Hi!
I was having a chat recently with Walter Colebatch.
Some of the old timers amongst us will know that name is synonymous with groundbreaking motorcycle exploration of the most remote parts of Siberia.
For the kids, or those new to the world of adventure motorcycling, take a minute to look at this.
He’s a pre-social media grandaddy of adventure riding.
(He’s not actually that old).
We were talking about the essence of what you really need to do to get your bike ready for an overland adventure.
A question he gets asked a lot.
Walter has a lot of experience taking lightweight bikes on long trips far from civilisation (or help).
He knows his stuff.
And he summed up his answer like this.
1: Protection.
2: Luggage carrying ability.
3: Navigation aids.
4: Extra fuel.*
Wheel a bike out of a showroom and this is what Walter gets busy with.
Which, and this is no a coincidence, is what Adventure Spec has built our entire Hard Parts development philosophy around.
Protection for the Ducati Desert X
Luggage racks for the CRF 300L
Mini Fairing for enduro & trail bikes
It’s helped us focus on the real essentials that we believe you need to prep your bike for lightweight adventure.
Sure there’s a lot more bling out there, and performance parts, and stuff that makes you go faster.
I love a tricked out bike as much as the next guy.
But in the world of social distractions, we’ve tried really hard to stay focussed.
This September our latest hard parts will ship from our factory to our UK, EU and USA stores.
It’s almost time for the GasGas ES700 to get the Adventure Spec treatment.
(Which also means the KTM 690 and Husqvarna 701).
I’m really looking forward to telling you more about how the new gear protects your bike, helps you carry luggage and makes it easier to find your way.
I’ll be in touch with more info soon.
😎
Greg Villalobos
ES700 crash bars and skid plate
690 luggage racks
ES700 fairing and screen
*The elephant in the room - extra fuel.
When Walter rides, he rides far, and away from civilisation.
And yes, Walter needs extra fuel.
Now, you may need fuel on your overland trip, but in our experience of riding multi-day trails like the TET, the reality is that with a little planning we have never been so far from a fuel stop that we needed to carry extra.
So we don’t make fuel bottles.
But we do make luggage racks that you can strap them to.
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