Motorcycle people, settle a bet

[JonnyB]

Speaking of motorcycles...

Are any members here also among the "inmates" over at ADVRider? I hang out there, too. It's a fine place for anyone that has a thing for two- (and three-) wheeled vehicles.

www.advrider.com/forums

jb

[bedlamite]

Speaking of motorcycles...

Are any members here also among the "inmates" over at ADVRider? I hang out there, too. It's a fine place for anyone that has a thing for two- (and three-) wheeled vehicles.

www.advrider.com/forums

jb

While I haven't signed up, I do lurk there. It's only a matter of time before there is a KLR650 in my garage.

[MillCreek]

Speaking of motorcycles...

Are any members here also among the "inmates" over at ADVRider? I hang out there, too. It's a fine place for anyone that has a thing for two- (and three-) wheeled vehicles.

www.advrider.com/forums

jb

I am a member under the user name MillCreel.  It was their little joke to misspell my chosen user name.

[Iain]

I was poking around there earlier today reading up on the Yamaha XTZ660 Tenere. A bike I don't think is available in the US market.

[MillCreek]

^^^ It is not, but it gets a lot of buzz in the North American dualsport community.

[Iain]

Do Yamaha sell you guys anything with that 660cc single cylinder in it? Generally the reviews on the various bikes it has been fitted to are very good, not perhaps for long high speed hauls, although one guy on ADVrider took his from the Alps back to Calais in one day on the toll motorways. There's plenty of territory in the US that the Tenere would seem pretty well suited to. Cheaper than the BMW 800gs too.

I like the looks a lot, suspect I would struggle with the seat height.

[MillCreek]

^^^ I just eyeballed the 2010 and 2011 Yamaha US motorcycle line up to confirm.  Yamaha does not sell any 660 cc single dual sport or dirt bike in the US. The largest dual-sport is 250 cc and the largest dirt bike is 450 cc.

PS: A lot of very favorable comments on the Tenere, the Super Tenere and the XT660R as sold in Australia.  Oz also gets a lot of bikes not sold in the US, and the XT660R in particular seems to be really popular as an Outback touring bike.  All I can think is that Yamaha must believe that the US large dual-sport market is sown up by Suzuki, Kawasaki, Honda and BMW.

[tokugawa]

The MZ line used that yamaha motor in their dualsports and street singles a few years back.

[Iain]

That was the carbed version wasn't it? Supposed to be a bit more refined now.

Yamaha not bringing the Super Tenere over? That's a bike I would have thought would sell. Picked up a copy of What Bike in London earlier to read on the train home, very positive review of the Super Tenere. Very positive review of the Ducati 796 Monster too, and they seem to like the Guzzi V7 Classic as well. Never know what I'd want in a bike really, obviously not masses of power considering the Tenere, the V7 Classic, older 600/620 Monsters and the MT-03 are at the top of my list.

There was also an article about attempts to clean up the mess that the UK bike test has become, a friend recently failed her Part 1 because she was 1mph under the minimum speed (30mph) for the swerve avoidance test.

www.bikeexif.com has a lovely old Ducati and a nice retro scrambler up today.

[tokugawa]

My was looking at a 620 Monster. She had been riding a GS500, wanted a Ducati something fierce. After the test ride, she pulls into the parking lot, takes off her hardhat and says real loud (earplugs still in) "where's the power?!"  I thought the salesguy was going to curl up into a little ball.
 She ended up with a SV650, a super clean bike, some local MD had owned it. Thing seemed to be handling wierd though, so we checked the tire pressure- had about 20 psi in front!!  That was a great little bike, pretty, powerfull, handled great, but not really sized for touring, it was a bit cramped for 5' 10" folks.