About Ian’s Bike

I rode a 2009 KTM 505 XC-F for the 2019 Sandblast Rally. This bike was modified with a frame-mounted nav tower and fairing that was originally made by MotoMinded for Neduro's 2012 Dakar entry. Before I purchased the bike, it had also been raced by Ned in the 2013 Touareg Rally and the 2013 Baja Rally, so if I didn't make it to the finish, it wasn't because of the bike!

2019 Sandblast Rally Bike Prep

• Getting Legal: inspection, insurance, and state registration
• Bringing It Home: dead battery woes
• Rally Fairing Replacement: fixing up the fiberglass
• New Battery: installing the new battery
• New Shoes: where the rubber meets the...sand?
• De-mudding the KTM: separating the mud from the bike
• Graphics (part 1 of 2): scissors and stencils and vinyl, oh my
• Navigation Equipment: are we there yet?
• Changing Oil & Gearing: routine maintenance and broken stuff
• Graphics (part 2 of 2): finished at last
• Valve Clearance Check: tappy tappets are happy tappets
• T-minus 4 Days: last-minute maintenance
• Debrief: what worked and what didn't