Quote:

Originally Posted by tenyamman (Post 136988) website really cool. this must be your job.......like the taste in music. heres wishing you have a great trip and wish i was going with you both.

Thanks for your kind words and wishes. Well... we're more into design than webdesign and the music we've chosen is one of our favorites.

About the trip preparation... we never thought we'll have to postpone the departure because of the moto gear (boots, jacket, pants, helmets etc) which should have been the easiest job but it happened. We've wasted our time with some really unreliable people from some major webshops in Germany and hopefully our gear will reach us around the 15th of september.

Back to the preparation of the bike
Suspension Upgrade
With the help of Hyperpro we bought with a nice discount a Tenere Combi Kit from the german Hyperpro dealer So Products (www.hyperpro.com, www.so-products.com). The kit includes front progressive springs and thicker oil (15W) and rear spring. The install was pretty straight foreword but there are some things you need to be a little bit careful. For the front you need to get rid of the original spacers (as the Hyperpro springs are longer) and the forks should be mounted 10mm higher in the triple clamp. For the rear you need to set the preload at pos 1 or 2 as the Hyperpro spring is really harder. To get the rear shock out you�ll need to take out the exhaust and the exhaust �Y� collector from the side. Once you take out the shock you need a tool to compress it in order to get the spring out.
IMO the key points are the way you secure the front in order to take out the front forks and a compression tool for the rear shock. The general feeling is that the Tenere is a lot firmer and the front doesn�t dive that much under heavy braking. I think this suspension upgrade is really necessary if you plan to load the bike like we will. I will post more feedback about the combi kit after I will ride the bike offroad.
Y pipe removed
http://intotheworld.eu/xt660dotcom/suspension-1.jpg
Rear shock, OEM spring, Hyperpro Spring
http://intotheworld.eu/xt660dotcom/suspension-2.jpg
Compression tool
http://intotheworld.eu/xt660dotcom/suspension-3.jpg
Secured front
http://intotheworld.eu/xt660dotcom/suspension-6.jpg
Crane
http://intotheworld.eu/xt660dotcom/suspension-7.jpg
Dismantled front fork, OEM Spring and spacer, Hyperpro progressive spring, Fork Oil
http://intotheworld.eu/xt660dotcom/suspension-5.jpg
Fork Oil at 10500km (yuck!!)
http://intotheworld.eu/xt660dotcom/suspension-4.jpg
Fork mounted 10mm higher in the triple clamp
http://intotheworld.eu/xt660dotcom/suspension-8.jpg


Braided brake lines
I fitted the Tenere with a set of HEL brake lines. The actual install is really simple but bleeding the front is really a pain in the ass if you don�t have a specialized tool (which I don�t). Also you have to manufacture a hose holder for each hose in order to attach it under the triple clamp (that hose holder comes welded to the standard hose).



http://intotheworld.eu/xt660dotcom/brakelines-1.jpg


http://intotheworld.eu/xt660dotcom/brakelines-2.jpg

http://intotheworld.eu/xt660dotcom/brakelines-3.jpg

GPS Mount and Power
The elusive optional 12v socket can be found just under the dials behind the black plastic cover. It has brown and black wires and I used it together with POWERLINK (a nice and small, waterproof adaptor from 12v to 5v) to power my GPS. The GPS is mounted and protected with a nice AKRON waterproof protective case that comes with a nice handlebar clamp and if you manufacture a reduction insert it fits perfectly to the Tenere GPS bar. Both power adaptor and case I bought for around 30 pounds from www.buybits.com and here are the links:
http://www.buybits.com/product/sku_6520.aspx
http://www.buybits.com/product/sku_6132.aspx

http://intotheworld.eu/xt660dotcom/gps-1.jpg

Power adaptor
http://intotheworld.eu/xt660dotcom/gps-2.jpg

http://intotheworld.eu/xt660dotcom/gps-3.jpg

Short Adjustable ALU Clutch and Brake Levers (or poor man�s �tart parts� :icon_biggrin: )
I�ve found a really good deal on ebay for those levers. You need to order the clutch for a GSXR 600 97-03 and the brake for a FJR1300 04-08. The guy was really helpful and the shipping was pretty fast from HK. They are quite cheap for 35 pounds but they do the job rather nicely. Here�s a link with his ebay shop:
http://stores.ebay.com.au/ETSHARK

Clutch Lever
http://intotheworld.eu/xt660dotcom/tart-1.jpg

Brake Lever
http://intotheworld.eu/xt660dotcom/tart-2.jpg

Also the pannier rack, center stand, top case mount and alu engine guard are ready and I�m in the middle of the paint job. I�ll come back with the pics and details.

Paint Job
http://intotheworld.eu/xt660dotcom/paintjob-1.jpg

http://intotheworld.eu/xt660dotcom/paintjob-2.jpg

Here are some very powerful LED Spot Lights if you need them. Brighter than my PIAA ones I used to have and only draw min current. They are delivered in a approx 8 days and work a treat!

ebay item: 140432879380
12V 24V LED Spotlight Truck Pickup Van Motorhome RV ATV



Available in silver or black...

Odd... I never noticed the red zone having backlight? Weird. Rode a bunch at night too... might go down to the bike and check :)...

thats the red needle sweeping whilst the picture is taken. looks nice tho!

Mr White - bike looks the business, keep it up. thanks for sharing :)

Ordered the 36W version :icon_biggrin:. Thanks a lot for the tip.

That's right Peatbog is a slightly longer exposure whilst the needle is sweeping. I just love that trick.
Today I've fitted back the old Sirac on the front with a new Continental ContiEscape on the back and boy is fun to ride with normal tires.
Thanks to the Continetal Romanian Dealer pam.ro for help. They will provide us with the Escape, a TKC80 and tubes, all at a discounted price and for the fact that they are the single Romanian company that decided to help us so far in our quest I would like to thank them again.

Next up: Alu panniers and rack, center stand, alu engine guard, Scottoiler and more.

Cheers,

Ionut

Had a good test of the LED spots and there superb ...v bright in fact I would say better than the HID I had on the GS. A Very white strong beam...

One thing you need to do is undo the screw thread behind the light and loctite it on as mine vibrated loose. I also super glued the bracket as well becuase Im not going to be undoing them for any reason. Well worth the money:D

I also installed a LED Spot and indeed is powerful. The install was pretty easy the only problem was that at first I installed it under the triple clamp on the tow hook screws with a alu bracket and at full load offroad the spot was hitting the front fender. Then I installed it above the hook and it's a perfect spot.

Some of my last mods:

Center Stand and Alu Engine Guard
The center stand was designed after the original one (Thanks B374 for letting me take some pictures) and was executed 3cm higher and with wider bases. I chose for the engine guard a design with some protection for the water pomp (you can use the *.dwg to cut it from a 3mm or 4mm Alu sheet and then weld it together). The only drawback of the shield is that it really amplifies the engine noise and can be pretty annoying at low speeds but the protection is there.

http://www.intotheworld.eu/xt660dotc...terstand-1.jpg

http://www.intotheworld.eu/xt660dotc...engguard-1.jpg

http://www.intotheworld.eu/xt660dotcom/aluguard.dwg

Scottoiler
Install really easy. It does the job brilliantly. I chose Louis ( www.louis.de) special edition at 120E.

http://www.intotheworld.eu/xt660dotcom/scottoiler-1.jpg

14t JT Front Sprocket and 45t Supersprox rear

I didn�t install the front sprocket yet (I plan to have it installed in Spain) but I really think is the correct gearing for offroad riding the Tenere. The Supersprox should last longer than the OEM one (also needed a spare).

http://www.intotheworld.eu/xt660dotc...ox&oiler-1.jpg

I'M CURRENTLY SELLING MY TENERE AS I'VE FOUND THE PERFECT BIKE - HERE :mbounce:



Probably my last post regarding this thread will have some picture with the whole bike with stickers and everything ready to go. We�re on the last stretch and hopefully we�ll be going on our adventure soon with more than 6 weeks delay. I�ll keep you posted on that or you can check my blog.


Cheers,
Ionut,

Never plan your posts in advance!!!
 

Hi guys,

I was supposed to put the last pictures with the bike complete and unfortunately I have to put some pictures with the bike ruined. I had a crash!!! In the exact day of our planed departure date that we had to postpone due to cold weather so few days before our departure!!!! It's unbelievable. A stupid sob came from my right on a smaller road and he didn't stopped... Why? I still have no idea as a big give way sign was present. It's amazing... I hit his front wheel area at ~40kph and I jumped for ~10m landing on my back. Happily no major injures were involved mostly for the fact that I has wearing all my gear. The front of the boot is bent and I also hit my knee on his car thankfully with a protection that helped a lot. My back took a hit but nothing severe and the head has protected by the helmet (but from the mark on the helmet I can tell that was essential to have a very good one). I later discovered that I had a testicular rupture repaired by surgery on the next day. Probably because of hitting my boys on the tank. They say that every kick in the butt is a step forward.... for me is any kick in the balls is a leap forward. So anyway now I'm safe and sound at home after 4 horrific nights in public hospital already thinking about ways to recover and restart the whole trip. Regarding the bike ... the Tenere is one tough bike. Only the front end was affected. Wheel, forks shattered under the triple clamp, tank with a big hole in the right side, bent radiator, bent exhaust, bent alu engine guard and the rest are cosmetic issues.
After a couple of days of rest I'll start the procedure of recovering the damage and of course I'll keep you guys posted to my progress and my plans.
Thanks for your support so far,

Cheers,
Ionut

http://intotheworld.eu/xt660dotcom/crash-1.jpg

http://intotheworld.eu/xt660dotcom/crash-2.jpg

http://intotheworld.eu/xt660dotcom/crash-3.jpg

http://intotheworld.eu/xt660dotcom/crash-4.jpg

http://intotheworld.eu/xt660dotcom/crash-5.jpg

ONE GUILTY STUPID!!!! that crowd should have started to trow some stone at him.
http://intotheworld.eu/xt660dotcom/crash-6.jpg

Jeeeeez - that is exceptionally bad luck!

I'm glad you are ok, and like you say, bikes can be repaired/replaced... but b0ll0cks - are you ever going to get on the trip?!

It will be all the more sweeter when you do of course!

Good luck,

Jenny xx

Hi Ionut. I've sent you a lengthy email. Suffice to say, sorry to hear about the accident, but very glad you are ok. The trip will still happen and be all the sweeter. Just take time to recover, stay positive and lean on your friends here and at home.