SteveRST wrote: ↑Thu Sep 27, 2018 2:06 pm
micksea wrote: ↑Thu Sep 27, 2018 9:53 ammyself,halfpint,chubbyhooker and griff097 (not sure about the other guys) are going out on the Portsmouth to santander boat on Friday 5/10/18
Hi guys - I'm on the same ferry as you.
They'll be quite a few of us on that sailing then. What are everyone's plans for travelling on from Santander? I've no firm plans but was considering trying to wild camp if the weather looks like it'll be ok.
Looking forward to this but also apprehensive as I'm definitely a newbie to this and this'll be my first time taking the bike on a trip like this - in fact furthest I've been on this bike (CRF250L) is about 100 miles
so I've bought loads of stuff that has not be tried and tested before... and I'm unsure if I've got the right gear to wear... but hopefully it'll be ok!
Thanks for posting the info on all the gear you're taking Keith! Very useful.
Will pack the bike this weekend and see how everything fits. I'm not planning to take stove/cooking gear or chair or airbed. Don't think I could fit it in - my panniers are only 15L each side! Are others taking this stuff? Actually I'll get a little stool - something to sit on!
Anyone else using a Garmin Zumo satnav? It's new to me, but I've downloaded the Morocco map from here
http://alternativaslibres.org/en/downloads.php and installed to Basecamp. Then basecamp seems to have installed the map to my Satnav, but I'm not totally convinced. I need to look in to this more.
Not long now !
Steve
Eve'nin Steve....
Just a couple of questions.....
Are your panniers soft or hard? If hard you could sit on one of those? Nice to have a chair though that you can lean back on.
As for stove etc...it's your call whatever level of comfort you want to have. Water and cereal bars can be stuffed in anywhere and scoffed as we're wild camping in bouts of one evening or two max. If there's a mechanical problem or punctures there'll be a delay. In reality I allow one puncture one hour....... three punctures ...three hours delay.
A Decathlon type mattress as in my images....it's the size of a beer can and can be laid out on top of your moto kit once spread out. Cold and wet weather kit will need to be thought about, it can be wet and Baltic whilst traversing Spain.
If you look at the routes; they're planned to allow camping, day off after and then road work to commence the cycle again. This allows to get rested.
Personally I enjoy a cuppa soup and bread at night whilst sitting ridiculing people and the next morning a coffee and biscuits whilst leaning back on my chair. As I state, it's your call. I'll not see you stuck for a coffee etc.
Water is the big consideration.... 4x bottles at any one time plus camel back. Without camel back one finds it hard to know when to stop the whole group for you to have a drink.
With those wee CRF saddles you could consider the likes of what Roger has on his moto? Sheep skin along with cheap Decathlon blue product cycle shorts? Or at the minimum shorts.?
For OSM maps...I take it you can, like my Garmin Montana, go into Settings...Maps...then click 'enable' the OSM map? Enter, for example 'Rabat' and see if the map appears on screen?
As for your gear.... normal riding kit with built in protection, woolly socks and winter gloves along with a one piece over suit should suffice. Motocross type boots rather than Army type boots are essential .
I'll be adding stuff to Page One next week....co-ords of hotels etc ..I'll mention it when I've done it.
Don't worry we'll keep you right on your first big ride on your moto....this is why I offer ...so folk can experience a ride with some semblance of advice.
Any other points or questions by all means just ask...we'll all help you.
Above all enjoy it and take whatever occurs in your stride. That's what the rest of us will be doing;
baaaaa
