“One special moment was when we stopped for lunch at a “Dahba” (Restaurant) in a small town somewhere in India. There were two older lady’s and they beckoned Xenia so they could get a closer look at this European, strong, motorcycle-riding women. They touched Xenia’s skin, touched her back to feel how strong she is, and inspected her Klim motorcycle pants. They never saw this sort of fabric and the protectors in it. Xenia asked about the nose piercing and the lady’s asked about Xenia’s lip piercing. The two lady’s where smiling the whole time, even when they did not understand one word Xenia was saying, but they did understand what Xenia meant. It was two different worlds getting in touch with each other, in a very open and curious almost childlike way.”
A similar level of wonder fuels XT Adventures, the culmination of Xenia and Martin’s (Tinu for short) desire to travel the world together. The Swiss couple first met in Cusco, Peru, through a mutual friend, despite having grown up not 30 kms apart from each other back in their native Switzerland. Xenia was backpacking and had coincidentally already applied for her motorcycle learning license while Tinu was on a six month trip by motorcycle with one of his friends. Initially, the idea to set off on a world adventure was Xenia’s. “When we were on a safari in Tanzania she was enjoying the nature and camping when she came up with the idea to explore Africa on a motorcycle.” Tinu, in turn, decided that Africa might probably not be the most accessible place on earth to start with a long trip. So they decided to start with the Silkroad and head down to New Zealand, Australia and then after having picked up some experience to head back home to Europe through Africa.
The trip was two years in the making. “It took some courage to just stop our “normal life” and start something totally different. It took us one year of preparation to go through the whole process while we’d already been saving for a year before that. Checking where we can spend less or make some more money through extra jobs while even selling stuff we no longer needed.” Sorting out insurance, bank accounts and credit cards to set it up as cheap as possible for traveling can be challenging. “There was a lot of paperwork to quit our jobs and other contracts like mobile phone, TV, internet, gym and train subscription as well to sort out all the papers for the state and Switzerland.” During this time they also managed to do rider training, a part of the preparation sometimes overlooked for world travelers. Tinu is a seasoned rider, but Xenia only started riding in 2013 and still rides the first bike she’s ever bought. “My idea was to own and travel on an off-road capable bike from the beginning.”
Tinu’s Yamaha XT 660 ZA Ténéré named Kira II is a 2011 ABS version that was bought in 2013 with around 310 miles / 500 kilometers on the clock. With a wet weight of around 485 pounds / 220 kilograms, its 6 gallon / 23 liter tank gives a range of about 340 miles / 550 kilometers. The brake pedal, motor crash bars, and GPS handlebar mount are all from Touratech with the skid plate being a Yamaha part. Martin opted to keep the footpegs and main crash bars SW-Motech. On the back, a Metal Mule luggage system carries the weight. He also chose to install a high dirt bike style fender along with a smaller “dirt finder’ mudguard on the back of the front wheel to keep corroding splashes away from the engine and frame. Xenia’s 2005 Yamaha XT 660 R called Neo was bought with 17398 miles / 28000 kilometers on the dash and weighs in at 408 pounds / 185 kilograms. A range of around 217 miles / 350 kilometers is down to the smaller and lighter fuel tank with its 4.2 gallon / 16 liter capacity. A Renthal enduro handlebar and a high handlebar kit (30 mm) from Touratech was fitted to improve steering and maneuverability. Xenia also opted for a skid plate, brake pedal extension and ZEGA Pro luggage system from the famous German outfitter. But going the SW-Motech route for the footpegs and center stand.
Both bikes are fitted with Guglatech fuel filters to handle the different qualities of fuel typically available on an overland journey. They’ve also been treated to heated grips from IXS, USB charging ports, CLS chain oilers, headlight protectors, TFX rear suspensions, 4XLED auxiliary lighting and a set of self-made tool rolls for carrying spares and equipment. Acerbis hand guards protect the levers and (sometimes) the hands from unforeseen spills. Their home away from home is supplied by Hilleberg tents with meals cooked on an Optimus Nova. Martin and Xenia save costs on bottled water by using an MSR Guardian water filter & Dromedary water bag.
Both are big fans of their Arai Tour X4 helmets and speak highly of their Klim riding gear. “With all Klim products so far we have been very happy since they are really waterproof and give quite a lot of venting even though we have this waterproof Goretex shell always around us. We rode in Turkey with 41 Fahrenheit / -5 Celsius in a snowstorm and with 113 Fahrenheit / 45 Celsius in Uzbekistan with the same suits. If you buy cheap, you buy twice. If you spend your money on quality stuff, you can enjoy riding much more, since it’s just less stress with knowing I can just close the vent’s and I’ll be all right. No under or over pants or jackets to transport and struggle with.” Martin wears the Overland suit while the Altitude jacket and trousers are Xenia’s favorite.
Riding in remote areas or less developed regions come with inherent risks. The duo firmly believes in the value of traveling together. Shouldering the responsibilities that each person’s strengths can carry. “We were in Muktinath in Nepal. From Pokhara, it took us two days to reach via the challenging steep gravel roads. On the way back Xenia had to stop suddenly due to a pedestrian stepping out in front of her. She lost her balance and tipped to the right where there was no way to put her foot down. She fell and couldn’t slow down the impact landing on her left hand, hurting her fingers badly. We had to get back to Pokhara in one day figuring that she wouldn’t be able to bend her fingers the next day since it was already very painful. We made it and arrived pretty late in Pokhara. Some parts I had to ride both motorcycles down. There was so much work to be done with the clutch hand on the terrain. To help I rode the most challenging parts, running back up and riding the second bike down. Xenias middle finger still doesn’t bend as it did before that crash.”
With just over a year on the road, they’ve clocked up some beautiful miles. “On the 18th of February, it was exactly one year since we set off from Switzerland to India. We covered 15 countries and 23736 miles that’s 38200 kilometers in one year. Our goal was to cover roughly 60 miles / 100 kilometers per day, and our plan worked. It’s just great to have enough time to get to know the countries instead of just racing through.” This month their motorcycles arrived in New Zealand and they started discovering their 16th country. “And after this, we will ride all around Australia. Time to scare some Roo’s!”
Check out all their adventures here and follow them on Instagram for regular updates.
I am really enjoying reading about your travels, what a great trip.
Wish you the best of luck for the rest of your travels. Think you are both very brave to do this.