The bike - “harriet”
Picking a bike for such a trip isn’t easy. It took me a little while before deciding on what was right, what I felt was right for me. The Husqvarna 701 isn’t something I would have pick straight away.. As much I love the adventure bikes out there, being a BMW rider, I absolutely love the way the GS rides, but..I would then have to take a crane with me to pick it once on the floor while off roading !
I did a fair bit of modification to the original set up of the 701 which I am listing below. The 701 is an Enduro bike, not a adventure bike, but it is a fantastic base for one and it is light, which is my main concern.
One bit of advice I have been given by experienced travellers was to get a new bike. As much as I don’t like all the electronics present in nowadays bikes I couldn’t avoid it but decided on something that is fairly basic. The great thing with this bike is that it’s build for the mud, the dust, to be savaged and raced. The length between services is much longer ( 7000 miles) and is easy to do in the field as long as you have the basic spares.
THE MODIFICATIONS
This the modifications I made to the bike to make it more adventure like.
The base of the kit comes from Omega Fibre, they are a South African based company run by Thomas, I was lucky enough to find one of his kit in the UK. This includes the two front extra tanks (2x7Litres), windshield, side fairings, rally tower, rally lamps (KTM), bashplate and seat.
Rally Raid lowering kit 40mm, because I am a small person !
Scott’s steering damper, it makes the bike more comfortable for the long road stretch ans is adjustable too.
Rally Raid rear brake lever.
Rally Raid front sprocket cage
Acerbis hand guards
Mini Golan micro filter, the fuel is going to get dodgy in Africa. One filter at the end of each tanks, so it get filtered one more time before getting to the fuel pump.
Husqvarna rally peg, much wider, I get much more comfortable while standing up ( that is because the two front extra tank pushes the legs apart)
On the Moroccan coast
The Bike Equipment
I decided to go for soft luggage to keep it in the light spirit. There is an infinite debate onto whether you should go hard or soft, obviously soft luggage might be a little bit more inviting but as long as it’s nice and tidy and I feel like, travelling alone, I won’t be confident wether it’s soft or hard If I don’t know the bike in a secure place. I decided on an Enduristan set of luggage because there are simple, mega waterproof, tidy and got some strength in their shapes.
Enduristan Monsoon 3 pannier
Enduristan Tornado medium duffel bag
Enduristan Sandstorm 4S tankbag
Pelicase 1450 with two locks so I am still able to lock some valuables.