Motorcycle Gear: What Our Guides Use and Trust
Even for our expedition leaders and guides, it’s not always easy to select the perfect gear. After years of trial and error, this list outlines what our team has used in the past, or will be using for the 2024 season. (Please note: we receive no incentives or commissions on the links below)
WOMEN’S SUGGESTIONS: While many of these items are offered in male-only variants, many items have women-specific options.
HELMETS
Our preferred lids are open-faced 3/4 helmets for a variety of reasons. Because we travel at slower speeds due to the nature of the roads, ventilation is a big factor. Full-faced and modular helmets don’t flow enough air for hot days on small tracks. We do recommend “adventure” or “dual sport” helmets for those wanting more protection without sacrificing ventilation.
Bell Custom 500: Great quality, runs small, doesn’t fit all heads. Looks darn cool.
Biltwell Bonanza: Superb quality. Extremely comfortable. One of our favorite and most well-worn helmets.
LS2 Drifter: Great features, drop-down shield, nice visor, and lightweight construction. A perfect helmet for Nepal.
Boots
It’s never an easy choice, but boots are a critical consideration as foot injuries are all too common in the rough terrain of the Himalayas. Our guides prefer boots with exceptional comfort off the bike as we spend a lot of time exploring and walking in the small villages of Nepal.
REV’IT! Pioneer GTX: Superb travel boot for those wanting something easy to pack, knowing the shorter cuff will not offer protection at the shin. Exceptionally comfortable and lightweight, these feel more like a hiking boot than a motorcycle boot while still affording great protection of foot and ankle.
Stylmartin Matrix: Made in Montebelluna, Italy, the epicenter of the boot making world, these are fantastic boots the Far Xplorer founder has worn over the course of thousands of miles in the Himalayas. Once broken in, they have slipper-like comfort, easy to get on/off, and offer great performance when riding and walking. And they look great. As a bonus, they’re lighter than most boots.
Alpinestars Toucan GTX: For riders wanting more protection than a touring boot, but not as much as a proper off-road, boot, the Toucan is the ultimate adventure touring option - for our guides. We love the quality and performance on the bike, although they sacrifice a bit of off-bike walking comfort. A great choice if you want more protection.
Jackets
Given the warmer temps of the lowlands and foothills, we don’t often wear Gore Tex jackets as they lack the ventilation to be comfortable at slow speeds when temps exceed 80F. For spring travels, mesh or lightweight jackets with superior venting are the best way to go.
Klim Marrakech Mesh: This is a great jacket for Himalayan travel in the spring and in milder weeks of the fall season in the high peaks. As an added bonus, it’s light enough to pack easily for long travels.
REV’IT Sand 4 H20: A more traditional jacket, the Sand has exceptionally good ventilation and can be layered to meet the demands of riding in any season.
Rukka Airventure Mesh: We have logged many a mile in this fantastic mesh jacket. Even in blistering temps it flows air throughout the entire body. In cool temps, an outer rain layer cuts the wind to increase thermal retention, although it’s best for warmer days.
Pants
This is another tough decision. For the most part, our guides tend to wear lighter pants suitable for travel as much as riding. We do like pants with at least CE Level 1 armor in the knees. We often pair non-motorcycle pants with knee pads, like the Leatt 3DF 6.0 Knee Guards. They fit nicely under most pants.
Fjallraven Keb Trousers: These are not motorcycle pants, but our lead guides often pair them with additional knee pads underneath to make for a lightweight, well ventilated and comfortable pair of light travel/riding pants. Just be aware, these offer the least amount of protection from abrasion and impact. This is our favorite adventure pant for all things Himalayan. From trekking to wearing in camp. We can’t travel without these pants.
Klim Outrider Pants: More like heavy chinos than motorcycle pants, these offer all-day comfort in a pant that feels as good off the bike as it does on. Great for all seasons, although a bit warm in the upper 80s, they offer good protection. They do need to be paired with waterproof pants as once wet they are slow to dry.
REV’IT! Sand 4 H2) Pants: For people inclined to wear more traditional adventure style pants, we like the Sand 4 pants.
Bonus Option
The Kuhl Above the Law pant ($160) - This is a rugged and heavy duty pant, but lighter and much more comfortable than many motorcycle pants. Likely too warm for the hottest days (over 80F), they are great for fall travels. They will need to be paired with rain pants as they do not dry quickly. Our expedition leader likes to pack these for fall rides.
Gloves
The bumpy roads of Nepal provide a firm handshake with the bars, so quality gloves are a good idea. In general you won’t need anything warm or waterproof, but light and comfortable. Gloves that are easy to get on/off are a plus as we stop frequently. Which gloves to get is an easy question for us. We use Racer Gloves.
With a large range of gloves on offer, we prefer the Pitlane. Light enough to offer supreme comfort on warm days, they’re like second skin after a few rides. The fit and comfort is unmatched. Protective but not cumbersome, they allow us to easily use zippers and phones without feeling like we’re wearing oven mitts. There are other gloves in the Racer lineup worth considering like the Mickey. For riders who prefer a softer knuckle guard, they are extremely comfortable.
A FOCUS ON TRAVEL & COMFORT
The most important factor with selection our gear is finding systems that perform as well on the bike as off. Heavy riding suits like the Klim Badlands, REV’IT! Defender, and others built for high-speed, high-impact crashes, tend to be too hot, and too cumbersome for our guides. We like to be able to step off the bike and not only be comfortable when walking around villages and small communities, but also sitting at a lunch table, or in a villager’s quaint home.
We also - don’t like looking too much like astronauts. That alone helps us feel more connected to the people of Nepal and not like aliens on invasion.
THIS IS WHAT WE WEAR - BUT IT MAY NOT WORK FOR YOU.
It’s most important to mention that while this is what we wear, you should always wear what you feel is most prudent - FOR YOU!
CHOSING YOUR COLORS
Few things make us as nervous as a rider clad in all black. On our routes we will pop around thousands of blind turns on narrow mountain roads. We will pass by thousands of side roads and intersections. If you are dressed like a shadow, our lead guide will ask you tuck in right behind him for the entire ride. Visibility is serious business in Nepal. Save the black for Johnny Cash and Batman.
COLORS FOR PHOTOS: Most of our riders can’t wait to return home with a bunch of amazing images of their adventure. In the high contrast environments of the Himalayas, or the dappled light of the foothills, capturing good images of riders clad in all black is virtually impossible. If you want the best photos of you in action, toss in some colors.