It's true, SLIME and like products make patching a tube hard (but not impossible).

If you're in a place where new tubes can be bought easily, then SLIME makes more sense. SLIME can stop small punctures or may turn a flat into a slow leak. But it does not always work. Ride-On is a better product.

But in Mongolia, probably NOT a good idea. Ted's right about patching: Hit and miss. Some tubes just can't seem to be patched ... or patch won't hold. The old school Vulcanized patch is a sure thing ... but bicycle patch kits are not. doh especially if not natural rubber but are Butyl. (synthetic rubber)

As an aside, SLIME'd tubes can be patched if you wash away all the slime.:smartass:

But how? Remove valve stem, add water to tube. Shake, Shake and Shake some more. Drain. Repeat.
Dry best you can. It works!! (but a major PITA!) On the trail we never patch a tube. Just replace with new tube and patch punctured tube later or have it done by a pro. (Vulcanize!!!) ... or often, toss it in the bin.

If the need for the huge top box is just somewhere to put your jacket when parked up, get a simple cable lock from a bicycle shop and thread the cable through the arms of the jacket and around the bike frame.

Agree no need for spare cables, personally I would take both front and rear tubes, but then I'm a puncture magnet.

.

Spares
 

Took spare tubes and a full tine of glue did uk to singer pore never had one puncture bet I would if I hadn't taken any as for cables always carry an inner rear push bike cable and screwe type ends didn't uses them that time but got me out of the shit before can be used for clutch or throtle

Ted, I will suggest to Alistair to get maybe a tube once we get in Central Asia.

Mollydog, yes we will need to be able to camp at some point once out of Europe... And nice to have the option.


We' ll see. We learnt a lot from our previous mistakes and no doubt we will learn a lot again from our new mistakes. AS long we make it to UB I will be happy! :D

I had an expensive Continental heavy duty tube in my DRZ. Filled full of slime. I got a small puncture in it. As I had a spare tube I changed it and carried on safe in the knowledge that I was close to my destination and could leisurely repair that punctured tube. I removed the valve, filled, drained , emptied, filled, drained emptied etc etc... It was an on-going event for about 6 hours. I didn't want to throw the tube as it was an expensive heavy duty tube that was irreplaceable in Africa.. In the end I couldn't stop Slime from seeping from that hole when I tried to patch it. It was a bloody mess. I even hung the tube up with the hole at the top hoping all the slime would settle at the bottom. It didn't. It was like like an explosion at a snot factory... I finally gave up and as an experiment, I cut the tube open with my knife and poured out the remaining slime. A LOT of it. I cleaned the tube again and again and still couldn't get any patches to stick to it. I was using professional patched and industrial quality solution.

I came to the conclusion that the slime is partially absorbed into the inner tube making a good repair impossible. It's probably why garaged refuse to repair tyres once they've been slimed...

It's a mystery :D

My wife and I toured two up on a BMW R65 for many years, many thousands of kms on dirt roads in Australia, sometimes on fairly hard dirt/mud/rock roads (alpine and Outback areas, Birdsville Track, etc.). Modifications - small fairing/windscreen, Metzler chunky rear tyre, that was it. No sump guard, no hand guards, no poofy mambi pambi lezzie my mother didn't breast feed me til I was seven modifications!!!:rofl:

Baggage - Panniers with a beefed up rack, stuff bag for tent and sleeping mats and about 4 litres of water. A pannier each to hold sleeping bag and clothes. Tank bag for valuables - camera, maps, etc. Pot racks for carrying cooking gear, spare fuel bottle.

Great stuff! Good to know! Cheers :)


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Couple more questions....

Am I right in thinking that there is a little screwdrvier type thing you need to remove something from the valve before removing the inner tube? Anyone know what the name of this little thing is? Is it necessary?

If I buy some cheapo throw-over the seat panniers, do I really need racks if I can manage to keep them away from the exhaust (which already has a guard on it, by the way), and use a few bungeys to keep them from flapping around?

Cheers!!!
rtw

Yes, the tool is a valve core remover. Some valve caps will have this tool built into the cap. It's like a little U shaped thingy. Most Auto parts stores will sell the proper tool or sell metal valve caps that have the tool built in. I prefer the metal one shown below in one of my tool kits:
http://patricksphotos.smugmug.com/ph...-CD5JSDS-L.jpg
See the plastic box at top of pic? (Tube Repair Kit). See that little metal tool sitting on top of it? That is a valve core tool. Never try to break the bead on a flat tire without first removing the valve core from the valve stem.

Many riders wonder why they are not able to BREAK THE BEAD on a "flat" tire. Sometimes the tube is not totally flat and retains enough air to make it impossible to break the bead. So, always remove valve core from valve stem.

I carry a spare valve core as well. They are tiny, kind of delicate. Put the core back in ... snug but not super tight. :thumbup1:

Panniers
Sure, you can use any panniers. On some bikes no rack is needed. But keep in mind, once you LOAD those bags with food and a couple bottles of good Chilean Malbec, they will PRESS IN HARD onto your side panels ... and possibly onto the pipe. :eek3: First, the very expensive plastic side panel will melt .. then the pannier will catch fire.

I'm an expert at this ... done it twice ... nearly burnt down a brand new bike one time.

Try to make sure you have a least an inch of clearance when bags are loaded. Rig some stand offs of some kind ... DO NOT use wood blocks!
(think Charcoal Burkets!)

Bungees are fine ... but won't last very long ... watch your eye balls ... bungees can let go at the worst possible time. I have TWO friends (in movie business) who BOTH lost an eye from a snapped Bungee cord. doh

The cheap Chinese ones can sometimes break without warning ... and not even show any wear. :eek3: I use Rok straps, but you won't find those in Chile. Nylon straps that cinch down are better if you can find them. (like on back packs) But use what you've got ... use your best judgement.

Highway riding the panniers will mostly stay in place. Off road all that changes ... so keep an eye on them.
bier

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-K..._Hs4MR-L-1.jpg
Note the Pie tin between the bag and pipe? This was post fire ... what you can't see is the whole inside of the pannier is burnt up. I wedged this Pie tin in there and some other angled metal ... to hold the pannier off that RED HOT
Stainless Steel Pipe. Alu is much cooler, as is Titanium or Carbon fiber, which does even get hot to the touch. Most stock pipes are Stainless ... and get very very hot.

Nice tool kit, can you do all/most road side repairs with that? Do you use the adjustable wrench to remove the sump plug for oil changing? I've been pondering whether it not to buy a wrench or something as my supplied toolset is insufficient to remove it, easily at least!

I would suggest you buy a cheap combination spanner of the correct size then cut it down to the shortest length needed to remove the drain plug using the ring end, adjustables are in my opinion a tool of last resort.

I normally don't carry that adjustable wrench ... not sure what I had in mind for it. You can see I have a 22mm and 24mm there (wrapped in tape).
That tool kit is 7 years old ... some stuff is changed.

Always good to upgrade the factory kit to better stuff. Make sure you've got basic stuff to do routine maintenance, tire changes. oil changes et al.

and NO my kit above will not do ALL work. It's only very basic. Any serious problems I'd have to get to a shop or home in the garage with ALL tools.
Here is what I consider essential (every bike is a bit different ... so figure out what sizes are appropriate for your bike)

Tools:
Open or Box end wrenches :
8mm, 10mm, 12mm, 13mm (not used on some bikes), 14mm, 17mm,
19mm, 22mm (not used on some bikes) 24mm.

Phillips (JIS is better) and flat blade screw driver.
Small Vise Grip ... essential and multi-use.
Side cutters, pliers, Allen (hex) wrenches for your bikes fasteners only,
1/4" drive socket (3/8" is OK, just larger) with 8, 10, 12, 13, 14mm sockets.

Most of the rest is optional. I carry jewelers screw drivers, small elec. kit,
VOM meter, tire patches and rubber cement (LOTS OF THIS), JB Weld Epoxy and QUIK metal, Super Glue, Tape (wrap around tool handles) loc-tite,
telescoping magnet (very handy for retrieving lost nuts and bolts .. a MUST HAVE. (shown on far right in pic)

The rest is up to you and your bike and what you're comfortable with.

bier

FWIW, we just did 5 months in SA on Chilean Honda CGL125s.

Only real bike mods were power sockets.

At 12000k, we had only replaced 1 rear tyre each and a set of chain and sprockets due to the abysmal std chain. Headlights and tail lights had blown once or twice. Headlight bolt came loose and so did the side stand ones.

http://i803.photobucket.com/albums/y...ps84c51d9f.jpg

http://i803.photobucket.com/albums/y...psc6126092.jpg

If the bike doesn't come with an o-ring chain, get it right at the start.

If you're going up into altitude, get a 75-80 main jet. Trust me. We spent 1000s of ks with a top speed of 40km/h.

They're good to go out of the box. :scooter:

There's a ride report on here if you want more info, or shoot me a PM. I don't check these forums often.

Rob.

http://i803.photobucket.com/albums/y...ps4c7c1a36.jpg

Crash bars might be an unnecessary weight load for such a bike. On the other hand, they do make getting the bike up much easier when (not if) you drop it. My old GS80 had them and they were very nice in that they kept the bike from damage (crushed valve covers are bad) and made it very easy to pick up. My 1200 Super Tenere would need a crane without them. If you are on your own you must be able to pick up the bike (with your back to the bike using your legs, not facing it wrecking discs). As to tools, take what you know how to use. If you are no mechanic, 5kg of tools will not be of much use. With older bikes I always routed spare cables for everything (heat-shrinked at the ends and nylon tied out of the way). With a relatively new bike you will likely have few problems (I once had to ride a 72 Triumph Tiger about 160 mi through desert roads using a broken throttle cable looped over my right leg, ( just push leg out to accelerate...),this added a measure of challenge and joy to the day...) This taught me the value of spares, but new cables are better, stronger, more waterproof and you are on a Honda (reliability is thy middle name). Buy a good patch kit (not synthetic rubber), use no slime, and get valve stem remover caps for both tires and carry a spare tube (or two). Practice pulling the wheel and tube prior to the trip (sitting in mud with a flat as night sets in is no time to learn). Enjoy your trip!