Official Touratech Partners Back to News List

compexp on 19 February 2014

Compass Expeditions has had a long history with Touratech products and is pleased to announce that we are now Official Touratech Partners.

Modern Adventure motorcycles are specifically designed to take you with confidence to parts of the world that inspire and challenge the rider. With this enhanced freedom though it is more important than ever to ensure that your motorcycle is as thoroughly protected as possible. This is true either for the weekend explorer, or for those who are partaking in a much longer cross-continent or Round the World type journey. On a challenging ride it is likely that at some point the bike will be “laid down” and often it is these slow moving drops that can have the heaviest impact on a motorcycle engine, frame or exposed levers and bars.

The first time that Mick McDonald, the founder of Compass Expeditions, ventured out on his epic journey from London to Magadan he was selective in the equipment that he would be using on his BMW R1200GS. The trip itself was approximately 28,500 kilometres and would run across all types of surface. The asphalt roads of Europe would provide the least difficulty for the bike and the potholed dirt roads of Mongolia and the stone and gravel roads through eastern Russia and Siberia providing the toughest test of the bikes endurance. The riding itself was not particularly challenging but the relentless shaking due to the corrugations in the surface tested the bike and the rider’s resilience.

Mick decided that Touratech was the best source of protective equipment for his R1200 GS and fitted the bike with engine and frame guards, handguards and panniers. Throughout the trip the bike inevitably was dropped in the snowy conditions, hit against rocks during water crossings and had stones flicked against the headlight and panels from other passing vehicles.

“A journey of this distance and in these conditions is tough for any rider and their machine,” said Mick, “but we came though to Magadan after having covered a quarter of the earths surface without damage to the bike!”

Our Touratech Ride Leader Bike during a break in Chile

After the trip the same bike and Touratech accessories continued to be used as a ride leader bike and as part of our Australia Motorcycle Rental fleet.

In 2013/14 we fit Touratech Accessories to our motorcycles in Australia and in South America, trusting them to protect our investment whether they go out on a rental into the Australian desert or they are crossing the high mountain passes of the Andes.

Compass Expeditions - Touratech Kitted Bike in Perito Moreno

A Compass Expeditions Touratech equipped Bike in Perito Moreno

Touratech recently outfitted the crew at Compass Expeditions, the only motorcycle tour company to be included in National Geographics’s “Top 50 tours of a lifetime” list. Following a recent ride to the Moreno Glacier in Argentina, Mick McDonald was able to provide some feedback regarding the Touratech accessories installed on his BMW F700GS.

“Working as a guide for Compass Expeditions I have the opportunity to test our bikes, equipment and accessories in the harsh environments of the South American roads. Touratech accessories fitted to our bikes are handling these conditions superbly protecting our bikes. The crash bars, for example, offers excellent protection on our fleet of BMW F700GSs saving the oil filter and heat exchanger from the notorious “Ripio”, additionally the crash bars are solid and can definitely take the hit.The design of the accessories offers a really good fit to our BMWs, and clients not only appreciate the excellent protection that the Touratech accessories provide but they also look good, why spend many thousands of dollars on you bike to fit rubbish on it?With a fleet of over 30 motorcycles located around the world Compass Expeditions needs a product that will not only provide protection but also look good and most of all be functional. Something often overlooked when selecting your protective equipment for your bike is “how does it fit?” we have found with Touratech that every part is perfectly machined to offer a hassle free fitment and that is important when you have over 30 bikes! In the rough and tumble world of motorcycle touring, and more so motorcycle rental, bikes get used and certainly abused we demand the best, that’s why Compass Expeditions chooses Touratech to protect our valuable assets.”

Touratech is the world’s leading accessory manufacturer for the touring, rally and adventure motorcycle market.

Starting in 1990, Touratech has turned into a global company with over 200 employees and distributors in over 30 countries.

With a passion for adventure, Touratech founder, Herbert Schwarz, has turned a hobby into a worldwide business that produces over 5000 products.

Perfect for all conditions, Touratech equipment is made desert tough, while precision engineering makes for a perfect fit every time.

Whether it’s a set of crash bars or a vibration-free GPS mount, with thousands of products catering for most of the popular bike brands, Touratech have the gear for your next adventure.

Touratech Australia can be found at http://www.touratech.com.au/home/

Touratech USA can be found at http://www.touratech-usa.com

Touratech Germany can be found at http://www.touratech.de/en/touratech/touratech-germany.html