Another China to Europe thread. How to prepare old"ish" bike for this trip

Hi everyone,

For last few years I was thinking of riding to Europe on a bike but never had the time. This year I sorted out my work and everything and the trip will finally happen. March 31st is my last day in the office and I dont have to go back there for next 5 months.
I will leave as soon as I can and go to Mongolia first, After riding there for few weeks Ill come back to China, pair up with another MCM user and together we will ride to Europe. I will be on my YBR250, he has YS250.

I thought a lot about getting a XTZ125 for the trip for many reasons. Mostly because its a better offroad bike and because my YBR is not so new anymore. In the end I decided to go with my old bike which has nearly 40k km on it, and this is why I started this thread. Id like to know what would you guys replace/change/upgrade/modified in this bike with this mileage. I have some ideas but it never hurts to ask

So far I have heated grips, windshield, hand guards, fake pelican boxes, power outlet, battery changed 3000km ago, chain and sprockets changed 1000km ago, oil, filters and sparks all changed when needed to be

Id like to replace the parts that might be worn, Im thinking of replacing cam chain, clutch plates, wheel bearings, rear suspension, cables.......

Is there anything else I should be thinking of?
Also, Id like to check the compression so if you guys know a good mechanic somewhere is Zhejiang or Shanghai please let me know

Cheers

From what I can tell many of the roads are not so great sometimes to deliberately force cars and trucks onto the Gaosu, sometimes because they have been smashed apart by overloaded trucks or they are being rebuilt. I remember one German guy who made the trip two years ago or so said that he wished he had put at least a road/trail front tire on the bike as he had a bunch of lowsides where the front wheel lost grip on bad road surfaces.

Yeah, Ill be putting this on
https://img.alicdn.com/imgextra/i2/5...!!59735186.jpg

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Originally Posted by modron

Yeah, Ill be putting this on
https://img.alicdn.com/imgextra/i2/5...!!59735186.jpg

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A wise investment esp on the front. If you can find a set in the right sizes, even better! :thumbsup:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by modron

...
Also, Id like to check the compression so if you guys know a good mechanic somewhere is Zhejiang or Shanghai please let me know

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If can't find 1 , DiY https://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?id=18999111369

Check every little electrical thingy on your bike... and take with at least one of each, as a spare... you know.

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Originally Posted by humanbeing

If can't find 1 , then DiY https://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?id=18999111369

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What compression should this engine have? Google says that healthy engine should have above 120psi

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Originally Posted by ZMC888

A wise investment esp on the front. If you can find a set in the right sizes, even better! :thumbsup:

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I used a set before on my China trip and they were good. Lasted forever

Id like to put these on but they are bit cheap, better go with reliable

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Originally Posted by Zorge

Check every little electrical thingy on your bike... and take with at least one of each, as a spare... you know.

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Hence my question about a mechanic ;)


p.s. I forgot to add this in the first post. My bike is running a bit hot and we will go through some really hot areas. I want to replace my small (3 layers) oil cooler with a bigger one. like this for example
https://img.alicdn.com/imgextra/i4/1...1029287864.jpg
https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm..._u=79f03miebe1
The mod is quite straight forward I think. I will try to push the cooler high on the frame so it doesnt take air flow from the cylinder.
Are there any downsides of having a big cooler that Im not aware of?

The compression can be calculated off the compression ratio...

Firstly, good luck with your trip.

May I advise that you check the fluids in your shocks if you haven't already? 40k on a bike usually means a lot of abuse (in the right sense) so the shocks might want checking. Spring a leak in one of those and your handling goes to poop.

As for the extra cooling, it's a personal choice, but not one that seems necessary unless you're already having overheating issues. From personal experience an air-cooled engine at full chat through scorching desert managed to survive without any damage; a bike with more advanced cooling methods should not have a problem. But, as always with this kind of thing, go with your gut - if you feel you need it they you probably will.

Also it might be worth taking the bike to a bicycle shop (assuming you're in China) to have the wheels trued and the spokes tightened. Those are often over-looked during regular maintenance.

Aside from the obvious mechanicals may I advise you take photocopies of your documents? It is the case that some foreign authorities will take and withhold the real documents to extort bribes or deny the return of them for other nefarious reasons. If you are requested to provide documents handing over a photocopy for close inspection while holding onto the real article could save from some awkward situations.

May I inquire as to which route you plan to take to Europe? Russia (Via Mongolia & Kazakhstan into Europe) require specialist documents and the Middle East has its own well known problems. I ask from the position of somebody who would some day like to attempt this same journey.

Again, good luck.

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Originally Posted by MJH

The compression can be calculated off the compression ratio...

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Ref to shop manual http://www.comunidadmotoquera.com.ar...E_SERVICIO.pdf 3-16/17
Most mainland Chinese mechanic uses kg/cm². Minimum limit is 10.5 as in the pdf