What kind of additional equipment does one really need on a tour?
There isn’t just one perfect answer to that. Many things should be taken into consideration; maybe it is a day-trip or one is going to stay in a sleeping bag at a friend’s house or someone wants to camp. Is one planning to tour for an extended weekend or is it going to be a longer vacation tour? Further is important which personal things does one want to take along?
 
We are going to try to give you some advice according to our own personal experiences. No matter how long our trips are going to be we always have a safety fuel cap made of carbon (parts number 600.07.213.050) attached to our 950 Adventure.
 
This part is absolutely useful. Already on our first trip in 2002 “Travelling to the end of the world – Russia” it had been very useful and it has reliably protected the bike during crashes.
 
Additionally the main stand (600.03.022.044) is always attached to the bikes. Everything else depends on the kind of trip we take. For day trips, short tours for a duration up to an extended weekend, the case set Adventure made of plastic (600.12.025.000) is surely not a bad choice.
 
But for longer trips we like to recommend the cases made from aluminum at the maximum size (41 liters, 600.12.024.100 41 l). On the insides we have lined them with a thin, but tear-proof cloth. This helps against aluminum abrasion. These cases have several advantages. First of all they are robust; additionally they can be put to a variety of uses (to sit on or as tables) and they are resistant against crashes – dents and cracks can be repaired even in the remotest areas in Siberia.
 
What else does one need? Depending on ones own body size it might be useful on the one hand to add a handlebar extension (584.01.043.018) on the other hand one might like to adjust a saddle which is 2.5 cm lower than the standard version (600.07.040.100). We always like to take along the KTM-tank backpack (600.12.019.000) as well.
 
If we are on a film production mission we certainly need to carry along a top case made of aluminum. On the inside it has foam lining which is especially adjusted to the film equipment (for more information please feel free to contact us at travel@ktm.at). On “ordinary” long-distance tours a waterproof plastic bag might be the first choice.
 
A travel first-aid-kit, additional medication as well as spare parts we carry along tightly packed in plastic boxes. If it can’t move it won’t cause scrub and it will therefore survive the trip in one piece. Obligatory luggages are a tent, sleeping bag and self-inflatable air mattress just as well as a cooker and kitchen utensils.
 
Food we don’t usually carry along. For one thing storage room is scarce and for another thing food is usually much cheaper in many countries that it just wouldn’t make much sense to already pack everything back home. Another advantage is surely that one will meet interesting people while eating out at a restaurant.
 
On long tours we were also very satisfied with the remote controlled roadbook holder. The GPS is just as important for tours off the main roads. At the moment we use the Garmin 176. It has a large display, is very sturdy (in the combination with a holder from Touratech) and has a logical menu.
 
Thomas Junker