Categories
Planning

Route Planning 2

A lot has changed since I put up my original route planning post so I thought it best to post again.

The current plan is to leave the UK at the end of March/beginning of April 2015. The route will be:

UK – France – Spain – Morocco – Western Sahara – Mauritania – Senegal – Gambia – Senegal – Mali – Ivory Coast – Ghana – Togo – Benin – Nigeria – Cameroon – Gabon – Congo – DRC – Zambia – Mozambique – South Africa

africa-route

The route avoids the Ebola effected countries of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, I would aim to be in Cape Town by the beginning of July 2015.

All are subject to change as borders open/close or local situations develop or subside.

Categories
Planning

Innoculations

I have been to see the practice nurse at the local GP surgery and come away several hundreds of pounds lighter, an arm full of needle holes and an appointment to go back for more.

My tetanus/diptheria/polio was boosted a few years ago and I did receive the usual childhood jabs so those are all OK.

I am getting/have been given:Yellow Fever, Rabies, Hepetitis A and B and Typhoid jabs. I will get oral cholera protection shortly before I go and will take malaria tablets with me, I have chosen Mefloquine. I have not yet decided about the menengitis jab.

As I have had a needle phobia all my life, I am really pleased with myself. I think I should have been given a gold star or a lollipop!

Categories
Planning The Bike

Radiator protector fitted

I have fitted a metal radiator protector obtained from Altech Designs who sell them on e-bay. It appears very good quality and looks good.

Tenere Radiator Protector

Fitting was straight forward as it goes over the existing plastic coverand completed within 15 minutes. They give longer bolts which replace the stock ones.Radiator protector fittedTenere radiator protector

 

Categories
Planning The Bike

Photos of the Bike

I took the bike out for a ride today to test a camera mount I have added. I have a Nikon AW120 digital camera which is very robust and waterproof – I did a thorough test including dropping it from the bike at about 10Mph; not deliberately – note to self, do not fiddle with camera whilst moving !!

It works really well at low speeds but at high engine revs there is a lot of vibration which is to be expected with a single cylinder bike. The picture gets blurry when this happens but is still viewable. All in all I am happy with the setup.

Some still photos taken with the camera:

Yamaha XT660Z Tenere
Yamaha XT660Z Tenere
This is for my mobile phone which also provides music and GPS to my helmet via bluetooth
This is for my mobile phone which also provides music and GPS to my helmet via bluetooth
Another mod I have made is to put on a centre stand.
Another mod I have made is to put on a centre stand.
Bike I am using on the trip to Africa
Bike I am using on the trip to Africa
This is for my mobile phone which also provides music and GPS to my helmet via bluetooth
This is for my mobile phone which also provides music and GPS to my helmet via bluetooth
This is for the Nikon AW120 camera
This is for the Nikon AW120 camera
Bike I am using on the trip to Africa
Bike I am using on the trip to Africa
Bike I am using on the trip to Africa
Bike I am using on the trip to Africa
The control to the right of the camera mount is a remote control for my helmet mounted bluetooth headset.
The control to the right of the camera mount is a remote control for my helmet mounted bluetooth headset.
The bikes first wounds were caused when I put her on the side stand at the side of the road. She was facing downhill and rolled forward off the stand.
The bikes first wounds were caused when I put her on the side stand at the side of the road. She was facing downhill and rolled forward off the stand.
This is the oild resevoir. The Scottoiler drips oil onto he drive chain while the engine is running.
This is the oil reservoir. The Scottoiler drips oil on tothe drive chain while the engine is running.
Categories
Planning

Preparation

Preparation for the trip has started in earnest now. Mainly this has involved spending large amounts of money.

So far I have:

BIKE

Bought the bike, a 2012 Yamaha XT660Z Tenere with 9000 miles on the clock but in showroom condition. The bike came with Yamaha hard panniers and hard top box. I have had a few ride outs on it and am getting used to the height. I am used to riding a large sports tourer which is lower. I have even been out with Amy on the back.

Bought a new helmet – a Caberg Tourmax. I have also bought a bluetooth headset for it so I can listen to music from my phone and the GPS voice commands. I also installed a mount and waterproof case for my phone (used for GPS as well) and wired in a charger lead for it.

Replaced the side lights and number plate lights with LEDs for improved longevity and reduced power consumption. I am not going to bother with the indicators as I understand they may need ballast resistors as the bike has blown bulb detection circuitry for these.

Installed a Scotoiler.

Installed a trickle charge battery conditioner for when parked in the garage.

I have ordered the touratec side stand foot and the pannier mount base plates and water/fuel carriers that I will attach to the Yamaha panniers. This will allow me to externally mount a fuel can and a water can to the back side of them. I have also ordered the Yamaha centre stand.

Spares: I am starting to collect the essentials (filters, bulbs, tubes, chains, cables etc.) at the moment these are all going in a big box. I will eventually try to find small crevices and spaces on the bike to store many of them.

ROUTE PLANNING AND DOCUMENTS

I have finalised the route down the West coast of Africa that avoids the areas now effected by Ebola. I have also researched visa and inoculation requirements for each country en-route. Most visas area valid from date of issue and can be obtained in surrounding embassies so are best obtained en-route. Exceptions are the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria which seem to be best obtained in your home country. I need to do these a month before I go. I have also applied for a second UK passport due to the number of visas required and the length of time taken to get each one.

I have contacted my doctors and filled out a form about the trip. I now have to wait for them to come back with a programme of inoculations.

 

Categories
Planning

Route Planning

I have been researching routes and software to store the routes and help with the planning. I think I will use tripit as it gets good reviews and having played around with it it would seem to do what I need.
Routes across europe are plentiful. After that most people seem to choose going through russia rather than Iran. I have read several blogs from people taking both ways and at the moment I think I prefer Turkey, Iran and the Stans (look at a map to see what the Stans are) with the current tension with Russia over Ukraine I think avoiding that area is best.
The next bit is where it gets tricky. Travelling through or anywhere near Afghanistan is a non starter. The only viable overland from here is to enter China. From there you can get to the top of Pakistan and then into India. Alternatively you can go across the top of Tibet and into Laos. China insists all foreigners are escorted so that means riding in a group and handing over lots of money. The problems get worse on the other side of India because you cannot get into Burma to get into Thailand again entering China and being escorted is the only overland option.
I have found a uk company offering escorts through China in September 2015 but the price is about ┬ú3k for a dash across to Laos or ┬ú6k for a month long tour in China finishing in Thailand. I don’t know how much it costs for an escort to Pakistan but I think I read about ┬ú 800 somewhere.
If I go the Pakistan route I could opt to get the bike shipped to Bangkok from Calcutta or even ship it home and fly to Perth.
Hmmmm. I need to think about this.

Categories
Planning The Bike

Choosing a Bike

Having read many other experiences of different bikes, my initial leaning toward the BMW 650GS has changed. The BMW seems to be pretty bullet proof but when things do go wrong it gets very expensive very quickly. I have read reports of electrical issues, waiting for parts, difficult diagnostics etc. The other issues are the high value of the bike which effects the cost of the carnet and the weight of the bike and tool kit needed.

The other favourites seem to be the Suzuki DR650 and the Yamaha XT600 or newer XT660. As I am in the UK, and the DR650 is not sold here, I will probably go for the Yamaha so I have a better selection of bikes to choose from.

Not a good paint scheme for riding through Iran
Yamaha XT660 – Perhaps not a good paint scheme for riding through Iran

Getting a carnet looks like a major expense. They are only available from the RAC in the UK and are very expensive. They act like a passport for the bike entering and leaving a country and avoid you paying import duties and taxes. It may be possible to get one from Germany much more cheaply but I have read conflicting opinions on that.

Whatever I get, it will need some prep work such as uprated shocks, panniers and carriers, fitting inner tubes etc. Doing this work will be part of the fun and will allow me to get intimate with it mechanically before I leave. I would imagine I will be spending a lot of time on the road maintaining and fixing the bike.

Categories
Musings

Enough dreaming – Time for action

For at least 10 years I have been restless and wanted to do something with my life beyond the ordinary. Some would call it a mid life crisis, I would say it is a realisation that the clock is ticking and things you wanted to do in life remain undone andare not currently likely to happen.

I have started to do many of these things but one keeps coming back to haunt me – to see the world in it’s natural state and the people in it outside of the normal tourist environment; and to do this on a motorbike as an affordable means of travel. I have read many blogs of people who have done this so know it is possible.

Last night, after reading another blog I made a decision. Enough dreaming – it may not happen but, unless I start doing something, it never will.I know I have many obstacles to overcome before I even leave but I am determined.

I know there are lots of blogs out there but they tend to focus on the trip. I wanted to include the logistics at an early stage in the hope that others may be inspired to stop dreaming and start doing.

And now for the planning……