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advice needed: dual sport through south america

4K views 3 replies 4 participants last post by  sburns2421 
#1 ·
so around june of next year, myself and two friends are going to pick up a dual-sport, ship it to bogota, colombia then ride it all the way down south america and come back the other side. this is the start of my research for my next adventure, so i have quite a few questions. any books, websites, blogs, personal experience or any sort of recommendation will be much appreciated. so here are my questions:

bike: i do not want a sporty dual sport. i'm thinking of a 01'-04' XR650R street legal dirtbike with lights and everything. realiability issues? how well would it work for long trips? any other recomendation on bikes?

accesories: both for the bike, and other bike related accessories that i should bring with me(i.e. skid plate, extra levers, etc.). i'm going to pack very light so i'm looking for purely essentials.

tools: any specific set/brand/kit of tools i should have. i'm very good with my hands so with necessary tools, i can take a dirt bike apart on the side of the road.

riding gear: some places will be hot and others cold. i'm looking into a two piece nylon type suit that can accommodate most weather encountered in SA. what are the best boots, helmet, gloves, and etc. that is best for this sort of a trip.

luggage: what's the lightest/best luggage for this trip. i'm trying to pack real light...two pairs of shorts, 4 shirts, one pair of jeans. one pair of walking shoes, hiking shoes, first aid kit, and essentials.

thank you for any feedback. if i think of more questions, i'll definitely post it. hopefully this is the right forum for this sort of questions.
 
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#2 ·
Disclaimer - I have no actual experience with adventure touring. What you are considering sounds very cool.

I have thought a bit about adventure touring, but nothing as exotic as your plan. I am pretty certain that I would opt for a KLR650 as my mount. Mostly because of the plentiful aftermarket options, wide availability of parts, and the reputation for reliability and simplicity. I have friends who own them and they work better than one would think for all day riding on twisty asphalt, and for traversing unimproved roads and the occasional unpleasant obstacle.

A web site with a lot of interesting accessories for adventure touring is happy-trail.com

I am old, and there may be other options for gear that I don't know about, but when I adventure tour in my mind I see myself in a Aerostich Darien and outfitted with other great touring stuff from the RiderWearHouse catalog.

Please, please, keep us informed of your choices, and your progress in planning and executing this ride. I love to hear about things like this.
 
#3 ·
This website will be your best friend for a trip like that. http://www.advrider.com

Here is a good trip thread with a lot of info but it is a long one.
Siberian Extreme 2010 - Back for More - ADVrider

An important thing to think about is tires and how durable they will be, the author of the thread above really likes the michelin desert tires and if I remember correctly he never had a flat riding the road of bones in Siberia. Frankly his trip reports can answer a lot of your questions just by reading them.

As far as bikes go, most people would probably use a DR 650, a KLR 650, or a BMW single. The KTM 640 Adventure is popular too, but after reading this thread I would be afraid to ride a KTM 690.
25,000 miles with Luke and Nick - ADVrider
 
#4 ·
Heavy duty innertubes, tire irons, patch kits, spare tubes, bicycle air pump.

Spare master links, spare headlight bulb, spare throttle and clutch cables. I would probably bring a spare fuel filter too. this ensures you will not need any of these things ;)

Barkbusters would be advisable as well. Might mean you can forget the spare levers.
 
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