Ultimately it depends on how deep your pockets are and what sort of "adventuring" you intend to do.

For the bike, there are 2 standout budget options.

Honda cb500x and the vstrom 650
Both are under 40k and are very reliable and the 500x is exceptionally frugal.

Both will be fairly competent at light off roading if your off roading consists of gravel trails and broken tarmac when shod with more aggressive 30/70 tyres. Anything more serious and you'd ideally be looking for something lighter, more suspension travel and knobbies.

The TRK501 is not a first choice despite the price, it's a bit heavy and bulky to handle off road.

Won't go for the 390 ADV either, the single is buzzy at highway speeds past 130-140 and can get tiresome if you are doing longer miles on highway. It also has a very high seat.

Do note, these ADV bikes do sit quite tall, so unless you are 5-8 or taller (or vey heavy set), you might find them a bit tough to get your feet down in more tricky terrain, especially for a beginner.

As for gear, if you are looking for Komine gear, you can check out Hodaka Motoworld at PJCC. A word of advise though... Don't get tempted to get those fancy touring jackets, goreTex or not. It is just too hot for our weather. Get a good mesh jacket and if it rains, just wear a good rain shell over your jacket. For cheaper riding gear, you can check out Serdang motorcycle for lower tier riding gear like Benkia.

Factor in a budget minimum for 1200 for gear (jacket, pant, boots, gloves, rain shell, excluding helmet). These will be 2nd tier banded items and price goes up from there if you are looking for first tier brands. Spend on a good helmet, boots (as tall and stiff as you can find comfortable) and gloves (with hard palm sliders), that's where it counts most. Pants and jacket you can likely cheap out on and upgrade later by getting better aftermarket armour or a different jacket.

I have the JK 069 bought from a vendor from china. For all intents and purposes it served me well last 1 year and 23k km later.

I have since swapped out the rear protector pad with something that ventilates better. So far I had 1 broken zip and the velcro wrist straps have come loose, but DIY repair by epoxy it back. Works find till now.

Just to note, shopee seller usually sells Asian fit sizes. So check with them and give then your weight and height and they will size the correct fitment for you.

I typically wear an XS or S for gwailo size, but for Asian size I wear a L.

LOL, ultimate it may be, but for most of us that actually go "adventuring" which includes some off road, a lighter more affordable bike is the way to go. You won't want to drop your expensive bike do you? If you go off road, that's almost a certainty. And lifting up a 250kg bike before luggage and crap by yourself?

This post has been edited by jaycee1: Jun 25 2022, 11:47 PM

If you are going to add any thing, you will need to splice/tap at least 1 wire or use a fuse tap for switched power from the ignition to avoid accidentally draining your battery.

I DIY an auxiliary mini fusebox powered by a relay from the battery which is triggered from the "lights fuse" using a fuse tap. All accessories are wired to the fuse box, at least the wiring is more neat. Anyway only 2 things wired to it currently. A usb charger combo + 12v socket + with display)and a pair of 10W aux lights.

This post has been edited by jaycee1: Jul 1 2022, 04:28 AM

Yep.

Tap the 12v switched power to activate the relay that then powers the aux fuse box, direct from battery. That's the correct way to do it.