Allroad Touring Enduro Accessories

Allroad touring enduros require at least few basic accessories in order to carry the luggage, provide a reasonable safety and rider comfort without forgetting the functionality. There are plenty of equipment available at the market, but I took up few good alternatives that are most interesting.

Accessory Luggage Systems

The first item every touring motorcyclist needs, is the luggage system which provides enough space for a reasonable amount of luggage and can be adapted to various tour requirements. A full luggage system consists of side cases or panniers, top case, inner liner bags, tail bag, tank bag, backpack and dry bags. Depending on the nature of the tour, you can choose which ones are used at that time.

Basically luggage systems can be divided to more urban and adventurous touring. The traditional hard cases are good for the urban environment. Usually they are more aerodynamic, but have no further strap on arrangements on top of the case. Rugged aluminium panniers are able to take the heaviest load, provide sturdy structure for accessory rack systems for fuel & water, crash protection at some extent, but also much better strapping options for additional bags on top of the panniers. Soft saddlebag systems are ideal for the most adventurous routing and extremely light traveling just with the basics. They provide at the best weather protection and universal strap on system to the bike without any rack.

The better the road and surfaces, the more luggage could be taken onboard and vice versa. Never the less, I would recommend to rationalize the amount of luggage and optimize the amount of payload in order to remain with the bike as agile as possible. With a significant amount of luggage, the MC becomes surprisingly difficult to handle in special conditions and emergency situations. The luggage should be placed below or very close to the rider seat. In other words, close to the center of gravity. Note that the balance changes a lot and the rear end can be extremely heavy which makes the bike slower to handle.

Riding Ergonomics and Aerodynamics

Next concern would be the general MC aerodynamics and riding ergonomics. Touring differs from shorter rides quite a lot. The factors of comfort and functionality become more relevant. The windscreen and the hand guards provide essential part of wind protection against rider upper body and especially the head. The ergonomically right riding posture is the best way to eliminate riding fatigue and the pain in the joints due to static and compact riding posture. By adjusting the seat, foot pegs and the handlebar according to the rider, the touring enjoyment and riding endurance can be remarkably prolonged.

The rider seat is the most important key factor for proper MC -riding ergonomics Fortunately today riding ergonomics can be changed a lot, especially with the allroad touring enduros and there are rider accessory seats with different seat heights, but also with comfort materials. On top of that custom made saddles finalize even the most demanding personal preferences and make sure that the less popular models can be tuned up too.

The allroad MC -aerodynamics focuses on the wind cover and turbulence elimination around the helmet. For an average rider everything could be almost good enough, but for a lot of riders tune up is necessary. As long as the speed remains mostly below the highway speed, the aerodynamics are not the most important thing, but usually this is not the case. Once you need to make miles day after day, there can not be heavy turbulence around the helmet. The noise especially, but also the constant drumming is able to cut the joy very quickly. The investment to aerodynamics is worth the money. There are a lot of spoilers, screen extensions and quite many models have also taller touring windshields.

Safety and Protection

The third concern would be the protection of the bike against the riding conditions, small accidents and thieves. Varying road and trail conditions set their own challenges and requirements for the bike and the rider. In order to keep on touring day after day, vital parts and components simply need to stay intact and functional, even when small accidents happen. Robust engine guards and crash-bars are basic features for any allroad touring enduro. The same applies to the rider, but what can be done when something happens? Can you help yourself and get help on site when needed? There is probably no country where the thiefs are not going to use the opportunity when it presents itself.

Exploring the backcountry is fantastic, but even the most experienced riders have accidents due to various reasons and surprises. Safety should always come first. What can you do when it happens to you or a fellow rider outside the cell network ? Do you carry an emergency kit? Are you able to call help? Low frequency radios can be sometimes helpful, but the only good choice would be the satellite network supported communication system such as FindMe SPOT. Let your love ones know that you are okey, even when schedules change and allow people at home to track your moves in real time. Technology is there to support you.

Touring Navigation and Communication

The last concern would the navigation and communication generally. Accurate and fluent navigation saves at least time, fuel and nerves. Sometimes it`s also a safety matter when something happens and you need help on site, perhaps even urgently. A complete setup consists of a robust and up to date navigator, additional general map, mobile phone and a bluetooth communication system. Sometimes you need even a tracking & SOS -device, if you are riding outside the cell network.

Today there are several MC -navigation systems and digital maps providing reasonably accurate information. There are both online and offline features to support the needs during the ride and the wireless helmet communication systems bring several audio sources in the helmet which keeps the rider on top of everything. Even conversation between fellow riders while riding is ordinary and requires no special installation skills or massive COM -systems. The level of user-friendliness and integration gets better all the time.

Versatile Alternatives and Allroad Accessory Providers

The allroad touring enduro segment is today relative big and both bike manufacturers, equipment and riding apparel providers have invested more in it. There are more and more providers and alternatives on the market every year. The competition and high requirements have improved the quality of products and versatility covers the major part of allroad touring requirements. Some of equipment providers have concentrated primarily on BMW motorcycles, but generally everything can be found also universally and every allroad touring enduro can be tuned to serious adventuring.

 
Local bike and biker accessory stores seldom have a wide selection of allroad related stuff and therefore we can not always go and have a look at the selection. Some of the providers have local dealers around the world, but today it usually means that the dealer keeps only a small stock of items. Fortunately there are plenty of online stores offering a practical way to purchase allroad related accessory everywhere. In spite of that I try to plan my MC trips via interesting allroad equipment provider stores such as:

Swing by or explore your options online. You can also find interesting tips from the motorcycle gatherings especially allroad related ones and of course motorcycle exhibitions. There are also quite a lot allroad related online forums to serve your interests. Just use the search engine with few issue specific words. Basically everything is in the web.

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