TAT bike choice
 

Jenny

I'm going as part of a group of about 8 - and we are shipping bikes to / from NZ in a container to LA then riding to Jellicoe via I40 and I75 in the first week. I'm considerring shipping my bike over independently to do 4-5 weeks New Mexico to Washington State as a warm up - so I think the choice is made really as those early weeks will mainly be road based and the XTZ will be perfect. Plan is then to meet the guys in LA and strip the bike of unnecessary stuff and do the TAT and container back to NZ.

What I need to do is throw the Tenere down in the dirt somewhere to get that first scratch on it eh? Still too shiny to consider as a propper enduro machine.

tony :icon_smile::icon_smile::icon_smile:

Flippin' eck - have you tapped into your GPS how long it is from LA to Knoxville on the I40 - take an ipod that's all I can say!

If you get a chance, do ride Deal's Gap (Hwy 129) south of Knoxville before you head up to Jellico - an awesome road (318 bends in 11 miles!), and I believe the TAT route passes close by to Lynchburg in Tenessee - home of the Jack Daniel's Distillery of course - again, definitely worth a visit (the tour is free)...

I'd also recommend heading down to Durango Colorado once you've done the Alpine loop section of the TAT (Hwy 550 from Silverton south) - fantastic scenery and a cool town - if you have a day off, take a ride on the Steam Railroad from Durango to Silverton - one of THE great train journeys in the world!

Also, try and factor in a couple of days at least around Moab - there is so much to ride there, awesome!

I love the west coast - Oregon is beautiful, and so is California if you stay away from the traffic and tourists... If you ride one area, head for Death Valley, and then through Yosemite (on Hwy 120, Tioga Pass) - and San Francisco is a blast - do the tourist thing there - Alcatraz, Golden Gate, Teatro Zinzani (google it) - you'll have a ball!

Hee hee - when it happens (and boy, it will happen), you'll feel so much better!

J xx

TAT bike choice
 

J

Not my idea to do I40/I75 in one hit, but some of the boys want to do this in 4 days then get stuck in to the TAT. I'm an iron butt of old - so we'll see who croaks first eh?

Thanks for your suggestions - I have all of them on my pre-TAT route except for Deal's Gap area. My initial trip included the Eastern States and Newfoundland / SE Canada, but then the TAT opportunity came up - so it'll have to wait for another time.

Got a little ride up the length of NZ on monday onwards, then the mods / weight reduction , planning for the Ten will really start. Oh joy.

Did your Heros mods significantly reduce the overall weight - I'm guessing that the wheels / forks / exhaust must have accounted for a lot?

Did I read somewhere that you are thinking of a full Dakar race entry - or is it a dream? What bike if so?

tony:HappyRoll_ANPIUI:

The first part of I40 through CA and AZ I'm familiar with (having dipped on and off it at times) and as you are probably aware, the AZ section follows the old Route 66 (you can deviate off it to Segilman, Williams etc - good spots for food!)... obviously it is more fun on the more minor routes, but you coud spend your whole trip making deviations and that is not really the point as you say... there is still plenty to see (or at least pass through) on that trip - hell, any trip on a bike in the sunshine is great!

If you do get the chance, do spend a day riding that area around the Cherohala Skyway, Hwy 28 (the snake) and Hwy 129 (the dragon) - it will make you love tarmac again after all that I40!

Ah, but that's half the fun?! (well, if the modifications work it is of course!)

I wouldn't say significantly, but noticeably yes... My bike probably weights in around 10Kg less (with all the rally nav gear fitted)... the wheels were lighter, but then fitting Michelin Deserts and mousses put a lot of that weight back on - running something like TKCs and HD tubes would be a noticeable improvement I'd say...

The exhaust saved 5Kgs - likewise just taking off stuff like bar-ends, pillion peg brackets, the rear light assembly (why is there a hunking great metal plate under there?!)... but ultimately the engine and frame (and tank) are the key heavy parts, and you can't really change them.

That said, even the stock bike rides a lot 'lighter' than the spec sheet suggests as I'm sure you'll agree, and I only up-specced everything because of a) 'racing' conditions, b) I like a challenge and c) I have too much money for sh!t like that...

I took a stock bike to the USA, with just a set of KTM plastic hand guards and some pivotpegs... take the weighty accessories (and exhaust) off by all means, but you really don't need to upgrade the shock/forks/wheels unless you particularly want to...

Erm yeah, see 'c)' above x

I've just bought a WR450 and the JVO rally 'lite' kit (front fairing, fender and twin 10litre tanks, plus all the nav gear mountings)... The Tenere is a fantastic bike (well, mine is) but it is heavy in comparison to the 450cc based bikes... the WR has the same (or more) power, and weighs 2/3rd the weight (that's 60Kgs, or three jerry cans full of fuel!) - even with the rally kit fitted, it will be at least 40Kg lighter than the Ten...

Of course the WR will need a lot more maintenance, but it is a dedicated race bike, and by all accounts, it seems the WR is the 'strongest' of all the 450's at the moment... certainly a high proportion of the Dakar finishers on WRs this year did it on the same engine, including the guy who won the marathon class this year...

The idea this year is to race the NPO series (that is the FIM Tunis and Maroc rounds, plus the Sphinx Rally in Egypt), and enter the Dakar next January... however, it is proving a lot more expensive than I envisaged, so we'll have to see - but yes, the Dakar (which is confirmed in South America again btw.) is the goal for next year...

J xx

J

Some of us have to work for a living eh? I'm surely envious of your plans - I always wanted to do the Dakar since I used to watch the teams set off in Paris in the mid eighties - but I have realised I don't have the off-road skills necessary to race. Bike injuries are taking longer to heal as each year goes by! Your Heros trip was a shot in the arm though that I was unaware of and suddenly that dream no longer looks so unobtainable. Maybe in 2011....

Proposed mods for US are exhaust, tailpiece tidy up, decent footpegs, hanguards, MM lowering kit, nav gear and soft luggage - and that's about it.

Why is it that the manufacturers can't make the perfect bike - light, reliable, low maintenance easy & comfortable to ride. So often they tick most of the boxes but miss a couple of key ones - both the XTZ and Super Ten have missed the point on weight. Most of us aren't riding gods. What I would give for an XR400 with electric start, 450 power output, alloy frame, decent wheels and suspension, reliability, low maintenance, Tenere type tank, fairing and decent seat - it can't be that difficult???

I hope all goes well with your lead up rallies. I tried to drive a special stage of the 1986 Atlas Rally in a Fiat Panda - what took the riders hours took me a day and that was only part of the stage. Big respect to all who compete in these rally raids let alone finish with a decent placing. Good on you

tony:icon_biggrin::icon_biggrin::icon_biggrin::ico n_biggrin:

Tell me about it... I am currently skint!

I think that is a close as is realistically possible for most of us... it is the right mix of tough, but not too tough - I mean from the logistics point of view (timing etc, and more importantly timing out and being excluded) - don't get me wrong, it is very challenging physically, but as long as you make it to the next bivouac (either on the stage, by road or on the sweep truck), you are allowed to start again, and thus have a far higher chance of finishing for your entry fee!

Do it if you can, it is a fantastic experience!

Sounds good to me - certainly soft bags are the way to go. I used a couple of 35 litre drybags (Ortlieb) strapped to the back seat, but another nice piece of kit is the Wolfman Expedition bag. I'm not sure the Giant Loop style would fit so well on the Tenere as there are no (enduro style) side panels, but there are loads of options...


It pains me to say it, but the Suzuki DRZ400 is close to what you are asking - hence their popularity with overland travelers who want a smaller bike...

Fit a big tank (Aqualine do a 17 litre and also a huge 28 litre one) and a top screen if you want... Alloy frames are not always best for overland use - if they get damaged, they are harder to repair by a bloke in a shed, whereas steel can be welded easily...


Many thanks Tony - I'll be doing my best for sure!

J xx

Yeah - steel frames are the go - what was I thinking. Still they don't have to be built like the Forth Bridge (See KTM - did I really say that)

DRZ4's have concrete seats and worst of all .... sticky out radiators. My trials bike has a central radiator and if manufacturers thought about tilting the engines backwards (a la new WR - or blow me down - like the rear cylinder of a v-twin) then with a bit of trickery I'm sure our Oriental buddies could engineer a neater solution. The penny will drop one day. Better still - go back to air cooled.... or fuel injected two stroke??????????????

Anyway focus focus focus - I have an XTZ. I have an XTZ. I hav.......

tony

Pains you? They're not that bad ;)


Anyway, mostly chipping in to wish you luck with the WR, shall look forward to hearing how it goes!

Thanks Uberthumper x

I must admit, if I were looking to buy another dual-sport bike over in the US, it probably would be a DRZ400SM - fit a 19 inch front rim and some TKC tyres, and an Acerbis tank, and that would be it - corking little bike with more than enough poke for trail riding, and not too bad on the [minor] highways either... although the seat might be an issue, I'm used to my XR...

J x

Hey Jenny... I've got your TBM issue with the America part 2, love the pics and the story, well done girl.

If anyone has missed on this issue, better get themselves a copy while they are still on the shelves. I enjoyed reading it and looking at the pics.