Introduction,

Nevil here. Hello!
So.....Where to start?
I think Andy has pretty much summarised our trip, who we are and what we'll be riding so I'll get straight down to it and start by blogging my bike and the stuff I'm hoping to do to it. Firstly though, you need to meet Twiggy.
Twiggy is a 2004 Suzuki DR650 that i purchased recently with the intention of riding on the trip. Why Twiggy? Because she's a lot skinnier than most of the bikes I've had in the last 20 years :0)

I also own this, much bulkier BMWR1200GSA. In fact I rode it to Inuvik, Canada and Prudhoe Bay, Alaska last year and did around 5000kms of dirt up there on multiple roads.

It really is a lovely bike but it's going to stay in North America where it can be fixed easily if it breaks down. There aren't too many BMW "doctors" where we'll be going.  The simplicity of the DR and also Andy's XT600 make them an attractive choice for crossing Mongolia and Siberia where there aren't too many motorcycle garages. Also they are a LOT lighter and we're not getting any younger (at least our bodies aren't anyway) so when we crash, drop or stall them ...which I'm sure we will, they should be a bit easier to deal with. Oh yes, the parts are a lot cheaper too.
All that said, I'm considering the following for the DR :-
1. Upgrading the stock suspension front & rear. The factory stuff is very soggy and needs to be stiffened up a lot. I am currently looking into Cogent Dynamics rebuilding my rear shock absorber and sending me the DIY kit for my front forks. Remember, we're doing a lot of rough roads on these bikes.
2. Replacing the existing fuel tank with a 6.9 gallon Safari Tank. It's nice to have the range if you need it. Also, you don't have to fill it every time if you're just travelling between towns.
3.Replacing the seat. I'm entertaining the idea of buying the DIY kit from ProCycle USA. It looks fairly comfy and you can fit it to your stock seat pan.
4. Wider foot pegs. Need to be able to stand for a few hours every day and don't want to kill my arches!
5. Small windscreen. The DR doesn't have one but once again, ProCycle sell one that you can attach to the headlamp cowl without too much bother.
6.  Fork brace. I don't want the front end flapping about like a rogue supermarket trolley wheel on gravelly and rocky roads. I think the Happy Trail fork brace will be the one because of its simplicity. I also like the fact that it bolts together and thus can be fixed if I can find a welder.
7. Handle bars. The stock ones are a bit weak. Fortunately my friend Grif came over the other day and gave me a set of Moose racing bars complete with brush guards and....
8. ......A bash plate for the engine (see photo below).

                                      
 Thanks Grif.... I really owe you big time!
9. He also gave me a magnetic oil drain plug too.
10. Heated handlebar grips. I got spoiled having them on the BMW and now can't live without them! I don't like the idea of a heated grip being mounted to a plastic throttle sheath though.
11. Aluminium throttle sheath.
12. Happy trail Pannier kit & rack. I like the Happy Trail product and it faired well on the trip last year on my BMW. The new ones will be a either 71/2 inches wide or 9 inches wide. That depends on how much stuff I intend to carry.
The list I have is almost endless but I really don't want to bore you too much at this point! The items listed above are there for starters so watch this space to see how I get on with buying and fitting.
Priority #1. I need to raise the bike on its suspension though. Somewhere in the last 7 years, someone lowered it by the factory method (upper bolt hole on the rear shock absorber and spacer removal of the front forks) photo below.

Now.....I need to find somewhere to work on the bike because at present I have no garage, live in Canada and it's WINTER! So, if you're in the Canmore area and want to donate a bit of space to a quiet reserved guy who just wants to strip his 650 down and make your premises look like a yard sale then please contact me :)
Please watch this space for more updates.
Also please feel free to offer advice on the bike stuff or critique my blogging style if you want.