List of Spare Parts

A final list of spares I will be taking with me:

• airfilter
• oilfilter
• clutch-, front brake- and gear-levers
• spare inner tubes (1 front, 1 rear)
• clutch- and throttle-cables (already put in place next to the original ones)
• spokes; water pump repair kit + all necessary gaskets (this is one of the F650's weak points)
• fork seals (tucked away in the bike's boot, next to the 12v pump)
• brake pads (3x front, 2x rear)
• spare bulbs (head light, dashboard, rear light)
• various nuts & bolts (incl. subframe bolts)
• various fuses
• electric cable
• spark plugs

In addition to that, I've got an airfilter & a knobbly rear tire sent to Iran (via DHL), so I can swap them over for the pot-holed bits from Turkmenistan through Tajikistan.

I might consider getting front & rear sprockets in Italy and then cable-tie them to the bash plate (low weight & out of the way). Chains should be easy to get hold of in Central Asia, so no need for that.

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Chain Oiler (Loobman)

Finding the right place for the Loobman Chain Oiler took a little while. In the end I decided to put it next to the rear brake cylinder, where it doesn't get into the way & it's easy to reach without getting off the bike. The Loobman works with gravity: I usually run the bike for a few miles, then squeeze the bottle to fill up the feeder system & continue riding. In this respect, it's pretty fool-proof and never starts to give out too much or too little oil.

Somewhere I read that Automatic Transmition Fluid (ATF) for cars is good for greasing the chain so I'll give it a try for a while. After that, it'll probably be engine oil, or olive oil. (Which is one of the reasons why I prefer the Loobman system to the Scott-Oilers).

Because the Loobman uses cable ties to deliver the oil onto the sprocket: If you're thinking about getting the one of these, make sure you take some spare cable ties with you to replace the old ones when they're worn out. (Thanks to my mate Pete for the advice ;)

As for the engine oil: I just tied a bottle of 10W40 to the pannier frame (bungee strap and a ball bungee).

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12V air pump

No need to buy an expensive "bike pump" when you can get one from most DIY shops around the corner. I picked mine up for £12. Simply take off the plastic encasing to save some space. I guess one could even shorten the cable, but I didn't bother for now.

The dismantled pump, wrapped in some bubble-wrap, fits into the boot. (In fact, I even managed to put the fork seals, some cable ties and brake pads into the boot as well).

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Final Bike Preparation

For the final bike prep-work, I was recommended to see Alex ('Ibble Engineering' in Croydon). Alex used to teach motorcycle maintenance and has prepared quite a number of bikes for fellow overland motorcyclists. Having spent a whole day together with him in his workshop, I can highly recommend his services.

Things done to the bike:

• replace head-bearings
• replace front & rear wheel bearings
• change engine oil & filter
• check valve clearances
• new x-ring chain & sprockets (with the link colour-coded with white paint so it's easier to locate)
• check & grease swing-arm bearings
• fix chain adjusters to swingarm (cable ties)
• fit rear shock protection. Touratech's rear shock protection isn't bad though there are cheaper / DIY options available, for example from the F650.com website

Last but not least, we replaced the (useless) original BMW horn with a louder (110 dB) "Stebel Nautilus" one: essential for getting noticed in busy traffic like Italy or India. The Stebel horn is a little taller than the original one, so we took away the bottom bit of the horn enclosure on the front fairing/mudguard (very quick job with a hack-saw).

The bearings inside the sprocket carrier were absolutely knackered, as you can see on the photographs. There was no grease left at all it could well be that the previous owner had cleaned the bike with a pressure hose. Also, the rear shaft sealing spacer showed a groove in two different positions an indicator that it had been turned around during a previous service (when it should have been replaced with a new one, really). The damaged spacer would have knackered the seals and bearings in no time, letting water through into the rear hub. Thanks to Alex, I've now got a stainless steel spacer (custom made within about 20 minutes from a small bit of steel).

Further to Alex's service, I took some sheet steel mesh and made up some protectors for the radiator (put in place with cable ties). And the arms of my old wetsuit (which now is a "longjohn shorty"), combined with some velcro, now serves as a protection for the forks & fork seals. (The velcro wasn't sticky enough. So thanks to my mum for sewing it on â€" quite a painstaking job which had to be done by hand, as the sewing machine didn't get through the neoprene. It's probably easier to just buy readymade protetors).

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Motorcycle Maintenance

Today was the last day of our motorcycle maintenance course at Hackney Community College. I built an aluminium protection for the rear brake cylinder. Tools needed: a small bit of 3mm aluminium sheet + hammer, workbench, drill, hacksaw and file. Then we sent Hussain, our workshop hero, off on his holiday with a little present from all of us.

If you happen to read this post & you're from East London and into motorcycles: drop me a line & I can put you in touch with a few people from the workshop course. They're thinking about setting up a club and get some funding for workshop space and tools.

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Brake disc, Tyre change & Cables

In today's bike maintenance class, I put the spare clutch and throttle cables into place (running them right next to the existing cables, so to save valuable space & be able to swap them over very quickly in case of a breadown). Clutch cable was easy, throttle cable meant taking off the fairing and briefly removing the exisiting cable from the fuel injection.
Then I wanted to run the Loobman chain oiler down the swingarm but had forgotten a few bits at home.... d'oh!

Next: Brake disc. The old one was below it's legal minimum anyway, so I got a cast metal one. Cast metal is cheaper (half price), performs equally (or better when it's wet) and it's more lightweight (hence reduces unsprung weight). That's how I like it!

Last but not least: practicing a tyre change. To cut a long story short: I know I should get used to the thought, but I am NOT looking forward to doing this on the road – no matter how enthusiastic I might feel on the day.
To start with, it seems I'm simply too lightweight to break the tyre bead. I'll try again soon, using the side stand to break to bead (or using the swingarm as a leverage point whilst the wheel is still on the bike).

Finally, using tyre levers to put the tyre back on might pinch the tube. Hussain (our workshop hero) showed me a neat little trick of 'walking the tyre in' without using the levers. But again: I'm probably too lightweight to do so. I might try again once I've got some more sturdy boots.

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Panniers back on - time for some pictures for the website

Spent a good hour or so trying to get the pannier frames back onto the bike, so I could take some photographs for the 'bike' section of this website. I had taken them off the last 5-6 months to make commuting & filtering through London traffic a bit easier. Putting them back on really should have been a 20 minute job – but because the whole pannier frame is a pretty tight fit, one of the subframe bolts was difficult to get into the thread.

However, something good came out of it as I got to know one of my neighbors, Zel, a little better. I had seen him now & then, but never spoke to him. Whilst helping me out a little, we ended up chatting for a bit - very nice chap. Turns out he's muslim, from London but with family roots in India. When I told him I'd be travelling through some muslim countries, he said he'd give me a good book about Islam and the Koran, which I'm looking forward to read.

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Progressive Fork Springs

I gave the front suspension a little treat today and put in progressive fork springs and new fork oil. The F650 Dakar front suspension is renowned to be a little too soft – the progressive springs will improve bike handling, particularly in off-road situations.

If anyone's in the marked for some new suspension: try Hagon Shocks, http://www.hagon-shocks.co.uk

Hagon have been going since 1958 and have a world class reputation. Besides that, the springs come as a complete kit including the fork oil, and they were by far the cheapest I could find.

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Bike Prep: Coolant air blockage & some upgrades

I managed to fix the coolant problem: What I didn't know is that the F650 has an air bleeding screw. The right way to refill the coolant system is: fill it up, bleed the air (on the right hand side of the engine block), refill, run the engine, bleed, refill, run the engine.... you get the idea.

Took about 30 minutes in total, and after a first test-run of about 10 miles in town everything seems good to go.

I also fitted some bits I had ordered from Germany: got a new metal chain guard from ebay (a good alternative to the more expensive Touratech aluminium one), and a 'Rallye front sprocket cover" from Touratech. At 51 Euros this wasn't cheap, but it's a handy thing to have: I can now fit my 'Loobman' chain oiler to the front sprocket, the sprocket is easily accessible for maintenance, and on a worn-out chain it'll protect the engine case (at least that's what Touratech say).

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Bike Prep: Changing Coolant

Today's workshop time was completely taken up by changing the coolant. Usually a 45 minute job, it turned into a bit of a nightmare...

To change the coolant on the F650 Dakar, it would have been enough to just undo the drainage screw near the water pump and then refill the system with new coolant. But the whole get-to-know-your-bike-thing inspired me to undo the other 2 screws near the water pump, so I could get to the water pump & check it out. Problem: one of the screws was rusted in & sheared off.

I could kind of feel the screw was stuck in the thread, but I went for it anyway. Once the screw had sheared off, I cursed myself... but then I thought it's probably a good thing: better now than in the middle of nowhere. (The F650's waterpump is said to be one of the things that can fail during a long trip). So we drilled the screw out & re-threaded it. I was a bit nervous at first, but it seems the seal near the pump is all good and tight.

On the way home I then had the coolant warning light come on once the bike was on temperature – probably and air-blockage in the radiator or near the thermostate. Guess I'll be on the 38 bus to work until I can sort it out next Saturday...

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Motorcycle Maintenance - Part 1

Today was the first out of 5 sessions at Hackney Community College, Motorcycle Maintenance Workshop. I fitted an auxiliary power socket to the bike's dashboard, so I can charge electrical devices in my tankbag whilst riding.

Lunch-break was quite an experience: I've lived in East London for over 3 years now and had never heard about the 'proper East End classic food': Pie and Mash, very tasty! We even witnessed some real life mother (shop owner) and daughter cockney banter - priceless!

After lunch I gave the bike a brief check-over to see what parts need ordering. The to-do list for the next few weeks: back brake disc & pads; progressive fork springs; new endless chain & sprockets (and, whilst the swingarm is taken out anyway: grease the swingarm); loobman chain oiler; new chain guard; change coolant (better safe than sorry – Iran & Central Asia are going to be at least 40 degrees); check valves.

Guess that'll keep me busy for a few Saturdays...

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Overland Solutions Panniers

Tonight I finally got my panniers back from Overland Solutions. To get the fitted bike back took a bit longer than expected, but I guess that's part of the "handmade built to order" thing. (There was actually a very long queue with the local powder-coaters they use).

Ernie from Overland Solutions really did a fantastic job, and everthing fits snuggly. It's a bit heavy and the bike's very different to ride now – but it really is a bullet proof pannier system, which I know is waterproof, safe and won't cause any headaches on the way.

(BTW: Thanks Ernie for helping locate the 'clonking' kind of noise that came from the drive chain!)

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