Nice read, thanks - I do enjoy and value others experiences. And I certainly embrace light travel when being local and in a place where recovery back to home is probable. (I maintain my own bikes)
But travelling abroad, especially in an area where your bike is unusual or where support is limited - I would carry some spares. Things like throttle and clutch cables, a spare clutch, oil filter - the stuff that's hard to get in that country. I mean, be sensible - taking that stuff to India for a himmie would be daft!
One real world example that sticks in my mind is Itchy boots. Riding her Himalayan, Basanti, she burnt out her clutch (In Iran? Somewhere around there, I think) Bike was unrideable but she had a spare and it was fixed on the side of the road by a street mechanic. Zoom forward to this year when she's in Africa and riding a Honda. Clutch burnt out on that, and she had a horrible time trying to find a town with a mechanic that was experienced enough to work on the Honda, and had to have a new clutch flown out. Some might say such things are the bread and butter of travel, and for them that might be right, but in that situation I'd rather have the tools and spares.
Maybe that paints a picture of a traveller who carries a trailer full of spares. It needn't be that large a pack if you prioritise common failures such as reported here, and even a few zip-ties have saved me a breakdown.
As I said previously, I totally agree that it's prudent to carry spares, predominantly based on the type and distance of your journey. Everyone has their own philosophy and practice based on prior experience, the bike and/or advice or recommendations.
I prefer to ensure my major components are in good order, rebuilding or replacing if necessary before a major trip, regardless of the conditions of travel.
For example, I've made four trips to Alaska, a good portion being gravel and rarely traveled routes, and before each one, I repacked my head, wheel and swingarm bearings before the trip. If they were questionable I replaced them. I checked the clutch, cables, chain, sprockets, replaced headlight if I've had it awhile, cleaned injector, etc.... Checked torque and LocTited most fasteners, especially structural or major. The spares I carried mainly consisted of bulbs, fuses, some hardware, master links, tubes, spark plug, electrical wire, chain lube, a couple of relays etc.. but nothing major.
On the Dakar I religiously replaced the water pump seals and impeller if I had over 20k miles on them before a trip because they were prone to failure. Same for the radiator fan motor. I lost one outside of Carmacks, Yukon Territory and was lucky to find a marine bilge pump motor that fit perfect.
Basically I'm saying I prefer to ensure my bike is in as safe and realistically reliable condition as I can make it before a major trip, carrying as little as possible in the way of spares, traveling as light as possible, accepting the possible but unlikely risk of a stranding failure. In hundreds of thousands of miles of, what is now called "adventure" or "overlanding", motorcycle travel, I have never been stranded anywhere. Breakdowns? Definitely yes, many times, but only twice requiring parts I didn't have on me, once in the Yukon (fan motor) and once outside Talkeetna, AK (wheel bearing, before I started preventive practices).
Any motorcycle at any time can break down due to numerous reasons but preventive maintenance goes a long way towards mitigating stranding scenarios. Three years ago I sold a 2001 Dakar F650GS to a coworker with a little over 170k miles on it. That bike's engine has never had any repair work done to it except for a piston replacement ( metal found in filter during an oil change in Yellow knife, 90k miles on it) and the preventive replacements of water pump seals and impellers. Original clutch, drive train and fuel system components and it's still being ridden. Same for the rolling chassis except for suspension parts and bearings. I attribute it to quality parts, preventative and regular maintenance as well as, yes, luck
Now I am well aware of the fact that the Himalayan is not in the same class as the Dakar as far as engineering and quality of components but it's simplicity and under-engineering goes a far way in contributing to a bike with the potential of being every bit as reliable as my Dakar.
Speaking of Itchy Boots, if I was to do any traveling abroad or in remote third world countries I would prep no different than I do for my Alaska and northern Canada trips, including the carrying of spares. I have plans for a four week trip two years from now riding the basic route of the Trans Siberian Railway to Irkutsk. If I still have the Himalayan I will probably carry spares based on what replacement non-OEM parts I have been able to change to. No engine parts except for gaskets or seals and I will probably rebuild the clutch beforehand, if not done close before. I will be shipping a tire and tubes to a friend in Irkutsk for the return trip.
Itchy Boots doesn't camp but stays in accommodations along her routes. Correspondingly, since carrying no camping gear at all, nor much food and water, she can easily carry much more in the way of spares than I can. She also buys used bikes with unknown maintenance histories but does have them checked out. Prior use before her purchase could explain her bad luck with clutches but I believe it more likely her riding style. Just speculating
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We're in agreement with the obvious practicality of carrying spares, but I personally choose to do what I can to lessen the need of it and willingly accept the risks. It's worked for me so far, knock on wood
