For my first touring adventure I used a pair of classic Oxford panniers. These straddle over the back of the seat and hang fairly high up over the sides of the bike. You can pick these panniers up on Facebook Marketplace fairly easily and inexpensively. I found that the panniers were shaped in a horizontal orientation which seemed to restrict the carrying capacity. There were also too many straps required. Straps take time, they are fiddly and required careful setup and re-adjustment. I’m a firm believer that successful and enjoyable touring comes from an efficient setup, the straps and Oxford Panniers had to go.

After the Oxford Panniers, I upgraded to Altura Dryline Panniers. These 56 litre (per pair) panniers are actually made for bicycles, featuring a quick release system that attaches securely to a thin strut on my rack system. I am a fan of using bicycle luggage, yes it may not be as good in terms of durability, but they are usually decent enough, and inexpensive to replace. These panniers are waterproof and have a good carrying capacity with an attractive depth to them. Some models have a small internal pocket alongside the main compartment which is a nice feature. Alongside the smaller pocket is a hidden Velcro compartment at the back of the pannier, I use this for storing flat items such as maps, spare cables and gaskets.

You may have noticed by now that most of my bike luggage and storage is on the inexpensive side. I wanted a lockable and sturdy top box for my bike with the vision of crafting some dividing partitions inside to organise my equipment and items better. This box is perfect for a DIY project. It’s waterproof, lockable and inexpensive so I don’t mind drilling holes in it to add extra brackets.

Inspired by the pannier top bags that traditionally sit on the lids of hard luggage. Originally, when I used to run my Oxford Tail Pack, I carried my gloves and “warm gear kit”, hat, waterproof socks, buff etc in a rear pocket on the tail pack. However, now that I am using my DIY hard-luggage top box I lost that storage space and it no longer make sense to keep this warm gear kit in my top-box. So I decided to add this bicycle rear rack bag on top of the top box. I created my own brackets attached to the lid of the box and secured this bag to them. It’s a simple, quick to access setup for storing things you may need in a hurry.

The addition of a small tank bag came about when I wanted to carry my camera on my bike with me. It would need to be easily accessible, even without getting off the bike, and somewhere where I could keep an eye on it. That’s where the tank bag came in to it’s own. After a couple of purchases, I finally found a bag that was big enough for my camera, yet small enough for the small XT225, where the tank is angled from the seat like most dual sport bikes.

The standard XT225 holds 8.8 litres of fuel, enough for around 140/150 miles. For longer trips it is nice not to have to fill up every single day, or even multiple times per day. The large tank also allows the more adventurous to explore further off the beaten path where fuel is not guaranteed. Although it is possible to store fuel on the bike in different ways, such as auxiliary fuel bottles, I find it much simpler to just have the single tank, fill it up, then fill it up again when it runs out.

My XT225 has been known to use a bit of oil here and there over the many tours that It has undertaken. Although the root causes of these oil losses have been dealt with, I still carry 1 litre of oil with me when I am touring. The XT225 only requires 1 litre of oil for a change, (plus a little more if doing the filter), so I carry enough to do this change at a regular interval with the hope that it will serve my 30 year old bike well for many more miles to come. Initially, I used to carry my oil in my panniers. Inevitably, the bottle became oily and dirty. I like things to have their own space on my bike, I did not want to have to encounter my oil bottle before reaching my toothbrush bag for example. So I had my Dad weld a bracket to attach these water bottle carriers to my pannier frames. This allows me to carry my bottles on the outside of the bike.

Using the same bottle carrier as above, just on the other pannier frame, I carry my water bottle. These bottles are of 1 litre capacity and made of metal so they are suitable for long term use. I am actually in the process of turning this bottle into a water dispenser, as on my quest for ultimate optimisation, I grew tired of having to unbuckle, unscrew and then reattach my bottle to the carrier. To do this I drilled a hole in the bottom and attached a piece of pipe, molded it a little with some heat to create a better seal and attached a small valve to the end of the pipe. This allows me to fill up my cup like you would as from a tap, meaning that I only have to go through the hassle of securing the bottle when I fill it up at the start of the day.

Unfortunately my old Zumo (550?) was too old and no longer worked reliably. I think the rubber buttons had deteriorated and let water in perhaps. I needed a reliable Sat Nav to navigate in (or out) of cities and to get to specific locations. Usually I ride following a paper map when out in the countryside. I purchased this Zumo over it’s competitors as I wanted the software to be as close as possible to what I was used to on my old model. That way the learning curve would be less. So far it has not disappointed.

Such a simple item but can be so useful. I bought this for my older model Zumo as the screen was not that bright and could be hard to read in sunny conditions. My newer model has a much brighter screen yet I still take this nifty sunshade with me.

Nothing fancy here. A pair of inexpensive spotlights. Hook them up to a handlebar mounted switch and they are good to go. Mine are wired through a fuse box which is connected to the ignition. However I have previously run these straight to the battery with no issues.

Tony Archer is one of the top upholsterers specifying in motorcycle seats. He has a number of distinguished bikes and his work is highly regarded. Based in the north of England he was quite local to me. I had him evaluate my Serow seat, replace and bulk up the foam in my standard seat. He then recovers the seat. Time will tell how much difference he has made but it surely cannot be worse than the standard, 30 year old foam!

Having cold hands is no fun as I’m sure you are all aware. If you haven’t invested in a pair of heated grips then what are you waiting for?! I use the Oxford grips, tried and tested by tens of thousands of bikers. These feature a smart controller which is easy to use and provides multiple levels of heat. Having only a small alternator on my XT225 I use my heated grips conservatively but having toasty hands makes every cooler trip awesome.

A pair of hand-guards is a common sight on a lot of dual sport bikes, an easy aftermarket add-on that helps protects the levers and your hands better. The pair of handguards I use on all my bikes are inexpensive and feature a spoiler/extension. This helps keeps the worst of the weather off of your hands and does seem to keep a lot of the wind out of the sleeves of your jacket.

Choosing a tent would be a critical decision that would make a huge difference to the trip experience. When touring and camping I find it very important that you have plenty of space. Some days you may be stuck in the tent, either because of whether, mechanical problems or perhaps you just need a day or two in one place. The tent is your home away from home, invest in something that will work for you. I have found that I must have a large porch area, somewhere to sit in, somewhere to cook in, to change out of wet clothes and store biking clothing. I like my tents to be lightweight and pack down small, that’s why I don’t mind investing more than the average motorcycle tourer.

It’s important to have a versatile setup when touring. You never know where you may find yourself at the end of the day. I carry a bivvy bag with me for a few reasons: firstly, they are discreet and easy to set up and pack away, I can pull my bike up behind a wall, in some trees, lay my bag out and sleep in it, then when I arise, shake it, roll it up and I’m away again. I sometimes prefer to use them when the weather is really wet or windy, where I would not want to expose my tent to too much weather. Finally, I can take a bivvy bag in my backpack and go hiking for a number of days without having to haul my tent out with me.

In addition to my bivvy bag, I carry a medium size tarp. Usually this is tied between the floor and my bike or between a number of bikes to create a quick and easy bivouac while I eat and sleep. Not only can they be used to keep the rain off, but they can prove useful for keeping the harsh mid-day sun off you while you eat lunch In Morocco!

A good quality down sleeping is a great investment if you intend on doing an extended motorcycle tour. Even in summer, the temperatures at altitude can be very cold and miserable weather spells are always possible. A cold night is something that can be prevented and a good down bag is definitely a worthwhile investment.