Bet that wheelied well JMo ^ :D

Hee hee - oh yes... (and it didn't even need the luggage x)

http://i492.photobucket.com/albums/r...djean004_2.jpg

J xx

nice one JMo :023: yeah keep the cash for spending on trips away.

G'day Tuscan,
Another thought i had was... I have come to notice when doing high speed transit sections on my WR @ 100kms/hr on open plains with strong winds, i get blown all over the road.. sometimes quite dangerously onto the wrong side of the road, but with the tenere in that same situation it sits alot safer on the road because of its extra weight. So ya see where in one area you might improve a bike to do one job better, it may have an adverse effect in another way, therefore stuffing-up the balance of having a dual sport bike. (i know swapping a swing arm aint going to upset the apple-cart that much, but uno what i mean.)

My dream bike would have been "if yammy made it" is a WR450R then mod it with a large tank and a rally fairing, but even with this I can still see short falls as a DS bike. The maintenance intervals would be sorted but loading it up with some gear would prevent hacking through the bush anyway. Gearing it for tight enduro riding would suck doing high speeds on the open roads. Also at high speed getting blown arround "with a lighter bike" would get tiring.

ADV riding & Enduro riding require 2 different mind sets... otherwise you'll just end up in hospital :081:

Anyway mate just some more fodder for ya!

Cheers
Reg.

Hey I don't think we should slate the guy/girl just because they are looking at making some changes I got the impression they were just checking things out a bit.

I kinda like my Tenere more and more each day one day maybe as much as my little TTR (that bikes got soul)

I am getting used to the fact that it aint no lightweight and needs to be ridden in a different manner to an enduro bike.

You need to be smooth and plan your lines more and always have an exit/escape route something you just take for granted on a smaller lighter bike.

I would like it if it was a bit thinner at the front end as I find the seat tank slighty too wide. and hey if it could loose a few pounds then all the better but then that goes for most of us.

From Jmo and others threads I think some of the best mods must be sort the supsension out - be it new springs or a wr 400 front end and modded/new rear shock.

If you can afford to fit better wheels then better still 18/21

junk the twin pipes for a single system for more pop and a good weight gain.

I think the Ten gives people a great bike anyway but also I see mine as a long term project of tinkering and perfecting. My budget is small so most of my mods will be home made or second hand.

Plus don't forget one of the best and cheapest mods the ebay footpegs

I don't think anyone is slating the Fella, its more just offering feedback on his thoughts/idea. If he want's to do it... he'll do it!! and we would read with great interest in his findings.

cheers

And the tenere swingarm isn't over-engineered, in fact, you can even break it:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4051/...36f83e3b40.jpg
This guys chain broke in Benin and cracked open the swingarm, he then had to wait for a new one from England.
Read about his trip:
http://africabymoto.blogspot.com/

Still looks alright to me... chain is a bit fecked though!

J x

Well well well - I seem to have stirred some emotions here. Good on ya.

As I said - I just like a light bike which isn't over-engineered. The Tenere fits the bill superbly for my type of riding, but as I said the less the bike weighs (within reason of course), the more able you are to save that moment becoming a full spill and possible injury. I ain't a Chris Birch, and I have normal ability on a machine and am looking to maximse my chances when things go pear shaped for whatever reason. All your other points are entirely valid so no beef there.

As an engineer, I am aware of the difference between the design point at which something fails and the "factor of safety" that is built in to a component for various reasons, and in the Tenere's case there are more than a few examples of where IMHO I think things have gone too far (see my earlier comments) (and others where thay didn't go far enough - footpegs too narrow, rear brake pedal not of the folding type, seat a pain in the ar!e.........). That's just me.

The Tenere is a superb machine, and having just toured the length of NZ with fully loaded (25kgs each side) Givi G35 panniers and more, I can safely say that the only problems I had were...
Seat comfort, footpeg lack of width and ride height (for me only when getting on and off - fine on the move). So in my books that's pretty damn good especially riding position, fuel economy, power, road presence etc.etc...

I have to say though one other area is really annoying - I bought the bike new and it required a part to be replaced under warranty (the plastic moulding at the very back of the tail piece above the tail light where the two donward facing studs had been sheared off by someone when fitting the pannier frames I guess). Well it's been 11 weeks and Yamaha NZ have still not been able to replace this. God forbid if this had been an important part that was preventing the bike being ridden!!!!!!!!! Parts support is an important factor when touring and I hope this is an isolated incident - would be interested in other experiences here??????????

As JMo says - get out and ride the damn thing.

Keep that spirited feedback coming:violence:

Hi again!

I'd only say that weight is a factor to a degree (and only really during slow speed work over technical terrain) - the particular thing I was impressed with regarding the stock Tenere was it's stability on lose surfaces at speed - it really is very forgiving, and the geometry very stable... and as Regie suggests above - I imagine the weight is actually a contributory factor in such instances*? Having [almost] got it out of shape on a number of occasions, I'd say you'd really have to be way out of control before it ever spat you off! Many times the bike saved itself even if the [stock] suspension had bottomed out etc. which again is one of the reasons I thought it would make a good rally bike...

* That is not to say that a lighter bike with well set-up suspension isn't very stable too, only that the Tenere uses it's weight to an advantage?




Funny you should mention that - I had the same problem! One of those little bolts sheared off when I replaced the end cap after chopping the tail and mess around with the lights... I guess they are not essential, unless you are using the Yamaha top-box that connects to the lug there? And fortunately I didn't have to wait quite as long as you for the replacement...

You bet!

J xx

Well a heavier bike will be less inclined to accelerate in any given direction, so it is probably less prone to being thrown off course in such situations - and it will probably maintain it's attitude (and hence steering geometry) a bit better.

I'd also hypothesise that the ratio of sprung to unsprung mass comes into play - although it's been mentioned that the OE wheels on the Tenere are pretty heavy, I'd bet that they are still a much smaller proportion of the overall weight than they are on a 120kg enduro bike. So the heavier bike will 'bully' the wheels and suspension into submission - bad for the suspension, but good for ride and stability. With that in mind, I'd be unsurprised that your rally bike - with lighter wheels, suspension that can deal with the pummelling, but still most of the weight of the stock bike up top - is even better at speed.