Sturgis! on a Tenere

HeliMark

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Dec 18, 2013
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995
Location
Tennessee
Sturgis 75th (bucket list thing). What a brute among all that chrome!

I just got back from two weeks on the road, 3,200 miles. The bike performed just great.

The only concern was one day it decided to gulp almost a 1/2 quart of oil? It was a 600 mile day with some high speed freeway and several thunderstorms. For the rest of the trip, it used about an 1/8 quart of oil. Not sure how to really explain it. Do know that it will burn more at the higher speeds and possibly the level of the surface I was on.

The bike did find itself in the middle of thousands of Harleys for several days. Someone had to represent Yamaha! Although I did see one other Tenere (White). In the campground it was parked next to the road to show off the dirt and mud on it. Thought about the bikini bike wash, but I had the ex-wife with me. With the Jesse boxes on it, never worried about people scratching my bike. And the responses of the chromed out Harleys stopped next to me when I asked them if they wanted to share the mud from my bike was priceless.

99% of the Harley owners were great. Sure no one was waving, but you would never be able to use your clutch if you did. There were the wanna be badass that you had to laugh at. And several of the 1% out and about. Towards the end of the week, we left early due to the crowds, and it seemed that more of the wanna be's were starting to show up. You know, the ones that think they can ride.

I put on Shinko 705's just prior to the trip, and they handled great in the rain. Matter of fact, I found myself having to slow down to more sane speeds at times. The only thing I did not like, was there was a 20-30 yard mud flow over the road in the mountains during a storm (yeah, flash flood), and it would have been nice to switch traction control on the fly from the nanny state I had it in. I made it through, and even an old goldwing with wife and trailer made it.

Once I was out of California and Nevada, I stayed on the backroads, and I am in awe of the beauty of this country. I am a pilot (for a major LE agency), and have seen most of this country by air, but with retiring next year, my mission is to see it by ground.

This was my first major bike trip, having only done 5-600 mile trips over several days. First, I did not have a problem, although towards the end, I was ready to go home several days early due to moderate back issues that started to flare up. In reality, maybe a little too ambitious for a first trip with my back. Had I just gone to Sturgis and back on the freeways, it would have been 2,500 miles. But I couldn't do that. And yeah, I will do it again.

Trying to use my phone in a tank bag for navigation was a failure. Phone heated up...etc. Will buy a decent GPS for the next trip. Used paper maps for most of the trip (they never lose satellite signal).

90% of the bikes on the road were Harley's. Even a week after. The next most seen bikes were the GS's.

I ended up seeing Zion, Grand Canyon, Ft. Laramie, Dinosaur National park, and several other sites.

The good and bad equipment wise was not much. Phone navigation needs to be mounted on the bars or a GPS. I bought the new Sidi All Road boots and they did great, nice and dry feet. I have Tourmaster overpants and they were great also. I have the Joe Rocket Alter Ego water proof jacket and that failed, was soaking wet. Only worked when I bought a Frogg Togg jacket to put over it (I admit, I am cheap). I have a XM receiver (stratus 7) that is mounted on a plate off the windshield bar. Uses the cigarette plug and I have a little in-line volume control on a wire that goes to my seat and where I plug my earbuds in. Forgot to put the bag on it in the first storm and it still is alive. Jesse's worked great.

This trip had been planned for over a year, and boy did I have fun. Now I get to have surgery (pre-planned) on my foot next week to replace a joint. No riding for several months. About time to get my ECM taken care of.

I learned a lot and now looking forward to doing another trip next year (not during bike week). All I can say is, "we ain't getting younger".

My hat off to people like DCstrom and company on there trips.

Mark
 

MrVvrroomm

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Dec 1, 2014
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Burnvsville, MN USA
Sturgis: a place to be avoided at all costs the first week of August every year.

The percentage of incompetent riders is astronomical. The last I looked the death toll was at 13. The majority of those killed were helmetless, single bike crashes.
 

Big Blu

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North Port, Florida
Glad to hear ya had a good time at Sturgis. During the mid 90's I attended the event 6 time, usually staying in a camp ground just up the road from Buffalo Chip. I was on either a H-D or a BMW........ but it didn't matter which. I met a lot of nice people from all over the world and made a few life long friends. It's an experience every motor cycling enthusist should have at least once.

I avoided riding the traditional routes around Sturgis, Deadwood, Spearfish, etc... primarily because of the other riders who had way too much alcohol in them.

Paul
 

dudley

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Joined
Dec 28, 2013
Messages
11
Location
Chaska, Minnesota & Palm Desert, California
MrVvrroomm said:
Sturgis: a place to be avoided at all costs the first week of August every year.

The percentage of incompetent riders is astronomical. The last I looked the death toll was at 13. The majority of those killed were helmetless, single bike crashes.
I ride on the demo crews for Indian/Victory and you should see the skill sets of the riders from my view at the back of the line of demo bikes. Amazing the bikes make it back into the trailers!
Dudley
 

rider33

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Joined
Jun 24, 2015
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203
Location
the wilds of western Wisconsin
the Black Hills have some wonderful roads, unfortunatley you can't really enjoy them during the rally. Do yourself a favor and go back sometime in say June or early September. The rally is for carnival, the rest of the year is for riding. On the back front start taking Aleeve a few days prior and all the time during the trip, it can help alot. I once ran into a guy in nowhere New Mexico who had ridden his DR650 from LA which, given its a Thumper and he was likely in his late 60's is no small thing. I asked him what his secret was. He said Aleeve, "it takes 20 years off".

'Sounds like a great trip. The more long trips you take, the easier it gets. While its still fresh do an inventory of what you did and did not need. Next time start by working off that list.
 

Mike Sisson

Hyperflatulent
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San Francisco Bay Area/SW Oregon
::026::

Great riding around the area as long as it's nowhere around the time of the rally.

Badlands, Custer National forest, Devil's Tower, etc, etc....
 

HeliMark

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Dec 18, 2013
Messages
995
Location
Tennessee
I will be back up there in the next couple of years, but not during bike week. First and last time.

Mark
 

Dirt_Dad

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rider33 said:
the Black Hills have some wonderful roads, unfortunatley you can't really enjoy them during the rally. Do yourself a favor and go back sometime in say June or early September.
Had a chance to enjoy the Black Hills back in June. A chopper riding buddy of mine was watching us on the Spot tracker. He was amazed we got so close to Sturgis but never went there. It holds no allure to me. Never been there, can't imagine any reason I'd ever be there.

We have a local Harley event here. Rolling Thunder brings a huge number of Harleys to the area. Another place you will never find me. Just not my thing.
 

klunsford

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When the rally is not on, Sturgis is just a sleepy little town. Not a whole lot to see there. I have been there during and several times other than the rally. Nice place to visit after the fact.
 

Stephen

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Feb 11, 2015
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Colorado
I rode my '14 Tenere to Sturgis two up from Washington state this year. I had my wife with me for her first trip to Sturgis and my second. The best was the trip home over the Chief Joseph and Beartooth Highways.
 

Hungry Tiger

2012 Blue S10
Joined
Mar 21, 2012
Messages
292
Location
Pasadena, CA
HeliMark: Great trip report. With your aviation background, you might look into a Garmin 665. It displays XM aviation weather (ground level). It has the same 7-10 min delay from actual conditions, but not so critical on a bike. The 665 is a great cross country driving companion. It's helped this So. Calif. fair weather boy, skirt some horrendous thunderstorm cells in the Midwest.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk
 

rickvan67

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Joined
Apr 21, 2015
Messages
5
Location
Wisconsin
I made the trip to Sturgis this year as well on my 2012 S10. Sturgis was actually the culmination of an epic 9 day trip out west from Wisconsin for me and a buddy. We put on 3,700 miles, saw 10 states and lots of cool stuff. The trip took us through Nebraska and Kansas to Castle Rock, CO, down the million dollar highway, through Ouray, Salida, up over the Monarch Pass and down to Montrose (in the driving rain I might add). We stopped at Mesa Verde, down to Mexican Hat, UT, over to the Four Corners and Shiprock. Then north back through Colorado, northwest through Canyonlands, Arches, Moab, and Deadhorse Point. After that, back east through Colorado, stopped for lunch in Vail, through Denver, north up to Cheyenne, and northeast to Sturgis. Landed in Sturgis on Thursday just in time to see Jackyl at the Full Throttle Saloon.

The bike performed flawlessly and chewed up miles like they were nothing. Winding mountain roads were a blast and she held tight coming down out of the mountains in the rain. I fueled with premium the entire trip and the bike averaged an amazing 48 MPG. I had it loaded down with Yamaha side cases, a pretty big tail bag, medium size tank bag, camp chair, sleeping roll, and hiking tent. The bike was noticeably heavier, especially top heavy with all of the gear.

Physically I had no issues with my neck or back, my butt was sore though so it became an exercise in adjusting riding position frequently. My buddy rides a V-Star that has a small tank and could only go 140 miles between stops which worked to my butt's advantage.

I saw two Teneres on the entire trip, one random guy in Worthington, Minnesota, then another guy with a group of folks out in the Black Hills. Beeped at him and got a wave.

The bike fit my needs perfectly on the trip, couldn't be happier with my purchase...only wish the 2012 had cruise ::008::.
 

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