A new start
Motorbiking is a new adventure for me and it's the first time I drive. I hope I am going to like it and be able to accomplish the whole journey. Even though motorbiking is an unknown for me, other aspects of the trip are relatively easy.
Indeed, there is no need for a Carnet de Passage for the bike, no need for any visa in advance, no flight to take, and countries that are mostly Spanish speaking. Communication will be easier than in Africa.
Before planning such a trip, you must be thinking I have a lot of experience driving a bike. Not at all, it's my first big trip and the only took two small one-week trip in Quebec. I did a tour of Lac-Saint-Jean followed by drive around Gaspésie.
For this trip, I have chosen a Suzuki DR650se. It's a model whose design hasn't changed for more than 20 years. I chose this motorbike for the following advantages:
| very reliable | |
| robustness | |
| no electronic gizmo | |
| air cooled | |
| parts availability | |
| light for an adventure bike | |
| cheap cost |
The downsides are:
| average comfort on the road (no windscreen) | |
| hard seat | |
| inadequate suspension |
Some negative points of this bike are easy to solve; I had the suspensions remade and I bought a more comfortable seat. Next, as for any travel bike, I added a luggage system, heated grips, and a GPS.
For those interested in the technical side of this bike and the modifications I made, please consult the following page DR650 Modifications List.
I also created a page with all the maintenance done and the problems encountered during the trip: see DR650 Maintenance and problems log.