You know, the one thing I really didn’t write about was the Tenere itself, and how it fared as a riding companion. Here she is in Kejimkujik Nat’l Park.
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FWIW, mine’s a 2013. Bone stock, and no clutch basket issues or any real mods. Stock panniers plus a (great) Kriega 20L tail bag. xScreen wind deflector on the stock windscreen, and airflow management is great. New Heidenau K60 Scouts (which I talked about earlier). Hard wired Garmin GPS and an iPhone bracket. Air hawk plus a sheepskin for the tush.
As it has on other trips, the Super T ran
flawlessly. Not a hiccup. Great composure on the slab, even on the Heidenaus. As comfortable I think as a a bike can get for tooling along from 60-80 mph.
On my dirt road venturing, great stability and grip with the new tires...much more confident than with the Battlewings. If I dropped the bike it would NOT be fun lifting it up; so even when I’m messing around in dirt I handle it conservatively and with respect. He who dances with a fat partner must avoid the dip.
I spent 6-8 hours each day in the saddle (whole trip was a little under 1,000 miles R/T). No real fatigue or sore points. The ONLY thing I could’ve used is cruise control (a la ES) or a throttle lock for some of the slab cruising. Wrist could’ve used a break. Other than that, the beast is as comfortable as it is unstoppable. Sometimes I make eyes at the GSes, but my heart belongs to the Tenner.
