From Hamburg to Scandinavia on Lightweight Adventure Bikes – Honda CRF300L With Turkana Gear

Venturing out on small bikes for big adventures

We are Mia & Max, and with our two travel companions (currently two Honda CRF 300Ls), we love to throw ourselves into adventure. We love travelling on small roads, discovering other countries and cultures, and letting ourselves be captivated by this wonderful planet called Earth, with all the beauty, diversity and challenges that this can sometimes bring.

In 2022, we rode from Hamburg (Germany) to Tehran (Iran) and back on a BMW F650ST and a Honda Transalp. Chronically overloaded, we filled every millimetre of the Turkana HippoHips. This included more than three pairs of trousers, chocolate and unnecessary items in the ‘better to have than need’ category.

We quickly realised that our possibly somewhat excessive luggage also posed challenges off-road, and it didn’t take long before we ended up on our sides with the heavy bikes. The HippoHips stood by our side, cushioned the fall, allowed us to crawl out from under the motorbike effortlessly and were a reliable and robust companion.

With the switch to the small CRFs, it was time for a change – we opted for the 15-litre version of the MadMules. With the smaller bags, we had to reduce our load, and it worked!
Because, as described above, it usually looked as if we had a support vehicle or at least a mule for our luggage. (Maybe Turkana chose the name MadMules because of people like us?)

Three weeks in Scandinavia – lakes, mountains, rain.

We have just returned from a three-week holiday in Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Sounds like a picture-postcard idyll, and it was. But not only that. We started in sunny Denmark, driving along small coastal roads between wide fields. A few days later, we were already on the Norwegian high plateaus, barren, windy, sometimes above the clouds

And then there are the seemingly endless forests in Sweden, where you can walk for hours without encountering anyone and be completely immersed in nature, until suddenly three moose cross the track in front of us! The surprise at this unexpected encounter is as great for the moose as it is for us. These animals are so majestic and large that we feel very small on our CRFs afterwards.

Why Small Adventure Bikes Like the Honda CRF300L Make Big Motorcycle Trips Better

And yes: the weather. It can be quite unpredictable in northern Europe. One minute it’s blue skies, the next it’s black clouds and rain that feels like you’re standing under a shower. That’s why the north is not for motorcyclists who shy away from rain

All these amazing places, once taken for granted when you live a life of freedom and space which you believe will last forever. This journey was a pilgrimage for which I am so grateful and blessed to have been able to achieve.

Practical, waterproof and… usable as an airbag!

It was important to us that our luggage solutions could withstand heavy rain and remain reliably watertight even if the bikes ended up in a puddle – it’s all happened before! In addition to being waterproof, they needed to be robust, lightweight, durable and easy to repair. That’s another reason why we chose Turkana luggage solutions.

We mainly ride off-road and away from the main roads, where we regularly get our Hondas dirty. Sometimes because the ground was softer than expected, sometimes because we underestimated a muddy path, or because Max hadn’t had enough to eat and was no longer as focused.
NOTE! Chocolate MUST remain on our packing list. 😉
The MadMules also have an unexpected additional function: they act as airbags for the bike. The outer pockets cushion the impact when you fall, protecting the fairing and, above all, your legs, as the bike rests on the bags and not on your limbs. When we find ourselves lying in the mud again, we get up, shake ourselves off, check the bikes and bags – and everything is fine.

An additional convenience for everyday travel? The waterproof inner pockets!

Quickly take them out, tuck them under your arm and you’re done. No more hours of dismantling and reassembling. And that’s priceless when you’re riding through rain for the third day in a row and want to at least put on a dry T-shirt in the evening

In addition to the side pockets, we also have the duffel bag with us. We store our tent and all our camping equipment in it. Everything is rainproof and in one place. But more importantly, there’s enough room for food!

Because let’s be honest: travelling without food is only half the fun. In Scandinavia, we got lost in the huge supermarkets and bought far too much. From Swedish cinnamon buns to Norwegian chocolate, Danish liquorice and delicious smørrebrød, we had it all. And all of it had to be stored somewhere. The duffel bag has room for it all – and keeps it dry, no matter how hard it rains.

The duffel bag – our rolling pantry 😉

Conclusion – less baggage, more freedom

This trip showed us once again that the MadMules and the duffel bag not only ensured that we carried less, but also changed the way we travel. Less stuff means more freedom – and more focus on what matters: the landscape, the encounters, the adventure.

And the next time we find ourselves somewhere in Scandinavia – rain from above, mud from below – we’ll know that we have everything we need.

Credit: We are Mia and Max, motorcyclists and explorers from Hamburg – the perfect “Gateway to the World.” In 2022, we rode east for six months, crossing 13 countries and 20,000 km of roads and trails. We left our comfort zone, discovered new cultures, and met incredible people along the way. That was just the beginning. With our bikes, we want to keep venturing into the unknown, exploring Europe and beyond, chasing the bigger adventures still waiting for us.
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