Tenere Tragics

TRAIL MAIL: TRAGIC MARC SEEKS SOME ADVICE

Hi Clubby & Tania: I have attached a picture of my Ténéré and was wondering about a few things: I have been riding bikes most of my life and this will be my very first adventure run and it's on dirt so I'm very excited about it. But I am not sure what is required to take along on the Run and can you please recommend what you would take as in bike gear? I will be purchasing a front tyre and bike pants from Steve at AdventureMoto but I'm not sure what else I would need?

-- Marc, Ténéré Tragic

G'day Marc and welcome aboard the Ténéré Tragics express! For your first big adventure ride you'll be leaping in at the deep end but the good thing is you'll be amongst a pack of riders on the same bike as you and all brought together by a common bond: the Yamaha Ténéré. Now, to give you a few words of advice, let's get into it: Choose dirt-oriented tyres because the majority of the Tragics Run next year will be on dirt and you'll have a much better ride with tyres that offer as much grip as possible when you need it most -- Steve at Adventure Moto.com.au will be able to steer you right with tyre choice. Then make sure you fit heavy-duty tubes to reduce the chance of copping a puncture, but if you do get a flat, you need to be able fix it, either by replacing the tube with a spare you carry, or repairing the tube with a puncture repair kit. And to do that, you need to be able to get the wheels out of the bike (the XT660Z doesn't come with tools to help you remove the wheels! So check out Profastproducts.com.au as they offer a nifty front axle removal tool), as well as carrying tyre levers and a pump or CO2 bottles, so make sure you get all this sorted before the ride. You should also carry a spare oiled foam air filter element for your bike, so you can make a swap mid-ride, as chances are it's going to be dusty. It's a good idea to carry spare front brake, clutch and gear levers, just in case they get busted in a fall. Carry a small can of chain lube so you can lube the chain each day. As for you, wear a Camelbak-type hydration pack so you can keep up your fluids while you ride, as chances are it will be hot. Proper adventure riding gear including a jacket with armour in the shoulders and elbows is a must, as are proper boots. Try to pack as light as possible, because experience always tells us all we take way more gear than we need: do a first sort of the gear you think you will need, then halve it! After all that, well, just bring a spirit of adventure ... and in the meantime, get out and rack up as many kilometres as you can to get bike-fit and hone your riding skills. We'll see you soon!

-- Clubby, Ténéré Tragic #1