Swiss Alps - altitude issues

[benaus]

I am finally leaving Amsterdam this week and heading for the Alps and then the Dolomites. I have fitted a Hepco Becker luggage rack to my bike - no problems - except having to drill out the corroded aluminium bolts from the luggage rack into the sub frame.

I picked up a waterproof Swiss Army backback from a military disposal store here in Amsterdam for 30 Euros. It has enough clips to fit snuggly onto the luggage rack side frame. This is a cheaper option for me than aluminium pannniers. The backpack is solidly consructed and has an aluminium sub frame to add rigidity to the set up (it is small, square shape, and only about 6 inches thick). Anyone interested in pics of this 'do it yourself' pannier set up pls let me know.

So my question - I am planning this trip into altitude (ie the Alps). Will I have to change jetting/ carb settings on the bike or will it perform satifactorily with stock carb settings? My preference is not to change anything. I am not so concerned abut fuel consumption or bike performance - just reliability and steady running. Anyone had experience with this?

By the way the DR (96) has scrubbed up pretty well with a chain and sprocket change, luggage rack, new rear disc, brake pads front and back, grease of rear suspension linkages (only one seized), oil and oil filter change.

Nearly ready to hit the road.

[iris_trui]

Hello "benaus",

you will not have to change jetting in the Alps. As you can read on this forum http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb...ML/000004.html (somewhere to the bottom - our post of 25.11.2002), we travelled in the Himalayas and the Karakoram. On the Karakoram Highway, we didn't alter the jetting of the carbs at all, and we got up to the 4,700 m Khunjerab pass without much trouble. We did take off the airfilter lid above 3.000 metres - just for the last 1.700 metres. Gave the bike more air and sounded like a Harley
For the Indian Himalayas (Ladakh), we did modify the carburettors: main jet to # 137,5 and needle position to one stop lower (DO watch out not to loose the super-tiny circlip if you do this !!!). We did these modifications at 2,000 metres (in Manali) - not because they were needed at that height, but because we were going up to 3,900 m in one day (and then to 4,940 m, 5,065 m, 5,365 m, and later up to the 5,399 m of the so-called "highest motorable pass in the world", the Khardung La). We were travelling in Ladakh for 6-7 weeks so it was surely worthwhile to do the alterations.

I'm pretty sure you will not go above 3,000 metres unless you're travelling on tiny tracks off road, and even then, I don't think the tracks where you're allowed on bikes go this high.

IF you go off road, then consider taking a smaller front sprocket (14 T instead of the original 15 T). Doesn't take much space, and will give you HEAPS of slow power for going up and down. One of the very best modifications we did for the mountains !
We also changed our rear sprocket for the whole journey to 46 T instead of the orginial 43 T => no 160's on the highway (still 140 and a bit above if downhill ), but much more controle in the midrange, easier riding in traffic, etc. We keep the 46 T even now, back home - what's the fun of riding highways anyhow ?

Happy mountaineering with the SE !
Trui

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Iris and Trui
2 belgian women, often travelling on motorbikes (now on DR650SE's)
2nd overland from home to Northern India and back, April-October 2002

[benaus]

Thanks Trui - your advice is invaluable. I will have to experiment with the sprocket sizes a little later as I have not really put the bike through its paces and I am setting off this afternoon. I will see how the SE goes - I havent even taken it off road yet.

Thanks again.

[Muno]

The Suzukis have a self regulated carburator (vacuum-controlled). It is absolutely not needed to change anything.
Greetings from Switzerland.


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