Wednesday, 21 September 2016

Preparation - Solo Ride through NEI

Following items I carried with me during this trip. For a new rider, it may appear like a lot, but they have been chosen over years of my riding and they serve their purpose.


The Beginning.

Motorcycle & Spares:

This is the most important thing for me, for such a ride. Thankfully it was already in decent shape, so I didn't have to do a lot of work to get it ready. However, an unexpected carburetor issue took me (and a friend) a whole day to iron out. Once fixed, it worked like a charming rest of the trip. So the effort there was well worth it.

  • Engine condition - Good, so no work was required
  • Clutch plates and springs - Got a new set, as the old ones had worn out
  • Clutch bearing - changed from a roller ball type to cylinder type (custom mod)
  • Carburetor - Reduced jet from 105 to 95
  • Front tire - Almost new (Michelin Sirac Street 3.25 19)
  • Rear tire - Useable condition (Birla Roadmaxx 3.50 19, Semi-knobby pattern)
  • Engine oil - 1)Clutch side changed to 20W50 so that I can buy/replace on the way easily. 2) Engine side straight grade 50 (had a stock of 1.5 liters to carry along)
  • Suspension - No change/fix (though I wish I had the time/budget to import an off-road-tuned suspension)
  • Headlight - Replaced the HID bulb with a new one, as the original one conked out during rectifying some electrical issues (got a spare one to carry)
  • Auxiliary/Fog lights - No change
  • Spares     - clutch wire (fitted on the bike), throttle wire, HID kit, tube, fuses, bulbs, spark plug, main jets
  • Standard Tool Kit - Already in bike
  • Puncture Tools    - Already part of the tool roll, carried along
  • Slime Tyre Compressor   - existing
  • Charging port      - (new) Connected a water-resistant USB port near the handlebar (as I was using my iPhone 6s for navigation this time)
  • Emergency Box  - Misc items like a steel wire, spare fuses, indicator bulbs, jump start wire, etc.
  • Rear Seat             - Not fitted, only the rear rack to support saddle bags and tail bag
  • Cable Lock  - existing

Motorcycle Luggage:

  • Cramster Saddle Bags - existing (Damn, this pair is not dying out at all!!!)
  • Generic Rain cover for saddle bag - existing (finally these got torn to shreds during this trip and I am happy that I can replace them now!)
  • Overboard 30L waterproof backpack (as the tail bag) - existing
  • Hein Gericke StreetLine Tank bag - existing
  • Double Bungee Cords with metal rings - existing
  • Rynox Waterproof Phone Mount - existing (became totally loose by the last day)
  • iPhone 6s running the offline GPS App - existing (free app)
  • Anker Rugged USB-Lightning Cable - existing

Photo/Videography Equipment:


  • Lens cleaning pen - existing
  • Nikon D7000 body - existing
  • Nikkor 16-85mm  - existing
  • Nikkor 35mm f1.8 - existing (didn't get to use this one)
  • Manfrotto Tripod - existing
  • SJCAM 4000 WiFi - Bought this 2 days before the trip to try it out (before thinking of investing in a more expensive camera)
  • SD Cards (class 10) - 4GB, 16GB - existing
  • Micro SD  (class 10) - 32 GB - (new) for the action cam
  • Storejet 160 GB HDD - existing
  • Kingston Wireless G2 - (new) To back-up photos and videos to an external drive, without a laptop

Clothing:


  • Frank Thomas All Season Riding Jacket - existing
  • Rynox Advento Riding Pants - existing
  • Altberg Waterproof Riding Boots - existing
  • LS2 FF386 Modular Helmet - existing
  • Scoyco MX Gloves - existing
  • Via-terra Marine Hydration Pack 1ltr - existing

Mostly carried a few full sleeve cotton t-shirts to wear inside my riding jacket, as short sleeves don't wick sweat as well, nor provide warmth when needed. New generation base layers are good I have heard, but were out of budget at this point. Other than that the usual pair of long shorts, a pair of jeans, briefs, socks, and a pair of slippers for hotel room/off-the-bike usage. 

First-aid Kit:

Existing kit with first-aid medication and bandages. Few painkillers, muscle spray, etc.

Camping:

Pointless to discuss as I couldn't set up a tent anywhere along the route, due to security concerns or heavy rain.

The End Result.

Shipping of Motorcycle & Luggage:

Due to a lack of time to go to the railway station and book the motorcycle and the luggage (as a parcel), I chose GATI again, albeit this time, worked with a new guy for packing and paperwork.








Things I carried in flight:

Clothes, camera, electronic accessories, and helmet


View the Main Post for this ride

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