Mornin' Lads

After trashing around a '92 XTZ750 for about 7 years, I decided to give the old gal a rest and look around for a new ride. I've been up and down the KTM, Husky, Wakasaky and the lot to only realize that, darn, what I really need and WANT is the new Tenere.

So here I am, half a year of savings short, but jolly owner of a '09 11D1 with little over 11k km on the clock.
Though it's been quite a gamble to buy a bike all the way from from Italy without ever actually seeing / testing it till the moment I actually parted with the cash, I was lucky enough to get my hands on a flawless, mint condition specimen.

The bike came quite stock.
It's got LeoVince SBK double cans on it = glorious sound with the DB killers on, pure evil without. Raised front fender, that I'll only use for extreme off roading. Some soft Acerbis handguards and an aftermarket BMC air filter (hold the thought, will get back on this one latter).
In the 2 weeks I've had it, I've also installed a HeavyDuties center stand and some Pivot Pegz replicas from Aliexpress.
The center stand is more than adequate, but this was to be expected since both of the lads from HeavyDuties ride Teneres (old and new) and are good craftsman. The pleasant surprise was the pegz from Aliexpress... try as I might, I could not flaw them.


For now I've only been up to some commuting, touring and light, fire road riding.
Conclusion #1 = what's with all this ******** about the Tenere being and undepowered, lazy mule ?! OK, i've yet to take the missus on a ride, nor did I load the bike with 7925694 tons of luggage, but this bike pulls it's weight more than satisfactory. Nope, it's no KTM 690 or the likes, but than again it doesn't vibe like one nor does it drill black holes in your wallet come (frequent) service time.
Conclusion #2 = I LOVE the look of it. I know it's all in the eyes of the beholder, but if ever there was a peak of Italian + Japanese in bike design, this is it. No, u'll see no pics of it in this post, as I'm waiting for a good setup + good camera to do it justice (it's white).

Well... that's about it. For now.
Lookin forward to naggin you with all sorts of questions.