Ladies and Gentlemen. This site was set up as a result of friends suggesting we should do so, Lucy is after all a web designer. Although titled Technical Tips this section involves little if anything in the way of in depth research, just an account of how we went about organising the trip and setting up the bike. We have not received payment from any person or organisation, the links are purely to those who have assisted or motivated us. Please contact us if you have anything to add.
THE BIKE :
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Satellite navigation was a borderline necessity as due to our overall weight we won't be travelling to far off the beaten track. I already had Mitchelin maps to cover the whole of Africa and the ability to navigate using a compass, although under these circumstances it wasn't 100% essential we felt it was a tool we could justify buying.
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Much thought went into this, would BMW fit shocks that weren't up to the job, unlikely, but as we're well over the manufactures maximum weight limit we felt it prudent to upgrade. The rear will be taking the lion's share of the battering so I decided to leave the front for the time being, if we have problems I'll deal with them as they arise.
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To say "Vorsprung Durch Technic" had thrown a sickie the day this was on the drawing board would be an understatement. Having spent £900 buying and spraying the tank, I was reliably informed, by a reputable Touratech supplier, that a design fault left the fuel pump so situated that it didn't reach the last five litres. Rather astounded at this discovery I put it to the test and brought the GS to a thirsty halt, rather conveniently, on the Fleet Services slip road. Imagine my surprise when the tank reached its limit not at 36litres as I expected but 34 litres. The tank's filler cap has a collar and overflow pipe that prevents the tank being filled to the brim, undoubtedly some form of safety attachment but at the cost of another two litres. I have written to Touratech with regards the legitimacy of their claim "holds 41 litres allowing 700km range or more", and after a little chasing, received a reply from Herman Schwarz their Production Manager. He states that the usable capacity is in fact 39 litres when fitted correctly. Even if he is correct, which I and several other owners doubt, it still leaves the question of a tank advertised as holding 41 litres only holding 39 litres.
I've had several ideas for 'extending' the reach of the fuel pump, all of which, after close scrutiny, have been abandoned, the filler cap collar however is a different story. Here's how I altered it:-
It has been pointed out that by doing this I'm circumventing a feature that probably has its foundations in safety and has been put into place for a reason, this I accept and would like to point out that although I've made this alteration myself I'm not recommending it. There, I think I've covered my arse.
Just make for a more comfortable riding position.
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Do exactly what it says on the packet.
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Extra light is always a good idea.
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Bike already has one but I need to charge batteries as well as the camping lamp.
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Hard Parts - great word that, this is what they do.
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1) Frame. The gearbox housing is a stressed member connected to the sub frame by a single bolt either side, the footpegs also bolt into same albeit with three points of contact. The gearbox hardparts are steel brackets that fit underneath the footpeg mounts and bolt to the subframe and in doing so relieve much of the stress of an overladen bike, rough terrain or both.
2) Steering Stop. During a fall the forks can come into violent contact with the telelever, the steering stop hard part fits over the front of the telelever to absorb such impact and prevent the obvious damage which may occur.
3) Sump Guard. Is fitted as standard to GS's, the additional hard part is a plate of aluminium which bolts between the centre stand legs which with the stand retracted covers the collector box and prevents road debris being flung up into the bike.
4) Crash Bars. Fairly obvious really.
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I wanted the 40 litre capacity and strength of these units but was concerned about the scope for rattles and breaks that could come with a removable piece of kit this size. However, after several thousand miles of heavily loaded riding everything is fine and dandy. The panniers slot on tightly and the fixings, sighted inside the unit, are strong and easy to operate and offer a good level of security. The clasps that secure the lid have padlock holes and the brackets on top of the lid are strong enough to hold our fully packed Ortlieb bag via my home made supports. My only concern was that the position of the exhaust pipe in the custom cut out section might cause some form of over heating, however, a thermometer inside the pannier revealed only a minor rise in temperature - so the chocolate's safe.
(photo shows panniers with home-made bag supports)
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This is a heavy duty holdall tailor made to fit inside the pannier allowing you to remove the contents leaving the pannier attached to the bike. It also stops luggage vibrating against the pannier body and subsequently being coated in aluminium residue.
These really look the part, made from a type of plastic coated nylon. They received several prolonged soakings on our test run and remained 100% watertight. A hard plastic strip approximately 1 inch wide runs along the length of one side of the bags aperture, once closed the strip is rolled over on itself several times to form a waterproof seal.
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This
is one of the better tank bags I've owned. With its quick release straps and
super sticky plastic base it comes off easily but stays solidly in place whilst
on the move. It's also extendable depending on your load and has a velcro
fastening map pocket which also accommodates the GPS III. The side pockets
could have been tailor-made for disc locks and chala lamps, situating the
latter conveniently close to the handlebar mounted 12v socket for charging.
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I don't want to overdo the tools but there are extra pieces that have already proved useful, they are:- A spare set of allen keys, standard and long-nose pliers, small cross head and straight cut screwdrivers, small adjustable wrench, mole grips, 8+9, 10+11 and 13+17mm spanners, a medium sized multi spanner, oil filter removal bit, junior hacksaw & blades, feeler gauges, copper grease, tweezers, self adhesive velcro strips, double sided adhesive pads a huge selection of cable ties, duct and gaffer tape.
I also have a dedicated puncture repair kit and a selection of nuts, bolts, screws, electrical wire and connectors, jubilee clips and a tube of plastic steel, in fact anything that could be used to fix, clasp, bolt or botch.
The non-serviceable parts I'm carrying are:- spokes, light bulbs, fuses, keys, clutch and brake levers, clutch and throttle cables and indicators, my ability to remove the latter whilst in motion is quite legendary.
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It is a good idea to have all battery operated appliances running on the same size batteries. We have an SLR, a digital camera, radio, GPS, mini-maglite and camping lamp all of which take AA cells. The advantage of this uniformity is two-fold, firstly we only need one set of spares, secondly, the digital camera, being a high drain appliance, ceases to function when the batteries drain to a mere 75% efficiency. This is more than enough power to run the SLR, which takes its share of the charge, considerately leaving enough to power the radio.
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Not a
bad piece of kit at all although it also falls victim to Touratech's imaginative
advertising. The unit will charge its own batteries but only enough to light
one of its two LED's, so don't expect to run your camera on them. To have
both LED's illuminated, the unit needs the bike's 12v source. It does however
have a rather convenient 5m power cable and provides ample light inside a
tent.
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Essentially a permit allowing a temporary stay in any given country, generally not required in Europe and some Southern African countries. Most visas, once issued, give the holder three months to enter the country and anything from 10 days to 6 months stay. Our research has lead us to believe that for our trip the only visa which can't be obtained in a neighbouring country is Iran. This is a problem as we're unlikely to be there inside the three month validation period and so can't acquire it before we leave the UK. There are, however, several agencies offering to 'book' an Iranian visa for you allowing you to collect it at a previously arranged Embassy en-route, two such agencies are on our links page.
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Current
drivers licence.
International Driving Permit (IDP), issued for a small fee by your motoring
organisation.
Registration document (check engine, chassis and registration numbers
correspond with the vehicle).
MOT, technically not required but looks official and may impress someone
when you least expect it.
Insurance, this is another minefield that most insurers won't touch
even with an extended barge pole, Campbell Irvine are known to most overlanders
though. Apparently third party liability cover is available at most border
crossings and a compulsory purchase at some.
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This document allows you to take your vehicle into a foreign country without having to pay importation duty or deposit the equivalent with customs officials. Doesn't sound to scary until you find out that the duty can amount to 600% of the vehicles value. The idea behind it is to ensure that you leave the country with your vehicle. The Carnet is issued by your own motoring organisation who effectively enter into an agreement with the countries visited to cover the duty should you fail to leave with the vehicle, I used the RAC as I'm already a member. Needless to say the motoring organisation will have certain criteria you have to meet before they'll issue a Carnet, namely a financial security. This can be either a bank guarantee signed by the bank, an insurance indemnity or a cash deposit. I had an insurance qoute of 3k which was 50% refundable, the cash deposit idea is laughable, but Barclays bank issued a guarantee for nothing!!!! Needless to say this guarantee holds me responsible for their out of pocket expenses if the carnet isn't discharged and a claim is made, my view is that I have every intention of riding to Australia, so it therefore isn't an issue. Maybe I've missed something glaringly obvious, if I have would someone please enlighten me.
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An absolute must have and something which varies wildly between insurers, particularly payment for critical injury (loss of limb, etc) and repatriation. Most importantly does it cover you for incidents whilst riding the bike, many don't.
The Bike:
Paperwork:
1)
Current drivers licence
2) International drivers licence
3) Registration document
4) MOT
5) Insurance
