Bertha is the name that I randomly used at one point to describe my motorbike while on my trip. It was at some point while I was traveling with Marie and I was being a little disparaging... The actual phrase was "big Bertha" since my bike was far heavier than Marie's smaller KLR.
Anyway, the name seemed to stick (at least in Marie's mind) and thats what the bike has been called since...
When I got back from my trip I had a wealth of experience about using this particular model of motorbike for this type of overland trip and I even wrote up my assessment in an earlier Blog entry.
There were a couple of things that really made the bike hard to live with that had been on my mind for many months and now that Im back and have done some clean-up work on the bike, Id had some more time to think about things.
The first thing that I already knew was that due to all the rust (from the crossing of the Darrien Gap) and the scratches and scrapes (from the crashes and off roading I did), the bike was NEVER going to look like a pretty road touring machine again. So there was no point in me spending money on trying to make it look like new before I sell it - I would fail...
So, the alternative is to leave it as is, or make it better at the adventure touring job.
So reallizing that I will never get back any further money that I decide to invest in it, I decided I would try to make some of the changes I wanted anyway...
Number one on the list is better ground clearance!
Then fix the handle bars (they were bent from a crash and were way too flexible)
Then a more comfortable seat....
So I thought about it and I figured out how to do what I wanted and then I had a bike shop do the machining and suspension work and I have been doing the rest.
The result is that I have spent about a thousand dollars and I have a much better adventure touring bike!! Though, I expect I will still sell it and get something else for my next big trip. In the mean time however, since my little city bike got written off in an accident a couple of weeks ago, I am riding "Bertha" (I actually really dont like that name... I think I preffer Bess!) around and really liking the feel of the new machine :)))
Suspension:
I had the rear suspension links replaced with shorter ones which means the rear wheel is now 50mm lower than before.
I had the front shock absorbers lengthened by machining new extended end caps (complete with the pre-load adjustment bolts) so the front wheel is now also 50mm lower (and can be 15mm lower again if I want).
This changes the ground clearance from 15cm to 20cm which is great :)
But this meant that the old side stand and centre stand wouldnt work, so I also had them cut and extended to compensate.
Handle Bars:
Well the old steel ones were flexible and bent and rusty, so I got some new alloy ones with a good brace (no more flexibility) and spent a few hours swapping over all the fittings. I also installed a front fork brace to add stiffness to the now even longer front forks (even better feel of the steering and front end).
Bash Plate:
The one I had used on the trip took a real beating and I had to straighten it out several times - It was not strong enough, so I replaced it with a new one made of thicker alloy :)
Seat:
Well the bike is 50mm taller than before and I can only just stand over it now with my feet flat on the ground (called "flat footing" the bike). So this is OK, but in rough terain this can be difficult. So I got a second seat from my friend Mike who I bought the bike from (he had replaced the original seat) and I took off the vynle covering and I got some high density foam and then I took to it with a carving knife! :)
I'm not finished with it yet, but I have a seat that is now about 20mm lower (improving the stand-over height that I lost with the suspension lift) and far more comfortable for me.
Other:
Then, I had to replace the tires since the ones I had on it were completely bald... and last but not least I will replace the front sproket. The one currently on the bike has done 60 000Km and is baddly worn. When I replace it I will put on a 14 tooth one instead of a 15 tooth one so that the bike will be lower geared and better at off road manouvering (more powerfull, less jumpy on throttle, and less dependent on subtler clutch work).
So, here it is, the "Giraffe" edition of the DL650:
