Tip's to pass on.
 

In all your year's or riding traveling. What have you picked up that you think other people have missed.


Mine is not a long list. As I'm not going presume that our reader's are stupid.


If you can get your hand's on an old empty ***** stick. It's a tube that hold's solid glue. Fill it with white petroleum jelly. Great for lip's or just to keep the wind off some exposed skin.


Sudo cream. A panacea of cream's to cover most problem's. Cheap as well, for a large tub. It's used on new born baby's bum. Keep's a seal from their Azz and the wet.


Petrol station diesel glove's. Just steal a few pair's. When you need them you'll know.


A benny hat. Wool thermal hat. Keep'ed my head warm on many a cold night's.


And your's?
John933

A silk dressing gown. ;)

That made you smile.
John933

A “fuel sock”, that you can put between the tank, and where you are refilling from. Especially if you have to use bottled fuel. Doesn´t remove all problems, that bad fuel could cause, but at least should help to keep the largest dirt particles from entering your tank in the first place. For example KTM offers a similar solution for some of their models, that can actually be installed into the tank opening and kept there, but portable versions are available too.

My wife thinks it's a brilliant idea.

In what way?


Think's .....


You should get one.
You should buy her one.
You should buy her two...........




I can see a picture of this gown being posted.
John933

Don't pick your nose going over a speed hump :nono:doh

:rofl: You forgot the pipe and slippers

sorry, had to

Wayne

Plastic Fanta bottles can be used as short term petrol containers and can be discarded when petrol supplys improve.

Prefer lip cream that contains 50+ sunscreen. All that's needed is a tiny tube of the stuff. Don't get SunScreen in eyes!

I'm afraid the Anglo references lost me ... "Sudo", "benny hat" ?
No clue. We have a great BUTT Creme product called A+D (for diaper rash).
Great for "Monkey Butt". (don't ask, it's horrible) Lots of cheap imitators of this one. The real thing "with Aloe" really works. Mom recommended.

I pack blue medical rubber gloves. Good for doing bike repair or to add a layer against rain or cold. Hat is A MUST, either for cold or Sun.:thumbup1:

If riding Europe only, I'd say needs are relatively simple: AAA recovery insurance, several valid Credit Cards and a good Camera.

One thing most don't think of when going further afield are letters of recommendation. Not easy to get but if you can get them ... it's amazing the doors they can open and how they can make "problems" vanish.

Sometimes Ambassadors or Consul's will help ... or if you have connections at Home Office or Dept. of State (for USA) ... USE THEM!

You can get letters ... when you go in for a Visa ... just ASK. Worst they can say is NO. Works best for those either working in the region, businesses, or working with NGO as I was ... or have a really good charity project.

Sometimes NGO's themselves can be coerced into writing a letter. Just don't show it to enemy countries in midst of conflict area (so common in Africa).

Try goggling Sudocrem You'll get your answer. As for the Benny hat. That's a bit harder. It's a wool pull over hat. You see them all over the place. The name came about from a person in a TV program who used to wear one. So for easy of description Benny hat's were born.
John933

Thinks I should take one to Mongolia next year!

Tip's to pass on.
 

Here are a few I've learnt over the last 17,000k here in Latin America:-

If you doubt that bag/bolt/nut/frame/string/rope etc won't hold, chances are it probably won't at some point. Overlanders feel the full unforgiving weight of causality, ie that screw comes lose, you lose your frame > your rack pack with it > you later realise this and go back to look > it gets dark and you hit a stone and face plant,etc ad infinitum.

If you're remote and riding solo always make sure you have enough water to walk to next village should you have to ditch the bike due to mechanical failure or due to nose diving into a mud pool a meter deep :doh

Small issues and niggles ought to be ironed out immediately as over hours, days, weeks on the road they can become extremely annoying and could even lead to disaster!

If something nears the need of replacement do it immediately, not oh I've got at least two thousand left on that rear and then you realise later on you can't find anything to replace it with.

Most importantly - Never rush anywhere!!!! Cruising at 80kph and arriving a few hours later is better than wreaking at 120k and spending next two months sipping beers with a broken shoulder trying to remember wtf happened.

If I would start my RTW now, I would attend some photography courses before the trip.

"Listen to the song in your heart not the voices in your head" ; H.J. Simpson

Seriously, that weird little rattle is no reason to spend all day thinking about taking the head off the engine. If the bike goes OK it is OK. Earplugs are good for your ears and your state of mind. Same goes for tales of muggings and foreign jails some bloke in a pub will bang on about when you say you are going to anywhere further away than Bournemouth.

Andy

I hate that so so much and it happens every time! With that in mind my top tip;

Only tell people in the pub where you have been, not where you are going :thumbup1:

That there is some advice to live by!

bier

All good advice! :thumbup1:

The cascade of bad decisions and repeated bad luck has bitten me more than once. doh doh Many never see problems coming, yet ride on blissfully; overloaded, un-maintained on worn out equipment .. and are "surprised" when something breaks. :innocent:

Pushing ourselves beyond safe limits is the dangerous one. We all tend to do it at times. Riding solo can pose risks. Know your limitations. :oops2:

Sometimes better to sit in shade ... and wait for next vehicle.

So true with tires. Buy them when you can, pack them as needed. You may not see another for months. For other items, really depends a lot on knowing your machine and what is wearing out and what is OK and for how long.

Too many riders never check basic wear items: brake pads, chain or sprockets ... until it's too late. Just basic RTW 101 trade craft, as taught by Grant in his DVD's and HUBB seminars.

Central America rider here. The one and best piece of advice I can give:

Take hand and hold it parallel to the ground slightly above your head and say this out loud ,"take your expectations that are up here, ( now lower your hand to your waist while still holding hand parallel) and bring them down here"

Saved me many a sleepless nights.

Think would I do that with my child sat on the pillion seat behind me?

If yes Continue.......

If no don't do it....

If unsure ask your wife....... ;-)

That is such an important tip and not always followed. I remember this guy I rode with in Guatemala, he was on a KLR like me. At a picture stop on top of a valley, I noticed he was missing a sub frame bolt. Lucky bastard, I had a spare one in my tool bag ;)

A new tip I found reading ride reports on ADVrider: Mark all the screws on your bike with a white paint marker. Checking no screws or bolts are getting loose can then be done easily. Didn't tried this yet, but will on my next trip this spring.

Yes!

That sprocket with 2000 kms left in it might go bad much faster then you thought near the end.

Also you might think you're saving money by not changing them at moto house in Medellin and extending the life of your sprockets, but in fact you will end up eating parts faster when you fit the wrong ones in Peru :blushing:

Its a great idea, I am using plastic bottles now, easy to dispose off once done with them



Wayne