Tenere build for Africa

Tenere build for Africa

Yamaha XT660Z Tenere Adventurisation – Mods

SW Motech 30mm Bar risers
Short Adjustable ALU Clutch and Brake Levers
Scottoiler crampbuster
Large Metal Footpegs
Custom Center Stand
Custom Alu Engine Guard
Hein Gericke Tuareg Tankbag
2X41l Alutech Cases with Custom Rack
29l Alutech Topbox with Custom Mount
Custom Mount for 5l Jerrycan
Custom Mount for 2l water bottles
Custom alu clips for drybags
Continetal ContiEscape for Europe and TKC80 for Africa
AKRON waterproof protective GPS case
LED Spot
12v 150W Power Invertor

Tests before departure
Saua Dichiului
12th of september: we are now one month behind the original schedule and the main reason for this delay is that our moto clothing – ordered since the beginning of august in some pretty big german shops has not been delivered yet! The other stuff is here: camping gear from the states, bike parts from Hong Kong and Holland etc. What a weird situation, but more on the shopping for the gear saga later on.
Even as I was not properly equipped for it, we decided for a short day trip to test how the bike handles at full load: alu panniers, dry sacks with camping gear, photo gear bag, spare tires, everything. We rode on DN1 to Sinaia, leaving Bucharest at noon and took a left towards Bolboci Lake, which we were not to reach afterall, due to night coming and cold weather and our decision to return to Bucharest on the same day. The ride through Saua Dichiului proved to be more than we bargained for, offering us a great but challenging 30 km trip on gravel which later turned to a bumpy dirt road with patches of rocky slides. The landscape was atmospheric and beautiful, with the sun setting over pine and fir tree covered mountains with the here and there naked cliff at corners. The layout of the road was a joy, with exciting twists and turns and with almost nobody in site for miles. The bike performed beautifully and Ionut rode more aggressively by the hour, with me keeping my balance on the bike as he stood up to tackle the bumps. The hardest part was crossing a muddy slippery area in the woods. The impressive load was no biggie, but some adjustments are necessary. We rolled into Targoviste late in the evening to enjoy a pizza and a hot tea with Valeri, Mihaela and Edi. The old town has been restored and developed into a charming place, with lively pubs and cafes and small shops, a better more coherent gathering area for the locals than what the similar part of Bucharest has been turned into.
Back home after midnight, many new ideas about what to do, we are happy, tired and very cold. Next week a second test trip is planned, hopefully some friends will join in and I ll have my gear on also. Cannot wait to leave for Africa!

Test trip no.2 – Giurgiu
The place is well known. The beach, the Danube, the willows – everything is where it should be. The plan was to ride Transfagarasan route, but the weather got colder over the week and we checked the webcams in balea and decided that camping overnight at 3-4 degrees would be a bit of a strech. So we rolled into Giurgiu. Dumitry joined us by car. This time we left home the spare tires, after deciding that we are already going to ride with 10-20kg over the recommended mass and that we need to ship the tires to Spain from where we will pick them up on our way to Morocco. The ride to Giurgiu is nothing to write home about. But the peaceful place is a joy in itself. We tested the cooking gear and made a lovely Tom Yum Gung soup, grilled salmon and veggies and drank some delicious juice homemade by Dumitru. We set camp on the bank, see below the clip with the tent pitching by Ionut. The tent performed well under the hefty rain that lasted through the night. Still, we need more bush camping for a serious review. Gear update for this test: mounted and fitted the alu clips for the webbing straps used to secure the lateral dry sacks in place, mounted the alu jerrycan and water bottles holders, gloves+boots+ Arai Tour X3 arrived and in use. A note on this helmet: the sizing must be off, cause I ve tested it on two XS heads (53-54 cm diameter) and it s way too large. Also the shell is very heavy for an XS, over 1650g! So the Arai will only be reviewed by Ionut. I returned mine and ordered a Shoei. Overall the trip was invigorating, and the evening on the beach by the fire and the dark Danube, stunning.

Unfortunately our dreams were shattered when on the 7th of October, just before our set departure date, Jon was hit by a car 70 meters from our doorstep. He is fine now, recovering after the shock, reconstructive surgery that repaired a severe testicular rupture and 5 nightmarish days in a communist hospital. We are hopeful that he will soon get back to 100% health, but the aftershock of the accident is just beginning to haunt us. You can see the bike here, the damages are extensive and we are still evaluating costs. We don’t know if the guilty driver who carelessly generated this drama will be in any way cooperative to help us recover the money lost, in any case we are determined to move on and pursue our plans. Thanks you for the good wishes.
We will continue to update the situation as it develops.