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Cover Your Ass

Comfort upgrades like the Saddlemen's Adventure TRACK seat reduce fatique and make your journey more enjoyable. Adventure riders spend a lot of time on and over the saddle.

If the saddle is too wide you get good comfort while seated, but standing on the pegs can be awkward. If too narrow you quickly get the requisite sore ass. Luckily, Saddlemen Motorcycle Seats offers a rugged, purpose-built design perfect for the demands of long-distance adventure riding.

You can choose from their high quality pre-fabricated replacement saddles or work with the design team for a custom option using your existing seat pan. For our GS project bike, we opted to customize the optional BMW Rally seat based on the Saddlemen Adventure TRACK design.

The thoughtful placement of seams to avoid pressure points, along with the added Saddlegel inserts, deliver unparalleled comfort in a saddle designed for true adventure riding. During the process, the designer took the time to understand our specific needs to get the contours and gel placement just right.

We chose to cover the seat with their “gripper” material to give stable contact while riding standing or seated. The quality of materials and impeccable workmanship make this a worthy and extremely durable upgrade for those long days in the saddle.

Winch in a Pinch

When things don't go as planned-WARN offers the XT17 portable winch that will keep you moving even when caught in a bind. Although never recommended, I sometimes ride alone. Getting your bike stuck in deep mud is a quick reminder why that is a bad idea.

When a buddy tow is nowhere in sight, the WARN XT17 winch becomes your new best friend. The XT17 is specifically designed for motorcycles/ATVs and at only 8.5 pounds it can pull up to an impressive 1,700 pounds over 40 feet on bike battery power.

You have to carry additional equipment for operation: the power cable, the wired remote control, a tree saver strap, and additional rigging straps. But it’s quick and easy to use when needed. This versatile solution can be used at any angle of attack and you can even get creative and rig the winch to remove a downed tree blocking the trail.

There are two optional kits for operating the winch—a handlebar-mounted control or the corded remote. We chose the wired remote for additional versatility and to ease transfer from bike to bike. Unfortunately there’s no easy disconnect on the winch for the wired remote.