Vibration is a distance killer, so find out what's causing it and try to effect a cure.

Tight or dry chains are a big culprit, as are loose engine mounting bolts. If it's a multi, check the carbs are balanced. If you've checked everything then try filling the handlebars with silicone sealant - works on Yamaha FJ's.

:thumbup1:

This is an old desert/enduro rider trick. One addition would be to USE Loc-Tite on the bolts in question. Why? Since you are not tightening them up full snug there is a minor chance, over time they may vibrate loose and you could have the bolts back out on you. Using Loc-Tite keeps the bolts in place. BTW, having crashed more than my share I can attest that this technique does save levers/brake master cylinders.

Levers can still get broken, even with hand guards fitted. One can break levers, master cylinders or clutch perches and the like. Hand guards a must on any bike intended for overlanding off road. But keeping levers/perches only semi tight is a must, IMHO. And they don't come loose. In a fall they may rotate a bit, saving you lots of trouble. The idea is to tighten enough to keep them in place (with Loc-Tite) but loose enough that when forced they rotate rather than snap off. It's technique .... not technical.

No fiddling really. My DR650 has had hand guards and semi-tight bolts for over 2 years. Never touched them, other than to lever them back straight after a fall. This is not a minor thing, IMHO. If you break a master cylinder or perch, you are screwed. Been there, done that.

Nothing gets loose cause Pros Loc-Tite everything. All perch bolts, lever bolts, all hand guard hard ware. Loc-Tite. Basic.

This is an excellent point Dave, and one of my whacky Pet Peeves.

Along with dry, kinked or worn chains ... be sure to check sprockets too! Amazing how many "experienced" riders never bother to have a close look at their sprockets.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_pXs6Z_85Tj8/TA...24_FU2CA-M.jpg
Can you guess which one is dangerous? This came off a newish BMW F650 Dakar. Very experienced rider. He set off on a 20,000 mile trip through EU, Russia, Turkey, Mongolia and this is what he found after just a week on the road. He never checked them before he left. (he shipped bike from USA to Italy with a bunk Chain and Sprockets. Luckily, he brought a spare.

Engine mounting bolts are hardly ever checked .... but should be! Sometimes, loosening them all up, then tightening in correct order, doing stepped torquing, can really make Vibration go away for good. Also, some bikes use Rubber bushings you may not be able to see. Change them out for new ones. on older bikes.

Carb or F.I. balance can really fool you on a multi-cylinder bike. Check it.
Mercury gauges don't always make it right. I go by "feel" and "sound" Test rides are the real test.

For bar vibe you can also put in Bird Shot. (lead pellets) Works!
Aluminum bars can also change the frequency, sometimes helping bar vibes.

One of my favorite things about the Suzuki DR650 is all the Vibe Damping it comes with from the Factory.

Bars: Bars on the DR650 are very well rubber damped on the top clamp, bar clamp piece. Works well. Also comes with Bar end weights. Very smooth, even at 80 mph.

Pegs: DR650 have rubber damped foot pegs. Nice. Passenger pegs are NOT rubber damped ... and they vibe bad!

Another commonly overlooked area of vibes is the Cush Drive. Some bikes wear out the Cush Drive rubber inserts quickly. Installing a fresh set can really change the feel of the bike and really can help drive line slop.

Lastly, is rear wheel alignment. Get is straight! Line up front and rear sprocket, set wheel straight. You will feel the difference! :clap:

I think one of the biggest things is Suspension... as was mentioned in the OP... when you pack bags and gear on, you need to adjust your suspension accordingly.

personally... my last day before setting off on any trip is to go over the bike, inspect all consumable parts (chain, sprockets, brakes, cables, air filter, lights, tires, ect) and set my suspension for my new loaded weight. (already been set up for just me, and recorded the info so I have my static sag and just need to set my race sag again)

Going back and reading Ted's first post gave me a business idea for Ted.
Why not open a little shop specializing in basic set up for travelers and their bikes? :eek2: I know there are one or two guys in the UK doing this now, but IIRC, most are fabricators?

I'm talking about helping relatively new riders with basic set up of their bikes for LD travel. Help them get the bike comfortable and safe. Educate them as to parts and pieces to get for their specific bike to make the bike last and ride better.

Even ... be the one to be HONEST ... and tell them if their old piece of crap will never make the trip ... as opposed to fleecing them and extracting hard earned money into a lost cause. Unscrupulous shops are famous for this. No one wants to be the person to tell a rider "... your bike is crap, dangerous and not worth fixing ... don't do it, save and get another."

We don't have MOT in the USA, but we should. But Ted's business could go way beyond an MOT. Doing things like checking or replacing often over looked wheel bearings, head bearings, chain/sprockets and wheel truing, spoke maintenance and more. All relatively simple stuff that many owners forget about.

You could help them with luggage choice based on the bike, the rider and the trip planned. Soft, Hard? Or some combination? Racks? Top boxes? Seems lots of beginners haven't a clue on some of these things. Of course they would order through you ... so a few bucks made there.

Work on custom tool kits, help design one JUST FOR THAT RIDER'S BIKE.
Also sell ready made travelers kits.
Sell First Aid kits. Good ones.
Do instruction in tire changing and flat repair. (so many are lacking in this critical area)
Teach basic maintenance, valve adjustments, chain adjustments, safety checks and on and on. Help figure out what spare parts to carry based on bike and destination.

To really expand this idea ... you could even teach off roading. Take them out ON THEIR OWN BIKE and do a bit of trail work. From there you could start doing organized tours! :stupid:

Just a thought for Ted or some bright entrepreneur. Seems this segment has growth potential in the UK. Am I far off on this?

To make money day to day the shop would also have to offer basic maintenance stuff, tire changes and the like. Might be possible to make a go of it in the UK if someone was talented and worked hard at it? Dunno? Any chance?
:confused1:

Mickey can you do me a favor... delete your post?

that's exactly what I want to do after I spend some years traveling the world and gathering knowlege on the road.

don't want someone coming in and stealing my (your) idea before I'm ready... you can post it again in 15-20 years LOL

Well, looks like Ted beat me to it .... had the same idea!

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...s-market-51326

I just saw this post now, or I would not have posted my above one.

Prepping bikes for overland in the USA could be a tough go. Dunno. Although it appears to be a healthy and fast growing segment, but not like the UK.
Specialty shops have been successful in Harley World for years. Nowadays my guess most are ready to close their doors. Once things come back (who knows when?) this type of business could be a winner.

I would pursue this idea nonetheless. But personal experience really adds to credibility. Grant has HU meeting where you can meet the big players in this world. None of them have set up a prep business, so the door is still open. Most are living by doing books, movies, presentations and leading
expeditions. A prep business would be a good way to go.

Go for it!

I adjusted my handlebars by 4/5mm towards me on my last bike. I have a disability that means that riding for more than an hour can be agony. This tiny change meant I could bear up to 3 hrs in one go on the bike, meaning 6+ hrs per day, and the difference between local ride outs, and continental tours.

Might be micro-detail, but was life changing for me!

Suspension was mentioned already couple of times, but I still also want to highlight it´s importance. It will make a difference between manageable and enjoyable ride. Also this is important safetyfactor.
Setting up suspension is not rocket sciense, just have a look Öhlins setup instruction (same basic prinsiples can be used for all bikes), do some measurements, have short testride and adjust more if needed.

4 vs 2
 

At the risk of being completely :offtopic: I'll launch into the debate. :innocent:

The problem with this theory is when do you know that an emergency is an emergency? It could happen that you are braking with 2 fingers but then the situation requires harder braking and you need all 4 fingers to do an emergency stop. In that situation, you would need to pretty much get all fingers off to wrap the 4 fingers back around to ensure full leverage of the brake lever...

The practice I was taught (rightly or wrongly) applies to 95% of the motorcycling population and it is be prepared for an emergency everytime.

When riding overland, and this is where I disagree with Ted (respectfully of course) is that you are on the road and it is unpredictable, this means that you don't have control of your environment. Keep following my logic... So unlike in a motorcross race where the traffic and conditions are controlled where you have a short brake lever for 2 finger braking to permit use of accelerator and keep bar control, on the road in normal touring mode this motorcross race technique is rarely going to help, and will not provide the security and stopping power in an emergency.

I think we've uncovered two different techniques and their applications rather than two schools of thought. :smartass:

1) 4 finger braking for full length levers in 95% of on-road in traffic conditions
2) 2 finger braking for 1/2 length levers when riding motorcross or off-road

and to cover the 5%
3) Experienced off road riders who don't ever need emergency braking or who's technique is next to god like, you can use 2 finger braking. :mchappy:

Oh and for the record, when you use 4 fingers, you don't loose control of the bar because (thanks to evolution) we have an opposable digit called the THUMB. :thumbup1:

Another off-topic chip-in on the braking front. I was taught the four finger, roll-round technique previously mentioned, but the rolling forward wasn't to do with braking efficiency/smoothness but to make sure the throttle rolled off. This was great for test day but for real-world riding I nearly always use two fingers and have never had any problems with insufficient stopping power.
This might be a learned thing from mountain biking, where having four fingers on the lever will DEFINITELY compromise your bar control.

P.S. buy a pair of lock-wire pliers and some lockwire (dirt cheap), and then lockwire everything onto the frame - that way if it does work loose or a bolt snaps you're not trapsing round in the dirt looking for your footpegs etc. It's also good for a variety of other things such as keeping your bar grips on if they are slipping a bit.

I always use lock wire and also Nylock type nuts (the ones with the ring of Nylon in them) on all of my bikes and have never had a problem....YET....
One problem with Locktite is that when it leaks in your bag.........
Once the bolt is drilled, it lasts, and no need to clean threads etc.
Things such as the sump drain bolt, I drill the head and when fitting, I only 'nip' the bolt enough to stop it leaking, and no chance of over-tightening. Securing the lock wire against the 'unscrewing' direction stops the worry.
A lot of machines have dots, lines or other marks to aid the mechanic build the bike from the crate, such as dots on the handlebars and handlebar clamps. This is to standardise the bike, nothing more. Its a good starting point, but as discussed, everyone is different.
Regarding front brake and clutch levers, I set mine (sat on the bike) hands on grips with fingers and arms straight and the levers just touching my fingers. In this position you have a staight squeeze on the lever with no bent wrist which will make your wrist and forearm ache. Do turn the bars from lock to lock to check clearence with the fuel tank or fairing etc. Obviously, you may need to alter this if you ride most of the time standing up!

In the event of an emergency stop, I have never had time to think of how many fingers to use! I use what comes to hand!:D

Well of course, this is another one of those "there is no right or wrong" situations. I think it's personal preference.

I used to be a four finger braker for many years before I untrained myself after doing a few track days (on supermotos and sports bikes) and realising just how much control you're losing taking all your fingers off the bar...

It's going to come down to finger strength too I guess. I ride every day so I have quite a lot of strength in my braking fingers now I suppose..

Although, I have to add... If you can't lock up your wheels with two fingers, you've either got shit brakes or arthritus ! :innocent:

One you can do something about....