I haven’t forgotten about my trip to Iceland, but it’s taking me a while to gather the data for my next posts. Now I’m going to tell you how I prepared the bike for the trip.
You already know about the Holan panniers and my experience with them. I stuck white front, red rear, and orange side reflectors on them. Tuareg Rear Rack Extension was a good spending of 73 euros. It was the perfect platform to strap a Richa H2O 40l bag with bungee cords, that cost me 50 euros. On top of the tank I had a Richa TS 011 bag that cost me 45 euros. I bought both Richa bags in a local shop, and I have no complain about them.
have been wanting to change my tires to something more off-road. I wanted Mitas E-07 Dakar but I couldn’t get them due to supply shortage. At the end I chose the more radical Continental TKC 80 and I’m so happy with them I will probably put the same in my next change. It’s true they don’t last so long, after 7200 kilometers of trip to Iceland I think they are three quarters worn. But the handling is so much better off-road… As a precaution, I have reduced my maximum speed on pavement to 100 km/h, 80 if it is wet. I don’t know if I’m being paranoid, but for me it’s a good trade-off.
I had wild dreams of reaching Sigurðarskáli and doing the F26. I was concerned about the range of the tank, so I bought two Rotopax Gasflask that fit nicely on top of the panniers and gave me almost 10 liters extra. With their straps and import taxes, they cost me more than 300 euros. It turned out to be a waste of money, because when I saw the rivers I had to cross I cancelled my plans. I did the F35 and other shorter routes, for which I didn’t need extra fuel. Maybe they come handy in some other adventure.
It was very clear that I needed some kind of cushion to endure the trip. After some search in the Internet, I decided to buy Airhawk 2 Cruiser Small pad. What a great product, I was riding several hours everyday with no problem sitting. My mistake was that I spent 170 euros ordering it from the US (taxes included), and then I found another suitable model of the same brand in a local shop for half the price. Oh well…
I could have lived without spending 180 euros in a pair of Pivot Pegz Mark 3, but I’m happy I did. A great product that makes off-road riding more comfortable and safer, and I recommend.
I had to replace a broken mirror, so I spent 40 euros in a couple of folding mirrors. These mirrors have a joint that allows me to have them in a more upright position than the stock ones, being less exposed to falls. They have already survived a few without touching the ground. A cheap improvement that I can recommend.
I had a car-lighter socket, but I decided to replace it with a double USB socket that I installed in the center of the handlebar for better rain protection. Having two USB was very handy to charge the camera’s batteries while keeping the phone connected. It cost me 12 euros and it wasn’t difficult to install. I’m not sure if I did it quite right, because it still gives power with the keys off. I suppose it doesn’t drain the battery if nothing is connected.
I definitely should mention the heated grips, even though they are not part of this trip’s preparations. They were already installed when I bought the bike. I had good winter gloves and I still I couldn’t have survived without them, given the Icelandic weather.
I ordered a polycarbonate headlight guard, but there was a supply shortage and Rugged Roads kindly cancelled it. I was considering other protection parts from the same shop, but I thought I had already spent too much money. At the end, I didn’t need them.
In my next post about the trip, I will give you the detailed packlist of all the stuff I carried with me, including prices and my experience with the items. I took me a while to compile it, but it’s almost done.