What are you calling "Offroad"

[Davesax36]

So I'm new at this... be gentle. I'm trying to decide what skid plate and bars I'm gonna get, and I keep reading "If you're doing real offroad, get [whatever], but if you're just doing dirt/gravel get [whatever else]".

I'm planning a Trans Labrador highway trip possibly for next summer, and I want to go ahead and get the right stuff the first time. I have no delusions of grandeur, and will most likely (97%) not be trying to ride through huge bouldery foresty jurassic parky type stuff. I DO plan on traveling on unpaved rocky pebbley dirt road stuff.

I'm up in the air about AltRider vs. Rumbux. I really like lights, though, and ride at night a fair bit. I feel like the Rumbux have better mounting options for aux lights, but might be overkill for what I'll realistically be getting myself into.

Advice is appreciated.

Thanks, guys.

 

[EricV]

Since you PMed me and asked me to post in this thread, I will comment as evenly as possible. There is a pretty extensive AltRider Vs Rumbux thread on this forum already.
http://www.yamahasupertenere.com/index.php?topic=17134.0

Both AltRider and Rumbux are good kit. The Rumbux skid plate is tougher by the nature of being mounted to a separate tube frame, (the bash frame), which is frame mounted. The AltRider skid plate doesn't suck though and isn't bad to live with for oil changes. The cost is comparable when you factor free shipping from Rumbux Vs cost to buyer shipping from AltRider, depending on vendor.

Both upper crash bars will protect the radiator well, with soft sand/mud being a possible exception in both cases because it can go thru the gaps in the bars and still push against the side panel and potentially push the radiator fan into the radiator.

The AltRider is stainless steel tubing. Rumbux is mild steel tubing. Both are comparable in wall thickness. The Rumbux is an integrated design where everything is intended to work together. The AltRider gives you more flexibility in choosing what bits you want from what company, I.E. skid plate from ACD and AltRider crash bars.

Your plans will take you a long way from services. So, really what's important is that if you have a crash or drop, the bike needs to be protected well enough that you can pick it up and ride on. Hopefully you're ok too, so wear good gear. Both brands will probable meet your expected needs.

You could do the whole trip w/o any crash bars or skid plate and be fine. Or you could have an unexpected crash or nasty pot hole/road construction and end up wishing you had something. If you're going to spend the money for either of these, both will do the job, so it comes down to what you like the look of better. Both have advantages and disadvantages. I'm biased, but back in '11 when not much was available, I didn't choose to buy the AltRider and instead went to great lengths to get Rumbux. I think Rumbux is easier to live with on a day to day basis. Panels come off, oil changes are faster/easier, but that's my opinion having lived with the Rumbux for nearly 100k.

On the other hand, if you're going to tackle a Backcountry Discovery Route, you'll probably want to go with the Rumbux. One of my customers did the Utah BDR with a couple of friends, all three on Super Teneres. Only one bike made it thru w/o a cracked oil sump, the one equipped with Rumbux. Now all three have Rumbux.

Lighting mounting options are a wash, imho. The rumbux has the center bar, but w/o it you can use the factory mounts in the nose so it sort of balances out. This is my bike:

 

[trikepilot]

What you call "offroad" is irrelevant. If you do not ever anticipate something hitting the bottom of your bike big enough to do damage, then this discussion is over.

If you are already over that bridge and are looking for a solution to protect the bottom of the bike, you really have two options.

1. Skid plates that attach to the engine sump
2. Skid plates that do not

Why is this important? Well... if you hit something hard enough with your skid and it is bolted to the engine sump - what do you think will happen. There is ABSOLUTELY no reason to ever buy a skid that attaches to the sump if - and this is a qualified "if" - you ever plan to ever take the bike any place where a hit could be hard enough to warrant an effective skid plate. Just gonna run gravel roads, then the skid-to-sump is a great match.

But if not... that leaves you three options. By far... the burliest solution is Jaxon's Ride-on-ADV skidplate paired with the Altrider bars. But if you want something a bit more streamlined, you now have two choices - the ACD and the Rumbux. A hundred forums members will give you almost as many reasons as why to buy one over the other, but the truth probably really boils down to aesthetics.

Now... I will give my $0.02. Eric V can correct me, but I hazard to guess that few Tenere owners regularly thrash their Tenere's in any environment that might damage the Rumbux setup. After 2+ years of seriously abusing my Tenere as TBDBITW, I managed to seriously f%&k up my Rumbux lowers with a hard rocky ride in WV. That being said, the bars did their job and gave their life to save my bike. I wasted no time and got ahold of Eric V who assisted me in acquiring some special made HD Rumbux bars (thicker walled steel tubing). So I am firmly in the Rumbux camp for whatever that is worth.

Good luck with the ride and have fun!!!

 

[spam16v]

Altrider and ACD here. I feel confident short of huge drops onto rock ledges that I could do pretty much as much as I want without damage. All the Altrider and Sw Motech style stuff is more for a splash pan and nothing more. Same goes for the Givi and Polisport bars, garage and parking lot tips etc. Altrider would be the next step in quality for the bars, Rumbux is a tank cage all around... Bomb proof but at the sacrifice of lean angle clearance. I chose the ACD and Altrider for this reason for every day riding with spirited off road jaunts with confidence. If I planned a BCDR or RTW trip I may reconsider given the fact I wouldn't be shagging pegs like a jackass 6 states away or in another country so lean angle would be less critical given the change in riding style and self preservation instincts.

 

[Davesax36]

Thanks, guys. Decisions are coming fast with this. TP, I had read that same breakdown about sump vs non-sump mounting. I usually buy things once, and don't like to take chances. I'll post pics of things when I get them, for sure.

 

[spam16v]

Jaxon's or ACD with Altrider bars, or a full Rumbux cage would be your best options. Beyond that it's your choice which way you go. ACD was much more economical with the forum discount and powdercoated it myself. I got my Altrider bars used off eBay so that's why I made my choices.

 

[rem]

You just never know when some serious protection is gonna come in handy. I can comment on Jaxon's engine guard and Altrider crash bars. I basically totalled my first Tenere a few years back, but I survived (it was a close call) and basically I pulled the engine guard (Jaxon's) and the crash bars (Altrider) off the bike and put them on the new one. No bending / alteration required. Most of the rest of the bike took a real whupping. Jaxon's engine guard is a relatively expensive option, but it is a thing of beauty .... and function. Let's hope you never need either one. R ::008:: ::012::

 

[shrekonwheels]

I just ride dirt/Gavel roads and use the Yamaha skid plate. My Main concern is simply protecting my oil filter from rocks and what not, which in all honesty the stock plastic probably does just fine.

If that is all you are planning on doing, I would not stress on it, get what you can afford, ride and be happy.

 

[AlsoRan]

Sounds like your planning to do what the bike was intended for the most part - rocky pebbly & dirt road stuff, along with on-road miles with a few "surprises" along the way. Likely you would need no more than a sturdy set up and not an overkill where your lugging around 20 pounds worth of steel for a one-time occasion you come plowing down a boulder trail bottoming out along the way. Good news is there are a lot of good choices for what your planning on doing.

I've tried to keep my bikes accessories with the same objective, not overkill but sturdy and preserving overhang. So far I've not had any issues accomplishing the task. Yes the bike has been down on it's side, the skid plate has been used as a "glide plate" and used as a jacking point for front wheel removal, also hit some on-road stuff as well thinking that damage is inevitable but came out ok. I would buy the same set up again if it needs replacing & would suggest it would handle what your planning no doubt.

 

[Dirt_Dad]

My wife and I are also contemplating a Trans Labrador highway trip this summer. She has a Tenere that is lowered 1" and has a SW Motech skid plate (sump mounted). I have the more bash worthy ACD plate on my bike. Having ridden the dirt roads of Newfoundland, and assuming the Trans-Lab is no worse than those, I have zero hesitation for my wife's bike using the sump mounted plate on that trip. Even with her bike an inch lower to the ground, my current understanding of the conditions of the Trans-Lab do not warrant changing to a tougher plate.

One other consideration is the street riding style of the rider in question. There is a history of both the ACD and the Rumbux scraping pavement before any other bike part touches down. This has caused bad things to happen in the past. If you are the type prone to peg scraping, a heavy duty skid plate may not be the best option.

 

[Davesax36]

My wife and I are also contemplating a Trans Labrador highway trip this summer. She has a Tenere that is lowered 1" and has a SW Motech skid plate (sump mounted). I have the more bash worthy ACD plate on my bike. Having ridden the dirt roads of Newfoundland, and assuming the Trans-Lab is no worse than those, I have zero hesitation for my wife's bike using the sump mounted plate on that trip. Even with her bike an inch lower to the ground, my current understanding of the conditions of the Trans-Lab do not warrant changing to a tougher plate.

One other consideration is the street riding style of the rider in question. There is a history of both the ACD and the Rumbux scraping pavement before any other bike part touches down. This has caused bad things to happen in the past. If you are the type prone to peg scraping, a heavy duty skid plate may not be the best option.

Well, my street riding probably won't be the problem. I went through the dragon on Friday, perfectly happy, and didn't scrape a peg on either side. I know a hit to the plate that would damage the oil sump would be a really serious hit, and plenty of guys have smashed into stuff with sump-mounted plates without incident.

 

[shrekonwheels]

My wife and I are also contemplating a Trans Labrador highway trip this summer. She has a Tenere that is lowered 1" and has a SW Motech skid plate (sump mounted). I have the more bash worthy ACD plate on my bike. Having ridden the dirt roads of Newfoundland, and assuming the Trans-Lab is no worse than those, I have zero hesitation for my wife's bike using the sump mounted plate on that trip. Even with her bike an inch lower to the ground, my current understanding of the conditions of the Trans-Lab do not warrant changing to a tougher plate.

One other consideration is the street riding style of the rider in question. There is a history of both the ACD and the Rumbux scraping pavement before any other bike part touches down. This has caused bad things to happen in the past. If you are the type prone to peg scraping, a heavy duty skid plate may not be the best option.

You can always change the mount off the sump. I was going to do this with mine but realized I likely will never will ride it anywhere near where that is needed.

It also is to note if people simply pay attention to ruts and potholes they can safely avoid most scrapes. It seems this notion is lost on many however.

Now With that said there are those that beat their bikes and need heavy protection.

 

[Dirt_Dad]

I have bottomed out a Tenere 3 times in the last year. All 3 were a surprise. Sure, I was in a rougher area each time, but didn't see any of them coming. The first hit was with a sump mounted plate and it terrified me. Immediately got off and started looking for oil to be hitting the ground. Very happy it wasn't. Hits 2 and 3 were with the ACD plate. I can't say I enjoyed them but I didn't give a single thought about the condition of the bike when they happened.