Questions for the long distance Cubbers !

[knapdog]

For Jogle I found a sheepskin really useful.

eBay: http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.vi ... 51&alt=web

I also bought a waterproof seat cover. In the day, I sat straight on top of the sheepskin and at night I covered the seat over so the sheep kept nice and dry and also couldn't be seen.

For Jogle we didn't take any spares at all, just a basic tool kit and in a thousand miles we only had to adjust the chains a bit and top up with oil. Mind you, the bikes were fully serviced and ready to go in the first place.
The aux tanks are very good but remember even a litre "fuel" bottle is going to give you another 30 miles. I averaged 136 mpg on the trip.
If you're going to place a bag on the passenger seat in front of the top box, don't have it too big or it will force you too far forward on the seat which will be uncomfortable and dangerous.
I found my screen was a very big help. I was the only one with one but I wouldn't have done without it.
Keep checking your tyres every now and then . I had 32 psi on the front and 40 psi back if I remember correctly but check this tyre pressure thread out as well:

viewtopic.php?f=11&t=13829&hilit=Tyre+pressure

I used a Garmin 660 sat nav and pre planned each day's route well beforehand and loaded them on the sat nav ready to go. This wouldn't be everybody's cup of tea but for me it took a bit of stress out of things in that all I had to do was switch it on and it would take us the way we wanted to go and seeing what we wanted to see.
Again, take half of what you think you need. I wish I had.
It can be a good idea to just take old shirts, t shirts, undies and socks and just bin them each day instead of washing them. Your luggage will go down and down and make room for any holiday purchases.
I just took an open faced helmet and goggles and an old textile jacket which I didn't mind getting roughed up a bit but I have to confess I also took my lightweight air flow jacket as well ( non waterproof ) in case of hot weather. This would be great for hot continental days.
Bloody great.
Have a fantastic trip!

[DogRustyJunior]

im interested to learn more about sheepskin seat covers anyone found some that are a good fit for a standard dual seat?
what are the pros and cons of them?ive seen them occasionally in peoples pics and often wondered why people had them

[knapdog]

im interested to learn more about sheepskin seat covers anyone found some that are a good fit for a standard dual seat?
what are the pros and cons of them?ive seen them occasionally in peoples pics and often wondered why people had them

The guy who sells them in the link I've given you above, asks for which bike it is intended so he will choose a best fit fleece for that bike. He's a great guy to deal with. He even contributed to our chosen Jogle charity.
Apparently it doesn't matter if they get wet due to the natural oils and you can just give them a shake if they do. But, as you may have read, I used a waterproof seat cover in those circumstances.
For fixing they give you laces but you can easily pull the rings on the fleece out so on the cub I used stuck on Velcro strips at strategic places and this worked very wrll indeed.

[DogRustyJunior]

would they be suitiable for daily riding?ie in all weathers? it will be in the dry at work and at night

[knapdog]

would they be suitiable for daily riding?ie in all weathers? it will be in the dry at work and at night

Why not?
Mine is black so it blends with the seat more. To be honest, it's really there for long stints in the saddle. For day to day use I find the cub seat comfortable enough. For Jogle, the other Fogeys did find seat comfort a slight problem. One had an inflatable thingy which he found useful.
Click on my ebay link above and read what the seller says about them in the Description.

[Newtsalad]

I don't have a sheepskin cover, I have a genuine sheepskin, which I lay over the seat and sit on. It goes into my tent at night to stay dry. It makes a good pillow or insulation underneath you.

I sit on the fur side. It eases the movement of clothing over it's surface. It's just as important to have soft absorbent clothing next to your skin. If you get sticky as you have waterproof bike trousers on that don't breathe, you'll get sore very quickly.

They are washable too. Tumble dry to keep them supple.

[knapdog]

We're never far away from a sheep down 'ere.

[stevew]

Another thought is to wear bicycle lycra padded shorts under everything. Used as under wear next to the skin. Makes a whole difference to the tackle arrangement Decathlon sell them really cheap. They are nice and stretchy so don't get them too big

[knapdog]

Another thought is to wear bicycle lycra padded shorts under everything. Used as under wear next to the skin. Makes a whole difference to the tackle arrangement Decathlon sell them really cheap. They are nice and stretchy so don't get them too big

But a b*****d if you want a quick p**s!

[airhead_eire]

JFDI

Eh ??

Could it be just f****** do it
If so +1

You really don't need all that stuff listed by kev . if the bike has already done a few thousand miles there is no reason to expect a breakdown. Mine has done 50k . most bits can be locally found. Good pre check , all working well ? Then get on and ride. Less is more !!!

Guys,
Thanks to you all for you advice and opinions. It's very much appreciated, so cheers. The information on the auxiliary fuel tanks
is mind blowing, given there's so many possibilities.
I like the "less is more" idea as that's always served me well on previous bike trips to the continent !
The bike has 9000 on it now - I have done about 1200 miles on it since buying it and it runs sweetly (so far !).
All of you have given me lots of ideas so I'll keep you posted as to how I proceed. My next step is to get on the the Cub some day
soon and go for a long ride and see what I find works for me as regards miles and saddle time.
I won't be over thinking the trip (if it definitely goes ahead !) but I don't want to go into it blindly either !!