Jmo,

I just came back from Vegas, Mojave, Death valley etc and WOW, there is some serious space there.

Its hot too.....

Attachment 2605

I retire in 18 months and intend to tour arond the US with SWAMBO on our Tenere. (Unless they make a bigger one).

Have fun and keep us updated ya lucky sod.

Off to the Alps on Tuesday looking for the first snows with my Tenere and tent.

Ray

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We are now retired....so....... lots of this and this and no more of this or this

I know - 36�C still this week... luverly!

I was out here last year on my XR650R, and as you say, it is fantastic... my plan is revisit some favorite spots - Death Valley, Black Rock and up to Oregon, but first I'm going to head over to Sedona AZ and up to Moab in Utah before the weather turns...


Sounds like a good plan! I'm planing on heading down to Baja in December, then heading through the southern states to Florida for Daytona in February, then coming back along the TAT (Trans America Trail) in the spring...


Don't worry, I will x


It is beautiful there - I was there at the end of July and there was still snow on the peaks! I can certainly recommend the ride from Grenoble to Moutiers via the N91, D526, D927, D123. And the N90/S26 via the Col du St Bernard into Italy of course!

Pack your thermals mind!

xxx

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"Where we're going, we don't need roads..."

JennyDakar.com

Jmo, wow you make me jelous those pics by the canyon look amazing have a great trip looking forward to the write up.

Fantastic! Really Really many thanks. The info is extremely valuable. I was under the impression that it was not easy to ship the bike to the US. The TAT looks really interesting, I will have to do that one day too. Enjoy your trip, and may the brilliant weather be with you along the way. As others say, send pics and trip reports to make us jealous

Jenny

I know it's a bit of a while ago for you now, but I'm doing the TAT in Sept this year and I have a few of questions....

Was there much single trail - (I have the option of using an XR400 or my Tenere) - if there is lots of technical stuff the XR would be better - however you may know different - comments please.

In the sandy conditions of your Heros trip and previously the USA, what did you do about chain lube? I'm considering a Scotoiler for the TAT. When I ride single trail in NZ in sand, a proprietary chain lube sure turns the cack into grinding paste. I have for a long time now been using my own made up spray mix of 3:1 petrol / gearbox oil for both my XR's and its fine for the worst off road day rides, although not suited to touring work - a bit messy to carry and mix up. Again comments please?

My Tenere speedo is woefully inaccurate... GPS v (Indicated): 50kmh(55); 60(65); 70(77); 80(88); 90(99); 100(110); 110(120); 135(147). Did you find this on your machine and did you do anything about it?

I temporarily mounted a hand held GPS (Garmin eTrex Summit) above the Tenere instrument cluster and no matter what I did the vibration was such that the unit switched off as soon as I moved off. (Had to strap the bloody thing to my arm for the above test - 135kmh one handed to compare speeds was interesting). Did you get vibration on your gear and was it a problem and how resolved if so?

Finally (for now) what tyres did you use on the Tenere on the TAT off road bits and how much life did you get out of them?

If you can shed any light on the above it would be much appreciated.

ta

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Cheers

TUSCAN

If you're not riding - what ARE you doing?





'10 Yamaha XT660Z Tenere
03 Honda XR400R
03 Honda XR400RL
04 Honda XR250R
01 Honda XR250
94 Honda TLR260 / Montesa Cota 314

No problem, I'll do my best!

There really is a bit of everything - from muddy 'logging trails', rocky piste tracks, sandy two-track, and some narrower rocky trails too - but virtually all are wide enough to take a 4x4 on... Certainly the sections in the Colorado mountains can be tricky - watermellon size rocks in some places, but I managed them all on the Tenere (it was only the Rubicon Trail in northern California that beat me... this time anyway). I'd say that because of the distance involved (over 3500 miles if you do the whole length), the Tenere is preferable for comfort, fuel range etc. It is also much easier to carry camping kit on the bigger bike (I have an XR400 too btw.), and there are places you WILL want to camp for sure... Guys in the US do it on everything, from small trailies, to KLRs - although unless you are a riding god, anything bigger than a 650 is going to take some work in Colorado and Utah/Nevada deserts...

I didn't use any chain lube on Heroes' and only lubed the chain in the US when I had a big road section to undertake. As you say, any lube which is sticky is going to attract dirt and sand and quickly wear the chain and/or sprockets. As for using your petrol/oil mix - I'd be careful as the petrol may damage the o-rings of the chain, letting the grease inside escape? An alternative might be to use GT85 - which has PTFE in a fine spray oil (bit like WD40) - I know a lot of people (including me) use that on mountainbike chains. It is also perfect to stop squeaks etc.

As for chain wear with no lube - I fitted new steel sprockets (Supersprox on the rear) and a DID 520VM chain at the beginning of Heroes, and 8000kms later, the rear sprocket was still in excellent condition, as was the chain (adjusted maybe once or twice over the course of the rally). The front sprocket had started to hook, but had plenty of life left in it also. I only changed the chain when I got home as it had turned to rust during three weeks on the ship, and the front sprocket to save wearing the new chain - the rear sprocket is still on there, and will be for a good time yet I imagine!

They are all the same! As you say, it is optimistic by around 10% - I just bore that in mind. From what I understand, the odometer though is pretty accurate, so it seems the speedo 'ratio' is slightly skewed to help us keep our licences? As for the milages in the TAT instructions, I think the stock Odo should be fine, and in conjuction with a GPS, you should have no trouble.

For info, I bought a Garmin 2610 when I first went out to states (you can still get them manufacturer refurbished via ebay.com etc), and the City Navigator mapping software is excellent - many of the dirt roads are on there, as are fuel, hotels, banks, restaurants etc. Definitely get a GPS that can run the US City Navigator maps - it will make your life so much easier!

The problem with virtually all battery driven GPS units on a bike is the engine vibrations make the batteries jump on their contacts, and they eventually carbon over, braking the current. The best thing to do is use a 12v power supply hardwired to the bike (either direct to the battery, or via the sidelight circuit for example - the little 2-pin connector behind the panel below the instruments is switched with the ignition, and fused with the sidelights). Also, take the batteries out until you want to use the unit off the bike, otherwise they will still vibrate and carbon over, and not work when you disconnect the 12v supply!

I would also mount your GPS on the handlebar/s cross bar above the yokes, as it is far less susceptible to vibration there.

I used Pirelli MT21s initially (as TKCs were on back order), then TKC80s exclusively for the rest of my trip. I'd say the TKC is the best dual purpose tyre for the Tenere, as it is far more predictable on the road, and lasts significantly longer too. Another popular choice (with a 17 inch rear) is the Michelin T63, or in the US particularly, the Dunlop 606.

I rode over 23,000 miles in the USA, and used three front and five rear tyres, although the last set were still less than half worn by the time I got back to the UK. If you are just riding the TAT, then you could feasibly do it on just one set, however, I would budget for changing at least the rear in Moab (Utah) for example, as you'll appreciate the grip for the desert in Utah, Nevada and the forests in Oregon.



I trust I have done so!

Any more questions, just ask!

Jenny xx

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"Where we're going, we don't need roads..."

JennyDakar.com

Hi Jen,

Yes I am looking at the detail....

What were (roughly) the shipping details ???

Cheers OGR

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We are now retired....so....... lots of this and this and no more of this or this

Hi Ray -

When I took the Tenere to the US and back, I shipped it by air - when it came back from Dakar it was on a boat for three weeks...

It used to be relatively cheap to ship by air to and from the US (particularly from), but with the exchange rate and last year's revisions to the 'dangerous goods' legislation from the US (Ironically, it was easy to ship my bike to the US - it even went in the hold of the same plane I was on, which is a distinct no-no as far as shipping out of the US is concerned...)

The shipping (by air) is based on volumetric weight, but since the bike weighs more than the volume ratio, it's based on weight... my crate was listed at 300kgs I believe - that includes the weight of the crate, and my luggage/camping gear I stuffed in there as well, although it wasn't that much, that was the band it fell in... it cost me $1800 USD one way (to the US) which at the time was about �1000. Unfortunately, it was significantly more than that to bring it back, as the agent I had used didn't want to handle 'dangerous goods' after all the regulation changes in March last year...

You can still use someone like Motorcycle Express (they charge around $2000 USD each way), but have limited port of entries - basically east or west coast (which made it harder for me as I wanted Vegas, baby). They are very efficient from what I have heard - you basically deliver the bike to them and they crate it etc. And on the whole, you bike will be there on the date you want it.

The other option is to send it by sea - either in a container if you can find a carrier sending a load of stuff, or using Wallenius Wilhelmsen who ship vehicles back and forth from the far east, via the USA. It is significantly cheaper (around �700 each way when I got a quote) but does take three weeks. It is essentially a huge ro-ro ferry, so you just drop them the bike - no crating etc.

There is one stop on the east coast and the other at Ventura near LA - you might have to pay storage at the port for a few days unless you can coordinate your flights exactly... still, spending a bit of time in California ain't that bad...

Hope that helps,

J xx

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"Where we're going, we don't need roads..."

JennyDakar.com

Jenny

Light well and truly shed - thanks.

The bike choice is a poser. From your TAT trail descriptions, if I were living locally to them, then I'm guessing the XR400 would be my choice (with long range tank) due to it's unbustability, less weight when it lands on top of you, and ease of recovery after a spill. However the XTZ is such a gem for distance work that it's a real dilemma. I suppose I'll have to get down and dirty with the Ten and not fall off. Now a light weight, air-cooled Tenere would ................

Dreams Dreams

Many many thanks again for your time - You're a star (Especially now I know you have an XR400 and a Tenere).

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Cheers

TUSCAN

If you're not riding - what ARE you doing?





'10 Yamaha XT660Z Tenere
03 Honda XR400R
03 Honda XR400RL
04 Honda XR250R
01 Honda XR250
94 Honda TLR260 / Montesa Cota 314

Glad to help Tuscan!

If you are shipping a bike over and back, then it might be worth seeing how much of a price difference it is - probably not that much as the crates will be a similar size...

Like you say, an XR400 with a big tank (and maybe a luggage rack) is really all you need - I took mine to Morocco in 2006 (trailered the bikes to southern Spain, then rode the whole way to the Sahara and back, 2000kms in 11 days)...

However, as you know you really need to keep on top of the oil changes with the XR, and there are a lot of eastern sections of the TAT (and especially getting to the start from wherever your bike is shipped to) that the Tenere would win hands down comfort wise.

Either bike would be excellent - hell, a ten year old Super Sherpa would be a blast - the TAT is a fantastic ride on anything! But having done it on the Tenere, I'd suggest that would be my #1 choice... even if parts are readily available, you really shouldn't need anything other than tyres (and maybe sprockets)... and hell, if you could bare to part with it, any number of Yankees would bite your hand off to buy it off you when you're done!

J xx

__________________
"Where we're going, we don't need roads..."

JennyDakar.com