Vstrom + Oil Slick = Vstrom Down

What happens if you don't ride like that? The trucks aren't going to come up behind you if you're riding slightly slower?

I'd like to understand it since I am still skeptical you wouldn't be safer with less aggressive riding.

What happens is you end up breathing in all the fumes and wearing all the rocks and dust and crap. The cars and SUVs are always doing at least 10k over the posted limit

So then you now can't breathe and when you try and get around the truck you have the cars closing at 40kmh over your own speed very similar to my initial closing speed in the video

On top of all that the left hand safety lane usually has scooters in it, so the idea of pulling to the left is now also fraught with danger if you need a way out and the table drains are very deep

Honestly the safest way is to be in front, not of all the cars but the trucks and scooters. So the right hand lane would be the best spot but the vehicles stay in it so it matters not, if you are riding faster than the traffic flow then you will have to weave between everyone else

And that is exactly what the cars do and the trucks expect it

Now, just as an addition here, there is no road rage. Nil. There are accidents and I have seen quite a few and another today. But, if you get cut off by someone, curb your anger. It is normal for those behind to behave in response to those in front

So, in a nutshell they are all dangerous drivers over here, but very polite about it :)

You have to experience it to believe it. The best way is to hire a TukTuk and see if you can be a relaxed passenger

Makes sense, I would rather be the one doing the closing than having cages close on me on a bike for certain.

I can appreciate the open and frank discussion. I mean no disrespect at all.
Your world tour is admirable and I wish you all the best memories life has to offer. You certainly are grabbing the world by the balls!

We often discuss safety, safety gear and defensive riding in this forum and I am simply a proponent of thoughtful and careful riding, because personally, it has gotten me and my bikes far. If I can get help any person think "Safe" than I feel like I am a contributor to this site. Many, many posts in this forum have helped me make smarter decisions on the road.

I am glad you weren't hurt and glad to hear you are back on the road.

You are on an incredible trip of a lifetime. I wish you all the best with much respect. And, thank you for the invitation to join up with you. I am sure I could learn a lot from you too.

The crank?? Pardon me, I must´ve missed something - you now fixing the damage from this oil spill incident, or something else?

(BTW, can´t understand how your engine didn´t cut off in that video, I´ve dumped my K7 and K9 many times, and it should stop right away..?)

Hi Pecha72

OK, your few questions in reverse answer themselves

Basically I have as yet to work out why the bike did not shut down after we fell over. The Tip Over Sensor is supposed to shut the engine down after a tilt of more than 65 degrees. This did not happen this time!!! It has worked every other time we have come a cropper!

Consequently if you re-watch the video, I have done so quite a few times now, the engine is running at high revs WITHOUT oil, for 22 seconds!!!!! It then shuts down BEFORE I can get close enough and reach down to turn off the key!!!

This in the end meant that one conrod was running at high speed without oil.

I still do not know why it stopped by itself, did the TOS suddenly kick in, did the oil pressure sensor detect the lack of oil? My guess is the oil pressure sensor, but that is only a guess.

Note: The right hand hand guard had broken off and jammed the throttle tube into position, so it was always going to be in a "throttle on" position, I still think the TOS should have accounted for this.

So, read this page of my blog for the full story of the accident

http://travellingstrom.com/2013/03/01/

And this page for the continuing saga of the aftermath

http://travellingstrom.com/2013/03/06/


So, in answer to your question, yes, the accident did cause a bigger issue and ended up being expensive and is ongoing.

Cheers as I am stuck in Phuket Thailand
TravellingStrom

for better days ahead. Hats off to ya for getting that far and riding the world.

Not exactly the worse place in the world to be stuck...

I'll agree with that - hell, he could be stuck in Mongolia in midwinter, now that'd probably be fun, eh!??

Certainly had more than your fair share of technical worries lately TS! But you're alive, that's what really matters, and almost finished the trip, too, so keep up the good spirits.

Thanks, yep could be worse places for sure

Bike is running but has an introduced problem and is running rough so it is ongoing

I am only a few weeks from home and want to get some Malaysian riding in before I fly out. I hope it is soon

What brand gear (jacket/armor) were you wearing?

I'm shopping for something that provides good protection. Your experience is a pretty good endorsement for whatever you were wearing.

Hi, I bought this gear while in Switzerland, not bloody cheap, but worth it as it was very waterproof and has done its crash test and with a flying(sliding) pass mark :) Note, this was a low side crash, but I am sure the armour would help with the high side protection as well.

The small hole you can see here is on the lower side of my bum on the outer edge(reach down for them six guns, that is where it is)





This small hole is at the lower outer edge of the same side pants leg, it was on the outside of my boot of course.







The brand is IXS and the model? I think is called the ventilation system







I wanted a system that was waterproof(it has internal removable thermal and goretex liners), these work well, but I had electric gear and thermals anyway :)

I also wanted to use this for desert riding and the heat of Asia. This system has numerous zips, and foldaway pockets and flaps, that do help in the hotter parts of the world. It is still bloody hot to wear down here in South East Asia and so one of the reasons for riding a bit faster, to help the cooling effect.

If I was planning on riding only hot countries, I may try for a different system, maybe a motoX style outer armour with cooler cloth covering, but for an all over system, I can highly recommend it.


It cost me 750 Swiss Francs, but that included a Held tankbag and a very nice 35% discount for being a world traveller. I bought from this shop

http://www.silverstone.ch/

Hauptstrasse 11-13
CH-6015 Luzern

N47 03.541 E008 17.163


Well worth the price and a very experienced owner(I forget his name) but he knew his products inside out, that is always a bonus :)

Cheers from Phuket
TravellingStrom

The issue has been resolved I am happy to say

The front camshaft is the first to be timed on install, then when doing the rear one, the crankshaft must be turned 360 degrees prior to installing and timing the rear camshafts. The mechanic never turned the crank after doing the front.

No big deal, he is used to HD motors and this is the first Hiroshima Screamer ha has worked on

No damage done, the bike should be ready for pick up soon and I get to go riding again, on a bike as compared to my 100cc scooter

Cheers
TravellingStrom

Great, and here's hoping all surprises will be positive ones from now on!

(The local mechanics are very good fixing anything that they know, and have worked on.. but the inside of a DL650 engine does not fall into that category, so having them do any work to it should be a last resort, they often manage to screw up something even if they succesfully fix something else.)

Picked up the bike today, got as far as my hotel before the FI light came on. Hot day slow traffic, overheating engine and the fan is not working causing a lot of coolant loss from boiling.

They came and picked it up and ended up riding it away. It looks like my departure date is open ended

No, please try to explain. What feature of that part of the world compels one to close on the rear end of the truck in the fast lane at warp speed then slash over and gas it trying to pass in the slow lane as soon as a miniscule, zero visibility gap appears when there is almost no other traffic on the road?

Because it's fun and a rush? OK, I can buy that.

Because SE Asia somehow requires it? Oh, BS. The video told the whole story. Wait a couple more seconds for the gap between the two trucks to grow, and the risk drops tenfold, and he probably keeps the rubber side down and gets to wherever he was going ultimately days sooner.

You know; smooth is fast.

You got it right there, they can sit back and pontifact about anything, it is worthless unless they have been there and experienced it first hand.

Nothing I say and do is correct in their minds, because they are right, and do I care, not a jot

and btw, the bike is fixed, heading to Malaysia tomorrow morning, another country they have not been to probably, so I will report on the riding style needed there as well

Cheers
TS

I see both sides of this argument. I really do. But for me...

it's really hard to disagree with that. That's the decision I'd make and all the cons of sitting behind that truck for hours would be removed.

Let's get back to that, after you've actually done Asia on your bike. Somehow seems to widen people's perspective - helps you realize, why riding in US, or Europe, or Oz, is in the end quite easy (and safe) compared to most other parts of the world, and how you may need to learn a whole different game.

So go to India, or Pakistan, or Indonesia, ride them all on your bike, and THEN go back behind the keyboard, and lecture a world traveller, how he should ride (so for one thing, you´ll have more than 30 seconds of video, where to base your views on.)