F800GS goes on a diet

Get the locking mount. It won't deter a really determined thief, but it keeps the casual sticky fingers away. Plus it damps the vibrations which can't be a bad thing.

Hey Ben,
Thanks for the plug on my items and I can't wait to follow your trip on ADVrider. Keep us posted.
Rick

I thought pelican cases are the RTW panniers of choice, since they are so tough.

Anyways, it's great to see this progressing.

indeed there is an eclectic mix i had not realized. this rtw guy likes pelican cases (linky). good point about readily available repair solutions.
well, back to the show

One more vote for the pelicans. Although they don't look as good as some the others, they are tough as nails and remain truly water proof even after several full blown crashes. Tough to beat the lifetime warranty too.

I also agree with the Double Take Mirrors. They have been great so far. If you do go that route, I'd suggest carrying a spare ball mount (the one that bolts to the original mount location) as we've already broke a couple. They don't seem to be up to the usual Ram quality.

Cory

The first link that comes up on Google is often the answer to stupid questions.

http://www.doubletakemirror.com/

Wow... those are cool. And reasonably priced!
Thanks for the link!

1. lose the hard panniers. wolfman expeditions or giant loop are a better option and all of those on tour with me in Mongolia this summer, without exception, are now moving to softs.
2. lose the TT tool kit on the TT bashplate. anyone i know with it has cursed it as with water crossings, all the tools get wet and corrode to high heaven.
3. upgrade the rims if possible. if you can't don't worry, just expect them to be pretty dinged up on your return. the lighter and stronger excels would be a much better option.
4. don't worry about colour schemes and how it looks...just get out and ride the thing!
5. keep it light, light, light. After my summer with 40k miles on it now, if i don't scale down to a single cylinder japanese bike (easier to get parts in Siberia), I'll be stripping out everything that's not essential. ie., losing HID's as ballasts are heavy, losing engine bars, autocom, weighty mirrors and many other weight saving ideas.
Hope this helps...

Some of things you're recommending dropping might be a slight annoyance through Mongolia, yes. They could also, however, prove very nice and useful for the rest of the world! Prepping for the world is a balancing act. Some things that are annoying in certain countries could prove comfy/helpful/very useful in others. The balance.

I myself would stick with the hard bags. Again, they might be a tad of a pest in harder countries (which are fewer than the easier countries btw), but could prove very comfortable and useful in the other 90% of the trip. Just sayin'.

I'd have to agree with this one.

I agree with this one as well.

If I myself am riding my motorcycle around the world and am going to be on it for months and/or years, I'd want to like how it looks upon leaving too! Besides, it's fun!

IMO light is good, yes. But you're actually going to want to make it around the world! Protective items like crash bars and skid plates and headlight guards are essential. The HID's? I agree. Ditch 'em. Autocom? I agree. Another trinket to break down. Mirrors? Maybe in Mongolia where there's no traffic, but they're going to come in very useful in the other 90% of the countries with traffic! I say remove 'em and pack 'em away when they present a problem, pull 'em out and use 'em the rest of the time!

I take your point on some of these Griz. I've both hard and soft cases, and I think that on balance, given the plan is to circumnavigate, if the adventurer isn't a total pansy, there'll be some tough terrain, thus out of all of the recommendations, this would come top of my list. But each to their own and the German myth of 'hard luggage=best luggage' is one I'd want to avoid.

Regarding mirrors, I'm not saying bin them, I'm just saying that the OEM one's aren't very forgiving in an accident, and they're also pretty heavy. Adv Spec offer a much lighter and crash friendly option. Yes, a headlight protector is worth the investment.

Happy new year mate.

oh dude! lol keep in mind that the photo is a touratech photo! thats not what mine has on it! :lol

Keep in mind that the Touratech Zega Pros are waterproof until your first fall. Then, they just promote pooling of water in the bottom. At least this was my experience. They are handy for securing your belongings but not for waterproofing.

Right on. Good advice though. Happy New Year!

I've just spent £45.00 on ONE BMW mirror for my 800 ...

In my 'spares box' I have ram mounts and arms .... with what I already have, I could have re-kitted with 2 doubletakes for the price of one OE mirror :huh

I should keep in touch more

Your out of your mind taking a BMW on an RTW trip, expensive mechanical nightmare, just ask Jedimaster !

ShortWayRound - On the road RTW since 2006

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=582578

I own two F8's and I'd never take them outside of a first world country.

if it would be easy.... it wouldn't be an adventure!

back home folks!!

eastern beaver




this used to fit in there?






everyone is complaining about cracked tanks? psh!




new foot pegs and guards

keep it coming!