Preparing Bike And Body For Baja

PREPARING BIKE AND BODY FOR BAJA

A well prepared machine and a carefully considered assortment of parts, tools and supplies are vital ingredients in determining the success of long distance, off-road trips, such as the Baja. Without these, chances are you’ll spend the rest of your born days sipping cerveza in a little Mexican farm town (which is not such a bad idea). But assuming you want to eventually get home, you had better set aside some time prior to departure for preparation and maintenance. The following is not, nor is it intended to be, the definitive word in pre-trip planning. But it may give you a few ideas for your own off-road trip and at least partially assure you of seeing your wife again—once more, assuming that’s something you want to do.

SPARE PARTS

Anything can go wrong. But you can’t carry the parts department of your local dealer on the back of your Trail 90, either. So choose replacements carefully for those things most likely to break, damage, disappear, etc. And hope for the best. Some of the things we carried for each bike were: Owner’s and/or shop manual; extra inner tubes; clutch and throttle cables; shifting and/ or brake pedals; hand levers; points and condensers; headlight and taillight bulbs; primary chain master links (and in some cases a new chain); several extra spark plugs, particularly for two-strokes (6-8); an assortment of nuts and bolts; fuses; one small battery that could be jury-rigged to fit most of the bikes; good, strong wire (throttle cable wire is good, baling wire is not); Permatex; and, of course, tire patching equipment. There are many other things that you can, and perhaps should, carry, depending on space and the individual machine. But this should at least give you a start.

TOOLS

All of the spare parts in the world, though, won’t do you a bit of good if you don’t have the tools to put them on. Again, think in terms of lightness, but be sure you have the necessary tools for the job. Also, tools may be divided among riders to avoid duplication and increase your mechanical potential. Some of the things we carried included: A wide assortment of open-ended and box wrenches; a variety of screwdrivers; an impact driver (cases do occasionally have to be removed); tire irons; small and large socket sets; tire pump(s); emery file; feeler gauges; vice grips; spark plug wrenches; and, just in case, the toolkits that come with each of the bikes.

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PREPARING THE BIKE

Check every thing. Battery water, for instance, could be low and cause serious problems. Air filters should be cleaned, wiring checked, and every nut and bolt, including spokes, tightened. Better now than broken down later. Additionally, there are a number of reasonably effective Hat tire preventatives available, that can save you hours of time later. And if you’re taking a street bike on an offroad trip, you can make handling chores considerably easier by changing to dirttype tires and scrambler handlebars, as we did on the Honda CB350.

MISCELLANEOUS SUPPLIES

A lot of this is a matter of personal choice, but you might consider the following: Web belt with canteens, one for gas and one or two for water; Halizone tablets for purifying non-potable water; a small amount of emergency food, in case you get stuck in the boonies; a good first-aid kit; maps of the area; compass; enough two-stroke oil for the trip and some crankcase oil; sleeping bag; poncho; chain lubricant; a limited supply of hot and cold weather clothing; matches; flashlights; and extra goggles and lenses.

LOADING THE BIKE

Loading your equipment is one of the most critical aspects of long distance, off-road travel, as improperly secured gear can mean lost equipment, lost time (in retrieving and reloading) and uncomfortable riding. Generally, keep your load light, compact and secured very tightly to the rear of the bike, although you can conveniently arrange some of the gear on the tank and over the handlebars. The “hot set-up” for spare parts, oil, etc., is to tape them at accessible locations on the machine. Finally, secure the load as tightly as possible with rope and/or “Bungee cords.”