A month ago I bought my third and last BMW Dakar.

The first I bought new and mistakenly traded in and replaced with a BMW 1200 GS (safe and sound I hope in my garage at home). A great touring / dual purpose bike but too big and heavy for me for this trip.

The second I bought about 18 months ago second hand that turned out to be a "dog" and manged to sell on (after spending considerable sums to repair it).

The third, current and last is a 2005 BMW 650 Dakar with 22 000 kms on the clock.

Touch wood so far it appears to be in good condition and reliable. In terms of trip preparation I have had it serviced, fitted a new rear tyre, run spare clutch and brake cables in tandem with the current cables,and fitted an engine crash bar.

The only spares I am taking is an air filter, spares bulbs, spare front and rear tubes.

This I am told is all that "should" be necessary!