tankhead goes west to pick up the 2014

[tankhead]

In April I will be boarding a flight from Phila, Pa to fly to Rapid City to pick up my 2014 Yamaha Super Tenere from a hell of a nice guy, Gregg that posted his bike on this site awhile back. I will be sending out my camping gear early. Here is the list.

Tent
tent footprint
sleeping pad
Sleeping bag
torch
pillow
AXE (hand sized)
yellow blanket
camp stove (wood burn)

I am also sending out these items to set up when I get there:

Heat troller
battery cable for heated jacket
tire inflator
patch kit
cold weather gloves.
100oz. Camelback Mule

Carry on:
Helmet with Sena com
Riding Jacket
Riding Pants
Riding Boots
Minimal clothing (cold weather gear, jeans, shoes)

I intend to ride with Gregg for two days around that beautiful area of SD and then head through the badlands, solo. Camping the first night on my own at Snake river area campground in Valentine NE. Then to Lake North Campground in NE. Then on to Thousand Hills State Parks (Petroglyphs) MO.
I originally had plans to visit the various indian mounds that are found through out the midwest to OH, and WV, but my buddy who got wind of my intentions, flagged me for not visiting him this summer when Suey and I travelled to and through New Mexico and back. He lives in Asheville NC. I have never technically ridden the wonderful roads so I figured that I would b line it to him after the Petroglyphs and spend some time riding that awesome area for a couple days before returning to my home in south jersey. I am still researching the stop over to get to Asheville.

Anyway, Stay Tuned. Any advice, banter, or offers to meet up, post up. Thanks.

 

[tankhead]

So as the saying goes, treat people the way you want to be treated, right?
A guy on this site created a free CAD drawing of stabilizers bars that would attach to the windscreen on the Tenere to stabilize the accessory bar that comes standard 2014-2017. A brilliant simple design that works and as it was, he had made 50.



Always late to the party, there were only 50 of them and he was offering them for a measly $20.00. There were 7 pages on the thread. As I read through, I realized that most likely there were no more to be had. Alas, I was out luck, but I noticed that one person on the site posted the following response.:::::



Not to be criticizing the design O but a piece of 1/8" x 1/2" is all that is needed to just one of the holes.
The triangulation of support it gives is all that's needed to strengthen the front windshield assy from bouncing around.
My bike is 2012 but the later ones are not that different.

IMHO! ::014::

I will praise you for getting people to give you money for your design though! I'm all for the Free Enterprise sys! ::008::

Again, again and again I am amazed that people love to shit all over a thread for whatever reason. :shrug:

So I posted the following:

If you are interested in creating more I would buy one for $25.00. I am sure others on here would do the same. Let us know if you plan on making more, I know I WOULD APPRECIATE it.

Great Job,
Chris


In my PM box the next day on the forum was a kind note from the creator of such a great piece of kit. He appreciated my comments and needed my address to send me, free of charge, a sample of his work.

I offered him the $25.00 but he would not have that. Sent me the bars along with a sample set of hardware to mount the bars along with rubber bumpers. WOW.

So here are my newly painted (IRON ARMOR from Harbor Freight truck bed liner) accessory bars drying outside this morning.



I will install when I get the beast home...... It pays to be kind, yeah

 

[tankhead]

SO I have everything boxed. 2 boxes actually. One big box, and one smaller.

I forgot to include my Tourmaster rain suit in the op.

It is heavy, but effective. But due to the bulk I will have to include my big wet bag to accommodate more gear on the bike for my travels.
Here is the big box:


Getting very excited. Badlands, Hopefully devils tower, Mt Rushmore, all weather depending....fingers crossed

 

[tankhead]

On this forum someone was selling a SW Motech City tank bag. It fits the Super Tenere really well. Tank lock ring.... blah blah blah....
I took a chance and I got it.
It is in great shape. Came with the strap and rain cover along with the ring (that is usually sold separately)... So overall, I am very happy.

I really think buying used is a great deal.


As I have in my past two bikes with the same Cortech tank bag, I held on to my one of my favorite possessions, used as a good luck charm, if you will..
A note that I have kept since my oldest (soon to be 20 years old) daughter left me this note in my old tank bag when I travelled to Lake placid to meet my buddy.

I cried like a baby when I took a screen shot and sent it to my daughter reminding her how little she was when she wrote it (2006). (I have since had to trace the original due to condensation and sun fading it through the years... Yeah, I'm one of those, cry at the drop of a hat when I see old pics of the girls when they were toddlers and preteens.

 

[tankhead]

So I discovered the website freecampsites.net.

WOW. I heard about this site and then totally forgot about it. :-[

New goal for the trip: Lodging budget: $0.00

Fingers crossed.

 

[tankhead]

In order to keep my phone charged throughout the trip I will be strapping my Voltaic solar 4w charger that I bought for my 450 mile bicycle trip a couple years ago, to my top case. Haven't used it since.

I will be using my cig lighter outlet on the Super Tenere for the GPS so that will not be available during the day to charge.


It should strap to the top case nicely with the use of my rok straps.

Here is what the battery looks like.


The battery is good enough to charge a phone 2.5 times when it has a full charge. Not taking my better camera so I really only need to charge my Sena Com. and the phone. Should work nicely

 

[tankhead]

So there's this thing. Pack it or not. I am not a fan of riding in the rain. I have always been in favor of stopping and waiting for the rain to pass. I'll never forget riding home from one of the Clearfield, Pa spring meets on .net. The rain was torrential. I could not see a foot or two in front of me. Did not have the rain suit on me, did not even pack it. I was going down a mountainous road and in the left lane passing cars with a 40 ft. truck in front of me when we entered a huge rain storm within a second of passing around a curve going 70 miles an hour then down to 50. I could not see a damn thing, literally. Fucking awful. got in the right lane, heart in my throat, and motored on till the next rest stop. Called the wife, calmed down waited for the rain to pass, got on my bike and moved on with the journey home.

The only time I used it was in Breckinridge, CO while hail was pounding me going up and over Hoosier Pass. Got off the bike, got the rain suit, ran into the wood for cover while I quickly donned the suit and by the time the suit was on and I got back to the bike, the hail stopped and I had to ride maybe five miles in the rain until I took cover at a country store. So there. Didn't really help me. I stopped anyway.

The suit is effective. The suit is really heavy. Do I ship it out with the last big box or do I chance it. By the time I stop and put the suit on I really am just going to look for a place to stop and wait it out anyway....... My Firstgear Kilimanjaro jacket is pretty good at repelling water till I get to a stop if need be. What say you?

 

[Checkswrecks]

Sounds like a grand adventure. Thanks for joining and bringing us along.
Love my '14.

 

[VRODE]

Congrats on the new ride and good luck on your trip!

 

[tankhead]

Thanks guys..... ::015::


Sold it on ADVrider in ten minutes today.

 

[bruised]

If you still plan on stopping at lake north campground in Columbus there are power outlets at most campsites or nearby if you want to be in a quiet part of campground don't camp at lake go to the campground west of lake ,the road around the lake has cars driving around 24/7

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

[tankhead]

If you still plan on stopping at lake north campground in Columbus there are power outlets at most campsites or nearby if you want to be in a quiet part of campground don't camp at lake go to the campground west of lake ,the road around the lake has cars driving around 24/7

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

I found the web site freecamping.net and was thinking of camping in Ravenna state park for free. Any idea about that area? Thanks for the tip about Lake North.

 

[Beltman]

Congrats on the new ride, sounds like your ready for your first adventure! I hav be en trying to figure out how to address my windshield vibration and obviously you have the answer, would you happen to have the cad drawing for these brackets!

 

[tankhead]

NO I don't have the CAD drawing. Check here

http://www.yamahasupertenere.com/index.php?topic=19196.0 thread

 

[shrekonwheels]

I'm in

 

[bruised]

I found the web site freecamping.net and was thinking of camping in Ravenna state park for free. Any idea about that area? Thanks for the tip about Lake North.

Have never been to the Ravenna park .All sites at lake north and the one a mile west are free including the powered ones up to 7 days

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

[tankhead]

Have never been to the Ravenna park .All sites at lake north and the one a mile west are free including the powered ones up to 7 days

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

free camping.net says camping at Lake North/Lake Babcock from May-Sept. I will be there mid April. Could I still camp? That is one reason I pursued other options..

 

[tankhead]

The flight to Minneapolis MN was uneventful. Sat next to a heavy lady and we started talking. I told her that I had to catch my second flight to Rapid City, SD 45 minutes after our plane lands. She asked what brings me to South Dakoooda? I said I bought a motorcycle and I am there to drive it back to NJ. She looked scared. Then there was silence.

The second flight was not much better. I sat up against a window in this tiny tube with a dude sitting next to me with his gaming cell phone vs. his regular phone. He had that phone in his shirt pocket. He never really acknowledged me nor I him. He took one look at me as "guy" who was going to take the seat next to you and quickly stood up as if to say lets get it over with. About half way through the flight I noticed that I was beginning to feel very hot and cramped. The feeling got worse. I started to feel like I was going to punch this guy in the face if he did not give me some elbow room. I started to get claustrophobic.. I looked at him and asked him to stand up so that I could remove the jacket. I was in my Firstgear moto jacket and only carried on my helmet and a wet bag half filled with my clothes for the trip. I stowed the jacket and returned in that upright seated position for the whole trip... Plane was too small for recline position. :bluduh:
When the plane landed, I couldn't get off the plane fast enough. I entered the airport and noticed a big dude in fatigues waiting for someone.

 

[tankhead]

Warning::: The camera that I used to document this trip loved to smurf with me the entire trip. Which of course the first picture is out of focus but chronological


Jacket on bike. Tank bag installed..

 

[tankhead]

We installed the brackets for the accessory bar but it did not matter in the end due to the Arkon GPS unit not fitting the 1/2 inch bar like it was supposed to fit and mounted it dead center of the handlebars which is directly in line with me turning the key on and off on the bike.

Here is a picture of the starting mileage.



After about 2 hours of getting the hard bags stuffed with camping gear, clothes, etc Gregg thought we should take a little ride. So keeping the bags off of the bike we took off. I never took any pics of this first day. Quite honestly I felt like I was dreaming that whole first day. It did not seem real. And I felt weird being on a bike again. A little skittish, getting used to a new bike's dynamics, quirks, throttle response, having the 19" tire vs the 17 on both my other bikes. The bike is immaculate. Gregg will not tolerate any sign of dirt on the bike before putting it away after a day of riding. Great for me ;D

We rode the bikes (BTW Gregg just recently purchased a mint used BMW R1200GSA. There will be pics of that bike later) up and through the black hills. We road on Nemo Rd. which takes us to the little town called...........Nemo. The road had some gravel in the middle of the road and around corners so I had to get used to the front end letting go slightly in the corners.

I had surprised Gregg with a brand new Sena comm device so we could communicate during our travels. He installed it that nigh. It turned out to be a true and wonderful gift. He appreciated it and is now a firm believer in Comm sets. He will be purchasing a set for his wife and son...