RAIN RIDE, NEW BAGS

Enrico gets fitted for the road…

I took Enrico, the Yamaha, on an eighty-mile round trip this morning in a light rain as his new Givi panniers had arrived and he was scheduled for a fitting at Factory Powersports of Santa Rosa.  They’re proving to be a REALLY GOOD dealership. 

Why do this today?  Well, the bags came in and I was eager, but…

…I make it a yearly practice to take a ride during the second real rain of the season.  I pass on the first storm’s precip as the winter’s earliest showers tend to dredge up oil and dirt from summer’s long-dry pavement making for extra slippery and rather treacherous riding conditions.  Who’d want that?

This annual voluntary rain ride is one wherein I reacquaint myself with critical wet weather skills so necessary for times, on long road trips, when one gets caught in a cloudburst.  It happens in Montana, Oregon, Wyoming and damned near everywhere west; and, I’d opine, that it pays to have developed some damp weather confidence before the deluge.

On the wet pavement, I practice moderate speed, moderate lean angles, moderate braking, increased clearance behind the vehicle in front and, as was the case today where an unanticipated half inch of water was sweeping across US 101, a few “Hail Marys.”  Hydroplaning on two wheels?  Yikes!

Then again, that’s why I do this.

The panniers purchased, Givi ‘Dolomitis’ are constructed of thick aluminum. 

Tie downs are incorporated onto the lids to accommodate a duffel of extra cargo. 

One key fits locks on both and both close snugly, sealing rain out quite effectively.  A paperback copy of an Easy Rawlins mystery (Charcoal Joe) I’d been reading while waiting at the dealership, experienced no soggy pages from the rain on the thirty-plus mile ride home.

Top (as opposed to side) loading and easily mounted and removed from the bike, they fit securely to the Super Tenere and do not require a rerouting of the exhaust and silencer, as did the Jesse system I’d purchased for the BMW ten years ago. 

And, to me, they are attractive, in a rather industrial sense.

Factory Powersports matched the best on-line price I could find.

So Enrico and I are ready to suit up, rain or shine, as the newly outfitted Yamaha looks good in the garage, but better on the road.

o0o

Notes:  Link to Factory Powersports in Santa Rosa (Yamaha and Suzuki dealer): http://www.factorypowersports.com/

© 2017

Church of the Open Road Press

IT’S A YAMAHA!

First Impressions of the Yamaha Super Tenere

My foray into cruiser motorcycling is over.  The Triumph Thunderbird is gone, not so much because she wasn’t a relatively competent and very cool looking machine – although there were some bugs in her that shouldn’t have been – but because I guess I’m a fickle rider.  While I generally keep a machine for six to eight years, the T-bird lasted less than two.  It seems my experiment on a heavyweight bike with loads of chrome and torque gave way to a longing for crisp handling, long distance capability, lighter weight to push around in the garage, a collective record of dependability, a comprehensive dealer network, and a shaft drive system.

After conducting some on-line research and chatting with guys on the road who loved this particular mount, the Yamaha Super Tenere rose to the top as the chosen successor.  It has become the first non-BMW, non-Moto Guzzi, non-Triumph, non-European primary motorcycle I’ve owned since I was about 24.  Forty years past that age, I suspect I found that, for me, cachet has succumbed to something else.

900 miles in, this scoot appears to have that something.

The Yamaha Super T recalls my BMW R1200GSA with its tall seat, commanding view, rugged go-almost-anywhere suspension and ability to strap on a week’s worth of gear before heading out.  With a smaller fuel tank, however, ready-to-roll it is lighter and easier to pad around in the garage much like the Guzzi Breva or the Kawasaki KLR.

Enrico Caruso, tenor 1873-1921

 At idle, the exhaust doesn’t burble like the T-bird, rather it sings a smooth tenor note similar to the Breva or maybe more similar to Enrico Caruso.   

Sitting on the Tenere, rather than in it, at speed, the miniscule windscreen deflects the blast from my chest, but even when adjusted to the high position, blows a good torrent of whistling air past my helmet.  Plenty of aftermarket windscreens are out there.  I’ll do a bit of research with an eye toward upgrading that.

And only that. 

Everything else on this machine feels as if it were engineered specifically for me.  The seat is high, wide and comfortable making a ninety-minute or even two-hour runs quite reasonable.  The switchgear seems standardized – that’s good – but I have yet to take the five minutes it’ll take to figure out resetting the trip meters. 

The fuel tank packs premium and gets me a couple of hundred miles down the road and I now get better mileage on a bike than my brother-in-law gets in his Prius.  Noted is that the range function is pretty optimistic until it isn’t optimistic any longer.  I was cruising along with 60 miles listed when all at once it hopped down to 32, then 21 then zero, when it mysteriously began counting single miles up, one… two… three… and me still about sixteen miles short of the next Chevron.  When I, with a sigh of relief, filled Enrico up, he only took about 4.6 gallons in his 6.1-gallon tank.

Something a little more saddle time will help me to understand.

The Super Tenere handles 65 to 75 mile-per-hour jaunts on the freeway portion of US 101 with ease, although the windblast makes slower speeds winding through the redwoods more enjoyable.

Of all the gin joints, in all the towns...

Not as classically good looking as the T-bird or, say, Ingrid Bergman, it does garner comments, one from a Harley rider who’d accompanied a pal on a GS, saying, “It’s sort of a shame to see a Triumph Tiger with no dirt on it, ain’t it?”  To which the GS rider (a former Tiger owner, it turns out) responded: “That’s not a Tiger.  It’s a Yamaha that’s like a Tiger only with a dealer network.”

Enrico was, indeed, rather clean that day.  He only had 456 miles on him at the time.  And my intention is to use the bike as a paved road tourer recalling the sinking feeling I got trying to singlehandedly pry my GS upright from laying on her side in the gravel on many a remote forest service road.  Don’t want to do that anymore.

The break-in trip midway up the Oregon Coast (recounted here: http://thechurchoftheopenroad.blogspot.com/2017/09/up-to-bandon-and-back-again.html) proved to be a delightful introduction to the possibilities the Super Tenere holds for me.

I hope Enrico and I will enjoy a long, steadfast and, perhaps musical relationship.

© 2017

Church of the Open Road Press

UP TO BANDON AND BACK AGAIN

First ride on the Yamaha Super Tenere

It is a gift to live in an area where within a half-day’s ride, one can view among the world’s most scenic of wonders.  Like some grand candy store for motorcyclists, the west coast offers mountains, deserts, croplands and the coast itself. 

The initial adventure on the new Yamaha Super Tenere was slated to be a run up to Grants Pass, Oregon followed by a circum-navigation of Crater Lake, but smoke from the late summer’s horrendous fires prompted a change in plans.

No problem.  There are so many options.  My riding buddy from Seattle would travel south; I would travel north and we’d meet in Bandon, a delightful coastal village about a hundred miles up the Oregon coast.

Sans panniers, which are ordered from my local Yamaha dealer, I strapped a duffel on the back of my new mount and headed into the fog.

A few years back, I’d trekked to California’s northeast corner in search of the Von Schmidt marker posted where the California-Nevada border Ts into Oregon.  Details are recounted here: http://thechurchoftheopenroad.blogspot.com/2014/11/finding-von-schmidt-marker.html  and it was a good little adventure.

Finding the western end of California’s northern border, something on my bucket list, proved to be less of a trek…

…one made easier with the use of the mapping program on my iPhone.

There is no Von Schmidt marker – there’s no marker at all, but this post at 42.00013 degrees north is about sixteen feet into Oregon.

The folks in Oregon have done a fine job preserving access to their dramatic coastline, thanks in no small measure to the efforts of Samuel Boardman who’s life and work is outlined on this wayside plaque.

A thirteen-mile (dog-friendly) trail parallels US 101…

… affording breath-taking views of the Pacific and her work against the timeless shore.

Lunch would be in Gold Beach where the bridge crossing the Rogue proves to be art you can use…

… and a half-sunk vessel reminds us that the Pacific isn’t always passive.

The Inn at Face Rock http://www.innatfacerock.com/ is a Best Western affiliate located near the bluffs a couple of miles southwest of Bandon – I suspect on the old highway.  Though not on the water, within earshot of the surf, the oceanic lullaby it provides is perfect after a long day of riding and sight-seeing.

The Yamaha Tenere and the Triumph Trophy pose in the parking lot.

Walking distance is Lord Bennett's Restaurant and Lounge where the seafood combination, when paired with a nice Sauv Blanc is something to text home about.

Face Rock is named after a rock that… well… looks like a face.  At dusk, this particular evening, perhaps 140 folks were in position with cameras on tripods eagerly seeking a shot at sunset. 

“What is this,” I asked one young woman, “another eclipse?” prompting a courtesy giggle.

Bandon, itself, is a sweet little town located at the mouth of the Coquille River.  Its rustic business district and picturesque wharf invite strolls and stops for suds, but I left my camera back at the room.

The misty morning prompts this view of the cliffs.

Heading south, stops along the way made the two hundred mile route to Eureka a full day’s ride. 

The bluffs demand to be photographed…

… particularly the arched ones …

… and the beaches on the California side offer a nice place to stretch one’s legs and catch a gentle slap of salt air to the face.

Eureka is a favorite for over-nighting.  The harbor supports a fascinating collection of working sea vessels…

… the Old Town area transports one back in time …

… and the historic Eureka Inn https://www.eurekainn.com/ offers accommodations once enjoyed by presidents and Hollywood personalities. 

We celebrate the day’s travel out in the courtyard.

Breakfast is a couple of blocks away at the Black Lightning Motorcycle Café https://www.blacklightningmotorcyclecafe.co where one can dine …

… elbow to muffler with their favorite classic two-wheeler.

The final leg of the journey involves the Avenue of the Giants, a road that gloriously celebrates the ancient and mystical redwoods that once dominated California’s north coast.

The Yamaha seems ready for this relaxed 30 mile stretch, softly offering a tenor exhaust note that does not drown out the spirits that whisper in the woods.

So a successful initial trip on the new machine mated the Tenere’s honey-smooth riding characteristics with a wonderful couple of days exploring both the natural and human history of our Pacific shore, leaving me with the desire to do it all over again ...

... tomorrow.

© 2017

Church of the Open Road Press.