Partners

 

For years we've been observing that the German clothing company Modeka willingly supports moto-travelers.  Also in our case, the producer showed how a good partnership should work. The extremely friendly and helpful team from the local shop armed us almost from head to toe with clothes, which help to protect us in all weather conditions during long expeditions. Joki's choice fell on a set of Magellanic, which offered a lightweight three-layer jacket and is made of quick-drying material with a Sympatex membrane. Liwia chose the Tacoma Lady jacket because of the high quality materials and a good ventilation. She matched the jacket with Kim Lady trousers. Hands are protected and heated by the Stavanger gloves with a waterproof membrane. The Dakar Summer Mesh gloves should be perfect for the summer heats.

Since we have purchased Intercom Sena SMH5, we discovered a totally new standard of motorcycle communication (no cables finally!) and liked their products. We even decided to share our experience with this intercom on our blog. That's why we were glad to enter into cooperation with Sena during our long expedition through Americas, where we could test a new set of Intercom Sena 20S and camera Prism.

The time to change helmets has come and great support has been provided by Caberg, Italian producer of helmets since 1974. The brand prides itself on products that have captivating designs, combined with avant-garde and innovative modern technology. They have also received top marks in the SHARP safety tests. Therefore, we were over the moon after receiving our dreamed-of Drift Tour model from the latest collection. We are talking about a tricomposite shell with optimized ventilation system and removable liner made with hypoallergenic fabrics, with space dedicated to speakers and mic. It comes additionally equipped with integrated sunshade visor Double Visor Tech, visor quick release system, double anti-turbulence neck roll, fog resistant and anti-scratch visor and tilting visor, a double D-ring buckle, removable stop-wind and rain protection rims. The whole helmet weighs only 1350 grams, making it the perfect helmet for long trips.

Brubeck provided us with thermoactive clothing and seamless underwear that protects us both against the frost of alpine routes (Active Wool series) as well as the heat of the southern countries (the Cooler system), which particularly helps when travelling in 30+ degrees weather in full motorcycle gear. In turn, the sweatshirts with membrane (see below) are perfect for outdoor activities. Brubeck is a Polish manufacturer, specializing in design and production of thermo clothing for over 10 years. The brand supports expeditions all around the world. They use solutions based on scientific research and the personal experiences of professional athletes. Therefore, we’re very glad to have the chance to test the clothes on our own skin too.

Before a long trip on our 650 GS Dakar, the priority for us was the replacement of the rear suspension and front springs to progressive ones. These are important elements that have to withstand the pressure of heavy luggage while driving in diverse, often rugged terrain. The support in selecting the suspension we received from Hans-Dieter Fisher who represents TFX Suspension from the Netherlands. Our experience with this suspension we described in the post: "Choosing the right suspension for a motorcycle expedition".

 

We got interested in the down sleeping bags from Cumulus mainly for two reasons: firstly, this is a Polish company founded by an enthusiast of mountain tourism which has been successfully expanding in the market for over 20 years. Secondly, their sleeping bags are ultra lightweight compared to the competition. Not surprisingly, the goal of Cumulus is to offer the lightest sleeping bags and down-filled clothing in the world. For this purpose they select the lightest and, highest quality fabrics available. And since a vagabond existence requires a good sleeping bag to ensure a good night's sleep, we put our hopes in goose feathers. It is supposed to warm us up even in alpine temperatures. Liwia's Tenqua weighs 700 grams and should do good even at minus 17 C degrees, while the 600 gram Joki's Panyam at minus 13 C. We will check that and pay our respects to Cumulus if cold nights in the tent are finally a thing of the past.

 

Thanks to the support of Marselus we will always be equipped with a supply of water and gasoline. Bottle holders made of stainless steel and 2-liter canister have been mounted to the cases. Marselus has a wide range of additions to enduro motorcycles. Their offer includes, inter alia, cases, bags, motorcycle guards and many other accessories useful for motorbike touring.

 

For years we've been looking for clothing that we can rely on when driving in the rain. The rainproof sets from the American manufacturer Olympia proven to be unbeatable in every way. Finally, the great quality goes along with a light weight and small size after packing it. We can put on this two-piece suit easily even when wearing a full gear and boots. The material additionally protects from the wind, it's well visible in the fog, and with the specially designed hood that goes under the helmet, we can be sure that even one drop will not fall under the collar. It just does its job perfectly, you can tell it's been designed by motorcyclists.

 

One day at the motorcycle rally we noticed these cool mirrors on one dual-sport bike: you can fold them when riding off-road, they don't break and have an outstanding visibility. This product is made by Double Take Mirror. As you can probably guess, the mirrors are so good, because designed by a motorcyclist, who was frustrated after too many broken designs and decided to make one himself! And there we go, we've installed these indestructible mirrors, which we can set the way we like, adjust their angle or even totally disassemble to use for other personal purposes (nothing is better than multi-functional equipment to save some space in the luggage!) Many thanks to Adventure Mirror LLC for this valuable element on our Dakar!