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Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Dual Sport Adventure

Ah yes, the day has come to start talking about Dual Sport Adventure riding!

About a year ago I bought a KTM 525, I picked up a 2002 with the right combination of number/letters in the VIN so that it could be made street leagal in California, buy a kit from Baja designs and run down to DMV and you have a dirt ready dual sport.
In the end I decided to try out a different bike and leave the KTM for dirt only use, I do love the KTM, the raw power is amazing and it handles quite well, I think the reason for me was I wanted a newer bike and one that had higher milage service intervals, the ktm recomendations for service on the 525 would mean I would need to pull service during my dual sport rides and sometimes twice, this was just not going to work for me.


Looking at the newer bikes I started to notice the Husqvarna 510 as an option, longer service intervals, intended from the factory for street and dirty use, and still in the same power range as the KTM. Husqvarna has changed hands over the past few years, so picking the right year helps and the 2007 the Husqvarna TE510 had the right motor and would be at the right price point, so I set out to find one in good kit.
It was not long before I started finding bikes and soon I found what I though would be the one for me, it was a 2007 TE510 with a super moto set up as well as dirt setup, all original Husqvarna supermoto wheels and a few extra parts to go with it, I paid a bit more to have the supermoto wheels and tires but they looked to be new and would provide some great entertainment on the side!

The pouch on the rear fender is for tools, puncture kit and any extra parts, also my sleeping bag will mount to that as well!
After installing new tires
New sprockets and chain
And tubliss inserts!

With this bike I have chosen to do things a little different, as you can see in the photoes above the tires are trials tires! These tires have become a tire of choice for many of the top enduro riders and the provide amazing traction when aired down, they are also DOT street leagal, so the benefit is twofold.

Next and only the trained eye may have picked up on this from the photos above, I have chosen to install Tubliss inserts in the tires! 
The "Tubliss" system allows you to run the tiers with out traditional tubes in them and the tire can also be ridden at vary low pressure or no pressure at all. Fixing a flat is simple, your first option is to not fix it! Just run the tire with no air, it will stay of the rim and still provide traction (the system locks the intire tire to the wheel stoping it from slipping or coming off the rim, second you can plug the tire like a standard tubless tire, pump it back up and be on your way, never a need to pull the tire back off the wheel!

This concept is relatively simple, as the small red tire you see in the photo and tire cutout, has a tube in it and is pressurized to 110psi this the puts a great deal of preasure on the walls of the tire pressing it to the rim of the wheel, they also provide a rim lock to keep everything in its place, the remaining tire can then be pressurized to any pressure you like.
The system will stop flats related to pinches the leading cauls of flats off road, the treat of a puncture still exists but so long as the puncture does not penetrate the stiff inner tire and tube you are able to continue riding and a plug will fix the tire itself.

This wil be my first time using the Tubliss system so I will report on the performance along the way.

I'm working out the details on my dual sport tool kit and camping gear next, I would like all me gear to wheigh no more than 25lbs, so more on that next. 




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