My intent, as stated, was not to discuss your choice of bike. I actually commended it already.
They last super long and are uber tough in desert conditions, and Dakar proven. I chose it more for the puncture resistance than anything else. Had two on my 690 and really liked them. I'll get a lot of use out of the part-used tyres after Amageza.
Jeremy Clarkson: "Some say the E09's outlast 450 motors
All I know is, my bank balance won't outlast its purchase."
Why do we hear so little about them in these parts?
Forgive me, for a moment there I thought I had kindled an interest in the berg, which led to a slight bit of verbal diarrhea from my side
Was just pondering the true merit of these tower of pizza screens, compared to the above picture.. some go so far as to even reroute the exhaust headers a-la Dakar style with supertanker type fuel cells. The added weight + wind resistance results in a 450 than can barely reach 140km/h, hence my reference to the lower weight/resistance rocket ship 650.
Where does one draw the line?
How much, in terms of tanks, lights and electronics are truly needed to comfortably do the Amageza?
I would love to take part in this great event but reading these epic rally builds can be depressing to be honest. It also makes we wonder if it would not be possible to do the following:
KTM 525 =R35K
25L tank =R3K5
2000 Lumen LED lights = R500 (1 flood 1 spot http://www.extremelights.co.za/shop/high-intensity-led-10w-900lumen/)
Road book R?
2x M404 = R1K
1x AC10 = R500
Can I actually do it on a R40K budget or am I smoking the good stuff?
You have to factor in travel costs, fuel, spares etc.
Roadbook holder is about 3-4k BTW.
That Husaberg you have posted above would be a great Amageza bike IMO. I'm also a fan of the minimalist approach.
Generally a good Amageza bike should have the following characteristics:
1) Reliability - this extends beyond the engine, to all facets of the bike ESPECIALLY the navigation equipment. Nav towers that fall apart under vibration etc and electrics that dont work are a large proportion of the issues people seem to face as far as I can see.
2) Easy handling - if you are going to have to fight the bike for five days its just going to make your chance of finishing that much harder - However the issue with rally bikes is the fuel load is such a high proportion of the bike's weight so it handles very differently when full vs empty.
3) Fuel range - ideally you need fore/aft tanks to balance the weight on the bike
4) Easy maintenance - the bike must be set up so you can easily fix stuff in the limited time you have each night. This applies especially to the nav system wiring
Anyway that's what I would ideally look for in a bike.
Of course being competitive or not, is ultimately all about the rider.
Topic: Racing Panda's AWESOME AMAGEZA 2014: START TO about halfway. (Read 51869 times)