The Ten

The Ten

Tuesday 16 December 2014

Tibet, Tibet! Where is everybody? Anybody?

A rather belated update. It seems the options for the traverse of Burma are good; many bikers are keen to cross at around October next year. However, as yet, I've had no interest from anybody about crossing Tibet. No doubt due to the cost; but I think it is a relatively small price to pay in order to ride on the roof of the world. Hopefully some like minded souls will make themselves known soon.

Meanwhile.........................................
In October 2014, I rented a Honda CB500X for a few days riding in northern Thailand (Chiang Mai, Pai, Nan and around). Good to get out on a bike in South East Asia again, would have preferred my own steed, but the Honda is a good bike; plenty power for the Thai road conditions (and my limited riding ability!). Tried out my new Drift Ghost helmet cam; very happy with it so far. Here is a piece of random footage from the trip. Don't bother with the volume, it's mostly just wind noise. I don't know why the quality of the film on Youtube is so poor; the original footage on my computer is crystal clear.



Friday 28 February 2014

Basic route plan.



The above map shows the route I would like to do. What the final route will actually be is still open to question. The plan is set off around late August 2015 and take a total of about 3 months to complete the trip. The obvious problem areas with my planned route are:

Iran: criteria for entering Iran with your own vehicle are in a state of flux at the moment. I hear that a compulsory guide may be necessary for UK passport holders (among others). Coupled with the necessity of a carnet; dosen't make Iran straightforward. But, there is more than a year to go, so rules and regulations could change many times in the interim.

China: expensive compulsory guide and paperwork as before. Also, because of political problems with Tibet (and, increasingly, Xinjiang), even pre-approved routes can be withdrawn without notice. So, a plan B to detour to the KKH and Pakistan and then on to India, may be a good idea.

Burma: after recent successful crossing(s), Burma seems to be opening up to overlanders. Still early days, so very hard to predict the situation next year.

Thursday 13 February 2014

Tedious bike prep information. Part #1


My Tenere 660 as used on the 2012 trip was pretty much standard, apart from:
#New Yacugar rear shock and progressive fork springs.
#Barkbusters hand/lever guards.
#Centre stand.
#Alu. bash plate and engine bars (Adventure-Spec).
#Scottoiler
#Radiator guard (Metal Mule)
In my opinion, the Ten is very well set up for overlanding "out of the box" (with the possible exception of the suspension). I was very happy with it on that trip, but I started tinkering, and once you start tinkering, it is hard to stop! So, I am a good way through a few modifications to the stock bike:

#Renthal 613 high bend bars. If Mongolia taught me anything, it was that standing on tricky off road sections is advisable. The stock bars were just a bit too low for a tall fella like me when standing. The 613s give an improved riding position when stood on the pegs. I could still do with a bit more height on the bars, but as I don't like bar risers; I may go for the lower (adjustable footpegs) at some stage.



#Kahedo high seat. The stock seat is crap; OK with an airhawk, but still crap on any long distance ride. So I shelled out for the Kahedo high seat (I am tall!). In all honesty, I wasn't convinced at first. But after several months with it, it has improved comfort considerably (just as well, as my airhawk has a puncture and I can't find the repair kit that came with it). The flat profile of the Kahedo allows you to shuffle around while riding and alleviate any pressure areas.

#Exan single exhaust. The stock set up is VERY heavy, and that was my main reason to switch to a single can. The improved exhaust note is a bonus! The only downside was that the popping/banging on deceleration was crazy loud. So that lead on to the next mod:


#AIS pipe blocking. Simple enough procedure in the end. I couldn't get to the clamp to remove the AIS pipe to plug it. But a recommendation (by the ever reliable Pleiades on XT660.com) to use a Hoffmann clamp to block the pipe worked a treat and now, no more popping!

#Kev Mod and O2 sensor eliminator. Two magic electronic boxes from Australia which are plugged in to the existing wiring to improve the fuelling and.....................something!? Whatever the technical explanation; they improve the responsiveness, fuel economy and overall "feel" of the ride. Very worthwhile investment for anybody who rides a Yamaha XT.

#12V power supply. Not really a mod, bit I drilled the fairing to make a more secure and tidy home for the 12V power supply. Its' previous position of being zip tied below the clocks wasn't ideal.

That is where the bike is up to now; but there are more mods to come. Probably.

Tuesday 11 February 2014

Second time lucky?

The motorbike travel bug is biting again. After the trip of 2012, I feel the urge to finish the job properly. That was an incredible trip for me, but a lot of my original plan remains un~ridden. So, next year the new plan is London to Bangkok. Tyres on the ground ALL the way! My ideal route is: through Europe to Greece via Slovenia, Bosnia etc. Through Turkey to Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Tibet, Nepal, India, Burma, Thailand. This would be in 2015, so over a year of planning, anticipation and tedious bike prep blog entries. But "the plan" has been born. Oh, same bike as before, with a few (quite a few) modifications! More to come.

Soundtrack: In Battle There Is No Law ~ Bolt Thrower