...or cheap and nasty?
We wrote an earlier blog about the down side of buying cheap products, 'buy cheap, buy twice' but also it has to be said in the same breath that not everything with a high price tag is necessarily worth the extra bucks.
A friend recently picked up a nearly new R1250 GSA at a superb price and was now deep in thought at the 'extras' they would need to go with it.
It reminded me of my own experience of pannier bags. A while ago I purchased, alongside a wonderful 2018 R1200GSA, a complete set of pannier liners from BMW to go within. Expertly crafted and extremely practical, they nevertheless set me back nearly
£300 of my hard earned in order to get my neatly folded (yeah right!) clothes etc from the panniers on my motorcycle to the hotel room. That was it! That was all I used them for. Sure I saw the potential of strapping the bags to the top externally and giving myself even more usability, but for my needs, I'd used a sledgehammer to crack a walnut.
Fast forward to the next time I need some and knowing now that the only task I needed from my pannier bags was to keep my clothes, shoes, dhoby bag etc clean and safe with in the pannier I searched
the net for alternatives to the BMW roll bags. Hey-presto - eBay and £30 later, a mere 10% of the price of the BMW ones, I purchased some 'cheap and cheerful pannier bags. Job done! I could go a stage further and use rubble sacks but I have to draw the line somewhere and I don't think it would look as professional throwing a bin liner over my shoulder at the hotel.
Finally for now - Boots! Another highly opinionated purchase and one as individual as the foot using them! I simply must sing the praises of our Forma Adventure Boots. While there is another easy opportunity to splash vast amounts of cash on bespoke made to measure or off the shelf, Italiano Leather Eskimo crafted, whale blunder insulated, sheep wool lined super boots with bells on, I have always been keen to get what works for me as I possess a couple of hobbit feet. Yes, my hairy little feet are a little wide for their length. It goes with my stocky frame I suppose, and finding the right boot has always been a challenge.
Introducing the Forma Adventure boot! If you are in the market for a top performance adventure boot without a mortgage, these are the boots for you! They certainly work for me! Believe it or not, I was never a fan of dedicated motorcycle boots (yes I hear the road safety experts spit their coffee out) but for tours I was doing a fair bit of walking during the day alongside my riding, I opted (sorry!) for good comfy walking boots over bike boots simply because my hobbit feet found the fit of most bike boots painful. Then I heard about the Forma Adventure boot and I have never looked back. Not only superb on the bike, but excellent off too. I would go as far as saying they are nearly as comfortable as most of my everyday shoes I wear, well everyday!
As if comfort were not enough, the low version of the boots can be found by most outlets for under £150 making them exceedingly good value. My own pair have now seen use through all sorts of weather conditions and been completely used and abuse for about 4 years with no 'treatment' and, while looking a little weathered, are still working well.
In my honest opinion, if Carlsberg made motorcycle boots - They would be like this.
So, there you have it. My quick opinion on a couple of great value alternatives to spending the world on brands.
Not all that glitters is gold!
We are keen to hear of your experiences of kit, bikes, accommodation and routes so feel free to write up your experiences and we can share them here. Register on our blog and leave comments and opinions. We look forward to reading them.
It just remains for me to remind you of our tours for 2022. It is cheeky to say that things look like they are returning to normal but the future is certainly brighter and one thing Covid has shown us, is that it's important to seize the day! Our tours are filling so if you are contemplating coming along with us it may be worth booking sooner rather than later. Oh and don't forget free Oxford Jeans with every booking for 2022.
Keep the rubber on the road!
John at Moto Ventura
Moto Ventura Motorcycle Tours - Maximum Smiles Per Gallon
'Open Road... Open Mind'
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