Motorcycle BOV

[thebikewanderer]

I thought I would share my BOV. This is my 1994 Honda TransAlp, it is a 600cc V-Twin engined beast with about 60hp. It weighs very little and can go anywhere if your a good enough rider.


This was taken at Niarbyl (one of the most westerly points on the Isle of Man) during the aftermath of hurricane Henry.

I'm planning on taking this bike around the UK for 3 months to write a book about traveling on a motorcycle so all my prepper skills are going to be tested as I'm going to be self sufficient for the whole time away.

It's still a work in progress but here's some of the mods I've done so far:
Heed engine protection bars.
12v and USB sockets.
Maxxis 6006 all terrain tyres (running with tubes so I can fix punctures on the move).
Garmin Nuvi GPS mounted on handlebars.
Baofeng GT3-mk2 mounted on dash with external aerial at rear of the bike.

Let me know what you think. I have lots planned yet but I'm looking for more ideas.

[BadgerSE]

Excellent viable option in a SHTF scenario.

As a fellow biker myself I love the idea of being able to do this. My only concern would be, given that any end of the world scenario is most likely going to be a dangerous world after the event (whatever that is) then being on 2 wheels is going to be inherently more dangerous then the added protection a metal shell of being inside 4, or more wheeled vehicle gives.

You'll have to be prepared for less then friendly roads, animals, environmental factors and of course people that would love to knock you off your bike for your supplies you're carrying.

Being on 2 wheels now is dangerous in peacetime with crazy drivers who drive like its the end of the world, nevermind when that day eventually comes around!! I would fear for yours and other prepping bikers safety. If I still had my motorbike, given a SHTF scenario I would still take my car purely because it is safer.. For the short term anyway.

Still, being on 2 wheels does have its advantages as you'll be able to get to your bug out location quicker or get extra supplies quicker depending on if you're bugging in or not. And 2 wheels can go places 4 wheels can't.. Like streets, sewers and large buildings if it really came to that!!

Good luck! Share more pictures as your project goes on.

[Catweazle]

You live on the IOM - you can walk across it in a day Perhaps a boat would be more useful

Mind you, if I lived there I would definitely have a bike - I've been to the TT races a few times and loved it there, especially since they made the mountain one-way for the week.

[preparedsurrey]

A decent tank bag? Sheepskin seat cover really helps if you are riding for hours, decent chain and lock so you can leave it unattended. Hard cases for the panniers so your gear is a bit safer.
Have you thought about running mooses for puncture proofing?
Automatic Chain oiler.

Old fashioned plastic map holder on the bars.

[Alloneword]

A decent tank bag? Sheepskin seat cover really helps if you are riding for hours, decent chain and lock so you can leave it unattended. Hard cases for the panniers so your gear is a bit safer.
Have you thought about running mooses for puncture proofing?
Automatic Chain oiler.

Old fashioned plastic map holder on the bars.

If you do want suggestion for chain & Padlock give me a shout i have some cool info for you, hard case well i don't know scum will get in if they want too, somekind of detatchable ones get my vote, inner tubes is a cool idea mine are tubeless and i have a mushroom kit to fix it along with small compresser and some O2 cannisters to help, i know you have USB and 12v socket but something else to consider is one of these
http://tinyurl.com/z6nehpe
They will jump the bike if it's the older wet lead acid battery (not gel type) not only that it will charge your phone/tablet/laptop and shit loads of other stuff, i know bike will charge your stuff but this way you can charge stuff on the quiet without giving away your loacation.

Moving off topic a bit, don't forget some kind of First Aid Kit (FAK), not to sure what IOM has in the way of mobile coverage but if you have a few networks to choose from maybe have a couple of extra sims on these other networks in case some go down and also a cheap waterproof simple phone, I have something called a Ruggear RG100 and trust me it's bomb and waterproof


All1

[greyman]

Have look at Ventura luggage,worth its weight in gold when you stop.
Unclips in seconds, had it on my zx9 OK upto 150 lol
When everyone else is unstrapping bags your having your first pint.
Loads of room in the big bag plus you can strap your tent to the frame.
Plastic gloves from the garage for diesel keep your pinkies warm

[dangerman]

Bikewanderer... Where did you go? Why did you choose such an old bike?

[preparedsurrey]

Probably because they are a good old thing and very little goes wrong with them even when subjected to off road abuse

[dangerman]

Yeah, and they can be repaired with bits of string and duct tape.

I'm really interested in buying a back up motorcycle. At the moment I have a Suzuki SV650S and it's perfect. It's a 2001 model so it still has carbs, there are hardly any electronics on it to go wrong and it's known to be a very reliable thing.

However, covering long distances can be a bit of a problem, especially me because of my bad knee. I was considering swapping it for a Yamaha TDM for exactly the reasons you mentions PS, but then I started to think that old bikes have their own set of issues. Especially once they're older than about 20 years. The bike's performance by modern comparison is pathetic, parts are more difficult to get hold of and the bikes become generally all round more unreliable - not a good thing for a travelling person with only that means of transport available.

I'm also going to pick up my new Triumph Street Triple 675 next week - that thing has every electronic gadget you can get inside it. It's so over engineered it's crazy. However, it's a 2007 bike, six years newer than the SV and if I was going on a trip around the UK or even Europe on a bike, it would be the Triumph. I'm just more confident that it will just work when I need it to.

I'm just interested in the methodology of choosing the right all round sole bike if choosing one to keep it forever.

[preparedsurrey]

For me I would go the other way agewise, performance isn't an issue any longer for me, I can have just as much fun throwing about a restricted 125 2 stroke as I can on a fireblade, horses for courses really.
Modern bikes in my experience are more sensitive to bad fuel, need to be left on a charger to save the battery dying when not in use for any period and newer stuff is loaded with electronics.
TDMs are great I got to test ride a few that came in as part exs and can't remember any particular problems with them, good for distances in comfort too. I'm biased but I like the Africa twins too, again for thier toughness and all round ability.

I've had Honda XL600s and Suzuki DR600s depending on the model both have a kickstart as well as electric start and are capable of motorway use, Italian imports used to be pretty cheap again re commissioning used to be mainly a case of draining the carbs and charging the battery if you didn't feel strong. A colleagues party piece was to start his XR600 using his hand on the kickstart.