Getting the KTM 950 ready for safari

So the two giant Safari tanks arrived the other day

and so I went ahead and emptied the bike…

got rid of the old tanks (there are 2 on a KTM 950 adventure)

and installed the new 40+ litre Safari Tanks.

Yes -the bike looks pretty ugly now, or as I like to think of it: Purposeful.
Sadly the saga of the tanks was a saga. This morning I woke to the lovely smell of gasoline. The culprit?

Yes – that’s a leaky fuel cock, and after some experimentation I ascertained that it was leaking becasue the o-ring had failed (it looks ok, but leaks anyway. Luckily I have brand new fuel cocks on my saddle bags, where they are used to pour water.

So off came the tanks

and the new fuel tap went on. Here’s my cousin Richard visiting the scene of the crime.

That’s his car behind:

It’s a Jensen Healey = lovely. My other vehicle is the stately silver car parked in the garage:

It’s a 1981 Silver Spur – which is also lovely, when it goes.
Anyway, about then a box arrived. I expected it was a box of KTM bits and pieces for the bike, but sadly it was an Amazon drop off:

Actually I wanted to get reading straight away, but not to worry – a few minutes later the next box arrived, and it was full of KTM bits:

It came from the USA in about half the time that it took Apple/TNT to deliver their stuff from Sydney

So with the bike already uncovered (I was hard wiring the GPS)…

..it was time to add in some of the new stuff. (There is another box of stuff still to come as well).
first up was the world’s lamest (and only) aftermarket side stand footprint extender. Normally I just get a bit of metal welded on the end, but since I was already buying a bunch of stuff, I yielded.

Then I replaced the snorkel extension to the air intake with this healthy looking red number:

It’s a cleanable pre-filter for the really dusty conditions I’ll be experiencing.
Finally I installed a new radiator grill, put everything back together (I’m getting pretty good at that now, which is the point) and with double the fuel capacity, a tough radiator, decent air filter, large side stand for a heavy bike on sand and hard-wired Zumo GPS, the bike is, well, getting there. Still to come is the replacement bash plate (which I really hope fits with the tank) and some tools. I also want to fit an auxiliary power supply in the front tray, along with a lock. And I am avoiding the need to practice road-side puncture repair.

There – wasn’t that just fascinating? How was work today?