Riding Notes

Whilst the roads in the Himalayas were more 'dangerous' - the danger there arose from the sheer idiocy of the Tata and bus drivers that have no regard for their own or anyone else's safety.

Drivers in Central America are more considerate than Indian/Nepalese drivers, but the road conditions are often worse. Rather than being consistently good or consistently bad (you can get used to either), the conditions can change in an instant. One moment you are leaned over sweeping through a beautifully cambered mountain bend, the next you are hard on the brakes to avoid a random landslide or a pothole that is big enough to need it's own post code.

We have done quite a number of unsealed kilometers on this trip, and riders that are planning a similar journey really do need to be comfortable spending long periods standing up on the pegs. Most of the unsealed roads are traversable at 90-100, but you need to be ready to change directions whilst up on the pegs, and able to handle the juddering of deep potholes. They can be tricky to see, as they fill up with a fine white powder that blends in well with the road surface. The first warning is often the slam of the handlebars through the wrists. At least you hope it is, because the alternative is your nether regions bouncing off the fuel cap...

Our prep for the trip was more than sufficient using the trails up and around Boya Quarry in the Perth hills. If we had the time again, perhaps a bit more focus on steep ascents and descents, but there has not been anything too challenging at all.

The gear that we have taken has been sufficient, and we have used all variations of the DriRider jackets in the various temperature zones and weather conditions.

Whilst the MotoDry tank bags have stood up well to the punishment and kept everything dry and dust free, they do have some issues. All of us have experienced failures in the d-rings that are used to secure the bags to a rack or other carrier. This has now meant we are using a combination of okky straps and rachets to hold the bags on. I know that the gear is not really designed for this sort of treatment, but these are a high wear component anyway and I think that the manufacturer needs to put a little more thought into the quaity and robustness of the material used.

When we get back to Perth, we will modify the bags to include additional (aluminum) d-rings on the top seam of the bag to allow jackets and other items to be easily strapped to the top of the bag. These are small things, but tend to assume greater importance on a trip like this. To stop and visit anything necessitates taking the bag off the bike and with you, so it needs to be able to release quickly and easily - and still be secure enough to withstand quite a hammering. Strapping on at start of day, and off at end of day also needs to be a simple matter of a few seconds rather than a hassle. Certainly by the end of each day, you are tired and sometimes ready to nearly fall off the bike in exhaustion. No one wants to fiddle with a complicated arrangement of straps at this time. Two hooks and ready to carry inside is best.