Tour Prep

[smegballs]

How much do you do to the machine to minimise the potential for clusterfucks far from home?

Obviously the potential to spend money is pretty big, just how for do you go? Currently to replace all the wheel bearings with sealed SKF jobbies is about 20 quid. I'm thinking for the price of the bearings, it is worth it to avoid potential ballache far from home? Plus if I do them now, I'll probs never have to do them again for the time I have the bike.

Whack in a new clutch (only 30 quid on the GN) just in case?

[slowlydoesit]

[stinkwheel]

Make sure you have enough tread on your tyres.

If you're going a proper long way, have in mind a rough idea of how and where you're going to do a service and consider if you need to carry the parts or if you'll be able to get them on the road (depending on where you are). What are you going to do with the old oil etc (they won't let you walk into a civic amenities site carrying your used sump oil for disposal in the UK. I've tried. They made me ride in with it balanced on my knee.)

Cable repair kit, a spare inner tube, tyre levers, a small piece of soap and a pump because most breakdowns I've had on tours have involved either cable breaks or punctures.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[esullivan]

I'm just heading off on a 10-day, 1,500 mile run around the north of England and Scotland. That's only a medium-length trip, but I'm a worrier by nature.

I didn't do anything as big as what you're contemplating, but I did change the tyres (front and back) because they looked within a couple of thousand miles of needing it. (It gave me an excuse to try the Michelin Pilot Road 3s.)

For tools, I have a tyre repair kit, 12v air pump, spare bulbs and basic spanners, but I stopped short of the bulky socket wrench I'd need to adjust the chain. I just adjusted it last weekend, though.

I also have a spare visor (my previous one) and extra gloves.

My bike is less than two years old and still gets Honda roadside assistance, so that keeps the fretting somewhat under control. (However, I've never used the service and it could be crap. )

My wife laughs at my ability to come up with nightmare scenarios in the days before heading out, but once I'm going, that mostly disappears. Enjoy the trip!
____________________
Current: '14 VFR800X Test passed 31/10/12.
Previous: '12 NC700S, '11 CBF 125, '04 SH 125.

[Teflon-Mike]

First rule of race-prep:- To finish First, first, you must finish
Second rule of race-prep: - Before looking for 'better' than standard; make sure you have what you should AS standard.
Apply, with healthy dose of common sense, according to circumstance.

Eg, wheel-bearings. great idea; more you make like new, less there OUGHT to be to go wrong.... but then there's the 'if it ent broke - don't fix it' rule, and the principle of minimum disturbance; change causes change.

Eg; your wheel-bearings; if good, and there little or no play in them; is there any real reason to suspect they may fail on your trip? If it ent broke; dont fix.

Minimum disturbance; OK, well, they ent broke, but, would it be worth popping the dust seals, cleaning and greasing? Some precaution to give them an easier time.

Full replacement; you have risk; first off, damaging the hub smacking the fuckers out! Course they could just leap into your arms... but that might be just as bad! Next; brand new bearings; there's a risk you fit a duffer; and actually replacement more likely to fail than old one. Might be worth noting, when you buy a genuine spares wheel bearing, it will be a more expensive, pre-greased one. When you buy unbranded or pattern, there's a good chance that the bearing supplied will be a generic bearing with no grease, you could put in a gear-box or a washing machine or something. And again, replacement causes failure.

So its all about assessing risks and making choices based on balancing them.

What 'problems' crop up most in 'workshop', what preventative maintenence would be most useful precaution against them?

Top of my head?
1/ Punctures
2/ fixing crash damage
3/ Battery Issues
4/ Starting issues / crappy running
5/ Brakes
MOST down to lack of popper maintenance in the first place.

So for your tour;

#1a - New Tyres. No fucking about here; ditch what's on there. Its old, its unknown and you have no idea how much life is left in them.
Good tyres are always a good investment, and deep tread and a strong carcas great precaution against punctures, as well as against 'crash damage'!
Whats the sizes on that bike? I really like the M45's we stuck on Snowie's Super-Dream; very grippy, very stable, and pretty long lasting. If they are available in suitable size, be my top choice as a known quantity. They were about £70 for a pair for the Super-Dream.

#1b New tubes; eliminate possibility of perished or repaired old tubes letting you down; and get a second pair for the sake of while you are about it as 'spares'. Damned site easier to be able to swap a tube at the side of the road, than try find and fix a hole, if you do get one. Swap it, stow the punctured tube; fix at leisure back at camp. Save being stranded with a split one, and no-where open to get one, or being told you have to wait till Monday for them to order it!

#1c Spoke-Band - You got spoked wheels. I will lay money on there being either; a) no spoke-band in there protecting the inner tube from spoke-ends; b) a shitty perished old thing, cracked and torn or misaligned letting spoke-ends get close to inner tube; c) something other than a propper spoke-band, like insulation tape, or a bit of old inner tube! Save hassle, for couple of quid; get new, with tyres and tubes.

#1d Rim & Spokes Suspect you have steel rims; and from pics in S&T spokes look pretty rusty. GOOD chance that if spokes is that rusty, then the inside of the rim is too; metal rots from the inside, as oft as not. THIS is one you are going to have to a risk balence call on; BUT: loose spoke puncture tubes. they also let rim flex, and as they move, they 'fret' around the oft rusty spoke holes.

At the very least, I would, whilst tyre off, inspect the rim and spokes carefully, and I would at very least clean them up best I could with rotary wire brush and wire wool.

Old Trials trick, was to tension the spokes, loosing off each in turn, and greasing the rim around the nipple before tensioning... keeps rust at bay; grease helps seal hole against water getting in rim, and you have some lube against fretting, then 'dressing' the ends of the spokes, if they poked through the nipple with a flat-file.

But, worth tensioning and truing at the least. How far you want to go, ought to go or NEED to go beyond that, will be your call depending n what you find. Rebuilding the wheel with new spokes and rim, is ultimate preventative maintenance... but can be pricey.

#1d Hub-Bearings & Axle Cos above depends on whether the hub is in decent enough nick to be worth rebuilding around... check the flanges and spoke holes that end too; look for 'knecking' the spokes going 'thin' where they bend to go through the flange, look for ovaling of the spoke holes, look for any signs of stress fracturing in the hub flanges; I have over the years had a couple of hubs 'go' on me... it ENT nice.

In same region you have bearings and dust seals already mentioned; but dont forget the axle and spacers.

All good having nice new inner tube to fix a puncture; rather wasted if the axle is siezed in the fork sliders, or old pinch-bolt holding it in shears on you! While you have it all apart, clean it all up, grease it all up, and make sure all threads good.

#2 Brakes
Bit like wheel-bearings, there's a fair risk that replacing functional bits of brakes can promote a failure. And its actually quite common. Most common one, is replacing disc brake pads; to get new pads in with full thickness of friction material; pistons get pushed back into the caliper. Having been sat out in the elements for years getting covered in crud and going rusty... the flaking chrome cuts up the seal when pushed back in, and seal starts to fail... or crud pushed in with piston sees it start to jam.

I tend to be a bit meticulous and over cautious when it comes to brakes, and unless I have overhauled the caliper... on old bike or car, when it needs new brake pads... plan a caliper overhaul along with it! I hope to get away with just new seals after cleaning it all up, but if in doubt, a new stainless piston is a wonderful peace of mind.

Add new hose, add new fluid, bleed through, bikes transformed; and ought to be trouble free. Good bit of PM against brake troubles and crash-damage!

#3c Battery & electrical New battery is peace of mind, and solves a lot of problems before they happen. Going over connectors, cleaning contacts, spraying everything with WD40, even more; but it will be things like corroded contacts in the tail lamp that will cause hassle, and most often poor earth due to rust.

On old bikes I often add secondary earth straps, direct from lamps to battery earth, rather than rely on the frame.

Another useful mod, is fuses; you probably only have one fuse on that bike, and its likely to be a glass cylinder fuse, inconveniently a different ampage and physical size to common plug fuses... and no longer 'standard' on cars.

I like to chop out the in-line fuse holder; and then splice in a modern 'blade' type fuse holder that takes no standard car fuses. Easy to come by when you have blown your spare, because it didn't go due to age/vibration but something shorting some-where!

Some-times you can splice in two or three seperate fuses, for different circuits, that can help 'save' the main fuse and help fault finding if you do get a problem.

Might also be worth checking your lights and seeing what bulbs everything takes; old bikes often don't use common bulb tyres or ratings; especially head-lamp; and an upgrade to a common car type H4 headlamp could be very good little bit of work; first for better lighting; again, precaution against crash damage; but also so you can pick up a replacement bulb in almost any petrol station.

#4 Crappy Running Look in work-shop; hundreds of threads asking about carbs and air-filters and jets and stuff. BUT an awful lot of 'carburation' faults are caused by a shagged exhaust. More by shit in fuel.

Again, its an older bike; killing shitty running issues before they happen; first job, I do, is POR15 treat the petrol tank. Kits are not cheap £50, and you have to be meticulous in cleaning the tank first, and following the instructions, which include leaving the lining 'gloop' to cure for three-four days before putting petrol in it; BUT, once done, its done, and saves SO much hassle.

Cleaning the tank gets rid of rust. Means that the tank shouldn't have any silt to get into the fuel line when you put petrol in. Lining then seals the metal, and stops any new rust, or leaks.

And you have to take the fuel tap of to treat the tank, so you clean that and gauze strainer while you are about it, and fit new fuel line... jobs a good one, and eliminates so much chance of crap getting in the carb to cause running issues at source. Well worth bit of PM.

Rest? Basic servicing. Oil, filter, plugs, clean carb oil cables etc etc etc.

Bike's new to you; worth doing as precaution against what previouse owners probably haven't done in a while; and I dont know whether that engine has a strainer on the oil pump inside primary drive casing? If so, would be worth a gasket and a little time to wip it out and clean it, and de-sludge the sump.

MIGHT be tempted as course whilst in there to replace clutch plates and springs... JUST because its an old commuter bike, likely to have had clutch harder worked in stop-start commuter traffic over many years. New clutch cable also worth while; that's something prone to failure.

##5 Crash Damage? DON'T CRASH! OK, too late for that. Curiousely though there is a fair bit of PM you can do against crash damage.

In Snowie's Super-Dream; we fitted MX hand-guards, as knuckle protection; but also precution against lever ends getting ground away or snapped wheeling the thing up the side of the house, or dropped on Mod 1. And Engine protection bars, to protect mag and primary cases.

Something I noticed stripping a couple of S-D motors was dents or holes in the primary drive cases... when fitted up, I observed that this lined up with where a mis-adjusted brake pedal would be hammered against the case if bike went down on its RHS. Lead to a little head scratching, but I filed edge of the brake pedal down, where it was sharp in the inside, and added a bead of weld to thicken it up, so not so sharp, then enlarged head of 'pedal-stop' screw so if bashed wouldn't fall off and get bashed into casing.

Dont know if this may be a risk on the GN... but looking around the bike for things like that can be useful.

Two things definitely useful; another old trials tip; loose off the handlebar clamps, loose off the brake and clutch lever clamps. Adjust ergonomics to suit your riding seat... then just 'nip' to that they don't move when pushed, but can if bashed.

THAT little tip has saved me countless bars, levers and lever brackets over the countless number of times I've come a cropper in competition, I can tell you!

Likewise fork yokes. Don't over tighten them; if bashed, forks can twist rather than bend.

And another one; mudguards and bodywork; go over all retaining screws and bolts, make sure they are free, and not siezed; coppa slip where they go through stuff; fit nyloc nuts where you can, and DONT over tighten everything.

If it gets damaged; you want to be able to get it off easily. You can ride without a mudguard; rather harder to ride with one that's bent rubbing on the tyre you cant get off. Also harder to fix, than being able to bash it straight on a kerb-stone!

After that, add, usual bodge materials to spares kit; gaffer tape; super-glue, lots of cable ties, some 13A wire etc.

All good stuff, to get ahead on Preventative maintenance... BUT you do it 'cos its a bike that's new to you; regardless of intended use; to reset the defaults and know where you are, and when intervals are going to fall, as well as catch anything 'over-looked' by previous owners...

Get ahead on the maintenance, then STAY ahead on the maintenance, and USE THE BIKE.

I reckon on 500-1000 miles of regular use to get to know a bike; and de-niggle it. Dont leave it all on the list as 'pre trip' jobs; do it all as early as you can, don't leave it till the last minute.

If you do the job properly; when you come to set off for Portugal... expedition prep ought to be little more than checking the oil level, filling up with petrol and loading your luggage!
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My Webby'Tef's-tQ, loads of stuff about my bikes, my Land-Rovers, and the stuff I do with them!
Current Bikes:'Honda VF1000F' ;'CB750F2N' ;'CB125TD ( 6 3 of em!)'; 'Montesa Cota 248'. Learner FAQ's:= 'U want to Ride a Motorbike! Where Do U start?'

[kitty kat]

I went to Europe, as far as Slovenia on a 2001 Fazer with over 70000 miles on the clock and all I did to it was ensure I had good tyres, gave the bike a service and had a full tank of fuel to start off with. It took longer to make sure I had all the correct documents & the required first aid kit etc for the trip through France.
I just made sure I had a recovery/repair policy for the trip. If you use the bike regularly there should be no need to be messing around changing the clutch, bearings etc before you go unless it is already on it's last legs.
Some people worry too much about what might go wrong, just go and enjoy the journey.

[Teflon-Mike]

[kitty kat]

As I said, if you use it regularly you should know how reliable it is and know if anything is at the end of it's life on the bike.

[Northern Monkey]

[smegballs]

Yup I was going to replace tyres as a matter of course before the trip. I've only had the bike 3 weeks or so, so one of the problems is that it is pretty new to me and altho I've been tweaking it, I honestly don't know how long term reliable it is.

Good points Tef!

As far as bearings go, altho there are cheapies available, the ones I've priced up for 20 quid are proper SKF or FAG bearings, pre-greased, double sealed bearings. From googling around it appears that both these Swedish/German bearing makers produce bearings that meet or surpass OEM standards.

1. Good point on the rims/spokes, I didn't even think of that! Tyre are 3.00-18 up front and a relatively rare 120/90R16 on the back. I've found you can get "Conti Go" tyres in these sizes which seem to be the conti version of the Pilot Sportys that I've read good reviews of. How does one peel off the oil seal from sealed bearings? I was under the impression they were non serviceable and just replace when knacked?

2. Got a master cylinder in the post from a R125 so that is nice and new. I'm planning to rebuild the front caliper with new seals and a stainless piston from wemoto. I plan to have the bike for the foreseeable future so a stainless piston is seems to be worth the 20 quid or so.

3. New battery seems a good idea, plus I want to get H4 headlight up front for parts commonality. I also saw on advrider the idea of cutting the top part of the O off from the negative battery cable so the terminal is more like a U. The idea being that in an emergency you can yank it free and isolate the battery, potentially saving the bike melting down.


Lots of the stuff seems the same sort of prep I did for my bicycle tour. Make sure everything is free and turns easy etc. It was pretty good last year, I had tools to work on every part of the bike apart from the headset and bottom bracket.

[slowlydoesit]

[smegballs]

Intersting stuff

Nice to know what to look out for when pricing up the options.
Not surprising that germans, japanese or swedish are the go-to people for quality.

[slowlydoesit]

[map]

Skip reading the above I'm surprised no-one mentioned checking the chain (not even Tef! ). Apology if you did.

If chain already worn and near end of adjusters then replacement would appear in order with sprocket set. Plus pack a can of chain wax (I say that as I prefer wax, other types available) or fit an oiler (Scotoiler, Tutoro, etc.). Or use a shaft drive bike
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...and the whirlwind is in the thorn trees, it's hard for thee to kick against the pricks...
Gibbs, what did Duckie look like when he was younger?

[esullivan]

[stinkwheel]

For what it's worth. I was aware my Bullet is fitted with indian wheel bearings but also that they were working fine. When I did my tour of Britain, I took a spare set with me just in case. They are still in the toolbox along with a spare plug, spare points, a spare condenser and a front brake cable

I converted it to blade fuse so I can buy replacements in any service station.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Teflon-Mike]

[smegballs]

To be fair chain and sprockets are just normal service items for me, so already on my mental list of things to keep on top of. It's the little things like telling me to check the rims/spokes that are most helpful.

[barrkel]

Consider RAC or similar breakdown insurance.

Currently awaiting repatriation of my VFR from France after a breakdown during descent from the Alps. Would have been much more awkward without comprehensive Euro cover.
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Bikes: S1000R, SH350; Exes: Vity 125, PS125, YBR125, ER6f, VFR800, Brutale 920, CB600F, SH300x4
Best road ever ridden: www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2MhNxUEYtQ

[pepperami]

One thing that goes on EVERY tour I make is some toilet paper.
Nothing could be worse than being in the middle of no-where, miles away from a loo and not having any paper

I also have a can of tyre inflator for the worst of emergancies.
Without sounding to much like a boy Scout (always be prepared), I also carry some string with me.
It`s come in Handy quite a few times
____________________
I am the sum total of my own existence, what went before makes me who I am now!

[Aff]

Take plenty of cable ties. There's not much they can't fix.
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Current Bikes:Honda 929RR Fireblade, Honda CD200 Benly (Project), Stomp Z2 140
Electric Bike Project

[vanveenocr100...]

Done many a trip abroad, France mainly all round Brittany, fantastic roads. This year it's down to Casablanca, prep for this trip is a month before trip new wheel bearings, week before trip air & oil filters and oil . Reason for week and month before is to allow for unexpected hassle.
Service new plugs this to a week before in case of hassles, new set of suitable tyres not outright performance, but sports tourers.
Ensure sat nav mounts are in place luggage mountings and rack nuts and bolts are tight.
Angled valve for tyres and puncture repair kit.
Check and ensure all legal regs are accounted for such as in France reflective stickers on helmet, just need to check whats required

Have fun

[smegballs]

Okie dokie, ferry is booked to france on sunday. Driving down to portugal, working down there for a while before riding back to uk at end of october.

Done:

New tyres 1000 miles ago
New C+S, oil and filter
Deglazed brake pads, plenty of meat left on both.
Checked and adjusted valve clearences.

Anything else that seems sensible??

[slowlydoesit]

[pepperami]

It`s a bit late to do this now , but have you checked the wheel bearing for play?

All visible electrical connections in good order?
No fraying on any of the cables?
____________________
I am the sum total of my own existence, what went before makes me who I am now!