I thought that a post regarding the modifications done to the bike - very few, would be beneficial to anyone planning a similar trip. I'll also attempt to list a bit of the kit that I'm planning on taking with me.
Luggage
KTM Hepco & Becker Plastic Panniers which came with the bike. I don't know how good these will be, but I quite like them since they're light, strong and have an in built water reservoir between the skins. Most people tend to go for aluminium because of its bashability. Worst case scenario is that I shall have to get something put together on the road if they fail.
One pannier will carry tools and spares for the bike, the other will carry various other odds and ends, mosquito net, medication, netbook, paperwork, and general comfort things.
Army Ammo Can bolted to the bash plate for extra things that might need carriage - probably low value things that I cant fit anywhere else.
Chain Oiler
Rather than going for an expensive Scottoiler which I have fitted to my Fazer and have never used and carrying endless supplies of spray lube I decided to fit a cheap and cheerful Loobman, which was £15. Fill it with some sort of lubricating fluid and give it a squeeze every now and again and hopefully it will keep the chain sighing with satisfaction.
Riding comfort
Handguards come as standard with the KTM. Oxford heated grips also came with the bike when I got it. I've alsoe fitted a piece of plastic to deflect some wind blast from my face during long cruising periods. I'll probably get used to the retina detaching vibrations from the bike. At least it will keep things interesting.
Navigation
Garming Etrex Vista HCx. I was originally against the idea of a GPS system but thought, what the hell and got something to help me along the way. The unit comes pre-loaded with a worldwide basemap with very basic roads on. I shall be relying on the free routable maps provided by Lambertus @ http://garmin.na1400.info/routable.php. Some Geocaching success has given me a bit of confidence in its use - to be honest its an extremely rugged, simple and easy to use piece of kit.
Maps. Got one for Europe, one for Turkey and one for India. Everywhere else inbetween I shall rely upon my basic sense of direction, a compass, and a guide book. The GPS will now no doubt help immensely. Oh and a good ole fashioned compass too.
Protection
The bike is pretty rugged as it comes. I will also be fitting a Touratech headlight protector if it ever arrives.
Clothing
For myself I will be wearing an Arai Tour X3 Helmet - Expensive but I thought I would treat myself after getting knocked off my Fazer 5 months ago.
Hein Gerricke Cruise II Gortex Jacket - 100% waterproof, but will probably be boiling in some countries. I'm tempted to take a leather jacket too but it might be a bit too much.
Hein Gerricke Turaeg enduro pants. Lightweight and waterproof with the internal liner - a bit of a regret getting these, despite the salesman mentioning it, since I will have to take the pants off, put the liner in then put them back on if it starts to rain. At least they will be coolish in the hot countries. I'll probably take a cheap pair of overliners too just in case.
Alpine Star Tech 3 Boots, which I absolutely love. Not waterproof but they do a pretty good job and give me fantastic ankle support as well as being comfortable to walk in. I really hate riding my bike with anything less than a proper boot with shin protection.
Alpine Star Polar gortex winter gloves. 100% waterproof. Only dislike is the woolen wrist bit which has already started to bobble after 5 months of use. Although I do ride EVERY day in pretty much any conditions.
Some sort of cheap light leather gloves for warmer riding.
Other Kit
A camera - yet to be decided which one to take. Possibly a Samsung NV4 which is USB chargeable via my custom charging lead. I like Samsung cameras for their ease of use, ruggedness and USB charging capabilities.
Netbook - got cheap from work. Loaded with Windows 7 Beta and Linux Mint. I will use this to communicate wherever I can get a Wifi signal.
Spot GPS tracker - to keep the folk back at base happy. I can send an 'OK' signal wherever I am in the world or an 'I need help' message and there is even a 'Send in the SAS' button. Just in case.
That's all I can think of at the moment. Pics will hopefully follow shortly.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment