??? not sure I understand what you mean GULG - if you could elaborate, it might be an option for future mishaps?

xxx

Take a long sturdy stick, put it between the swingarm and the tire and bend. Either you break the bead or the stick. At least I guess that's what he ment. =)

Aha, I thought as much - only there is not masses of room in between there for anything substantial? (and the branches were all saplings near me) - but it's worth a go in the future I guess!

I always thought it was best to take the wheel off and stamp on the tyre (or use a heavy mallet, should you have one handy) - but I'm always open to other (better?) methods...

xxx

Dunno, been so lucky that I've never had to change a tire on my own ever. Maybe it's time for a thread over here:

http://www.xt660.com/forumdisplay.php?f=51

:forumpolice :D

What about using the sidestand and the weight of the bike to push the tire down?

Never tried it myselfe but read about it on another forum...

HJ

Yes, I've heard that too, but I still can't quite work out how you do it on your own? - how do you pivot/manoeuvre the bike once the rear wheel is off?

I suppose it's feasible you could use a rock or something like I did - but supporting the bike with one hand while you slide the wheel into position, then turn it over and do the other side... well, I need to see that in practice!

But yes, I could see that would certainly work if you had a second bike/person with you...

xxx

Side stand trick : it's assumed you have a mainstand (?) too...

HJ

That's the long and short of it.

Perhaps a dedicated thread, kinda like a competition, everyone can have a guess and we'll find out in the summer ??

I've tried loads of ways of bead breaking, and listened to the 101 different ways of doing it form "when the tyre's flat the bead will break - trust me" Ahem! I think most of us know the answer to that one, to the stick method, to the drive a car over the tyre method, G-Clamps, Rocks, lossening the valve and rim locks then trying a burn out (a bit drastic!).

I guess this answers the question of whether the Ten needs a rim lock on the front !!!

Only ever had a flat on the TTR600, running Enduro III's and the bead on them is like it's welded, but the tyre runs OK flat anyway, well enough to get me home.

Out and about today around North Wales 180 miles.

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o...cafe220309.jpg
Over Worlds End,Then up the old Horse shoe pass into the ponderosa Cafe.

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o...2032009008.jpg
From there we headed to Chirk and onto Llanamon Dc,This would be the start of our off road trip across the Wayfarer,which is a old coach road across the Berwyn Mountains

. http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o.../wayfarer3.jpg

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o.../wayfarer1.jpg

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o.../wayfarer4.jpg

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o.../wayfarer2.jpg

Once over the wayfarer we headed into Bala for Lunch.

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o...y117/pass1.jpg
This was the road from Bala over to Lake Vrnywy

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o...y117/pass3.jpg

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o...y117/pass4.jpg

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o...lakevyrnwy.jpg

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o...akevrynwy3.jpg

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o...akevrynwy4.jpg

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o...akevrynwy5.jpg

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o...akevyrnwy2.jpg



Gary117 and paulhis.
.

1. Great pics looks like u had a great ride out, am jeolus!:glasses10:

maaaan, that looked beautiful. Never been to wales realy, just the outer edges. I had always heard that it looks very much like scotland, after those I can confirm wholeheartedly it does (sniff....).I could almost believe that was some hills and lochs not far from me. Looks like you both had a ball , and with that big yellow thing in tyhe sky aswell.....whats it called? A sun you say.So jealous the best few days we have had this year and Iam stuck tileing and fittting the maw n laws bathroom!!!

Should have gone out on Saturday but decided to go to the pub and watch the match, so really should have gone out on Saturday. Anyway arrange a run out on Sunday, with me mate on his Gerbill. Take the pic at the end of the trail that goes past the ice cream farm (honest).

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/o...32009024sm.jpg

Get to the first trail, which can be popular with the walkers as you can park up right at the start, but no-one is around, result.

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/o...32009025sm.jpg

Trail is a mix of sand, flat rock and stones so I�m having fun on the ten, view from the top looking out to the derwent reservoir.

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/o...32009026sm.jpg

The sandy bit, is my favourite, like riding along on fluff.

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/o...32009027sm.jpg

Head out over the hills on the tarmac and the wind is up, get to the first gate on this cracking trail. Tarmac soon runs out and track is a mix of loose hardcore, rock and stones.

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/o...32009028sm.jpg

Some good views from up here (700m) but the wind nearly blows me and the bike over, it�s even hard to keep ya feet and one of us has to stand and hold the gates open, find a bit of shelter in the lee of the hill and get the camera out. The ride is spoiled by the wind, keeps knocking you off line and the three foot ditch full of rocks alongside the trail does nothing to cheer ya up.

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/o...32009029sm.jpg

Drop down the other side and head to Alston for some food. Decide to give the high ones a miss and head for home taking in an easy trail I�ve done a few times on the TTR.

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/o...32009030sm.jpg

I�ve not ridden it for a year or so and it wasn't like this.

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/o...32009031sm.jpg

The tyres have given up long ago and turned into mud doughnuts, this is hard work, it�s not elegant and you could hardly call it riding, bike seems to be sliding along the ground, sometimes in two directions at once.

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/o...32009032sm.jpg
http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/o...32009034sm.jpg

I�m nearly off a couple of times so admit defeat and chug along in first with me feet flapping about. Get over the worst of it but think this isn�t one I�ll be doing again anytime soon.

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/o...32009033sm.jpg

Head for home, bike washed and a ten mile run to dry it off. A good day out spoiled by the wind, will have to do the high one again when it�s not blowing a hooligan.

Nice report and pics !

cool pic's:thumbsup:

I envy you guys in the UK having all these nice trails in open land without trees, so you could see far ahead and can be seen from far away. In Germany, we don't have that, and despite all the nice trails in numerous forests near urban areas - there is a law regulating a ratio between urban area and designated green zones, which is nice for the environment - they do not allow any motorized vehicles using them. If get caught, it would be easily EUR 300 fine, I am told.

There is a lot less trails here we can use than there used to be!!
Nice pics ,great views.

Trees...........i love riding through the trees, this is the victorian high country in Australia (Mt Murray)

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/e...eriding018.jpg

Nice pic Regie308. The trees look they were burnt, but the bushes are still green. Are they so unique trees or am I right that they were burnt? Great trail you've got there nevertheless.

Yeah the dead looking snow gums were burnt in 2003 bush fires this pic was taken april-2005, so the new green bushy ones you can see are the new snow gums 2 yrs later. Its funny how over educated tree huggers think that our forest are so fragile when really they are not fragile at all.

That would make a very spooky scene in the dark!

Barry.

My Mate neil4022 picked his new Power blue tenere up yesterday,brought it into work, stripped it down and colour coded it.:coolsmiley:

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o...davesbike3.jpg

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o...davesbike2.jpg


:wow:

Oooooooooooooh - now that's given me an idea! (actually, I already had the idea in question)...

That looks very nice! - presumably you guys work in a paintshop or something?

xxx

Yeh JMo. We both work in a Accident Repair Centre in Cheshire.

Gary :icon_biggrin:

Very nice! Gary117, I can already see a pic of both your legendary white and your mate's spectacular blue together. You fancy painting your rear-rack too? Just curious. I wonder how white and some red accent would look.

Engine bars look nice too, I had considered painting mine yellow but have yet to get around to it.

:SpinHappy_15XK8L: NICE ONE GAZ . THANKS FOR PUTTING MY BIKE ON ,WAIT TILL NEXT WEEK YOURS WILL BE ON AND THE REAR WILL BE WHITE AND LOOKING COOL . MADE UP WITH MY NEW BIKE AND CANT WAIT TO GET IT DIRTY BUT , MUST RUN IT IN FIRST .

...and then pretty please lower your caps, thanks :thumbsup:

:hello: and :welcome: to :660:

:welcome: Dave nice to have you onboard. Don,t forget to turn the caps down like the Captain seid.

:bravo:on your new bike.See you sunday for a couple of hundred mile ride.:occasion14:


Gary

welcome
 

Welcome Dave

That does look very Blinged !!!!!!! up now, it will look lovely covered in MUD.

see you Sunday i was thinking maybe Glasgow for lunch, then a little ride home, down through the lakes.

paul:039:

Was a bit sad since the weather tricked me into believe that winter was coming to an end, but now it has snowed all night and all day. =( Took this pic though where the snow made a cool effect to it, so I use it now on my desktop:

http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/6448/deskm.th.jpg

(1680x1050)

Out and about on my new Ten yesterday on what was a glorious day in the Borders. Only done 350miles so far but really beginning to like the bike. This is a rubbish phone pic taken on the road between Talla and Megget reservoirs (looking back to Talla).

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l17/stoo24/Ten.jpg

Nice !
And composition is very good too :)

Big John (AFK40, akf or whatever it is!) has that same picture from a couple of weeks ago - but pointing the other way!!

Nice looking bike stoo24.

Me and 4 mates are riding up to inverness the first bank holiday in may.Keep a look out. 3 of us on xt660 z tenere,1 on a ktm 990 adventurer and 1 on a xt660 x.

Like the picture.


Gary

Around 1400m in Los Picos mountains northern Spain..

http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/m...9/IMGP4801.jpg

Joined in the local Easter Run taking easter egs to a local 'special' school. After that went for a ride with the Mrs and stopped to take a pic with the backdrop from the Wye down in Kent. Looking forward to taking the kids here to burn off some energy :)

http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/4697/p1000028.th.jpg

Was a nice little run on some loverly roads in the area .The Tenere handles much better with the new chain after all the surging before...just a shame my Sirac tyres are getting so squared off now :)

Nice picture Nickw909. What,s that tank bag you are using.:dontknow:

Gary,

Its a Kriega Tank Harness and a Kriega US-10 bag. Nice and low profile, bit fiddley to use but ok.

See here for for details (Thanks to Tripletom):

http://www.xt660.com/showthread.php?...ghlight=kriega


Nick.


PS. The map holder is a cheap Hein Gericke jobbie.

Thanks Nick.

Still haven't made my mind up which tank bag to buy.:dontknow:


Gary

Another suggestion is the SW Motech's Quicklock system if you don't know it already. It's a ring mounted on the gas cap, and the tankbag just clips on and off very easy. http://www.moto.gr/forums/showthread...&pagenumber=17

I had it before and they are convenient, quality products, and never scratch your tank. I tried out the "City" version on my Tenere and I can confirm that it doesn't block the steering angle anyway. IMHO, it's the optimal size bag for that small amount of space on the tank in front of the rider, and it just missed the keyhole area. I had a Held bag that has straps and buckles and travelled with it for 7000km. I don't like it, it's still a pain to fill the tank, and the straps keep getting loose or leaning one way or another. I have not bought the SW bag yet because I actually haven't decided if I even want a tankbag. If you haven't done so, go to the "Tank Bag" thread under Panniers and Bags section.