[QUOTE=Farkles;471343]
Available and cheap. You get to charge one or two phones off of a single dropin cartridge for something like USD$6. How much does it cost of a Powerlet cable for your phone, and then Ipod, and then something else.
Good info there. I don't run a lot of electronics. But will look into these options. SAE plugs are about $5. But you're right, some adaptors are expensive getting over to USB.

Yea, for a $30 HID, you're not risking much. I get my kits from DDM Tuning.
(Chinese) But you can call them in SoCal and talk to a real person ... but kits are shipped from China.

As I said, traveling, I carry a complete HID spare kit, plus my original H-4 Bulb, which is useless. The other thing is how easy the HID is to install cleanly into the DR650 headlight. Some DR riders go for the twin filament HI-LO bulb. But wiring is more complex for that. Now, my 35 Watt single bulb kit is ON in the low beam position (handlebar switch). In HI beam, it's OFF, which is good when starting or when saving watts in general.

I tend to agree with you on this. I'd love for the Shorai and others to get good enough and reliable enough to count on when traveling. For now, I'll start with a NEW, sealed, MF battery. Thanks for confirming ... I've never used a Shorai ... still learning about it.

Carrying all those filters is OUT! I agree ... it's a tricky problem! How about some weird compromise? I know we can get away with doing a new oil filter every OTHER oil change.
OR ....
So how about this? ... figure 20,000 miles (30K kms) total. On the road I change oil at 3000 miles (5K kms), using GOOD synthetic oil. At this point, oil is still clear, not opaque and well within grade. A good thing.

So, 7 oil changes for the trip. I would be willing to carry maybe 2 or 3 filters. Also, it's possible one may find the COMMON Suzuki DR filter at a Suzuki dealer on the road? This size fits many bikes. (not just Suzuki)

But I would use the Scott ... and run it every other oil change. I think cleaning he Scott filter is key. Must be done well, from what I've heard.
So, 3000 miles on the Scott, then 3000 mi. on paper filter?
Then back to Scott. Crazy? Probably .. :smartass:

Great, glad to be of help.

I agree, you don't need a 16T. I've never used one and have spent many long days sat on 80 mph ... with 15T sprocket. The 14T isn't bad on highway either, and I'm comfortable at 70 mph with the 14T. Off road, I could use much lower gearing .... but you can't have everything! :smartass:

Just carry a few extra fronts (whatever size) and all should be well. But like I say (and you know this) rain, mud and sand are very hard on chain/sprockets and can shorten life. Clean and lightly oiled seems to work.

Good to know you've seen bearings for sale! :thumbup1: I know in Mexico big Truck parts stores have just about every bearing ever made. FAG, SKF, KOYO and more. Better than ANY typical auto parts store in US. In the US, you have to go to a Bearing house or order on line.

I'll be carrying a inner Hub bearing and replacing Steering head bearings before departure. Mine are original and have suffered some off road abuse, so as preventative, I'll install these. The wheel bearings will stay, as my mileage has been split between two sets of wheels. I'm hoping any I need can be found on the road if needed! I've cleaned and greased mine since NEW at every tire change. All good so far! (knock wood!)

My preference for cables is OEM Suzuki. I would consider pre-routing a clutch cable ... I've got a 10 year old spare I could use. I would NOT do this for throttle ... to easy to foul the routing causing stuck or dragging throttle. Very tight with IMS tank. I see so many done WRONG!

Good observations and questions! :thumbup1:
For me, I don't keep valuables easily accessible on the bike. I use a Camel Back, which has room for extra stuff in it. (iPad, cash, paperwork). Camel Back stays on me. Camera in Jacket pocket.

But walking away from the bike is always a challenge! :eek3: None of us can afford to lose anything ... if it's on the bike ... it's needed! :taz:

Security? ... generally try to check into hotel/camp ground before going into town. Everyone handles security differently. Some are Ultra Paranoid, use HUGE metal boxes or Pelicans ... and never trust locals for anything.

I used hard bags too .. but true security is an illusion. All easy to crack into, screw driver and hammer. Gone in 60 seconds. :eek3:

Riding partners are good for security. Solo is tough ... I've done plenty and not always easy.
OPTIONS: I often hire kids to watch, or park in Police stations or private homes or private lots. (PAY!) I've been lucky ... only lost minor stuff.

Wow!
All good points for camping! :clap: I get it. You can save a ton of money. Using Hostels/Hotels requires some planning, work ... and LUCK! ... but more and more there are tips on decent places even in the most remote villages. Amazing! Sjoerd Baker's book has been my guide since 2007 for Mexico.

With camping I've found it best to shorten your riding day to allow time to search for a place. If you find organized camping ... then ALL GOOD! I know things are expensive in Chile and Argentina ... so camp grounds there make perfect sense. For Hostels ... you need to make your target town, if you don't ... this is how you can get screwed by Gringo prices. (Done that too! :taz:)

In parts of Mex and Cent. America ... I found it more a challenge to find clean, safe camping. Very dense with people. But that's just me. If you cook, then more time needed to cook, clean up, then break camp then pack it all back up. Over and over again. :(

It's personal preference. I prefer spending time in town, conversing, shopping, eating, drinking, working on my Spanish and just hanging out, working on my bike ... OR ... doing absolutely NOTHING!

Camping is constant work. If you find great place and STAY there a few days ... then that really works. But UP - DOWN with the camping set up everyday ... wears on me. YMMV. :confused1:

I've found a few great long term camping places. Always good to take a few days OFF THE BIKE after a few travel days. Paying hotels for a week adds up, so can't argue just how much sense camping can make to many $$$$!

It's all about trade offs, risk management, budget and comfort levels. bier

Excellent! ... but I have to say I've seen MANY spiders, snakes and HUGE scorpions camping. Been bitten by giant Centipedes. (painful) But point made ... some Hostels are REAL DIVES ... filthy, Bedbug and insect infested. Some times you would be better off outside. :thumbdown:

But I have some stories for you about what happens when you set your tent up in the dark ... and where you end up being when you awake in the morning. :eek3: :rofl: or .. some interesting middle of the night interruptions.

bier

Hey all

Just stopping in to let you know I'm still here, so far the advice has been fantastic. I'm adjusting my list accordingly and will repost the first post possibly shortly. Just been flat out at work - 14hr days, 7 days a week!

Not sure if I mentioned it in the first post. But I WILL be going around the world, long term. So my carried / worn gear especially will have to suit that.

Also I've taken your advice and am looking into flying to USA in November to buy and build a dr there. Seems much smarter weather and cost wise.

Cheers!

Steve

Hey all,

Really appreciate the advice given so far. Slowly adjusting my budget to suit (mostly upwards!)

I've ridden this 100cc's of fury through Vietnam:
http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/...psf78a8bab.jpg

And then tried something similar through the Philippines on this:
http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/...ps863b188e.jpg

I said "tried":
http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/...s00de3e0c.jpeg

And driven the old girl almost all the way around Australia:
http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/...ps4502def3.jpg
A few of you asked more about what type of riding / route I'll be taking and it's looking a little something like this.

The route is yet to be determined after South America. Currently looking at how long I may take for that section, along with shipping costs (or even possibilities) to eventually get to Vladivostok or just to Africa.

There's a possibility of me doing some months with a certain young lady on the back. This will be mostly on road riding, the odd bit of dirt roads thrown in for a laugh. I'll follow the sun as much as possible, but am quite happy in the cold / rain, camping and riding.

The majority of the ride will be solo, and I want to be able to attempt / focus on mostly off road riding. I've ridden more than enough sports bikes and bitumen tends to bore me when it's not ripping the skin off my bones.

-----

With my current budget, which is mostly a wish list really, I'm looking at around:
$16,000 for the DR650 and quite a lot of mods. Can easily drop this down by about $2k.

$4,000 in camping, riding gear, all clothing, personal equipment and the like

$14,000 Visas, Shipping, Flights, Travel & Medical insurance for two years.

This is mostly rough estimates along with some numbers off Hubb. But it also assumes that I own ZERO equipment, camping gear or underwear so there shall be savings.

This just leaves my daily cost, which varies. Once again, parts of this are purposely inflated estimations and parts are prices off the web / hubb.

Cheers!

For a late, low mileage, lightly used DR650 in the US with some modifications already done, you should be looking at no more than $5000 usd and even with most of the mods you've mentioned you should be able to sort the bike completely out for under $10,000 - the main problem/cost is finding a place to stay and do all of the work - with a shipping address, so if you have friends in the US ask them nicely....


You should be able to make savings off the other costs too, the US is THE best place to buy gear. What are your plans for shipping ? South America to South Africa and then North and East ?

One possible route is:

North America - Darien Gap - South America -> Africa -> Ride to Europe -> East across Russia -> SE Asia via Korea / Japan -> Indonesia -> Home.

Although I would very much like to find out if I can get from South America directly to Japan / Korea and from there up to Russia. Then west across Russia -> Europe -> Africa -> back up Africa -> somehow -> SE Asia -> Indonesia -> Home.

Hey Steve,

Cost wise the Easterly route will be more efficient and cheaper, heading West you will have 2 major shipping costs, but it is doable I'm sure to ship from South America to South Korea, get to Vlad and go West to Europe, Africa. To SE Asia might be a little trickier but you could go anti clockwise around Africa, head up to Kenya and Ethiopia, then head back South and maybe ship from Durban to Bangkok before heading home. You may run into problems bringing a US registered bike back into Australia as an Aussie citizen without a Carnet, look into that issue or sell the bike in Asia.


Re other points raised:

As for car type 12v power sockets, IME they do not work so well on thumpers, smooth multi cylinder bikes fine, but on thumpers you end up taping, cable tying, bodging plugs into sockets to keep a good connection and its easy to pop fuses or wreck sensitive electronics with poor intermittent connections. The BMW type plugs positively click in and don't rattle loose. Also if you have a Powerlet /BMW socket you can borrow all the shiny expensive gear the BMW crowd carry (compressors etc) when yours (and mine) breaks. Like I said, having a few different options is a good idea, one $25 socket and a couple of plugs isn't much cash on top of a $10,000 bike build, if you want to save money, buy a bike that has already been farkled up with someone else buying all the new parts and taking the hit with taxes and shipping. (that's normally me!)

Oil, buy motorcycle oil when you can, use car oil when you have to, Ive had to use Castrol car 10-40 oil in Bolivia, couldn't find any motorcycle oil anywhere, ran with no problems, just make sure it doesn't say 'energy saving' on the bottle (friction modifiers that will ruin the clutch) that's the beauty of the venerable old DR - they aren't too fussy with oil or gas!


16 tooth sprockets are good if you have to do long stretches of pavement, Nevil used one to ride across Europe and I believe Canada last year on his RTW, I wish id had one a few years ago for some long highway stretches in Chile. At 60 mph/100kmh with 14/42 sprockets the DR pulls 4500 rpm, with 16/42 it sits at 4000 rpm at the same speed or 70 mph/120 kmh at 4500rpm, less engine wear, better fuel economy or you can go a bit faster ;) makes sense to me. If you are staying off highways/motorways don't use one, if you have to do a bunch of highway riding they work well. I have found with my DR keeping it at or under 4500 rpm is the cut off for better fuel economy.

This is how mine has ended up after 4 years of tweaking.....

I have the Pelican 1500 box mounted fairly well to the rear because we ride 2up, but its not too heavy or big and I like having at least one fairly secure storage, if I use a DR250 light it cant be seen so easily from any angle with the HT rear rack and indicator extensions, yes its big, but its also more visable, im running a stock tail light bulb with the Procycle LED plate light, toolbox holds compressor/tools/tyre levers. Pannier bags are Happy Trail Mojave which fit straight onto the HT SU pannier racks, they have an aluminium plate on the rear and 'pucks' so no straps over the seat, the same mounting system as the HT Teton aluminium panniers. Aerostitch tank panniers, Laminar B king screen with a removable MRA lip works ok, GSXR 40F0 can sounds sweeeeeeet........




http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/z...pscb53ff49.jpg




http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/z...ps73d0e632.jpg

Gippers your setup looks just like what I'm going for:clap:

Some great advice there re power let / BMW sockets, I'll adjust the list accordingly.

Did you find the storage space enough for two? I'd be looking at taking a small tent and the likest some stage, really don't want to end up with a bike drowning in luggage!

The pelican was used for expensive equipment I assume. Do anything crazy like run power to the box? And yes, I'm searching for a GSXR can, everything points towards it. May just have to wait till I'm closer to heading to the USA and try to buy one on eBay or the like, post it to a friends till I get there.

I've put up a post in route planning to try to get some more information for my route. It's all well and good to SAY I'll go here, here and here. But without any idea on how long regions will take it's hard to then plan where to go re the weather.

Cheers!

Hi Steve,


Check out some photos on our blog under 'trip prep' for photos of our SAmerica setup. For that trip we used the HT Teton ali panniers with 12v power going to the top box which worked ok.


Pretty much all of our trip was 2up, it sounds like the majority of your trip will be solo, so there's some compromises, all I can say is prep the bike to enjoy the longer solo part of your trip and when you ride 2up carry as little 'stuff' as you can.


The HT Mojave bags are OK for a solo rider, but IMO don't have enough volume for 2up extended travel. However if you can pack super light it would be ok for a while. But there are plenty of other larger soft bag options out there that would make 2up travel easier. I will be putting some footman loops on top of the Pelican case so I can have the tent tied on it for 2up - when we ride 2up we are not generally doing hardcore routes these days.


For charging electronics Id take a smaller camera and maybe a small tablet instead of a laptop/netbook and keep them in your tankbag and just put a USB outlet on your bars with the charge cable straight into the tankbag.


The tankbag goes with you when you leave the bike, so do you need a Peli case ? maybe not, but it is handy.......


Its better to have slightly larger panniers and keep the weight low and as close to the centre of the bike as possible instead of having a huge duffel bag high up on the tail. But if you do end up with a duffel/roll top bag on the tail, make sure only lightweight bulky stuff goes up there.


You could maybe start the trip with a Peli case and if you don't have enough room for the 2up part sell it or ship it home.....

I'll check out the setup section on your page, thanks mate.

I was looking at Magadan AS panniers. Seem to keep the weight low, and are relatively waterproof for when the bike is dropped in a river. It's going to happen I mean cmon.

Really hard to judge how much storage is needed at the moment, but that'll come once I start buying gear for the bike. Now that I've a complete list I'm definitely trying to cut down / downsize items on it. I'll hopefully have a pelicase on the rear at the most, light is key I believe.

The Magadan panniers are a great bit of kit, expensive but good quality, I think they would be perfect, definitely more room than the HT Mojave.

If you ship them to the US you will probably get dinged with big customs fee's- maybe pick them up in UK in person on the way through to the USA ?

Pack your clothing in a small dry bag and your sleeping bag too, don't rely on soft panniers to be 100% waterproof.

Ive asked Happy Trail to make the Mojave's slightly bigger and have external bottle holders on them - as US competition to the Magadans, but they don't seem to be interested. Wolfman have the best over range of soft luggage here at the moment, but I still hate loads of straps over the seat everywhere.

I didn't even think about custom's fees. I thought about buying and shipping the Magadans to Aus, and using them as my luggage when I fly to USA. Did you use / need heated gear on your trip Gipper? Right now I'm looking at riding clothing, wet weather gear AND heated gear. Seems like a lot of space required just for that.

Lisa had a heated jacket and gloves, I had heated grips, the DR's stator cant keep up with all three under 4000 rpm, I don't use heated clothing personally, even riding solo, good heated grips, merino wool layers and Gore-Tex jacket and pants - and a lightweight down jacket if its really cold, then you can keep warm away from the bike too.

I don't even normally take a thick pair of waterproof gloves, I just use a thin windproof liner glove under my summer leather gloves and larger hand guards with the heated grips, if they get wet then tough, its when you start to take 2 pairs of everything that room becomes tight - keep it simple, if you need more airflow through the hand guards when its hot, drill some holes in them and then tape them up when its cold.

Yeah Im not sure about customs fees in Australia, give them a call and ask them what the duty would be, is there anyone who sells the AS gear there?

I had a very similar DR650 shopping list for a lap around Sth America last year.

I have more info on what worked FOR ME if you want more info. Everyone I met travelled differently and had different ideas on what worked, so keep looking around and getting ideas and you will sort it out. Plenty of good opinions so far!

here is my opinion

DR650 SE - 2yrs, 115,000kms through the Americas...
 

A little late to the party but there may be something here that helps...

Final incarnation...

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...oad&quot;></a>http://shortwayround.smugmug.com/Adv...eProfile-M.jpg

Prep talk - Suzuki DR650 | Short Way Round

Prep Gallery - Suzuki DR650 Preparation - ShortWayRound