How to prepare your car :

A rally in the depths of the desert is not possible without a minimum amount of equipment and preparation.

Equipment :
Equipment to dig yourself out of the sand a “hi-lift” jack or an inflatable jack that is connected to the exhaust and can lift up to 4 tonnes.
The operation takes a while but this equipment has the advantage of not taking up a lot of room.
A spade, 4 sand plates, a tow-rope with shackles.

A tool kit suitable for your 4-wheel drive vehicle.

A compressor and pressure gauge to check tyre pressures. Choose a brand with a strong flow.

Tyre pressure is a decisive element when driving off-road, where the risk of burst tyres is much higher than on-road.
2 spare wheels.

A jerry can of petrol for filling up the motorcycle and diesel fuel if your vehicle does not have a secondary tank.
Make sure they are both watertight.

Loading equipment into the 4-wheel drive vehicle:
The equipment must be loaded with great care and strapped down, spreading the weight as much as possible.
Certain tools or equipment must remain accessible without having to unload everything.

The vehicle may also be fitted with a roof rack but make sure it does not carry too much weight. Fifty kilos are enough to alter the balance of the vehicle. Caution: the maximum height for boarding the ferry is 2.50 metres.

Watch out for the rear overhang, which can be a real handicap for crossing fords and dunes.
The spare wheel, which is usually under the boot, must be moved.

Preparation:
A journey through Africa cannot be planned without thinking about tyres. You will need to fit tyres on your 4-wheel drive that are suitable for the different types of terrain you will encounter.

Nearly all tyre manufacturers offer suitable treads which they call “mixed”. They provide less adherence and are less comfortable on-road and are less effective off-road than specialised tyres, but they nevertheless provide a very decent all-round performance.

Depending on the brand, these multi-purpose tyres are all within the range of 80% on-road / 20 % off-road to 50-50. It is up to you to make the choice depending on your vehicle.

If tyres are correctly inflated and they are checked regularly, this guarantees they will last longer and also guarantees your own safety.
One simple rule: over-inflate tyres for stony sections and on-road, and deflate them for sandy sections. But don’t forget to re-inflate them because tyres are more vulnerable at lower pressures.

There is a high risk of burst tyres off-road and it is compulsory to carry 2 spare wheels and a tubeless repair kit, which is more efficient and safer than an inflation aerosol.

The preparation of the chassis starts with the virtually essential – but not compulsory – installation of one or two protective plates for the under-body and reinforced shock-absorbers, which will better cope with the weight of the fully loaded vehicle and bumpy tracks than the factory fitted ones.

As for the engine, we recommend you fit a diesel pre-filter. The quality of fuel in Africa is not always very good and any impurities or water it contains regularly cause damage, especially to modern, direct-injection turbo-diesel engines.

Spare parts : take 2 diesel filters, 2 air filters, a set of shock absorbers, a clutch disc, a set of belts…

How to prepare your bike or quad

A rally in the depths of the desert is not possible without a minimum amount of equipment and preparation.

Budget
When you have decided to participate in the Heroes Legend with a bike, the next step is to determine which bike you will use. Do you choose for the Classic of Open Category?
This also depends on the bike you normally ride. First determine what your budget is. Do you buy a new or used fully prepared rallybike, do you buy an used offroadbike  and prepare it, or do you prepare your current bike? It all depends on your budget.

Choice of bike
You can ride the Heroes Legend with any offroad bike. From Yamaha XT500 to KTM 690 Rally and everything in between. The only condition is that the bike must be 200% ok. Every day you ride about 500 kilometers, with a big part offroad naturally. Rocks in Morocco, sand in Mauretania, gravel, beach and tracks in Senegal. In the last part of the rally the heat also plays a part, as the temperatures can rise over 40 degrees Celsius. So physically you have to be fit!

Preparations
The most easy option is to prepare a modern endure bike. Start with a big fueltank, possibly combined with a small rear fueltank which gives you a range of 250 kilometers in rough terrain. (obligatory) For most brands and models bigger tanks are available.
Furthermore you need a roadbookholder, tripmeter and gps. (the Garmin 60 series are a good option) Plus a bracket to mount everything, preferably directly onto the frame which saves weight on the handlebars. Make sure the roadbook is positioned correctly so that you can read the roadbook and look over it easily to read the terrain. Many crashes happen because riders take too long to look at the roadbook.
Complete rallykits are available, with 2-section front fueltanks, fairing, risers, steeringdamper, custom made exhaust system, etc. etc. Perfect for the Dakar, but not required for the Heroes Legend although great fun to drive off course. Your budget determines the possibilities.

Suspension
With the extra weight of fuel, water, small tools, etc. it’s a good idea to make some adjustments to your bike’s suspension. Heavier innersprings and rear spring can make a big difference. Go for a testride with your bike fully equipped and fuelled up, to feel how the bike reacts and to get used to the extra weight and equipment and riding using a roadbook.

Choice of tires
By far the most used tire in rally-raids is still the Michelin Desert, no doubt about that. An alternative is the Pirelli rallycross. Use extra thick innertubes, or even better, use bibmousse. Make sure the mousse you buy are not too old, as they can expire. There’s also a difference in mousse for rally-raids (comparable with an innertube with 1.5 bar) or an endure mousse (comparable with an innertube of 1.0 bar).

Airfilter
Bring extra airfilters. It’s ideal to just put a new airfilter every day. An extra dustcover keeps the fine dust away. Don’t save on airfilters, as your engine depends on it!

Protection
A good bashplate is essential, especially when riding in Morocco with all its rocks. A strong  aluminum (or carbon fiber) bashplate is available for most models. Sometimes combined with a watertank or toolbox. Proper handguards will protect your levers and switches.
 

Parts
Take some materials and small tools on your bike to do some improvised repairs. Levers, chainlink, fuses, fluid metal, etc. Depending on how you organize your service, you can determine what to bring. Do you participate as a team together with a 4x4, the 4x4 can carry your parts. When you hire assistance, the maintenance is done by a mechanic. Anything is possible. When you choose to hire transport from the organization and do your own service, you have to be selective with the parts you bring. When your bike is well prepared you don’t need a lot, but you should be able to do the basic repairs in case of a crash. Make an agreement with your dealer that you can borrow parts and only pay for what you use after the rally.

Furthermore…
You can prepare your bike as much as you want. Carbon fiber parts, adjusted buddyseat, special levers, switches, stronger wheels, special exhaust system etc.etc. Keep in mind that a big part of the money invested will be gone after the rally. Quit often parts you manufacture yourself will break first. Don’t try to reinvent the wheel, but rely on something that has proven to be reliable. Talk to other riders, or go to a specialist for more info and assistance.