The right motorcycle for you
Adventure motorcycles are typically divided into three categories: lightweight (200-500 cc), middleweight (up to 900 cc) and heavyweight (1000 cc and over). These categories are not only determined by engine size but also physical weight.
Take the lightweight motorcycle, the Honda CRF300L, for example. It weighs a mere 142 kg, which makes it especially suitable if you intend riding an extreme route. If, instead, you’re planning a trip from Agulhas in the Cape to Nordkapp in Norway, then a lightweight motorcycle might sound like the wrong choice. Who, after all, wants to ride 17 000 km at 90 km/h?
Well, north of Angola, you will almost never get a chance to go faster than that as the rainforests of Central Africa simply don’t allow it. (Check out Onno Sakkers’ Congo story on p 66.) After the rainforests, the Sahara awaits, and here a light motorcycle makes even more sense.
When you’re stuck in the mud of the Congo or on Niger’s sand dunes, you’ll be grateful that you have to wrestle with “only” 142 kg – instead of the 248 kg of a 1 000 cc Honda Africa Twin.
When you get to Europe’s highways, you’ll probably despair over your modest motorcycle, but the moment you enter the icy plains of the Arctic Circle, you’ll once again be thankful that you’re on something light and easy.
A lightweight bike is fuel efficient, and easy to maintain and repair as it is usually simple in terms of mechanics.
The disadvantage of a lightweight dual sport motorcycle is that you can destroy it on a highway. In 2008, I joined two friends on a ride from Lesotho to Cape Town in one day. Pieter was on a BMW 1200GS, Jan on a Kawasaki KLR650 and I was on a Suzuki DRZ400. Pieter barely felt the journey of 1100 km on his GS; Jan’s KLR (the red mule) gave him a workout. As for me, my torture ended at the Huguenot tunnel – that’s where my DRZ400’s engine seized. The rear wheel locked up and smoke bubbled from the engine and exhaust pipe – it was tickets for my poor little Suzuki.
Which was the better choice, then: the heavyweight adventure motorcycle like Pieter’s 1200GS or the middle ground of Jan’s KLR650?
People do round-the-world trips on various types of motorcycles, and you must decide for yourself what your motorcycle tours require. Dutchman Sjaak Lucassen covered 250 000 km on a Yamaha R1 superbike, while South African Michael Strauss travelled through Africa to Italy on a Vespa. So, if someone tells you that one motorcycle is the only choice for tackling a certain terrain, you know it’s simply their opinion.
That said, if you intend to crisscross the southern half of Namibia within a week, then a heavyweight adventure motorcycle would probably be the better choice. This is especially true if your partner wants to ride pillion.
Should you be considering an epic trip around the world, a midweight motorcycle, such as Michnus
