New Member from Texas

Uturnrick

New Member
Joined
Apr 25, 2017
Messages
3
Location
Wylie Texas
Folks,

I've made a strange journey to get to the point of buying a Super Tenere. My wife and I have been riding a Yamaha Venture since 1983 where I didn't buy a 2nd gen Venture until 2001 and I found the unlinked (4 piston) rear brake very susceptible to rear wheel lockup which put me down hard 3 times. But the damage was just cosmetic where I rebuilt it every time. I even moved a 2 piston front caliper to the rear and developed an adjustable proportioning valve which helped greatly. But even under extreme circumstances, it would still lock up. And last June on a group ride through Colorado a calf came up out of a ditch in my blind spot and startled me...and I locked it up again and went down and broke a collar bone. While in a hospital in Pueblo, I decided this was the last straw and this time I was going to let the insurance company have it and I'd get a bike with abs brakes, traction control and let technology help. I could only think that riding a 1st gen Venture with linked brakes for 18 years, that I had developed bad braking habits with the rear brake pedal. And the other fact that the brake pedal on the 2nd gen Venture off the floor board would not allow for any modulation, more like the brake pedal on my truck.

So, I bought a 2015 FJR ES model and set it up as a 2-up bike and was even getting ready to add a trailer hitch so I could pull my Bushtec Turbo trailer when my wife was with me. But then this past February I lost my wife unexpectedly to cardiac arrest. At this point in my life, I decided that I was no longer going to travel with a passenger and this was the opportune time to move to a one-up big adventure bike. I have many friends who ride the BMW R1200GS and GSA, but I was just too skeptical of their final drives. Besides, I had been a Yamaha man since 1978 and I had never known of a Yamaha final drive leaving anyone stranded on the side of the road. I also had 3 friends who were riding Super Tenere's so I talked one of them into letting me take his bike for an extended ride to see how I liked a vertical twin. And gosh, I could not believe how hard it pulled in 6th gear at 50mph......it was so quick that I really felt that I needed to have a run off against something like a FJR?

Then I remembered back in the early 90s when Yamaha brought out the TDM 850. One of our dealerships was doing test rides one weekend and asked some of us to come lead groups. Well most of the test bikes were Secas but they had one TDM and when I rode it, again I could not believe how well it pulled in any gear, what a stump puller?

Anyway I was sold on the bike, and went out and found a new 2016 ES and then started putting accessories on it. And I started with Givi Trekker Outback bags and a trunk, a Cee Bailey windshield with a Madstad, Rox risers, Givi Engine Guards, Altrider skid plate, Piaa LED driving lights. Oh, and a J&M 2003CB connected to my 665 Zumo with XM and my Escort. And since I'm the Butt Butler, I went ahead and reconstructed the seat, which took me a couple of times to get it right. And right now I've got a 48L right bag coming to give me more room and to balance the bike out. And I'm looking at the Yoshimura RS-4 exhaust.

Of course after being a major contributor for the Venturerider.org forum for 10 years, I realized the importance of a good owners group, and I found you all so I could learn more about this bike. After reading the owners manual, I was surprised to learn that this is a dry sump engine that also burns premium.....with dual plugs.

Oh, I'm 71 years old and have been riding North America on 2 wheels since 1980 and have logged over a half a million miles covering all lower 48, 5 Canadian Provinces, took a group to Copper Canyon Mexico in 2001 and 2 years ago my wife and I took 50 days and rode our 2002 RS Venture w/Bushtec trailer to Alaska and back.

I love traveling the back roads of America so now with the Tenere, I can explore different more interesting back roads. And I'm glad to be here :)

And you can call me Rick
 

RIDEMYST

So many roads......
Joined
Jan 4, 2015
Messages
623
Location
South Florida
Welcome Rick from South Florida. I also had a 2001 Venture and also locked up the rear brake on several occasions. After two ST1300's and a short ownership of a Tiger Explorer I now own a 2015 Tenere ES. -JEP-


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

snakebitten

Well-Known Member
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Joined
Aug 6, 2011
Messages
5,681
Location
Coastal Texas
Rick,

I got a suspicion that you have found the perfect bike to continue your riding passion on.
(I also don't think "passion" is too strong a word. Right?)

You'll also find this forum really matches the bike. I'll let you figure that one out yourself. :)

And finally, you and I seem to have a few things in common. It'll all unfold if you stick with the Tenere and this forum.
The most obvious is Texas, of course. And riding. And now, the same bike.

Heading to Romney West Virginia in an hour, or a day,.........gonna be a bunch of folks like yourself on Teneres there.
Feeling like throwing caution to the wind? Lol
It's just a jaunt for a man with your riding history!

(There's a thread on the annual Romney "event")

Regardless, welcome Rick.
 

colorider

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Sep 25, 2010
Messages
5,442
Location
Sidney, NE
Welcome aboard Rick!! Thanks for sharing your story and condolences on the loss of your wife.

We have a few other ex-Venture riders here and a bunch of ex-FJR riders (including myself).

Again, welcome!!!

Rod
 

eemsreno

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Nov 25, 2010
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On your way to everywhere, , Iowa
Welcome Rick
former Venture rider here also. Had a 1983 and a 1987
Never did move to the cruiser style Harley copy 2nd generation Venture.
 
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