Motorcycle Touring Equipment
As you can expect, the equipment you take with you on a motorcycle tour will depend on where you are going, how long you're going for and how you plan on living when you're out there. A 3-week motorbike trip round Europe will require very a different kit list to a 12-month motorbike tour through Africa. There is also a strong argument for backpackers and motorbike tourers to travel as light as possible and buy items as and when they are needed. Lugging a camping stove round the world might be a mistake if you can eat well and cheaply at stalls by the side of the road. Do you really need a water filtration/purifying system or can you buy bottled water in many places along the route? I think that a lot of these decisions come down to knowledge and experience and your ability to be resourceful.
That said, below is a pick-list of possible items you might want to take with you or make sure you can purchase out there. As an indicator, I am riding through Latin America for 12 months. I have little previous experience of motorbike living and I am NOT taking all of this stuff. You can find a lot of the kit below at somewhere like OutdoorGear - UK, Blacks - UK, Millets.
Clothes
- Shorts (1 pair)
- Jeans (1 pair)
- T-shirts (2 of)
- Trouser-shorts (the ones you can un-zip into shorts)
- Shirt (smarter than a t-shirt)
- Fleece (1 of)
- Jumper (smarter than a fleece)
- Underwear (for 1 week)
- Trekking / climbing trainers
- Flip-flops
- Waterproof top/jacket
- Swimming costume
- Motorcycle helmet
- Motorcycle jacket
- Motorcycle trousers
- Motorcycle gloves
- Motorcycle neck warmer
- Motorcycle boots
Personal Kit
- Toiletries
- Wash-bag
- Flannel/sponge
- Small towel
- Large towel
- Wet-wipes
- Sanitizer solution
- Prescription and Over-the-counter drugs (with letter from GP)
- Safety pins
- Sewing kit
- Travel mirror (that can self-stand and hang on a hook)
- Glasses / Contact lenses (and prescription)
- Sun screen
- Insect repellant
- Universal basin / sink plug
- Ear plugs
- Medical kit
- Sun hat
- Sun glasses
- Money (see money section)
Camping and Sleeping
- Tent (Ensure it is one person size more than the number of people using it. Also alloy poles are less likely to break.) Try Blacks or Millets outdoor specialists.
- Mosquito net
- Sleeping bag
- Sleeping bag liner (Can also be used in hostels that have no / unclean bedding.)
- Therma-rest
- Inflatable pillow (with washable cover) .
- Hammock
- Para-cord
- Hooks / caribinas
- Emergency (foil) blanket
- Lamp
- Torch
- Head-torch
- Camping trowel
- Toilet roll
- Camping stove (Dual fuel such as Coleman Sportster 2)
- Lighters / matches
- couple of waterproof spice pots
- 1 litre cooking pot with lid
- 1/2 litre mug
- Thermos flask
- Pot scrubber
- Multi-tool
- Fork and spoon (or Spork if you like using them)
- Tea towel
- Door wedge
- Wooden centre/side stand support (to stop it sinking on sand)
- Corkscrew
- Bin liners
- Water container
- Water filter / purification kit
- Compass
- Emergency whistle
Electicals
- Cheap watch (to reduce the chances of it being stolen)
- Camera (SD cards / batteries / charger / connection lead) from Pixmania or 24-7 Electrical
- Camera tripod
- USB memory sticks
- Electrical plug adaptor
- Earphones (You can buy earphones molded to your ear canal, used by musicians and professional motorists. These sit flush within your ear so are comfortable in your helmet and offer great acoustics. Prices are between £120 - £600.)
- MP3 player (try Currys i-shop, Techfocus or Advanced MP3 Players)
- Mobile phone (+ charger)
- GPS unit (+ GPS maps on SD cards. You can find links to GPS maps on the Links section of this site.) You can find GPS at Techfocus.
- World band radio
- If you feel you need one, take a laptop or Pocket Surfer.
Luggage and motorbike kit
- Cube packing bags (to organise kit within your hard luggage).
- Day sack
- Luggage straps (are better than bungee cords).
- Motorbike cover (improves security when parking over-night).
- Security chain
- Security alarm brake disc lock (with forget-me-not leash).
- Spare motorbike key (Also have one more to be left with a responsible friend/family so they can send it to you if you loose both of yours.)
- Dummy wallet
- Money belt/holster
- Waterproof duffel bag (They come in 70-100-120 litre.)
- Pad-locks (for hard luggage).
- Bike tool kit (see motorbike maintenance section)
- Puncture repair kit (see motorbike maintenance section)
- Bike spares (see motorbike maintenance section)
Documents and other bits and pieces
- Notebook, pencils and pens
- Reading books
- Travel guides and language books
- Point-it book (Great book of pictures of everyday items for when words fail you!)
- Calculator
- Vaccinations record
- Important documents / paperwork (see paperwork section)
- Maps. Try Anquet Maps.
- Zip bags (to keep items and documents together and dry).
- Passport photos (for official documents) - not needed in the Americas.
- Photos of family / Postcards of home (to break the ice or act as small gifts).
- Dog tags (2 tags in 1 set. Each tag should have your Name, Nationality, Blood group, Emergency phone number. Have 1 tag in english and the other in language of country you are visiting. Get 4 sets, for: you, your bike, your bike keys and 1 spare).