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Hi there folks, My name's Lorry Gombos and I'm the founder of Outback Motortek, manufacturer and distributor of adventure motorcycle products. Eric has kindly offered me to introduce my business to the XL ADV forum users and offline lurkers. It's hard to squeeze Outback Motortek's history into a short story but I'll try and tell you guys how I ended up taking on this tough venture in this very saturated market. No need to go too far back in the time when I first began riding and what kind of bikes I've owned etc..Fast forward that and I found myself living in Taiwan with my wife teaching English on the daily basis and riding around the island as much as 40K in 3 years. Not a big deal unless you only own a small 150cc scooter. But it doesn't matter what you ride but rather where and how you ride it. Again, fast forward time to December 2012 and I caught myself staring at an oversized, outdated (communist!) Asia map. By this time we had known that we would leave Taiwan for Canada very soon but before doing so I wanted to visit my family and friends in Hungary. So, I was calculating distances, sizing up deserts, considering road of bones and the Pamir highway and asked my wife " Do you want to ride to Europe instead of flying??". She said "How long would it take?" I couldn't believe my ears as I totally expected a "are you insane?" response...I replied "3 weeks if we ship our bike to Vladivostok, Russia". I know, I kinda lied but it was always my dream to cross the Asian continent way before Charlie and Ewan did. Of course, they re-inspired me! Fast forward the time again, I was deep into organizing what I thought was a simple task: purchase a bike that is reliable, can carry two people and luggage across Asia. Not so simple. Long story short, I ended up giving up riding from Vladivostok and even to ship my bike to Mongolia (logistics reasons made it impossible or too costly). I had to settle for Kyrgyzstan. Not a big loss, on the contrary! I got to spend more time exploring the Pamir Highway and its surroundings. I had to reach out to my family and friends in Hungary to buy me a decent motorcycle due the extremely high Taiwanese foreign vehicle import tax. My final choice - 2004 Suzuki Vstrom 650 - would have cost me $10,000.00 appr. in Taiwan, meanwhile in Europe one could get it for $3500-4500. Here comes the story of Outback Motortek before you think I'm writing a ride report The Vstrom, my best friend ended up buying for me only had a set of Givi bars to make it adventure (?) worthy. Lucky me, my father had owned a metal fabricating company for 30 years and had a great facility, engineers and a handful of skilled workers to tackle any metal related task. Let's just call the company by its name, G&T Manufacturing Inc. which mostly known in the medical devices business in Europe and is a major supplier for a Dutch company. My father's business outfitted my bike with all kinds of farkles, like aluminum panniers, center stand, upper crash bar, tool box etc. We still had no intentions of selling and manufacturing all these. I just wanted to get the job done and do the ride of my life. After finally riding out of the Kyrgyz customs and headed towards the Chinese border and later south towards Tajikistan and Afghanistan, we began meeting other explorers from Europe and Australia going the other direction. We always greeted each other, exchanged information but most conversations were about comparing farkles...Most of them noticed that our gear was well-made and somewhat unique looking and they were wondering what brand was it... Finally after nearly 8 weeks and 14000kms on the road we got to Hungary and I was ready to sell the bike and fly to Canada. We took off all the products my dad's business made and sold it online separate from the bike. In no time! I had to remove the ads later because the phone didn't stop ringing... Just then it hit me that maybe....Why not join this small but constantly growing market?! So, back to the title whether Outback Motortek is just another accessories manufacturer? It perhaps is but hopefully with our passion for adventure riding, a fully equipped facility and a dedicated and experienced team behind us, we will mean business for the major ADV/Dual-Sport motorcycle manufacturers in the near future. www.OutbackMotortek.com

Wow. Talk about getting lucky. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

So, does that mean I'm old and ride dirt bikes, or that I ride old dirt bikes? Both actually. And street, too. I'm a long-time motorcycle industry veteran, now retired, who owns a BMW RT, a 650 "Wee" Strom, and just sold his C&J-framed XR500 Baja fun bike. That baby has spent more nights under the metal canopy at Mike's Sky Ranch than I can recall. It's been in a relative's care for a while, and this past summer he made me an offer I couldn't refuse. So at least I'll be able to visit it once in a while. Now I've got my eye on a new Africa Twin. So much to like. Bike history? Everything from a dirt-ified Honda S90, which was my first non-minibike at age 9, to Hodakas of all kinds, all the way to various dual-sport bikes, including an old DR650, a KLR 650, a BMW GSPD (miss that one a lot...shouldn't have sold it), and a whole bunch of European and Japanese Enduro bikes. To answer my first question, I come from a time when a cheap wrist watch taped to the handlebars, a home-made roll chart, and 6th-grade math skills made you semi-competitive. A Yamaha DT-1 with knobbies installed and the lights removed was my first enduro bike. I've also been fortunate enough to race Baja once, ride a couple of ISDT qualifiers, compete in National-level trials events and basically have worn out a lot of knobs in (mostly fruitless) pursuit of trophies not worth the gas it took to earn them. But DAGNABBIT, I've had sooooooo much FUN!!! Industry history? An editor at Cycle World, 15 years at Honda's ad agency, Kawasaki's ad agency and my own ad agency, then a stint at MSF, managed at a couple of dealerships (BMW most recently), and had the good fortune to be asked to run sales and marketing for some good MC Industry aftermarket companies. I can't thank the team here enough for welcoming me and letting me poke around.

Thanks, Eric. I don't know that I've accomplished much (my resume used to say otherwise), but that I've just kind of found myself at retirement and looked back and said, "how the 'ell did I get HERE?" I'm enjoying "life" more. I have more control over my time (although I've noticed that the wife's claims on my time have dramatically increased). And it's finally given us the time to take our little side business, MotoReflective.com, and let it have its full legs to see how much it can grow. That's exciting. Overall, I'm satisfied and happy. No, I never got to own a house on Hawaii's North Shore and go surfing every day of my life. But I've had a good career. I've got kids and grandkids I love dearly, and motorcycles I enjoy as often as I can (sold my last Beemer with 134K on the clock). I've just had a lot of fun getting here.

The Gerbing EX series work really well. I ride year round in north georgia. Yesterday was 38f and I was actually a too warm with the jacket and gloves running at 40% capacity. The gear being waterproof was a huge selling point since I can keep pushing on when travelling no matter the conditions. The heated liners are also removable so they can be used with other top layers.

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Go for Jimmy Lewis. Just listening to the guy is an experience. His team is awesome, he supports the local kids and then after the class take off to Death Valley or Mojave and you can take your new skills and put them to work right away. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Cool video, the 990 sounds awesome. I miss the that sound.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – November 4, 2015 – (Motor Sports Newswire) – Restless Travellers, creators of Wheelrider, today launched its crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter. Wheelrider is revolutionizing motorcycle top-cases with a contemporary design and multi-functional purpose. Wheelrider has merged two essential items into one for riders who are always on the move. A motorcycle top-case that becomes carry-on luggage on wheels. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4_59Nmd8Ko With a built in solar panel, Wheelrider is also equipped with a direct USB port to attach a standard cable that lets users charge their phones, tablets, or a spare power bank. This is an important function for riders who need to stay connected on the road for safety and fun. The creator of Wheelrider saw a need for a top-case that was modern, convenient, multi-functional and aesthetically pleasing. “After years of traveling on my motorcycle and dealing with suitcase trolley problems on road trips, we set out to create something that every rider can use while they are on tour,” said Stefano Mangini, creator of Wheelrider and avid motorcycle rider. “I created a new ultra-tough luggage dock system that is versatile, looks great and can be used as a travel carry-on case with wheels.” Wheelrider has a diverse mounting plate that attaches to the rack of the motorcycle, and can host additional accessories such as a pouch containing a helmet and seat covers, as well as a built in helmet lock. The contemporary design has interchangeable tops that allows riders to choose the size of their case depending on their needs – including the proper size for overhead bins for use as an airplane carry-on. Wheelrider comes in a variety of colors, including night blue, ice grey, and deep red – finally bringing color and beauty to the traditionally dull top-cases currently on the market. “We have created a new generation of modular top-cases that will transform the function, style and versatility of motorcycle top-cases forever,” added Mangini. Wheelrider is available on Kickstarter starting at discounted early bird price of $190. For more information, and to pre-order Wheelrider, visit: Kickstarter. About Restless Travellers and Wheelrider The idea behind Restless Travellers is about creating modular products for people in motion. It was inspired by a journey from Shanghai to Italy by motorcycle. This trip identified a need to solve problems for travelers and people that are on the move and that need modularity, by combining different functions into one convenient product. Restless Travellers has a goal to improve the way we move and see this world, and Wheelrider is a great product for this goal. INTERIOR: The interior is designed for a professional traveler. The middle section features utility pockets and a computer compartment that has the option to be removed for additional storage space. DIMENSIONS: Flight carry-on: 45cm/25cm/39cm. Fit your helmet: 45cm/30cm/39cm THE LOCK: The lock that secures the top case to the base attached to the bike, has been developed based on the technology used for fuel tanks caps. The lock is made of metal and uses a new generation of keys for extra security. DURABILITY: The base is made of ABS, by injection molding. ABS provides the correct balance between strength and elasticity, preventing cracks under continuous vibration. SPECIAL FEATURES: Waterproof, built-in Solar Panel, available in pure carbon fiber.