Although second hand, it was in a good shape when I got it and I really haven't had to do a lot to get it to the standard I'd like it to be. The 640 Adv already from the start is very well equipped for the kind of travel I do, gravel and tracks. It has a 28 liter tank, Brembo brakes, WP suspension, Mikuni carb etc. All of it well renowned and readily available, at least in the western part of the world. Also it has both electric and kick starter.
One thing that might seem odd to some people is that I've reverted back to original jetting and exhausts. When I bought it, it came with a race camshaft, aftermarket exhaust etc. There are two, to me, good reasons for doing this:
First of all, going back country I'd trade reliability over performance anytime. I rather get home late than get stuck.
Secondly, by reverting to stock setup I lower the sound level. Bikes, especially loud bikes, tend to annoy non-bike riders. This is true both back country and in cities and also applies to wild animals as well as law enforcement.
I try not to annoy and as a payback get to see and meet things that louder bikers simply don't get to see!
As the bar for a GPS/Rallye computer was already there, I just had to add a mount to get my phone as an integrated part of the dashboard. I run a Cat smart phone, water- and shockproof with GPS, maps, mail, call (of course) and a lot of other stuff. A bit unsharp display in sunlight, but otherwise pretty much the perfect bike phone I'd say.
Apart from the stock setup, I've done some minor modifications of my own, of course. First of all swapped the battery for a gel type. Riding back country you will lay the bike at some time or another. That's just the way it is. Very annoying after a minor drop having to clean out battery acid from everywhere!
I have added extra headlights. Especially at fall and winter it gets very dark at night, where I live in the northern Europe. I managed to get my hands on a pair of CREE-LED headlights from China on alibaba.com. They are 2*40W and easily shines some 200 meters on a dark night. Highly recommended, especially since the price was fair as well.
Speaking about lights, all other bulbs, apart from the driving lights, have been changed LED-type lights. This saves power, while being more robust and longer lasting. The reason for still sticking with halogen type headlights is simply that I haven't found the right kind of LED bulbs which emits enough light. Yet.
Wherever possible I have changed the standard screws and bolts for stainless allen head type. It looks better, but they are also more reliable to work with.
Finally, already when I bought it, the bike was fully equipped with panniers, tank bag and a headlight cover. All in all, I now have pretty much the ideal bike for my kind of driving from an equipment/build point of view.
The 640 Adv is a very comfortable ride, albeit a bit short between saddle and pegs if you're tall. I have read about other drivers complaining about vibrations and finding them hard to drive for longer tours. This is something I've never had any problems with. In my opinion it doesn't vibrate more than any other stomper I've tried. Maybe the different experiences have something to do with the gearing of the drive chain? Mine have more of a long haul setup, with a 16/42 gearing, compared to the stock 15/47 I think most bikes have.
Specifically for this trip I run Conti Escape tires, which are a bit more tarmac oriented than the usual outfit. Will be interesting to see the outcome of this decision.
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