Dakar Dazed - countdown to bankruptcy!

[PPiA]

Good stuff

Isn't Patricia Watson-Miller, English though?

[JMo (& piglet)]

Originally Posted by PPiA

Good stuff

Isn't Patricia Watson-Miller, English though?

I thought she was German, but lives in England? (bit like Si Pavey being an Aussie)

J x

[JMo (& piglet)]

Originally Posted by knybanjo

btw....since I met you briefly at the scrub in Florida last year can I say that you're my friend the Dakar racer?

Hey Ricky!

Goodness that seems like a long time ago now?! The Tenere is still going strong - this was the same bike on the way to Dakar last year:



Same helmet too in fact - I need to get some new riding kit!

Happy days... and yes, I'm pleased to be your friend 'the Dakar racer' - you guys made me very welcome at the Scrub, even if I was a day late!

Jenny xx

[brent tex]

Congrats Jenny,
Ill be following your every move from the safety of my couch.
Ill buy a couple of t-shirts.

[wiseblood]

Team ADVrider? Perhaps a big "FYYFF" sticker on the bashplate?

Subscribed!

[JMo (& piglet)]

Originally Posted by wiseblood

Team ADVrider? Perhaps a big "FYYFF" sticker on the bashplate?

Subscribed!

Hee hee - I actually have one of those already (spelt out in full) - might have to stick it on there like you say...

It's great to think the ADVrider community is so enthusiastic and supportive already, and I really hope to have some merchandise together in the next couple of months in the lead up to Dakar...

J x

[Bluebull2007]

Awesome stuff Jenny!!

I knew there had to be a good reason why you chose not to do the Sertoes. Be sure to check out my RR thread underway on the Dos Sertões for tips & hints on my WR.

Living the Dos Sertões Dream

I think I found a couple of problems with that nav tower, and also watch those fuel lines from the RH tank!

I got the JVO rear thank - its HUGE. Are you doing the same or are you making up some auxilary tanks separately?

What kit is Craig Bounds using? Hopefully the same. Looking forward to seeing your prep for this.

[M.Mars]

you rock my world
you should start offering rally instructions to inept dakar wannabe's like myself

[JMo (& piglet)]

Originally Posted by Bluebull2007

Awesome stuff Jenny!!

I knew there had to be a good reason why you chose not to do the Sertoes. Be sure to check out my RR thread underway on the Dos Sertões for tips & hints on my WR.

Living the Dos Sertões Dream

I think I found a couple of problems with that nav tower, and also watch those fuel lines from the RH tank!

I got the JVO rear thank - its HUGE. Are you doing the same or are you making up some auxilary tanks separately?

What kit is Craig Bounds using? Hopefully the same. Looking forward to seeing your prep for this.

Hey Neil - yes I've already been tucking into your report from Brazil, but will study it carefully!

As you say, it really wasn't feasible to do Dos Sertoes (and also Pharaoh's which I've had to forfeit this year) and Dakar in January... my bike is still essentially 'as new' after Tunisia (ok, so maybe I should have tried a bit harder eh?), so is ideal to take to the Dakar this year... it would be a lot more secondhand after another FIM round or two I imagine!

I'd hoped to have the bike back last weekend and some tasty photos/info for you all, but there is a slight delay on getting my tanks made - rather than go the route Neil did with the full JVO kit (beautiful as it is, and in an ideal world money wise etc etc), I have elected to try a bit of 'mass centralization' on the WR, and am having an aluminium tank fabricated that will fit in the recess under the front of the seat, between the twin 10 litre JVO tanks...

Pics to follow shortly I hope, but essentially there is enough space there for a 5 litre 'reserve' tank, which is the same volume I had using the Safari Tank on the rear fender that I used in Tunisia... Tamsin Jones only had 25 litres on her Dakar bike last year (15L front, 10L rear), so I reckon I'll be fine range-wise with 25 litres of fuel... and I can also take along the rear Safari Tank as an auxiliary should I feel the need for even more fuel on board!

I'm also having a pair of 1.5L water tanks made that will fit either side of the Flatland Racing 'enduro' bashplate I fitted after Tunisia (it was delayed in transit prior to Tunisia, due to that volcanic dust cloud - seems like an age away now doesn't it?!):



I really like the simplicity and compact nature of this plate, however, while I had the requisite 3L of water in a camel-bag between the JVO tanks in Tunisia (and my old XR650 bash-plate bodged on last minute!), I felt ultimately the space between the tanks would be better served for fuel, and so the natural place for the water is now down below...

Of course I could have bought something commercially available (although I'm not sure the Meca'system Aluminium rally tank for example would fit around the lower JVO tank brackets, and even if it did, it's €599!) and the natural choice would have been the carbon bashplate that JVO supply (still €400 btw, plus you need a pair of bladders). However, while I'm sure it has proved very robust (as I'm sure Neil can confirm), I still prefer to have a chunk of metal under my sump, so we'll see how it turns out!


Not sure what kit Craig is using - I met him briefly the other week (Tamsin was doing an 'evening with' talk as part of an organized weekend of trail-riding in Wales) and his plans were still slightly sketchy, although he confirmed he'd be on a WR this year...

Yep - It's going to get exciting real quick (if it isn't already eh?!)

J x

[JMo (& piglet)]

In the meantime - this thread needs more pics!

The WR after returning from Tunisia earlier this year:

Still in good condition (never raced or rallied, ahem):




As you will be aware if you've read the "lastminuteracingdotcom" thread, I built this bike in barely two weeks, and had to make one or two compromises before shipping it off to Tunisia...

Ideally I'd have liked to have got the seat reshaped and recovered (it is bloody uncomfortable stock!), and as mentioned above, the Flatland Racing bashplate hadn't arrived in time so I bodged my old XR650 bashplate on for the Tunisia round (it actually fitted very well, with only a couple of cuts to fit around the lower tank support brackets, and new holes drilled for the mounting brackets that clip over the frame rails).

The rear Safari Tank worked well (except the mounting bolts came loose, and the tank 'changed shape' in the heat, making it tricky to reattach), and doesn't impede access to the airbox - however, should you have to raise the rear subframe (to get access to the shock and carb for example), then there is more unbolting to be done... by doing away with the rear tank and having that extra fuel up front, the rear of the bike should be just like the enduro, and easier to work on...

I've also repainted the fairing plain white (for the moment, depending on sponsors x), and have bought a new front fender (KTM Adventure type on a Meca'system bracket, like I fitted to the Tenere) as I find it offers more tyre clearance and is more stable, due to the second set of mounting brackets behind the fork.

I hope to have some photos of the bike/new tanks to upload in the next couple of days - I'm off to the USA for 'training'* these next couple of weeks, and when I return the final prep will begin in ernest!

Toot toot!

J x

* I say 'training', I mean looning around Moab on an XT225, then having another pop at the Rubicon Trail... oh yeah!

[Bluebull2007]

Hey Jenny,

Enjoy your training, I expect to see a full RR in this thread on that! Take your seat with while you are there and get Renazco to redo it for you, definitely worth its weight in gold!

I like your idea of putting a fuel tank between the front tanks (arent those front tanks 17l together? ), Its definitely a PITA having the airbox relocated to this position with the JVO rear tank. I would go for the auxiliary tanks, I would be concerned 25l might be a bit light given all the dunes on the route...Still you probably have a better idea than me after the Tunisia rally. The Sertoes did not have that much sand and it was hard to gauge range because I refuelled with all the lighter bikes just in case. I must be honest, I found the bike a little lower and much more fun to ride without the rear tank, that being said I know my bike is Dakar ready. Now all I got to do is find sponsorship in the next 17 months! I looked at your deposits and assistance fees for this Dakar and HOLY MOLY!!! It's freaking robbery I tell you! Even at those prices Im amazed to see there will be 200 bikes & Quads!!!

That bash plate is sweet, I prefer it to my carbon fibre one as well, though I really hammered it hard on this trip and it held up perfectly. The caps on my water tank came off though.

All the best in your training and ride safe!

[JMo (& piglet)]

Originally Posted by Bluebull2007

Hey Jenny,

Enjoy your training, I expect to see a full RR in this thread on that! Take your seat with while you are there and get Renazco to redo it for you, definitely worth its weight in gold!

You know that's not a bad idea - they aren't a million miles away from where I'll be based (in fact I got a speeding ticket on my XR650R on the 101 near Santa Rosa... bastards!) - if it fits in my luggage I might just do that, although I've got my local guy who's a dab hand with embroidery too of course!

J x

[DakarDreamer]

Jenny

Just seen your thread - WoW and good luck!
I'll be keeping a keen eye as I plan to do the Dakar in 2012!

I was riding with Tamsin at Brecon Beacons Rally a few weeks ago (one of her sponsors was on her WR Dakar bike) - it seems like the WR450 is becoming more popular so it will be interesting to see how you and Graig get on in the Dakar versus the relatively untried KTM450 conversions (and the new 450 rally!)

Keep us informed to your sponsorship success too as I am keen to find the most successful options! I have considered setting up a charity for adventures like this as the tax breaks and help for sponsorship would be great but not sure if it's feasible and wary that the time and effort of setting one up maybe a 'Dakar' task itself.

On the website front - I use a Wordpress blog that you can add static pages to (if you choose the right template) so it looks more like a full website than a blog but is very easy to set up. You can go as fully featured if as you like if you host it yourself or do a template design but I don't have any web knowledge and wanted something simple to minimise the time and effort.

Have you conisdered any online clearing seervices as alternatives to paypal? You can process credit card payments using smart phone apps these days so it may be an option?

Anyway good luck, let us know if you need any help and have fun in Moab!

cheers
Jago

[Drif10]

Originally Posted by JMo (& piglet)

You know that's not a bad idea - they aren't a million miles away from where I'll be based (in fact I got a speeding ticket on my XR650R on the 101 near Santa Rosa... bastards!) - if it fits in my luggage I might just do that, although I've got my local guy who's a dab hand with embroidery too of course!

J x

Much more so than just a cover, Renazco understands this type of riding, builds it to suit you, your machine, and riding style. Money very well spent.

There's lots of folks who build bike seats, but no one I know of that builds for this sort of riding like he does.

Your butt will thank you. Daily.

[skibum69]

Right on! Great to hear and good luck from Newfoundland.

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