To travel around the world, we have to adjust the bikes and prepare them as ‚travel bikes’. The most important adjustment is the possibility to take luggage. Buying a bag does not do the job. The bags have to be fitted to the bike and -maybe even more importantly- the bike has to be able to carry the extra weight. To be able to drive comfortably and safely with luggage, we had the shocks and the suspension adjusted.
On the Africa Twin and the Transalp, the bikes on which we travelled earlier, we had the shocks and the suspension replaced by Hyperpro. Both the quality of the gear, as well as the service of Hyperpro had been great. When we decided to replace these parts on the new CRFs, the choice for Hyperpro was easy.
In the beginning of March we took the first bike to Hyperpro in Alphen aan den Rijn. That branch is led by Bas, a great guy who has a lot of experience with preparing ‘travel bikes’. After tugging and pulling the CRF it was clear that the shocks and the suspension that were installed by Honda were too soft for travelling with luggage. This had to be adjusted. We chose to modify the front suspension (progressive spring) and to put in a fully adjustable shock at the back (with a progressive spring). These adjustments help to make sure that the bike remains stable on the road, even when it gets bumpy. This is not only important for a comfortable ride, but also for our safety.
As the CRF250L is a relatively new bike, Hyperpro did not have the parts in its product line yet. Our bike went to the design-team of Hyperpro, which used the bike to develop the new parts. After a few weeks, the parts were ready so Bas and David could start installing it on the bike.
The (settings of the) shock absorber and suspension are tailored made for us. They did not only take into account the weight of the luggage, but also our height, our weight and our personal preferences. My bike is therefore slightly lower than the bike of Peter, so I can easily reach the ground. We also had a pre-load adjuster installed. This allows us to easily adjust the shock absorber in height, depending on the amount of luggage we drive with.
After the parts were installed on the first bike, we swapped the motorbikes. The second motorbike is now ready and both bikes have already been tested several times with luggage. We are very happy with the result!