XT660Z Tenere travelling the USA - .: XT660.com

tuscan · # 1 25-10-10, 09:12

Some recent pics of the great little machine in the USA (35,000kms / 21,500miles in 64 riding days). In a word Awesome country, people and best of all the 660 TENERE.

Enjoy...

Walloa Mountains....

Weston Pass....

Oops - Jornada Del Meutre....

Tincup Pass....

Cumberland Pass....

Engineer Pass....

Corckscrew Pass....

San Juan National Forest....

San Rafael Desert....

San Rafael Desert Flat Tops....

San Rafael Trans Am Trail....

Shoshone Range (Near Battle Mountain)....

Santa Rosa Range....

Too Much Mud near McDermitt....

tuscan · # 2 25-10-10, 10:21

For those interested I made the following modifications to the Ten (many thanks to Jenny Morgan

for many of the ideas)....

Reprofiled seat - just trimmed off the pillion hump
Lowering links - from Metal Mule
SR Racing single exhaust - superb
OTR alloy bashplate (Cheaper than B&B available in Australia, but just as good)
Ohlins rear shock
Ohlins fork internals
14T front sprocket for off-road Trans Am Trail section (with 45T standard rear)
DID 520VM chain
Oxford heated grips
Strike Genius GPS - rubbish
Wider footpegs - EBay
Folding brake pedal end (from XR250)
XR400 side panels
Centre stand - genuine Yamaha
Various tyres - but the best were Dunlop D606 130/90-17 & 90/90-21
Relocated rear indicators
Trimmed rear guard - (bits reused to mount a home made roadbook above the instruments)
Weatherproofing to underside of seat area after removal of twin exhausts system
Switchable accessory power socket in inner fairing panel
Barkbusters (fitted for 40 miles only until vibration induced loss of feeling in both hands forced their removal - further modification required)
Giant Loop Coyote saddlebags
Wolfman Enduro Tank bag

Here's some detail of the mods / setup...

SR Racing exhaust / Giant Loop Coyote bag and el cheapo tent and tool bag to the rear...

Ebay footpegs and XR250 brake pedal mod (cut off the old fixed end and weld on the folding unit - easy)....

Cockpit with homemade roadbook box (mounted on bottom of rear mudguard clipped to instrument panel frame rail); GPS mounted on tankbag to avoid damaging vibration; Wolfman Enduro tankbag; Oxford heated grips and control box; and keep right reminders!!!!....

Beautiful shiny new Dunlop D606 rear, DID 520VM chain, sprockets (14T front and 45T rear)

Shiny new front D606 - sorry can't help myself - awesome tyres transform Ten's capabilities and rider confidence....

What happens with mud build-up and low front guards (this locked up the front wheel on a slippery descent - nice!!).....

And the cable tie fix (almost factory eh??)....

And the only failure (excluding 3 sets of cush drive rubbers) after 30,000 kms (probably due to lack of maintenance by me - remember to KEEP THOSE NIPPLES GREASED).....

Here's a pic of the little Ten in all its glory ready to start the trip in LA (Alloy bashplate still to be fitted)....

And .... at the end 35,000kms, 6 punctures, 2 front tyres, 5 rear tyres, and 4 spills later (note the patched up front mudguard forced apart by build up of mud, and the grit abraded rear rim scoured by the same build up of mud....

She never missed a beat - AWESOME.

Thanks Mr Yamaha.

Cheers

uberthumper · # 3 25-10-10, 10:41

Just had a quick skim through, and it looks like a brilliant trip. Will definitely be poring over your photos in more detail later.

Nice one.

Loopydog · # 4 25-10-10, 10:55

That looks brilliant thanks. Can you briefly say what route you took - main 'join-the-dots' points as it were. Also, might sound a dumb question, but did you/could you take the equivalent of breakdown cover as a kind of 'peace of mind' option in the states? I ask because I see you weren't travelling alone and it sounds like you have technical nouse. I'd like to travel the states, but have little or no mechanical ability and would be alone. Cheers.

tuscan · # 5 25-10-10, 10:56

Uberthumper - Thanks mate - much appreciated

tenere doug · # 6 25-10-10, 11:31

Great pics, looks like you had a good trip!
I love the fact that the tyres change to knobblies after the pic of the bike on it's side, brilliant!

tripletom · # 7 25-10-10, 12:04

Great to see the bike evolving fella. Good pics.

Ilkleyal · # 8 26-10-10, 13:06

Man, this is awesome, you are one lucky fellow.

If I had 2 months off and no wife,mortgage,dogs,bills and so on I would love to do that trip on a tenere. (not mine though,it's too clean still)

Thanks for sharing

Al

Sysie · # 9 26-10-10, 13:50

Awesome Trip mate... how easy / costly was it to send your bike to the US ?

tuscan · # 10 26-10-10, 21:36

Ilkleyal

It was 3 months not two, and I have no job (currently being rectified urgently).

The better half was told not asked - I went without for a while there but the trip was worth it

. (I've also got a mortgage, sheep, cats and chickens but that never stopped me doing things - i'm paying for it now though, but so what - I did the trip).

I figured I ought to do the trip right now, or one day when the stars lined up, perhaps I would be too old, in a wheelchair or afflicted with a unsavoury disease.

Take the plunge mate and do it now while you can and want to.

Enjoy your shiny machine and get it dirty - she'll love you for it.

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