Being honest with myself for a REAL adventure bike!!

  • Thread starter ballisticexchris
  • Start date
B

ballisticexchris

Guest
After selling my KTM 300 and saving my butt off I got the bike of my dreams. The Super Tenere. Little did I know that it's purpose would not be what I bought it for. After having a good taste of the off road capability of it and the cost to repair small tip over damage I'm done with using it that way. Good news is I had a "plan B" and I'm still going to enjoy this bike for it's intended purpose of nice paved rides and long day miles of travel.

Here is the reality of a true adventure bike for me. It's my Beta. I can do an easy 300 mile day without being beat up and it will go places that the Super Tenere cannot even dream of. It's plated and I have it both configured for 100+ miles between fuel and can set it up for 200+ miles between fuel stops. This bike will do everything from nasty single track to a comfortable 75mph pavement. It has a much more broad range of capability than the Super Tenere.

I realized just how capable this bike was when I got my Iron Butt on it. Put the stock tank on and you have a very lightweight single track machine. So here it is reconfigured into an adventure bike I can ride out of my driveway and out to the desert or mountains and hit any trail I desire without the fear of turn around because it can't handle the terrain:

3630F823-9583-4A8F-9540-516E1AAABCB3.jpeg
 
B

ballisticexchris

Guest
I have had a lot of fun on this bike for sure!! It has been on many black diamond trails!! I am also looking forward to some really comfortable highway miles on my Super Tenere.

Here is an example of taking it up a nice fire road and deciding to decent on steep a steep black diamond trail back to my staging area:

5F633103-12E0-4150-9B2C-9C88D4293B6C.jpeg
 
B

ballisticexchris

Guest
Maybe for your needs and use but for most of us here it's not even close.

Nice bike though.

Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk
I hear you there. I get it. Most guys are willing to sacrifice capability for comfort. I'm the opposite. When it comes to being able to go anywhere without the concern if the bike can make it, the choice is clear. I had already used this Beta for all kinds of cool rides. So I know what it can do. It will do an easy 1000 miles in one shot with zero reliability issues other than rider comfort.
 

tntmo

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 10, 2017
Messages
649
Location
San Diego, CA
Different bike, different capabilities. It's nice to have a couple different ones if you can afford it.

I just saw a 2009 Beta 525 for sale locally at what appeared to be a fair price. I know it's just a KTM engine with a different frame, those RFS engines are pretty solid even though parts are going to start being an issue. My Italian Husqvarna is still running good otherwise I'd be considering that one.
 
B

ballisticexchris

Guest
Different bike, different capabilities. It's nice to have a couple different ones if you can afford it.

I just saw a 2009 Beta 525 for sale locally at what appeared to be a fair price. I know it's just a KTM engine with a different frame, those RFS engines are pretty solid even though parts are going to start being an issue. My Italian Husqvarna is still running good otherwise I'd be considering that one.
Funny you mention the 09 Beta. That is what sold me on them. My 498 Beta "brand" motor is super reliable. The only issues I've experienced are clutch related (a new basket at about 300 hours). Is your Husky the red top motor? If so, that is an amazing quick revving machine.

My goal for the Super Tenere was to have a bike that would be able some fairly rugged terrain. Between my lack of skills and the weight of the bike it's not going to happen. With a good set of street rubber it's an amazing all day platform!!
 

SilverBullet

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 30, 2014
Messages
1,171
Location
Harmaston, TX
I hear you there. I get it. Most guys are willing to sacrifice capability for comfort. I'm the opposite. When it comes to being able to go anywhere without the concern if the bike can make it, the choice is clear. I had already used this Beta for all kinds of cool rides. So I know what it can do. It will do an easy 1000 miles in one shot with zero reliability issues other than rider comfort.
Actually the only sacrifice would be single track, deep sand and deep mud. But even your Beta would struggle doing that loaded down heavy for a long adventure ride.

I was referring to more capability with the Tenere; 2 up riding, 100 lbs of gear, both passenger and gear, cruise interstate 80-85 mph all day, fuel range, ergos/comfort, stability, wind protection, extended service intervals, better reliability, etc.

Of course you can mod and improve the Beta for a couple of those things but the Tenere could be modded also still keeping its wide advantage.

Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk
 
B

ballisticexchris

Guest
You forgot babyhead rocks, steep uphills/downhills, ruts, etc. The Super Tenere does have the advantage in fuel range and comfort for sure. The most frustrating part of taking the Super Tenere out is having to turn around simply because the bike is too heavy. I have the utmost respect for the weight of this machine. Bad things happen when you don't remember you are on a 600+ lb bike.
 

RCinNC

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 30, 2014
Messages
2,816
Location
North Carolina
I love this bike more than any other one I've ever ridden, enough to put 71,000 miles on it and still be enthused to ride it, but I can't picture being an experienced off road rider looking at this 600 plus pound supertanker of a motorcycle and saying "yep, that's my off-road choice". I can see making that choice if you tend to do a lot of riding on the road and you want a bike that has at least some off road manners, or if you only have room for one bike and it has to be able to grind out 500 mile days on the highway and still work its way down Shafer Rim Trail, but it's hard to picture choosing this bike specifically as a dirt oriented platform, especially as a replacement for a very dirt oriented KTM 300. Just things like the weight, the low ground clearance, the expensive tupperware, or the side mounted radiator would check the "no" blocks (for me) for a bike I planned on riding where I used to ride the KTM.

Knowing that you do a lot of off road riding, Chris, what made you choose this as an off road bike?
 

Dirt_Dad

Well-Known Member
Founding Member
2011 Site Supporter
2013 Site Supporter
2014 Site Supporter
Joined
Sep 21, 2010
Messages
5,955
Location
Northern Virginia, USA
How do you get away with putting a plate on a bike with no lights? California must have way different rules on what it takes to register a bike.

I'm heading in you way of thinking regarding just how much dirt I'm willing to do on the Tenere. After sitting stuck in a hole for 30 minutes on Imogene Pass in Colorado last year it gets you thinking. I don't feel like I have anything to prove to myself. I love my Tenere for touring, and fast dirt in whatever form that takes. Rock crawling and highly technical just isn't fun to me on my 600+lb bike. I have to admit that to myself, and remember not to put myself in that situation when it can be avoided.

That's what the KTM is for. :)
 

RCinNC

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 30, 2014
Messages
2,816
Location
North Carolina
I got mine stuck on a sand road in South Carolina once. It sometimes takes an event like that to remind you of just how heavy this thing is when there's no pavement under the tires. Well, that, and also dropping it on its side on a hill with the fuel tank facing downhill.
 

Sierra1

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 7, 2016
Messages
14,817
Location
Joshua TX
. . . . It has a much more broad range of capability than the Super Tenere. . . .
Now wait a minute. . . . sorry, but I'm gonna have to toss the BS flag. You can't convince me that Jane March has a broader range of capabilities than Ashley Graham. They each have their charms, but are not very alike. To me, bikes have their "comfort zones". From mountain goat to round-the-world-traveler, and everything in between. The Beta, and the Tenere may overlap in their abilities, but I don't think the Beta has more.

mountain goat...…………………moto cross.........……………enduro…………………………daily commuter…......…………..sport bikes.……...…...………...…………touring……………………..world traveler
trials bike---------------------Beta--------------------KLR--------------------------FJ/FJR------------------------R6/1---------------------GW/Venture-----------------Tenere

The Beta, I would think, will be very happy down this end of the scale, but could edge over to the daily commuter portion. The Tenere, conversely, would be able to edge over into the enduro zone. Depending on rider abilities/capabilities, they could further, or less, left and right. Right tool for the job and all.

. . . . or if you only have room for one bike and it has to be able to grind out 500 mile days on the highway and still work its way down Shafer Rim Trail,. . . .
Again, to me, this would be the only reason to force the bikes out of their comfort zones. Chris is lucky. Between his two bikes, he can pretty much ride anywhere, and use the right tool for the job. :)
 
Last edited:
B

ballisticexchris

Guest
The Super Tenere is still a fantastic machine. When the pavement ends not so much. It Amazes me how many comfortable miles I can peel off on it. I’m set up pretty good now that I have 2 great bikes that will do pretty much any type of riding I want. The reason for unloading the KTM 300 was it was at the end of its usable life and it tempted me to ride in terrain that no sane human being has business tackling.
 
B

ballisticexchris

Guest
How do you get away with putting a plate on a bike with no lights? California must have way different rules on what it takes to register a bike.

I'm heading in you way of thinking regarding just how much dirt I'm willing to do on the Tenere. After sitting stuck in a hole for 30 minutes on Imogene Pass in Colorado last year it gets you thinking. I don't feel like I have anything to prove to myself. I love my Tenere for touring, and fast dirt in whatever form that takes. Rock crawling and highly technical just isn't fun to me on my 600+lb bike. I have to admit that to myself, and remember not to put myself in that situation when it can be avoided.

That's what the KTM is for. :)
The Beta is stealth. It has legal lighting all the way around including turn signals.

I did not get stuck but have come very close. The issues of the bikes capabilities arise after you get almost to the point of no return. What starts out as a nice smooth ride ends up nasty miles in.
 

RCinNC

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 30, 2014
Messages
2,816
Location
North Carolina
Again, to me, this would be the only reason to force the bikes out of their comfort zones. Chris is lucky. Between his two bikes, he can pretty much ride anywhere, and use the right tool for the job. :)
This has always been my position on the S10; it's a great choice if you need a bike that can haul you, a passenger and a bunch of gear from one side of the country to the other and still be able to confidently ride down that potholed dirt road out in Utah. My Road King could only do one of those things well, and it's not hard to guess which one. And I know it's the biggest dirtbike in the world and in the right hands, can do really amazing things off road for a bike of its size. But for someone whose main interest is in riding off road (not gravel and dirt roads), but still wants the ability to ride on the road, it's tough to imagine why'd he'd choose a 600 pound Super Tenere as his only bike. It's like choosing a pipe wrench to drive a nail; you could certainly do it if you had to and it was the only tool in the toolbox, but if you planned to take up carpentry full time, a hammer would be a better purchase.

That's why I asked that question in my earlier post (and it was a genuine question); if someone was mainly oriented towards actual off road riding, what would make them choose the S10 as their only bike? If off roading is your forte, it sure seems like you'd be compromising a LOT on off road performance by choosing the S10. I think the S10 performance off road is proportionally a much bigger compromise than the compromise you'd face of riding on the street on something like the Beta that Chris eventually ended up with.
 
B

ballisticexchris

Guest
Well maybe I can explain this better. I did not buy the Super Tenere for a primary off road machine. I knew it had limitations when I purchased it. Unfortunately I have been burned twice by coming across terrain that was well past the parameters of the machine. It was not something I was ready for. My skill level was able to get me through it but it was not fun. I ride for fun.

I decided to keep my Beta so I can have the best of both worlds. I will be limiting my Beta to around 300 miles a day max. Mostly it will be for dirt with the long transfer sections of highway (when being used as an adventure bike). Otherwise it will be put in my truck and taken to my favorite riding trails. Even fully self contained and bagged up with desert tank and enough fuel for 200 miles I'm not much more than 300lbs. That is very manageable.

I'm excited to move into the next chapter of my life with a smooth reliable bike that I can do long comfortable miles in the saddle on the pavement. As for now I do not see myself taking it anywhere near a dirt road. In fact I spooned on street tires so I'm not tempted. That's just my choice for fun. And that's what riding is all about!!
 
B

ballisticexchris

Guest
Pictures of fun vs miserable on the Super Tenere.

FUN!! Set up for camping off the bike.

C1A566A2-BF51-4BE7-8416-54AD2D0044DD.jpeg3EB83EC6-F370-4C49-BA57-24F9AC41BE73.jpeg

BRUTAL!! The pictures do no justice to how nervous I was. The sections got triple worse as the roads progressed. Some of the rock steps were wheel high. Last 2 pics is after over 80 miles of smooth as glass fire road
09CF4D28-C633-4145-99D7-75E565734D4D_1_201_a.jpeg8C63C1BF-0721-4DBF-82A5-D666F196738F.jpeg480B8F08-0956-4940-9C42-2B196C102073.jpeg

Fun and easy!! Just drag it through!! If I would have been on my Super Tenere I would have had to back it up over 1/8th of a mile. It was smooth but off-camber and nowhere to turn around.

6BFD0815-04D1-48E2-BBA9-B994908C9293.jpeg
 

Sierra1

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 7, 2016
Messages
14,817
Location
Joshua TX
This has always been my position on the S10; That's why I asked that question in my earlier post (and it was a genuine question); . . . .
:D I think we're saying the same thing. I will never go off-road as far as Chris. Nor, will I travel as far as Steve. I need a comfortable bike that's not "fragile". My daily commute roads suck. Skunkworks posted some pictures with dirt/gravel roads that were 10x smoother than my paved roads. My kid refuses to take his FJR down them. The FJR is a great bike, but high speed open roads are where it is at it's best. And, if you drop it. . . . it's not going to be pretty anymore.

I can only have one bike. So, I have to make sure it can do what I would need two bikes to do. The Tenere, literally, fits me. If I got onto Chris's Beta, it would look like a monkey humping a football. To me, the Tenere feels light. I can flick it form side to side, and do bar lock turns. And, then get on the highway, and set the cruise. :cool:
 
Top