New To Motorcycling & New to Super Tenere

[roddesu]

I bought my first motorcycle, a 2012 Super Tenere! And then I rode it 200 miles to get it home to Chicago. It was the first ride I've done of any distance and I loved it.

I'm now very excited that I will be able to begin contributing to this forum. I've been reading it for about 6 months as I've been deciding what motorcycle to buy to start my wife's and my adventures. Within a month of starting the research, the Super Tenere rose to the top. I needed a bike that could handle "not small people" two-up riding, that was reliable, a big bike that is easy to ride, not expensive as we try this out...a used Super Tenere was the glaringly obvious choice!

• A video of my very first ride: 200 miles from Indy to Chicago. (9 minutes)
  
  
• A video of my thoughts on why I'm getting into ADV in my 50's. (5 minutes)

My intention is to document my experiences of beginning to get into ADV travel and my thoughts on the bike as well. Subscribe to my YouTube channel if you'd like to see how it goes. The biggest variable is if I'm going to be able to gently get my wife to be as enthused as I am. We rode our bicycles around the world in our 20s (in the early 1990s), so she's not only open to this type of travel...she wants to love it. But, she is nervous, so I have to take it slowly. I am of course open to any and all suggestions on how to help her transition from a bicyclist to a pillion. I will probably start a thread somewhere to solicit advice, but feel free to start here!

 

[Banderboy]

Your very first motorcycle is a Super Tenere? I'm impressed! I think most people start off with something a bit smaller. Just curious- what other bikes had you ridden prior to buying the S10?

 

[VRODE]

Good for you! Enjoy the ride. As far as the SO, start with small rides on backroads. Once she gets used to being a passenger (it may take time for her to get acclimated), then she'll be ready for longer trips.
I've been riding for awhile, but did not start taking long trips till I was in my mid-50's. If you're even slightly adventurous, no problem.

 

[Banderboy]

The first thing you do on the way home is run a stop sign. Scofflaw!

 

[Mak10]

Welcome from Idaho. I am looking forward to your posts about your adventures.

 

[Sierra1]

Welcome from Texas. My wife and I are also "not small people". (I more than her) The bike doesn't even break a sweat; even when ridden at a "quick pace". The Tenere is quite the first bike; just take it slow. You didn't mention if you've taken the basic MSF course. If you haven't, I HIGHLY recommend it; if you have, you know what I'm talking about. Mr. VRODE is right, start with small rides to get your wife comfortable with the bike. I know so many guys that tried to "impress" girls/women by scaring the crap out of them. All it did was scare them AWAY from motorcycling for good. Enjoy the Tenere, she'll do whatever you need her to do.

 

[Nikolajsen]

Welcome

 

[Flat lander]

Welcome from Kansas. Enjoy the adventure. Ride safely.

 

[roddesu]

Your very first motorcycle is a Super Tenere? I'm impressed! I think most people start off with something a bit smaller. Just curious- what other bikes had you ridden prior to buying the S10?

In the 80s I'd ridden anything from a 125cc to about a 400cc. I was a little nervous going for something as big as a S10 to begin with, but decided the deal I found was too good to pass up. The deal I have with my wife is that she doesn't get on for at least 2 or 3 months...giving me time to get used to it.

 

[roddesu]

Good for you! Enjoy the ride. As far as the SO, start with small rides on backroads. Once she gets used to being a passenger (it may take time for her to get acclimated), then she'll be ready for longer trips.
I've been riding for awhile, but did not start taking long trips till I was in my mid-50's. If you're even slightly adventurous, no problem.

Thanks Vrode...it's good to hear I'm not the only one getting going "late in my middle age."

 

[roddesu]

The first thing you do on the way home is run a stop sign. Scofflaw!

That's exactly what my wife said. The stop sign is in a very, very quiet development and it was at 5:30 AM. I promise I stopped at all the others! (I have to get used to what I'm doing being videoed...)

 

[roddesu]

Welcome from Texas. My wife and I are also "not small people". (I more than her) The bike doesn't even break a sweat; even when ridden at a "quick pace". The Tenere is quite the first bike; just take it slow. You didn't mention if you've taken the basic MSF course. If you haven't, I HIGHLY recommend it; if you have, you know what I'm talking about. Mr. VRODE is right, start with small rides to get your wife comfortable with the bike. I know so many guys that tried to "impress" girls/women by scaring the crap out of them. All it did was scare them AWAY from motorcycling for good. Enjoy the Tenere, she'll do whatever you need her to do.

Hello Sierra1,

Thank you for the feedback and advice. I have taken a beginner riding course (20 hours over 3 days), which allowed me to get my license without a written or driving test at DMV. And it did give me a lot of foundational strategies on being safe. I really enjoyed it. About 12 of the hours were riding.

I plan to not have her get on the back until I've got a lot more miles under my belt. When I do get her on it, I'm planning on having her follow me in the car out of the city to a quiet place, and take a few small rides. I don't want her first experience to be on an expressway getting out of Chicago.

 

[Sierra1]

....I promise I stopped at all the others!....)

My father-n-law used to tease me when didn't come to a complete stop...."I guess you'll stop twice at the next one?"

 

[r1d1]

Hello and welcome, from Scotland.

 

[roddesu]

Hello and welcome, from Scotland.

Thank you r1d1!

 

[spinalator]

Welcome! Watch out for parking on slopes with these really tall bikes, and have fun getting to know each other!

 

[twodogs]

Welcome from Southern Ohio. Enjoy that new ride

 

[roddesu]

Welcome! Watch out for parking on slopes with these really tall bikes, and have fun getting to know each other!

Hello Spinalator,

This is very relevant advice. I pulled up to my house parallel to the curb and put the kickstand down. I quickly realized why people park perpendicular to the curb! There was no way it was going to stand upright.

 

[EricV]

Part of the learning curve is looking to see what angles are available to park and how that affects the side stand angle. Consider getting an enlarged side stand foot if you don't already have one. It helps avoid the bike sinking in on soft ground or gravel. Another is learning the mounting process that works for you and your honey.

I would urge you to encourage your wife to take the same beginner rider course you took. And get her endorsement too. If for no other reason, she will have the skills to ride the bike as well. Should some incident happen, she can go get help. Adventure touring bikes lend themselves well to going off the beaten path. Sometimes that means no cell service too. It may also make her more comfortable being on the back.

The only down side to this is that you may find she enjoys riding her own bike more than riding on the back of yours. (My wife rides her own bike) That means everything can cost twice as much.

 

[roddesu]

Part of the learning curve is looking to see what angles are available to park and how that affects the side stand angle. Consider getting an enlarged side stand foot if you don't already have one. It helps avoid the bike sinking in on soft ground or gravel. Another is learning the mounting process that works for you and your honey.

I've been looking at the mounting process. We've tried it a couple of times and this MotoTrek video's style seems to work best for us. Definitely open to other ideas!

I would urge you to encourage your wife to take the same beginner rider course you took. And get her endorsement too. If for no other reason, she will have the skills to ride the bike as well. Should some incident happen, she can go get help. Adventure touring bikes lend themselves well to going off the beaten path. Sometimes that means no cell service too. It may also make her more comfortable being on the back.

The only down side to this is that you may find she enjoys riding her own bike more than riding on the back of yours. (My wife rides her own bike) That means everything can cost twice as much.

This is an excellent point. She was opposed to it, but then she mentioned what we're doing to her friends. Two of them said that learning to ride a motorcycle was on their bucket lists. The three women have agreed they're going to sign up for the course I took! I'm dubious that she will want to drive on her own (she doesn't like driving cars either...), but you never know! But your rationale is exactly why I'm encouraging her to do this.