Adventurizing my F800GS

[Oso Blanco]

Originally Posted by Snowy

I noticed you mentioned the bar clamp bolts and anti seize.

What I've done for a long time is anti seize the holes, and put blue thread lock on the bolts. Every bolt on the bike that I've removed gets this treatment. (That's pretty much every single one on the DR and XR)

On the 2 x DR650, XR650R, and my F800 I haven't lost a single bolt since doing this. They come out relatively easy, and I haven't broken/stripped/rounded out a bolt since using the combo.

The thread lock compound still goes hard in the threads, and provides it's normal resistance to removal, but you don't get them seizing up like they sometimes do if a bit of moisture has gotten in there somehow.

Just a thought.

That is an interesting combo. I'll definitely have to try it as I'm adjust bars almost every ride now (more offroad than in the past).

Originally Posted by VikB

Great looking bike! I just left Calgary after 15yrs...

I go to Baja every winter and unless you have business in TJ or are in a mad rush I cross at Tecate. The ride to Tecate from SD and then to Ensenada is nice twisty mountain roads. Last winter they had the roads ripped up between Tecate and Ensenada - it felt like a SCORE rally in my 4x4...would have been more fun on a DS bike.

In fact I'd recommend you skip Ensenada as well and head east to San Felipe. You can then cut south-west back to Mex 1 down in the desert and skip all the hassles of the more populated [ie. traffic congestion] northern bit of Mex 1 and you get to ride some dirt roads.

That trip was last year, it's come and gone! As expected we rode TJ to Cabo, back to La Paz then the ferry to the Mazatlan.


Finn, thanks for the GPS info. I was fondling a Montana at the dealers and it looked like it had some cool features. I'll have to do some more reading and research as I haven't replaced my f'd up Zumo yet.

[Oso Blanco]

Originally Posted by Lost Rider

How are you liking the single rotor?
Did you end up changing the MC?

I haven't really noticed a huge difference single verses dual rotor. I always found that if I grabbed the brake hard, even on pavement, the ABS would kick in anyway. There was always more braking power than traction so it seems like the dual rotors are a bit of a waste? That been said, I haven't ridden the bike (with a single rotor) loaded will all my LD travel gear, water, both tanks full etc. Maybe then it will be lacking stopping power. The F650gs is a single, the KTM 950SE is a single, HP2E is a single

I should find someone local with a stock F8 and spray paint a line on a paved road somewhere and do some side by side braking comparisons.

I haven't swapped to a smaller master cylinder yet, I may. The brake lever is pretty stiff only operating one caliper. I might switch to a 12 or 13mm instead of the stock 15mm. That will be a winter project though.

[Jamm]

Originally Posted by Oso Blanco

Now that is awesome!

[Motorfiets]

I think this maybe that new GPS..... garmin seems to always release stuff to aviation before automotive

[Kitedans]

Originally Posted by Oso Blanco

Wow, love this picture !!!

[Oso Blanco]

Originally Posted by Kitedans

Wow, love this picture !!!

Thanks, it's one of my favorites too.

Originally Posted by Motorfiets

I think this maybe that new GPS..... garmin seems to always release stuff to aviation before automotive

Not sure if that's the same one. I don't know much about it except it's supposed to have a 5"x5" screen and a much improved operating system.

[dendrophobe]

Originally Posted by Oso Blanco

Not sure if that's the same one. I don't know much about it except it's supposed to have a 5"x5" screen and a much improved operating system.

That looks somewhat like an aviation version of the Montana... Looking forward to seeing this Zumo 700 though; I always thought the Zumo line was too big (a 5x5 screen is pretty sizeable...) but if it includes all the maps... It may be enough to make me pick it over the Montana, even if I can't take it hiking and sailing with me as well.

[Oso Blanco]

Originally Posted by dendrophobe

That looks somewhat like an aviation version of the Montana... Looking forward to seeing this Zumo 700 though; I always thought the Zumo line was too big (a 5x5 screen is pretty sizeable...) but if it includes all the maps... It may be enough to make me pick it over the Montana, even if I can't take it hiking and sailing with me as well.

Maps included is just rumor (as far as I know) at this point. I was told that Garmin releases their new product at a specific electronics convention in January every year. If that's true, we don't have long to wait

[earlyfrog36]

I was about to jump on a Zumo 665 for $699, I wonder if it worth waiting on the new one? Any of you guys have any thoughts on the 665?

[Casejeep]

Originally Posted by Oso Blanco

I was very happy with the bike on the Latin America trip. I'm slowly picking away at the few things left that I want to upgrade or change.

I'd really like to try to make some kevlar/carbon fiber armor pieces for the lower tank corners. Seems like a great thing to play with in the winter months.

Also would like to seal the rear rim so I can run it tubeless. I'm not so much against tubes but I'm trying real hard to get down on the amount of spare crap I carry. A spare front and rear tube take up a reasonable amount of space and add weight. I'd like to run a Tubliss insert up front and have Woody seal the rear. Hopefully I can get away with carrying a single front tube and use it in the rear in a pitch if required.

The stock seat still sucks. I haven't figured out what brand or model I might buy yet. For now the AirHawk will have to do it's thing.

The Pivot Pegs are OK but I feel cramped on the bike. I've had a few knee injuries and the older I get the more they bother me. Long rides make it damn near impossible to walk after. I'm hoping a pair of 2" lowered pegs from Precision Engineering will help with that.

Also in the ergo field, some new bars are required. I've been running 3.5" Rox Risers since the bike was new. I don't like all the pivoting points on them, they feel very unstable. Also with the 3.5" risers, the bike looks kinda goofy. Some Pro-Taper Pastrana FMX bars are on the way. I'm hoping the added height and lessened sweep on the bars and the lower pegs will make standing while riding more comfortable.

The last piece of my puzzle (first to be installed) is the Ralle-Moto RM1 stabilizer. I chose the RM1 as the bar clamps are bridged which will eliminate the issues I had with the Rox set-up.

It arrived today. The machine work is excellent! It's a beautiful piece of equipment. I love billet anything and this was no exception.

There were 2 sets of instructions. One from Ralle-Moto and the other from Best Rest (I assume). They were crystal clear and in 30 leisurely minutes I was done.

Original set-up. 3.5 Rox Risers and a Highway Dirt Bike bridged top clamp.


Yank the top clamp off. I managed to twist off 2 allen keys trying to get this off. Perhaps anti seize is required?!




I'm hoping the additional height of the mount (looks to be about 1 1/4" over stock) with the Pastrana bars will equal that of the Rox bits coming out.




Real easy to get the "security" bolts out of the ignition plate. What's the point of having special tamper proof bolts if they are easily backed out with vise grips? They weren't tight at all
Pin plate and lower mount installed:


Attach the actual stabilizer unit to the lower mount with the supplied stainless bolts:


Add the top clamp and call it a night!


Now I need to find a home for my USB connector, cigarette lighter plug and SAE plug. Other than that it turned out will.


As an added bonus, the new bolts that hold the whole thing to the triple clamps use nut with a 17mm head. The stock use 16mm. There isn't a 16mm anywhere else on the bike that I've found. I found it annoying. It's such a stupid size that is rarely in a metric tool kit so I was carrying one just for the bar clamps. Why you ask? Because after a good crash the stock bar bolts can bend badly, easily. This is especially true with the extra leverage that bar risers add. And yes, I know that 5/8" is close enough that it works and they are easy to find anywhere in North America but not the case most other places.

So that was a long winded way of saying, "Yah! One less wrench in my tool kit!".

Oh yeah, one more thing. The TT tank has been great but I really disliked having to get off the bike to turn the small plastic petcock levers that you are required to cut in half for clearance when you install the tank. Cold hands, wet hands, gloves, muddy bike etc make working the levers a PITA. Also, I always seem to not notice that I'm low on fuel when I'm stopped somewhere. I start riding again and the fuel light comes on. I have to stop and get off the bike to fuck with the little child size levers.

Stockers:





Solution: Leave the levers open all the time and add some brass fuel petcocks with long levers. Install the levers somewhere that you can flip them while riding. $20 in parts and here's what I got.

I removed the TT supplied hose support bracket that pinches under the one of the engine cover bolts with a simple "T" bracket used for strengthening shelves and cabinetry. $1.50 each at Lowe's. I cut the leg down, drilled the hole the right size and bolt it to the engine in place of the original bracket.

Original bracket:


I lost all the in-between pics but here is the "T" mounted and the brass valves mounted to them:


Real easy reach while riding.


The install is pretty basic and backyard mechanic style. I'm going to pick away at making it a bit cleaner and more legit looking but for now it works well.

What exactly is your damper/ bar riser combo? i looked on Ralle Moto's website and couldnt find your setup?

[Oso Blanco]

Originally Posted by Casejeep

What exactly is your damper/ bar riser combo? i looked on Ralle Moto's website and couldnt find your setup?

It's a Ralle Moto RM1 http://www.rallemoto.com/contents/en-us/d42.html They still show the RM1 but I don't see it listed under the F800GS. Send them an email and see if they still have it.

[KSP]

I ordered the RM2 direct. Called Best Rest first but it didn't work out. The RM2 is on a F800GS sidecar. Works well enough. Bought a Scott's for my DRZ though.

Originally Posted by Oso Blanco

It's a Ralle Moto RM1 http://www.rallemoto.com/contents/en-us/d42.html They still show the RM1 but I don't see it listed under the F800GS. Send them an email and see if they still have it.

[Tessitori]

Just finished reading the whole thread! Great build and great looking bike. Good luck with your future Adventures.

[runnin4melife]

Man I cannot believe I missed this build thread before, great minds think a like!