Sahara Bound: KTM 690 Enduro Bike Prep

I love this part of a trip, the research and route planning morph into the final stages of preparation of kit and vehicle before departure.

My KTM 690 Enduro 2014 hasn't had many changes to be honest. I've changed the air filter style and replaced the battery, chain/sprockets, tyres and tubes etc.

The air filter I've been using for years now is the K&N RU1750. This allows good air flow and fits with the Rade Garage fuel tank I installed. According to the ProScan Reader, there is too much air flow though and my biggest concern is that the paper filter will let through fine sand particles into my intake.
I've spent month's looking for a sand filter for it and have given up. So I started to look at alternatives. The general feedback is to use a foam filter. So I found that the Ram Air foam one fits to the injector body, which has a 62mm circumference. They are used on scooters apparently. I bought this last year for £14.99, this year, a spare is £22. So an increase of £7 in lest than 12 months for the same product. 
I've then had to install the air flow sensor into the top of it which is not great. This also creates a problem for fitting any sand filter. So I might have to go old school and find some very fine mesh bag filters to cover the whole thing up. These need to be cleaned daily whilst in the desert and especially after any time in fine sand to protect the engine. That search continues and if push comes to shove, I'll buy some women's fine mesh tights and use them! 

Next up, I checked the lithium battery that has been on for about 2 years now. When you press the Test light, it is showing a fair bit of red and as these batteries fail all at once, I decided this wasn't the time to have a dead battery, so ordered a new one. £115.33 later and its fitted.

Next up was to replace the spark plugs and find out why the bike is slow starting. The ProScan identified the coil pack as an issue, so I stripped out the coil packs and the spark plugs and tested them all with a multi meter. The coils are stick coils on KTM's and they had a good reading plus good continuity, so they were fine. I tested the spark plugs and one had no continuity. I changed these and the starting issue was better, but still slow. So next up was to check the micro inline fuel filter next to the battery. Without it, the bike started crisply, with it, it struggled, so £6 later and new one fitted with 2 spares for the trip. 

Two other filter pads have been installed into the bike now, one around the main fuel filler cover and one above the air filter in the dead space there. I had some foam in the shed, so this has been cut to size/shape and installed to try to reduce sand dust entering crevices/gaps etc.

Next up was tyres. I had a bit of a scare with tyres as I couldn't find any in the UK in the sizes I wanted. I asked Adventure Spec for their Motoz Deserts and they said they have stopped importing them, (another Brexit casualty). So I researched the options for desert tyres and whilst I found a few, their mileage life was between 2 & 3k miles on the rears and none were in stock.
The Mitas E-09 Dakar was the only ones with feedback of 5k ish miles. I found the fronts, but the rear was only available in 150/70-18's and no 140's were due in before the new year. 

Several chats with mates and a bit of a poll online and I bought the pair with 150's from Wheelhouse Tyres in Coleshill, near Birmingham for £211. They fit fine, but the front was a bugger to get on, so I'll add mousse to the tubes in the hopes I don't get a puncture and have to change them in a high heat area. That would ensure some sweating and swearing I'm sure!

Whilst fitting the rear, I checked the corrosion on the rims. I've been meaning to buy new wheels for awhile now, but putting it off because of the £750 cost. It's too late now as there is a six week build wait and I haven't found a second hand one!
The corrosion is increasing, so I cleared the crap off and treated the wheels with a sealant, then spray painted the interior in the hopes that reducing air interaction then they'll last the trip. I'm carrying some metal putty and this will be a last resort thing to get me somewhere. Time will tell I guess. Whatever, this is their last outing.

I've added a sheepskin to the saddle. I've heard so much about their comfort on longer trips and a mate had a skin from one of his sheep going spare. So I cleaned it, shaped it and sent it to DP Leathers at Penrith. He made a saddle for my BSA B40 and did a lovely job. For this he sewed the straps on for me for £5, so now I get to try one for real!

After this lot, I serviced the bike, new filters, new brake fluid, new clutch fluid, DID 520 VX2 chain and sprockets, brake pads all round. Around £200 spent.

I've checked the linkage and wheel bearings. I've got spares of both in stock and will take the wheel bearings with me. The linkage bearings, I'll save for now and change when I get back. There is no play in them at the moment, so its a bit of a gamble as they've been in for awhile now and you need a press to get them out/in.
The wheel bearings were changed about 1000 miles ago, so should be good for this trip, but as they are easy to change, I'll carry spares. 
Head bearings appear to last for years on these bikes. But when I get back they'll be due a strip out and replacements installed as they will have done about 50+k miles by then.

One thing I've just been reading is about marine grease and how good its life span is. Desert stuff is different to a lot of travel in that sand gets into any grease and turns it into a grinding paste, so you need some grease to reduce wear and heat, but not so much that sand clogs it up and prematurely wears parts. So it's going to be a bit of a balance between cleaning/checking and riding time to preserve lifespans of parts.
Marine grease is a purchase for another time as I've left it too late now, but I like what I'm reading about it, so I may change from lithium to marine as a standard on all bearings.

That's it again for now. Next post will be on the road... Have a great festive season everyone.

Sahara Bound: Luggage and Personal Prep

Prepping both myself and my bike for this trip has been a bit of a case of adapting and modifying existing stuff as well as adding in some new stuff. Let's start with the luggage and personal stuff, then move onto the actual bike in another post.

Luggage:
Panniers, I've gone for the Kriega OS18 kit which I've used before. It sits well on the bike and I can add things like fuel bottle holsters etc. For a top bag, I went with a cheaper version off Amazon, the Rhinowalk 20 litre bag has a load of attachment points and effectively copies the Kriega style but also has a few added features. The fabric quality is definitely not as good but at £32 per bag vs £99 per bag, it makes sense as I suspect, these will get trashed. I've also made some small bottle bags to attach to the rear of the Kriega's. These will hold inner tubes and the stove fuel bottle. Finally, I'll carry a drybag for food at the end of each day. This will be strapped into place as needed and when not in use, packed away out the way.

For the longer crossings, I've ended up choosing to use the Desert Fox 20 litre fuel bladder. It comes with a canvas overbag for protection and loads of attachment points. This raises my fuel range to roughly 500 miles, (38 litres x 13 LPM), the cost for that is the extra weight and also having to carry as another bag on the bike. To that end, I've made a cover to go over the top bags to stop them falling off. It's just an oblong piece of polyester/nylon with adjustable straps sewn on. The plan is to strap each bag down separately, then use this cover as a catch all. It's minor additional weight should be outweighed by its usefulness I hope!

Water is going to be an issue is certain parts, so I'm taking 2 x Black Diamond water bags and if needed I'll buy plastic bottles and strap them on. On the train line to Atar, there are huge water bladders stored for the local people, so they'll be useful. Heading into Southern Mauritania will require searching I suspect. In Morocco, every village has a water source, sometimes a spring, sometimes a shop plus the garages will have something.

Front bag. Lucy bought me an Enduristan Sandstorm 4ltr bag awhile ago, so this will go up front with things like charging kit, lip salve , glasses etc in it.

Navigation:
My go to navigation device has been a Garmin Montana for years now. So that is mounted onto the handlebars. The GPX routes I've planned for this trip will be on a laptop as will backups of maps etc. Just recently, I've found that the maps for Garmin units have become a little more difficult to find, so after spending a lot of evenings trying various versions out, I've finally gotten maps that work again.
As a hardware back up though, I've opted for a phone setup. So I have an old Samsung S7 phone with Maps.Me, Google Maps and as Maps.Me has been sold to a Korean investment company which is rapidly killing its functionality, I've also added its replacement 'Organic Maps' to the apps on the phone. 
Both of these are wired into the bike electrics for ease of use and the Garmin has both a rechargeable Lithium and can take 4 x AA batteries. 
Final part is to buy the Michelin paper maps for each country visited en-route, which I can then throw/give away when the time comes.
In Morocco and Mauritania, because these were French colonies in Victorian times and well visited now by French tourists, there are good road maps from Michelin available, however, there are not any modern detailed maps, such as the UK OS 1:50 or 1:25 maps outside of the Atlas.
I've also added some music and podcasts for some entertainment on the rare occasions I won't be riding.

Camping:
I'm taking a Terra Nova Voyager with me this time, it's free standing and I can use the inner without the outer for the hot deserts times. I'll also have a tarp, (made locally in Cumbria by Aiguille Equipment), for resting out of the sun or emergencies.
Cooking will be on my 30 year old MSR XGK stove. It uses petrol, so I then have a small amount of extra fuel if needed. Cooking pot will be a single non stick pan. I have packed a micro gas stove, purely as a back up and maybe to use in Spain / Portugal.
My sleeping bag will be a well used 1 season down bag from PHD alongside a 3/4 length Thermarest. I can use the tarp over this if it gets too cold for the bag, which I've done before at 5000m.

Clothing:
Bike kit will be my Adventure Spec Linesman Jacket, their Mongolia Trail Pants and their Atacama waterproof jacket. An Airoh Commander helmet, Forma Terra Enduro boots, Alpinestars Spartan gloves and Paradise Bikers Winter gloves. 
The Linesman jacket is too hot for the really hot places, so I've opted to remove its armour and take an old Forcefield armour top, which I can then wear under any big tee shirt. The Adv. Spec kit does the job nicely and all works together in a layered system, which I prefer. After around 40k miles now, its well proven for me!
I've used the Forma Adventure boots previously, which are comfy, but offer zero protection, the Terra's are much better, they are comfortable and you can stand up in them for hours.

Personal kit will be the usual for the UK, synthetic stuff including base layers, fleece top and trousers, but for the warmer weather, it'll be loose fitting long sleeve cotton tops. These clothes will be kept to an absolute minimum and/or I'll buy stuff in country if needed.

Toiletries will be very basic, soap, toothbrush/paste and a mini towel. Anything extra I need can be bought.

Medical:
As I'll be alone most of the time, my first aid kit is pretty basic. There are arguments for carrying bigger ones with more complex safety type stuff, but to be honest, most of it can be improvised in some way or another. The best thing is to be careful and avoid things, but after that, there are pain killers, basic wound covers to stem bleeding and, if I can get any in Morocco, antibiotics.
I'll also have my GHIC card and some medical repatriation insurance for the trip as a back up. But to be honest, my main 'serious rescue' is going to be other people passing and that might be down to luck because of the nature of the environment and this trip plan.

Spares/Repairs:
I've put together a tool kit specific to this bike, a set of spares and spares for the camp kit. There isn't much you can do for the electronics as they are mostly disposable, (which I disagree with wholeheartedly).

Camping/Clothing etc:
I've put in patches for the Thermarest, sleeping bag & tent. Some glue for fabric, some spare SR clips, 3 bar clips and G clips for the luggage setup. Then added in stove spares such as a jet, cleaners etc. 

Tools:
Spanners - open end/ring 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 19.
Plug spanner
Tyre pressure gauge
Specialized allen key folding tool
Halfords T bar
Sockets 3/8th - 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, 13.
Screw driver head to fit spinner handle - flat & cross head
Short metal bar - (For wheel bearings)
Tyre lever x 3 (Small x 1) + bead buddy
Wire cutters
Needle nosed pliers
Long Allen keys

Spare/Repair Stuff
Lots of cable ties - mounted to a fork stanchion
Some household electrical cable with some clips on either end to jump start bikes,
A mini hand pump,
A spare bike red light,
Some electrical tape,

A multi meter
Puncture patches and glue
A tow rope made from blue poly prop rope

Fuel hose for transferring fuel

Spare spark plugs
Wheel bearings - front & rear
Brake pads - front & rear
KTM micro fuel filter
O rings
Multiple bike fuses
Spare nuts & bolts, specific to the bike
Thread lock (red 223)
Spare tubes - front & rear
Spare brake/clutch levers
Spare oil filters
Spare air filter - (pre oiled)
Front sprocket & chain splitter tool + spare nut/lockring
Metal putty + radiator sealant

Ideally, I should have two clutch friction plates, one steel clutch plate, an injector and maybe a stepper motor as these all kill the bike if they die, but the extra weight is adding up and I'm starting to cut corners/save money.

One thing I have spent time and money on is a Bluetooth Reader for the fault codes on the bike. I settled on the ProScan Reader and after trying about 10 apps for the phone, I found the Garage Pro app worked with this on a subscription basis, so I bought the lifetime version for $22. It has already paid off, as I found a fault with a spark plug and fueling because of it. At least I'll know why I'm stuck if its bike related! 

Bike Weight:
I'm a few days away from departure now, so I've managed to have a play with the luggage set up and check out loading options as well as weights. The 2014 KTM bike weight is 150kg wet in standard form. I've shaved approximately 20kg off this bike, so 130kg. The luggage weighs 24kg in total. I've got to add to this 26 litres of petrol for the long sections and around 10 litres of water. 

One litre of petrol weighs 0.79kg and water is 1kg per litre, so that is another 30kg. (At least both of these are depreciating weights!). Food will also be added, so lets guess at 10kg for 4 days. So fully loaded I'll be  around 194kg just for the bike. That's a lot to haul out of a sand pit in 50 degrees!!

Paperwork:
Paperwork is mostly sorted en-route on this trip. In Spain and Portugal, entry will require a passport, standard UK vehicle papers, GHIC card and any insurances.
Morocco, the paperwork is done on the ferry, this allows a 90 day visa with a vehicle and you buy a month worth of insurance for 95 euros. 
Mauritania is pretty much the same. You buy your entry visa and insurance at the border in Euros.
In both of these countries, you need to carry a 'Fishe', which is a piece of paper with all of your and your vehicle details on it. These then get handed over at the many military checkpoints and ease the life of the guards on duty, which means you pass through quicker.
I'll carry back ups of these on the laptop and on a USB stick to be sure, plus back them up somewhere. Online access will be restricted to my laptop and an in country sim card paired to the laptop. This helps with online security and as an emergency contact possibility.

Research Info:
Most of my knowledge for this trip has come from online sources, my personal knowledge and some notable desert explorers.
Social Media has a wealth of Facebook groups such as West African Overlanding, Horizons Unlimited & Overlanding West Africa and Morocco, these contain many valuable updates and insights.
Chris Scott has toured all over the Sahara and details much of his travels and local knowledge on his website. His book 'Sahara Overland' has helped me to plan many parts of this trip.
Austin Vince and a group of friends traveled some of this route in 2013. I watched his film Mondo Sahara a few times and he helped me find the train line I wanted to ride in Morocco.
Dave Lomax, from Adventure Spec, helped me with the Eye of Africa  and heading south in Mauritania.

My neighbour, who is a well travelled 80+ year old, has given me two books to read before I go, the first is about the original crossing of the Empty Quarter in the Middle East, 'Arabian Sands' by Wilfred Thesiger, and the second is about a university group who visited the Berber villages in Morocco in 1955. 'Berber Village' by Bryan Clarke. I have friends in the Berber villages of Morocco, so it'll be interesting to see the differences between my knowledge and their experiences.

'Arabian Sands' reminds of another 1800 mile journey I took across West Antarctica with 3 colleagues in 2013, where our main source of info, outside of modern satellite mapping, was a book called 'Across West Antarctica' by John Pirrit. I'm not sure I'll get time to read this book before I go, but it does look a good read.

So for now, that's where I'm at. I'll do a post about the bike setup and costs for this as it has been a bit more intensive/expensive than first thought!