Yamaha Tracer 700
£7139 + 689cc parallel twin + 74bhp + 196kg + 17-litre tank + 835mm seat + Miles so far: 747
THE YAMAHA TOUR tankbag is a nice-looking bit of kit, but fitting the quick-lock bracket wasn’t as straightforward as I hoped. You need to be prepared for a bit of DIY as the bag doesn’t come predrilled. However, it’s a roomy bag that can be either 16L or 22L with some side pockets and removable shoulder strap.
You need to be an octopus to fit the Bagster Spider tailpack, but once secured, it looked sleek on the bike and expanded to be big enough to carry a helmet, so it really came in useful during the bottled water challenge.
The Oxford P60R panniers won RIDE’S recent product test (May ’17 issue) but I’m trying to be realistic about how much weight I can handle as a new rider, so I opted for the slightly smaller P50RS. Again, I needed help fitting them but now I know how, I feel confident I’ll be able to do it myself. They perhaps weren’t on tight enough as once I’d loaded up with water, they hung dangerously close to the rear wheel. Not keen on the colour though, I wish I’d opted for either the blue or black option to complement my bright-blue paintwork.
As an experienced backpacker, I’m used to packing light and provided I’m not heading somewhere where heels and hairdryers are required, I think I could easily manage a week’s camping with this luggage set-up – two weeks or longer if I was staying in a hotel.
“You need to be prepared for a little bit of DIY”