Just to be clear; I did not use the 2in1 solution. My exhaust setup is the same as original with two cans. Albeit the Arrow cans are catalyst free. Made no mods or adjustments to the fueling system what so ever. They are not particularly louder. Just a deeper rumbling sound, and the occasional fart every once in a while. If you go for a 2in1 solution you will likely need a powercommander installed. Check with Kev as I am not completely sure about this.

With regards to the H&B system, my (almost) namesake at OTR is half right. The rack itself is excellent and easy to fit. I've had no problems with it, allthough you should remember to Locktite the screws when you fit the rack. I neglected to do that and it was blind luck that I noticed two of the screws come lose. Could have lost the whole dang thing. Anyway, Paul666 beat me to it; the pannier locks are easy to use but flimsy in a crash. I lost the first lock in my crash at Timbuktu. This was a relatively high speed crash, and so somethings gotta give. Tore the right pannier right off as I hit the ground. On the other hand this could be a blessing in disguise. Had the locks held, it could have done irepairable damage to the rack or even the sub-frame. Now, when I say locks broke, I don't mean the fitting clamps on the frame. Just the key lock that you twist for the quick release system. This means that it was a doddle to fit the panniers back on. The only consequense was that I could no longer lock my pannier to the frame with a key. I used a jubilee clip to hold the clamp in place and it still holds. The places you will be going, a screwed on jubilee clip is just as safe as a flimsy aluminium lock. If not safer.

Some people swear by the panniers made by Metal Mule and say that the frame will break before the panniers. Not sure if this is true, but if it is, it may not even be a good thing as Paul666 pointed out. But back on topic; the rack itself is sturdy and will not fail you. The choice of panniers is a personal one but even with the flimsy locks, I'd still recommend H&B panniers. If I have to say something negative about them, it is the fact that the rack is very wide. There's quite a large gap between the exhausts (remember I have two exhaust) and the inside of the rack. I'd say 7cm or something. This makes you unnecessary wide in traffic. I'm not sure how to go about trimming the rack so it fits more snuggly. But it doesn't take long to get used to that you are a bit wider than normaly.

Dirtracks mileage: With a malfunctioning lambda probe my mileage might give you the wrong impression. But on dirt tracks and bad tar, I'd usually get around 20 km/l. On Good tar road I'd get 25 and above. Not sure what the petrol quality will be like where you are going, but in Mauritania I went as low as 18 due to dodgy fuel. Just keep that in mind. In Dogon country in Mali, I rarely got out of second gear. Didn't even bother to calculate my mileage for those days. No doubt it was poor.

Lubrication: Nope, you read it right. Ran it dry. Well, that's not entirely true. I used some teflon spray that Thorsten at OTR recommended. It leaves the chain completely dry. You actually have to clean your chain in petrol before applying it. If riding in very dirty conditions (ie. sand) and your chain is well greased, it will create a kind of grinding paste and wear your sprocket extremely. The other biker I had the company of, greased his chain diligently. He did the same route (more or less) as me, and changed his rear sprocket halfway through. I met him close to Cape Agulhas and his second rear sprocket was completely shot (was actually amazed that he'd not cracked a tooth). My rear sprocket looks almost new. It's still got flat teeth at the end, and eventhough I've done about 22000 km on it I am absolutely certain that it will last me at least another 5-8 thousand. Had I known what I know today, I would not have brought an extra sprocket set. But......(there's always a but, isnt there?)...

The chain suffers from lack of grease and does not benefit as much as the sprockets from using teflon. At least that's my theory. Because as it happens my chain started to click and clank upon acceleration somewhere around 15000 km's. Think the bearings in one or two of the links simply gave in. In all fairness it should be said that I did not use the teflon coating as often as the can prescribes I should. So that could be the reason for my chains demise. I actually changed it today. No biggie, and it's easy enough to do if you have a chain breaker. I have for the past 3-4 weeks used grease in order to reduce the clicking (too lazy to change the chain) and it has worked for a while. But the result is clearly read on the rear sprocket. It has started to wear on the sides and has propably taken more damage in the past 3-4 weeks than it has on the entire trip up to that. All in all I give the teflon spray a big thumbs up.

A scot oiler may be a good compromize between the thick sticky grease, and the almost completely dry teflon, which by the way is quite pricy (but worth every penny if you ask me). The scot oiler may offer the lubrication for both chain and sprocket, without creating the "grinding paste" that grease does.


And yeah, I'll be flying back home some time after the weekend when I get the paperwork sorted.

Regarding your PC and general fueling issues, I refer you with great confidense to Kev. He realy knows his stuff. As do a bunch of other guys in this forum. Ask away. I've found this forum to be a plethora of information that was a great help for me when I planned my trip. I hope it will be for you too.

Best regards

Torsten
L

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