I will ride from Melbourne to the Finke Desert Race on Queen’s Birthday long weekend on 10th - 14th, June 2022. It’s a 7500km trip through the Australian outback. It’s my first time out there and I look forward to checking out Uluru and the many National Parks, pubs and people scattered along the way.
Low-cost, modern and reliable, this 157kg dual purpose bike is perfect to go around the world. It's based on the tried and tested Honda CRF250L and has a larger fuel tank, windshield, and LED headlights. It was picked up second-hand for just under $5,000 AUD with 7,000km on the clock.
You can read more about why I chose the Honda CRF250 Rally here.
Update: 3/3/2020 I made the uncertain and unfortunate call to cancelled the trip after 6 months of dedicated planning and hard work. This is based on a projected spread of the virus and reports of border closures with Iran and China. I expect the virus to become pandemic with further uncertainty and closures. Catching this early means I can stay at work and keep my house. Thank you all for your support.
I'm 5"5' and am vertically challenged. My inseam is 28" and while the CRF250 Rally has a modest seat height of 32.5 (895mm) plus a lot of sag at the factory setting, it doesn't give me lots of confidence at low speed. I don't want to sacrifice ride height and I don't mind sitting on a plank so I decided to lower the seat.
Heated grips make life in cold weather more bearable. My hands bear the brunt of morning frost, high altitude chill and wet weather. Thick gloves help but they stiffen my hands and reduce the feel of the handlebars and throttle.
The standard grips are small, hard and uncomfortable. I don't love them and I need to take them off to install heated elements. I decided to replace them with Pro Taper Pillow Tops after I saw another bike with them on advrider's Honda CRF250 Rally Owners thread.
Do not use a quad lock off-road on a phone with optical image stabilization (OIS). It will destroy the camera. My iPhone 7 was killed. This affects most modern smartphones from 2015 onwards. Check with your manufacturer if your phone has OIS.
This rock solid 4mm aluminum solid bashplate replaces the flimsy plastic one that comes standard on the CRF250 Rally. The fit and finish is perfect. It slots into the fairings seamlessly, the bolts line up and its a cinch to install. There's even a careful layer of foam where the plate touches the frame.
Simple and tough, this Melbourne made roll-top design is made of a thick one piece canvas. The bottom has no seams where tears are most likely to occur. The absence of zippers makes the bag easy-to-access and big buckles for when you have motorbike gloves on.
You get a lot of value for money with the Tusk Pannier Rack for the CRF250 Rally. I'm not 100% sold. They are heavy, the fit and finish isn't perfect and you loose the passenger foot-pegs. But, they are cheap (if you live in the USA), have a great flat top plate and simple quick release system.
A lifesaving upgrade that adds over 50% more light to the CRF250 Rally's arsenal. The standard LED headlamps are great for the street but not for extended remote riding in complete darkness.
The standard CRF250 Rally comes with a 10.1 litre tank. It's good for around 300km @ 3l/100km. It isn't enough for long-haul adventure riding plus, no one likes refueling.
The standard handguards are shit so I threw them in the bin.
You need a strong two-point handguard. One with a strong piece of metal secured tightly from the middle of the handlebar to the bar-end. You need these for a few reasons: