Around The World Adventure Motorbike Build 

They are great, I also have them. Kriega steelcore security strap

had to go back and reply. now i have alcohol poisoning.

Thanks, more videos to come soon.

Yeah no doubt in my mind. Reliable workhorse

It was this brand "steel core" www.fc-moto.de/epages/fcm.sf/?channable=02098e696400313038313139323532327c&ObjectPath=/Shops/10207048/Products/Kriega-Steel-Core-Safety-Belt/SubProducts/Kriega-Steel-Core-Safety-Belt-0001&Locale=en_AU&gclid=CjwKCAiAl-6PBhBCEiwAc2GOVDFref9tnO0CxyxYWN2rLODvFTCC5Oq8GyBPHSGVUVVs6tgXuZqZQhoCE6EQAvD_BwE So useful for strapping the bags down tighter as well. Yeah luckily for the DR650 there are some great Aussie products 😀

Hey Derrick. I often wonder if the DRZ would have been a better choice. A lighter/smaller bike is always more fun in the dirt. Just not as great on the freeways, but with the right gearing it wouldn't be too much of a problem. To be honest, both great bikes!! Can't go wrong with either. If we get back to the UK we will definitely get in touch.

North and Left a Bit , I would love to meet you guys , where are you now ?

m 88 I guess that is why the XR is in its 23 year of production, oh wait, sorry that is the DR, Honda stopped making the XR years ago because they did not sell that many, especially the 650. 😂😂😂😂 Take this as the joke it is.

@@noidontthinksolol there both air cooled 650cc single trail bikes. With poor stock suspension the same weight and bullet proof engines there essentially the same bike. I take it you mean the xr650L

@@noidontthinksolol is that the one that was around with the xr250r and xr400r and cost less than the 400. But did not have the newer box section frame like the 250/400 or am i thinking too far back. I know about the xr650r but that thing is a beast liquid cooling good horsepower but small tank kick start and very thirsty on fuel and basic.

@@noidontthinksololby basic, well just a speedometer and no battery and kickstart only with a high compression big single is not fun. The xr250 and 400 were also basic. They only had the bits to make them road legal. No battery no rear footpegs no chaingaurd. No indicators. Even the police questioned it's legality on a few occasions even the tread block gaps on the tyres were only just smaller than the blocks themselves didn't even come with a key ignition or locking fuel cap

@@noidontthinksolol it's really funny now when you see an old kawasaki z1000 started with a kickstarter. My xr250r is an import one with an electric start. I do love a duelsport with an electric button. Would still be nice if it still had the kick start as backup.

Dr650 isn't perfect but for us it was perfect for the trip. Reality is we did have issues but the fact that we could fix them ourselves is what made this bike so great, and believe me we are not mechanics. I'd 110% chose a dr650 again, it's a great all-rounder and so simple to work on.

Hi mate the rear shock we got from a company called tekniks in Sydney. My spring was weighted for roughly 100kgs and jays for slight firmer which definitely helped with all the luggage his handled the bumps much better. Nothing too complicated and a straight switch out from standard. Want to to know anything else just give me shout

Hi mate im glad youre enjoying it. Yeah we both added little inline filters which seemed to do the job. Some of the fuel was definitely dodgy but the good old DR soldiered on and just meant poor fuel economy at times.

Haha they were awesome. I think the originals were from a shop called "Sheepy hollow" near Sydney. They were great but by the time we got to Azerbaijan they were flat and destroyed so we got a local one of roughly the same size for $10 each which was amazing and is still on the bike now. Definitely worth it though, keeps you cool in summer, warm in winter and alot more comfy.

@@Northandleftabit After watching your video, I located and ordered a sheepskin specifically for dual sport bike seats, sold by Alaska Leather. Can't wait to use it. Thanks.

Hi mate, it was roughly 25k each all up including the carnet and, visas, shipping, fuel, guides. Everything. Jay had a really good app where he put all the cost in which we might one day do a video on. Our cheapest country by far was Tajikistan, roughly $17 a day

Does that include the cost of the bike and set up ?

The panniers are Andy Strapz Enduro bags. Made in Australia www.andystrapz.com/product/avduro-pannierz The security cables are steal core security straps. au.steelcore.com/

Thanks mate. Yeah both bikes were rejected but it was the standard carb, you will see in later vids we made it to some crazy altitudes and the bikes kept plodding along even with a drone in the airbox (spoiler alert haha) Loved the DR650, we're both still confident we chose the right bikes

Jetting and a pipe, in real life are maybe 1 HP, but make more noise which is where the sensation of power comes in. I run mine stock and it runs great. Fast means buying a new 690 KTM.

@@bradsanders6954 the hp is only a bit more but the throttle response is significantly better which makes a lot of difference.

@@alphawolf2993 My DR, the throttle is mostly left full on, so the response may or may not matter. Ive noticed on my 890R the throttle response is very immediate.

We have the 25l acerbis tanks. Worked really well and very strong

Fork brace was on offer so tried it, to be Honest I can't say I noticed a difference. Suspension i just got springs from a local manufacture in Sydney called Teknik but they're very good. Yeah stock carb but changed the jets due to a new exhaust. I'm also 6'2" the bike was really comfy (well for a dr650 anyway) I'd highly recommend a sheepskin pad for the seat, it's a real game changer

@@Northandleftabit You guys are tough! Stiffer springs just make the bike bounce harder and over heat the wimpy little shock. An American made Cogent shock is a copy of an Ohlins and transforms the whole bike. Best thing I ever changed on my DR in 51,000 miles of beatings.

@@bradsanders6954 maybe next time then, thats what i do

On our bikes the switch you are talking about only changes the light from High beam to low beam, it doesn't turn off the light completely. It is Australian regulation that motorcycles have lights on at all times. I do think some international versions of this bike might have a different set up though.

@@Northandleftabit okay that explains it. i got a 2000 euro model but i think even back then the law was in germany that motorcycles have to have their low beam on 24/7 its really usefull when doing hard offroad stuff. you dont need the light and you turn the bike on and off very often. im looking forward to your next videos (have watched them all yesterday)

Hey mate - To be co completely honest we very rarely turned the headlight off. We had the option, but didn't really use it. And we were constantly charging batteries on the ride - Mobile / Camera / powerbanks / Drone. Never had an issue. In retrospect I wouldn't bother with the headlight switch

That's one of the fun part: hunting for upgrades, include finding out how much.

I'd say around 3/4'000$

They still sell new ones in Australia and America. In Europe and many other places they are much harder to find unfortunately.

Hi David, I will get you some pictures. In short drilled through the pelican case, screwed it onto the rear plate and sealed it with gel (make it waterproof again). To get the case off you have to open it and understand the screw from within. Even with the box open it takes a good 5 mins to take off and the bolts are in a really tricky position to get to. Was perfect for us and I'd definitely do it again.

@@NorthandleftabitThank you for the infoi, I have used the pelican cases for my camera stuff for while, they are just too bloody expensive, but good. Pictures would be great.

Haha excellent. For the dividers we just purchased some foam and made our own. You can buy the foam from Clark rubber and a few other places. We thought it's easier to turn round and open it on the bike but also slightly more secure as someone can't easily just open it from behind and unpick the locks. Also when you open it we often used the bike seat as a little table so having it this was round was very accessible rather than having to walk or reach round the bike evertime you took something out of the case. To be honest we didn't think too much of it but it did work perfectly. Hope that helps.

@@Northandleftabit Oh I hadn't thought at all about using the seat as a table. That is practical. Really appreciate the benefit of your experience.

@@RidingOnEggshells all good, it really wasn't too awkward at all having it open that way and I'd do the same again.

@@Northandleftabit damn, i have one on the back of my DR, opening at the back, but might turn my one around that way too now. Great videos guys

Hi mate, i had the 1520 on mine and it fit perfectly.

Thanks, I'll check it out!

It looks as if they have just thrown them over the panniers and tied them down. Watched another one of their videos with a better shot from the side.

Sorry for the late reply. Yeah reality is they just jammed on perfectly over the pannier rack. We did tie them at first but realised it wasn't needed, kind of luck really and we had them in the side for a few months. Definitely alot nicer when they were off, I got used to it being weighted more on the one side haha

Cool, maybe I can try that with my tourtec bags

Don't worry more videos will come soon, we found editing on the road too time consuming and stressful so we pressed on and enjoyed our time on the road more and exploring. The trip is over now so we just have ALOT of footage to catchup on.

@@Northandleftabit love your footage guys, so what you guys sharef are always not enough😁😁....have you guys go to malaysia?

Hope you will take this positively...as encouragement, what a great journey. I am dreaming of doing similar kind of trip. But...hmmm but never know when I am able to do it😔😔

The camera we use is the Sony A7iii. Might put a video out about our setup

To be honest I think to mostly comes down to brilliant marketing by BMW. People with a lot of money think it's the best adventure bike on the market. And to be fair, if you really know how to handle such a big, heavy bike, you probably could take it anywhere... just hope and pray that nothing goes wrong when you are in the middle of nowhere. Super comfy on the highways too I guess.

@@Northandleftabit ... "you probably could take it anywhere" ... No. My current untested thinking is around 450 w/lean&mean pack for the "mythical lightweight" ADV to go "anywhere" solo, anyway. A mate or two with you would really expand your horizons on a 450ish. -- Cheers, and Safe Riding

Thanks Bill, we probably would have gone crazy but money was limited which probably worked in our favour in some ways. I hope youre enjoying the rest of the videos too.

Thanks mate, I have already watched that one a few years back ;)

Haha I know incredible isnt it... if only other people knew it might put BMW out of business. In our latest India video our friend is on GS1200 had a small accident and it took 3 trucks and 2 trains to get it to Kathmandu where they had to order parts from Germany to fix it.

Yeah it's not rocket science but I know I watched many similar videos before the trip

actually less. The compulsion to spend megabucks on these bikes is wide spread and hilarious. These lads went completely functional with zero bling, and it has paid off. I'm following the same path.

Haha, oohhh yeah

And exactly how did you know it was comfy porn music 😳😁

Why what happened? I've always heard the xr650l is a great bike. Isn't it similar to the DR but more powerful? I must admit I was very happy with the DR especially for the trip we did.

@@Northandleftabit The XR has a couple known faults never addressed by Honda, It has a tendency to drop exhaust valve seats and the soldering in the ECU can break causing faults. They both happened to mine. After buying it, and kitting it out with seat, racks, full exhaust and new carb I also had to spend about a thousand on a new head and a couple hundred on a new ECU. Now I don't trust it, it was meant to be a Dual sport ADV bike, no I don't dare wander far from home.

Its a tricky one, we took them out most nights when we stayed in hotels etc. Where would you keep it?

I can think of 4 good reasons. 1 - A BMW GS costs about 6 or 7 times the price of the DR, even after we have kitted it out. 2 - The GS would fall apart if you took it to some of the off the beaten paths that we did (turns out they aren't that great off road). Then you would have to find a way to truck/train/ship it to a certified BMW mechanic to fix it (this happened to our friend in India and it costs him thousands of dollars and more importantly, lots of time). Good luck when this happens up in the mountains in Kyrgyzstan. 3 - it's fun tinkering with bikes 4 - In some countries it's not really ideal to have a shiny, big, expensive bike. You stick out too much. As much as I do like to give GS bikes shit, they do have their place... But for the trip we were doing they would have been the wrong bike.

@@Northandleftabit what a load of dribble. you really do miss the point. the GS doesnt break down. there is a bike race called the Dakar rally. little bit more challenging than what you have ever seen or done. Check out the top five bikes and see where your piece of crap comes in at. jesus christ you cant even get thru puddles.

that 2nd point really got to you huh?? The problem is that BMWs do break down (We saw them broken down on numerous occasions) Not as often as our bikes, but it does happen. Difference is that we can fix our bikes ourselves. 9 Months riding around the world the most common bike we came across doing a similar trip to ours was the GS, And the riders wouldn't take them on some of the more remote tracks that we took becuase they didnt think the bike would handle it, or if something went wrong with the bike they would be completely screwed. So they stuck to roads or gravel at best. For a bike that sometimes has the word "Adventure" in the name, that is a little bit sad. I wish I could add photos to these comments to show you how much fun it is trying to load a broken down BMW on the back of a truck... took about 16 people to do it. When I finally get a chance to edit our India video I will document this and tag you so you can witness a broken down BMW and the ridiculous measures needed to get the thing fixed.

And your point about the Dakar Rally is irrelevant. Firstly, do you really think they take stock standard GS bikes on the rally?? and if they do break down, or need some kind of work done to them on the road they have the means and the mechanics following them around to do so. If you are planning a 9 month trip around the world and have the money to hire a support crew to go with you then by all means... jump on your GS and enjoy yourself. The DR is far from the best bike in the world, but it is simple, easy to fix yourself and doesnt stand out like a sore thumb. 3 very important things to consider on a trip like ours.

@@Northandleftabit I don't have the time to read your replies. they're too long. ramblings of an irate imbecile by the looks. condense them for me will ya? you obviously have the time. broken down again are you? or did you fall over in another puddle? hahahaha amateurs.

Hi mike, yeah i think there is always a compromise with any bike. Overall we're happy we took the DR650 and would choose the same bike again. Dont get me wronf a 250cc or smaller would have been great at certain times.