I’ll put my two cents in, even though this past Tuesday I traded in my Tenere for a different motorcycle.
For the nearly two years that I owned the Tenere it was rock solid reliable, requiring nothing more than gas, oil changes, and tires. It never once broke down or left me stranded anywhere...
I pulled the pipe and sealed the exhaust with permatex yesterday evening and waited 24 hours for it to cure. I just went out for a ride and the popping is gone, replaced by a nice burble on decel.
I just last weekend installed an LV SBK and ran into the same situation. I ended up running it with the turn down installed as well.
I may pull it again this weekend and put some permatex copper exhaust sealant on the joint to see if that helps.
Edit: I almost always use permatex on exhaust...
Re: XT800Z POSSIBLE DAKAR CANDIDATE????
That means Yamaha will need a 450 machine for Dakar, so maybe we'll see a WR450R/X?
Edit: bah my hopes are dashed, it looks like he'll be riding a Yamaha 450 YZF Rally bike.
I've had AMF Harleys that were more reliable than the 06' R1200GS that I owned. I love anything with a motor and wheels or wings on it, but BMW deserves a special place in hell after what that GS put me through. ;)
For me it was the fact that I was starting to feel a little like Jodie Foster in The Accused every time I visited my local BMW/Triumph/Ducati dealer, be it for service, parts, or new bike purchases.
Making the switch to Yamaha has been the best decision I have ever made. I haven't had an ounce...
Hey Mzee, the aluminum spacer that goes inside the handlebars screws in and out so you can adjust the gap. Then you can use the star wheel to fine tune it.
I had the same issue with the end of the grip deforming so I just moved the grip up a tad on the throttle tube with compressed air. That did the trick for me.
Just an FYI, he is a one man show from what I understand and hand makes each unit.
I contacted him in January about ordering one and have yet to hear anything back from him.