other gear that helps us GoRUFFLY Around the World