The Gear

Firstly, I’m going to say that I wouldn’t tour on anything smaller than a 300cc. And even then, it needs to be a good, fuel injected, 300cc. I’m currently touring on a 2020 Honda XRE300 and its great. For me, the balance of weight, power, and agility is what you want. Anything over 300 and you’re going to increase your comfort but also your running cost. For this Category, I’m going to say you don’t want to ride on anything that cost less than $4,000. Trust me, I’ve tried it, and it’s a pain. But it can be done. It just depends on how much you want to spend on breakdowns. When all is said and done, I think you should be able to sell a bike like that for $3000. So the expense here for the year is going to be a grand. $1000

Luggage — I don’t use it. I just have bags and straps. Some of the places I go, places I sleep, etc, they really would not allow me to make my moto any more wide than it already is. For example, the place Im staying right now near the border of Ecuador and Colombia, the hallway to the garage is barely wide enough to get my bike in. If I had saddlebags, that would be hard no. But dont worry, straps are really all you need. I’ve never had a single issue strapping anything to my bike. It’s easy when done right. I’m going to put this at $100-$1500 for the luggage.. This stuff gets used and very few people want someone elses tank bag. So Im going to put the total cost of luggage at $500.

Variable Costs

Maintenance, tires, oil changes, Chain, lube, etc. These are expenses you wont recover. A motorcycle, when you’re done, can allow you to recoup some of your costs. But these wear items, when they’re done, they’re done. So lets say you do 15,000 miles in a year. Thats two chains, maybe a sprocket, and 4 oil changes. So lets round up to $200 for maintenance for the year. Now, gasoline. Where I am, it’s $2.50 per gallon. And I just checked my MPG meter on the big and Im getting 38KM/liter. That equates to 89 MPG. Wow! This Honda XRE sips fuel. So 15,000 / 89 = 170 gallons for the whole trip. Thats $425. So we’re talking $625 total for variable running costs on the moto for the year.

Insurance

I enjoy sleeping. I bought insurance thats valid in basically all of the andinos. Thats Peru, Colombia, and ecuador. Sometimes, I sleep in sketchy places. That insurance for 1 year in south america cost $475. Really not that bad. And it covers theft, acciedents, etc.

Accommodation

This one is going to have a lot of range. IF you stay in decent hostals, which is as cheap as I would go, that’s going to run you $9/night all included. A nice place for a short term stay in south america is going to be about $30/night. So lets put this cost in the middle at 20 bucks a night for they year. That’s $7,300

Food

This one is going to vary as well. But damn, eating is cheap here. For example, this morning, I had a decent breakfast at a little restaurant for $1.50. Thats eggs, rice, plantanos, and two cups of coffee. So really, even if you eat out every now and again, you’re going to struggle to spend more than $15/day on food. So lets call it $10 on average or $3600 for the year.

Entertainment

Entertainment is cheap. Really, I think you’d have trouble spending over $1500 on fun for the year. Thats beers, activities, etc. So $1500

Summing it all up

1000 + 500 + 625 + 425 + 7300 + 3600 + 1500 = $14,995. Darn, that is one cheap year of the best adventure of your life.

Can you travel the world by motorcycle?

Yes, you absolutely can. If you can get the visas, then you can do it. I made the above calculator so that you can plan the trip costs. You just need to ask yourself, are you up to the challenge? Are you hard enough to do it? You could travel the world on foot if you had the drive. So ask yourself, why are you doing it? What is your why? For me, Im not leaving a single stone unturned on this planet. And when I’m done seeing it all, I’ll do it all over again.

How do I plan a Motorcycle Trip?

• Budget — How much money do you have? Because as this grows, your options grow. So the first question you need to ask yourself is how much do you plan on spending on the whole trip.
• Destination – Where are you going to and where are you coming from? This will dictate the following bullets.
• Motorcycle Type – Are you doing tail of the dragon? Are you touring south america? Well you need to pick the right bike. Generally speaking, there is a gradient that goes from sport bike to adventure bike. Sport bikes have the fewest uses and adventure bikes are the most multi-purpose. In my opinion, if you have a vstrom-1000 or KTM790 Adventure R, there is no ride you cant do.
• Get Your Maintenance Up To Date – Need new sprokets? Oil Change? Chain? Coolant flush? Do these before the trip but dont do it the week before. Give it a few weeks to sort out any potential problems
• Buddy up – Consider becoming part of a group or bringing someone along on a separate bike.
• Plan your pit stops – Along your route, make sure you know where you can get gas and food.
• Take your time – The journey is the fun so do not rush. Stop often and stretch
• Charge up or bring a power bank – Its important to have your cell fully charged or charing on your bike
• Pack Extra Gear – Warm gloves, cooler or warmer clothing than anticipated, these will all make the journey that much easier