On most departures the bike is in the package—you are not picking a YouTube dream, but fit for height and route. Vietnam program lists BMW GS, Honda CB500X, CRF300, Royal Enfield Himalayan. Morocco—Yamaha Tenere 700, BMW R 1250 GS, F 850 GS. Garden Route and Balkans—GS, Africa Twin, KTM Adventure. Mistake—putting a 165 cm rider on R 1250 GS without heavy-bike gravel experience toward Ban Gioc. We lock model at booking after an honest talk about weight and previous bike.
Vietnam: light vs heavy
Himalayan and CRF300—lower center of gravity, forgives mistakes on wet switchbacks to Dong Van. CB500X—weight sweet spot.
GS—for riders already used to 900+ cc in mountains. On Ma Pi Leng a heavy bike demands confident throttle and wrist fatigue by afternoon.
Morocco: Tenere and GS on long days
Tenere 700—balance on gravel toward Merzouga. R 1250 GS—comfort on 300 km pavement, taller seat.
F 850 GS—compromise for 170–180 cm height. No pillion on this route—long days.
How we lock the bike at booking
Send height, weight, previous bike, and date of last long ride. We check fleet remainder for your calendar date.
On-site model swap only if a free bike exists post-briefing—do not plan “we’ll sort it in Hanoi” without margin.
| Tour | Models | Pillion | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| vietnam-due-north | GS/CB500X/Himalayan | yes | switchbacks |
| morocco-atlas-8d | Tenere/GS/F850 | no | 200–350 km/day |
| garden-route-gs | GS/Africa Twin/KTM | yes | pavement |
| balkans-non-schengen-8d | GS/Africa Twin/KTM | yes | mountains |
FAQ
01Own helmet?
Yes if certified with pinlock for long days. We check camera mounts at briefing.
02Own bike?
Catalog departures use organizer bikes. Carnet and customs—separate track, email before deposit.
03Automatic gearbox?
Fleet is manual adventure/enduro. Short experience—look for higher asphalt % in surfaceRu (Garden Route ~90%), but that audience still expects mountain riding—not “beginner easy.”