Budapest-Bamako
The longest and most demanding amateur rally in the world!
A rally raid that tests the limits of physical and mental strength, an exclusive for GIVI EXPLORER, as told by the only Italian participant: Laura Cola, the founder of the women’s motorcycle association “Donneinsella”.
Laura also took another record home. She was the first woman in 14 years to complete this “mission” on a motorcycle. A challenging goal considering the difficulties faced. Among the peculiarities of the Budapest Bamako is having to be totally self-sufficient and almost always sleeping in the bivouacs provided by the organisers. “You have to continuously refill on water and petrol, drive at night through a thousand dangers and sweat, or be cold, like on the first days, in your motorcycle gear”, says Laura, “all while dealing with the weight of luggage, jerry cans, a tent and spare parts”. We’ll let her tell the rest of the story herself.
The protagonists
A rally raid that tests the limits of physical and mental strength,
The protagonists
A rally raid that tests the limits of physical and mental strength,
an exclusive for GIVI EXPLORER, as told by the only Italian participant: Laura Cola, the founder of the women’s motorcycle association “Donneinsella”.
Laura also took another record home. She was the first woman in 14 years to complete this “mission” on a motorcycle. A challenging goal considering the difficulties faced. Among the peculiarities of the Budapest Bamako is having to be totally self-sufficient and almost always sleeping in the bivouacs provided by the organisers. “You have to continuously refill on water and petrol, drive at night through a thousand dangers and sweat, or be cold, like on the first days, in your motorcycle gear”, says Laura, “all while dealing with the weight of luggage, jerry cans, a tent and spare parts”.
RECOMMENDED GEAR
It was not easy to prepare the Crifù – so my CRF 250 Rally Honda was renamed – a bike that, in itself, already comes out “well equipped” by the dealership, but certainly not ready for an experience like this.
Givi’s support here was fundamental. Without it, I would not have really known how to find extra space for luggage, water, petrol, a tent, sleeping bag, and spare parts.
How? Thanks to an ad hoc set-up consisting of a rear plate, waterproof bags, small side bags, a jerry can, a spoiler, a smartphone holder and additional spotlights for riding at night.
REAR PLATE – SIDE BAGS – WATERPROOF BAGS
On the rear plate (EX1SRA) we made space for a sleeping bag, a tent, a mat and a 2.5 litre jerry can for petrol. In the compact side bags from Gravel-T range, I had clothing for 2 or 3 days and toiletries on one side, spare parts, protein bars and various chargers on the other. In addition, at least one bottle of water per bag, plus the hydration pack. I put the rest of my clothing in the tank bag and in the waterproof soft bags Easy-T (EA114KG and EA115BK) which were kindly transported on board a pick up. Here is the list of baggage on board:
Clothing
1 pair of flip flops, 1 pair of jeans, 1 sweatshirt, 1 t-shirt, 3 pairs of underwear, 1 wind jacket, 2 pairs of tube socks, 1 nightcap, 1 front light, 1 stuffed tiger.
Toiletries
Toothbrush, toothpaste, multipurpose wipes, face cream, sun cream, hair brush, eye-liner (which I cannot live without).
Food
About 10 carb and protein bars, bread (you can really find it everywhere) and tinned mackerel.
Spare parts
Difficult choice when you have limited space on board and no assistance. I decided to bring the following with me air chambers (two rear and one front) + emergency can and patch to repair any small punctures; air filter; levers and pedals; spark plugs; connecting links to fix the chain.
SPOILER AND ADDITIONAL SPOTLIGHTS – SMARTPHONE HOLDER
The spoiler S180T Shield+ is very useful and protective, especially in light of the long distances covered by the rally raid. It limits visibility a little, especially if you forget to clean it, but the added comfort and shelter from the wind make it indispensable.
The spotlights used are S322 led. After some time, I realised that it would have been unthinkable to do without them when riding at night. Your field of vision doubles in both width and depth.
In a “rally” situation, where instrumentation is fundamental, an accessory that you must have is a device holder that will remain “attached” to the bike in all driving conditions. On this trip, I used two GIVI smartphone holders GIVI S920L. One positioned in front, for the GPS, the second on the side of the handlebar, for video shooting, photos and any emergency calls.
Power was supplied by the USB outputs of the Power Recharge S112 connected in turn to the motorcycle’s battery
It was not easy to prepare the Crifù – so my CRF 250 Rally Honda was renamed – a bike that, in itself, already comes out “well equipped” by the dealership, but certainly not ready for an experience like this.
Givi’s support here was fundamental. Without it, I would not have really known how to find extra space for luggage, water, petrol, a tent, sleeping bag, and spare parts.
How? Thanks to an ad hoc set-up consisting of a rear plate, waterproof bags, small side bags, a jerry can, a spoiler, a smartphone holder and additional spotlights for riding at night.
REAR PLATE – SIDE BAGS – WATERPROOF BAGS
On the rear plate (EX1SRA) we made space for a sleeping bag, a tent, a mat and a 2.5 litre jerry can for petrol. In the compact side bags from Gravel-T range, I had clothing for 2 or 3 days and toiletries on one side, spare parts, protein bars and various chargers on the other. In addition, at least one bottle of water per bag, plus the hydration pack. I put the rest of my clothing in the tank bag and in the waterproof soft bags Easy-T (EA114KG and EA115BK) which were kindly transported on board a pick up. Here is the list of baggage on board:
Clothing
1 pair of flip flops, 1 pair of jeans, 1 sweatshirt, 1 t-shirt, 3 pairs of underwear, 1 wind jacket, 2 pairs of tube socks, 1 nightcap, 1 front light, 1 stuffed tiger.
Toiletries
Toothbrush, toothpaste, multipurpose wipes, face cream, sun cream, hair brush, eye-liner (which I cannot live without).
Food
About 10 carb and protein bars, bread (you can really find it everywhere) and tinned mackerel.
Spare parts
Difficult choice when you have limited space on board and no assistance. I decided to bring the following with me air chambers (two rear and one front) + emergency can and patch to repair any small punctures; air filter; levers and pedals; spark plugs; connecting links to fix the chain.
SPOILER AND ADDITIONAL SPOTLIGHTS – SMARTPHONE HOLDER
The spoiler S180T Shield+ is very useful and protective, especially in light of the long distances covered by the rally raid. It limits visibility a little, especially if you forget to clean it, but the added comfort and shelter from the wind make it indispensable.
The spotlights used are S322 led. After some time, I realised that it would have been unthinkable to do without them when riding at night. Your field of vision doubles in both width and depth.
In a “rally” situation, where instrumentation is fundamental, an accessory that you must have is a device holder that will remain “attached” to the bike in all driving conditions. On this trip, I used two GIVI smartphone holders GIVI S920L. One positioned in front, for the GPS, the second on the side of the handlebar, for video shooting, photos and any emergency calls.
Power was supplied by the USB outputs of the Power Recharge S112 connected in turn to the motorcycle’s battery
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
