1120 AF Build in Norway

[palebluewanders]

Another (while we are doing it job) is insulating the whole cab with dynamat style sound insulation. To. be installed after the cab is painted (inside and out), for now we are waiting for paint and we cant go to paint till the subframe arrives from the fabricators for a test fitting. So one job holds up the rest..

Hello hello! Amazing progress, I've been watching jealously on IG heh. Can I ask what the plan is regarding the sound insulation? Who is doing it? AV or some 3rd party or will you do it yourself on site or...? I'm trying to figure out the best order of jobs too. Cab painting, sound insulation, building some overhead storage, running electric cables for cameras/screens we want to add later, etc.

 

[Geo.Lander]

Hello hello! Amazing progress, I've been watching jealously on IG heh. Can I ask what the plan is regarding the sound insulation? Who is doing it? AV or some 3rd party or will you do it yourself on site or...? I'm trying to figure out the best order of jobs too. Cab painting, sound insulation, building some overhead storage, running electric cables for cameras/screens we want to add later, etc.

Hi!
We opted to have this done by AV right after painting process. It is a pain and since the whole drivers cab was being disassembled, painted and rebuilt anyway we bit the bullet and contracted the workshop to do it (not cheap labour wise). AV are highly resourceful and their workshop & parts guys / gals have been able to source many of our missing or damaged original trim pieces too. So have a chat with AV, I know your truck is already there so have them do a workshop inspection and you will get a lovely works list in return (and maybe a heart attack).

Will you be building overhead storage in the drivers cab too? We really want to keep the interior as original as possible but I can see how some extra storage would be good, as long as it is secure

 

[Alloy]

The design is proven in the real world and this specific iteration has undergone finite element analysis in extreme loading and chassis articulation scenarios (it's highly customized because of the stairs). The holes in their position make absolutely no difference in the frame's rigidity.

Analysis done with or without holes?

Weight savings vs. filling with dirt it's not something I'd do and the weight saving isn't followed through
on the pivot plates or the cross members so it's more of an idea that a factor?

 

[palebluewanders]

Hi!
We opted to have this done by AV right after painting process. It is a pain and since the whole drivers cab was being disassembled, painted and rebuilt anyway we bit the bullet and contracted the workshop to do it (not cheap labour wise). AV are highly resourceful and their workshop & parts guys / gals have been able to source many of our missing or damaged original trim pieces too. So have a chat with AV, I know your truck is already there so have them do a workshop inspection and you will get a lovely works list in return (and maybe a heart attack).

Will you be building overhead storage in the drivers cab too? We really want to keep the interior as original as possible but I can see how some extra storage would be good, as long as it is secure

Yeah we've been trying to figure out when we can schedule some workshop time. Hopefully now that your truck is all painted and shiny they'll have some time for us! Sounds good about having them do the sound dampening, I guess we will opt for that route as well.

I think we want a bit of overhead storage for a radio and whatever other random stuff we might want to have around the cab. Haven't put a ton of thought into that part yet, but it would be nice to be able to build it before the sound dampening stuff goes on maybe? Not sure yet what to do about that or about the upholstery.

 

[Neil]

"Can anyone guess the colour we choose?"


View attachment 715758

Our truck is this colour, its actually a stock MAN truck colour.

I found it ironic putting in on my Mercedes

Neil

 

[Geo.Lander]

Yeah we've been trying to figure out when we can schedule some workshop time. Hopefully now that your truck is all painted and shiny they'll have some time for us! Sounds good about having them do the sound dampening, I guess we will opt for that route as well.

I think we want a bit of overhead storage for a radio and whatever other random stuff we might want to have around the cab. Haven't put a ton of thought into that part yet, but it would be nice to be able to build it before the sound dampening stuff goes on maybe? Not sure yet what to do about that or about the upholstery.

Just be a bit careful that everything is stored in a secure way as default, I've already had a near miss with the jack stored under the bench seat when tilting the cab ?

 

[palebluewanders]

Just be a bit careful that everything is stored in a secure way as default, I've already had a near miss with the jack stored under the bench seat when tilting the cab ?

Haha yikes, we've yet to have the truck in our own possession for more than a couple of days so haven't tried tilting the cab yet, but that is 100% something we would do too. ?

 

[Geo.Lander]

Our truck is this colour, its actually a stock MAN truck colour.

I found it ironic putting in on my Mercedes

Neil

Love your colour Neil!

 

[Geo.Lander]

We have been sunning ourselves during Easter skication while AV has been sending us updates on the box build! Everything seems to be progressing very nicely and we getting updates quite regularly now! We have windows! Maybe too many? ?‍♂️?
My own todo list the next 2 months is getting rather large, in terms of preassembling the alu framework, foam and panels for the seating plus ordering smaller parts for the electrical and heating systems I have settled on.


Meanwhile, a couple more days of ski touring are on the cards until I go into surgery on the 22nd.
Thea and Billie enjoying the view of the Hurrungane range in Norway.

 

[RoamIt]

Awesome picture, thanks for sharing!

 

[palebluewanders]

Hey random question, any reason you decided on the 300L over the Rally version? We are leaning toward the Rally version since we'll both be on it 95% of the time and not doing sketchy single tracks, but we're not committed yet.

 

[Geo.Lander]

Hey random question, any reason you decided on the 300L over the Rally version? We are leaning toward the Rally version since we'll both be on it 95% of the time and not doing sketchy single tracks, but we're not committed yet.

We basically choose the 300L because it is slightly lighter and more capable offtrack (when the suspension is upgraded). The only advantage I saw for myself with the Rallye was the bigger fuel tank, great bike and I for sure considered Rallye too but for our needs the 300L just made more sense, esp since we need to heavily modify both bikes anyway to fit its desired purpose.

 

[palebluewanders]

We basically choose the 300L because it is slightly lighter and more capable offtrack (when the suspension is upgraded). The only advantage I saw for myself with the Rallye was the bigger fuel tank, great bike and I for sure considered Rallye too but for our needs the 300L just made more sense, esp since we need to heavily modify both bikes anyway to fit its desired purpose.

Thanks. Are you planning on doing tough single track trails? My considerations for choosing the Rally are the following: As the plastic fairings offer more shelter to the driver in the Rally model you can do more comfortable driving on road when you are going at cruising speed; not only would you get less tired by not receiving all that wind on your body and helmet but also you'd get less wet when it rains and perhaps less dirty when following someone. Besides that, the headlights of the Rally are better than those of the L model (according to a random youtuber). Regarding suspension it is not clear to me if the two models have a different suspension or that they're just tuned differently, but what I've heard is that the Rally is better for its intended predominantly cruising speed use whereas the L is better for offroad fun. So it comes down to this, as we are two people and just one bike I think we'll do a lot more cruising on relatively easy roads rather than sketchy tracks. That said, they don't sell the Rally here in Spain and the hassle of importing one from UK/Germany/Italy might not be worth it and we might end up with the L anyway.

 

[Geo.Lander]

Thanks. Are you planning on doing tough single track trails? My considerations for choosing the Rally are the following: As the plastic fairings offer more shelter to the driver in the Rally model you can do more comfortable driving on road when you are going at cruising speed; not only would you get less tired by not receiving all that wind on your body and helmet but also you'd get less wet when it rains and perhaps less dirty when following someone. Besides that, the headlights of the Rally are better than those of the L model (according to a random youtuber). Regarding suspension it is not clear to me if the two models have a different suspension or that they're just tuned differently, but what I've heard is that the Rally is better for its intended predominantly cruising speed use whereas the L is better for offroad fun. So it comes down to this, as we are two people and just one bike I think we'll do a lot more cruising on relatively easy roads rather than sketchy tracks. That said, they don't sell the Rally here in Spain and the hassle of importing one from UK/Germany/Italy might not be worth it and we might end up with the L anyway.

Right, all good points, Ive added a fairing from Adventure Spec (below) to hold a GPS/Phone and will also provide some wind assistance. We need to bike to perform offroad and be fun in the dunes etc. So I have new suspension on order now from the UK, the bike is really undersprung stock even for me on easy tracks.

The L will suit us better around the tight streets of Greece and EU too and Ive managed to shed about 20-25kgs with some new parts. I will add this again with a larger fuel tank once they become available. I will do a dedicated bike post once I get all the plastics back from AV's paint shop I think the Ralle will be killer for your needs, just be prepared to spend some on racks, new bars/grips and some lighter parts to get the best of out of it. Esp concerning suspension, these bikes seem to be sprung for the Thailand market (where they are made). New suspension is a must IMO, esp if you will be 2-up in rougher terrain. Luckily MC scene isnt as expensive as the MTB scene and parts are quite reasonable. Im opting for some solutions from brook suspension in the UK.

 

[palebluewanders]

Right, all good points, Ive added a fairing from Adventure Spec (below) to hold a GPS/Phone and will also provide some wind assistance. We need to bike to perform offroad and be fun in the dunes etc. So I have new suspension on order now from the UK, the bike is really undersprung stock even for me on easy tracks.

The L will suit us better around the tight streets of Greece and EU too and Ive managed to shed about 20-25kgs with some new parts. I will add this again with a larger fuel tank once they become available. I will do a dedicated bike post once I get all the plastics back from AV's paint shop I think the Ralle will be killer for your needs, just be prepared to spend some on racks, new bars/grips and some lighter parts to get the best of out of it. Esp concerning suspension, these bikes seem to be sprung for the Thailand market (where they are made). New suspension is a must IMO, esp if you will be 2-up in rougher terrain. Luckily MC scene isnt as expensive as the MTB scene and parts are quite reasonable. Im opting for some solutions from brook suspension in the UK.

View attachment 718258

Love that you will get your bike painted, I assume to match the truck. We thought about it too haha. We haven't done much research into aftermarket stuff yet but since it takes 4+ months to order a motorbike around here we're not in a huge rush. Thanks for the notes and we look forward to your motorbike post!