TÉNÉRÉ TRAGICS TRAIL MAIL:

MIKE PULLS A MISSION ON THE RUN HOME!

Hi Clubby: Just a short note to say I am safely back on the Sunshine Coast after a great week with the Tragics. Again I would like to thank Tania and yourself for the organisation of the event.

Like you I had just left from Broken Hill on Monday morning when we gathered with Neil (TT #37) at the servo at Wilcannia. I intended to make my way to St George but upon leaving the servo decided to make it a run back home in keeping with a 'Longest Day' theme. Although behind the eight-ball to start with, I managed to turn in a respectable run, covering the 1,680km in 18 hours and 5 minutes to arrive at my front door at 12.45 am on Tuesday morning.

It was raining from just outside of Brisbane and road works also impacted on my time, along with two motorcycle police who ranged up beside me as I made my way over the last 100km. The lead rider looked at his GPS and looked at me and in the dark I assumed my best 'What's up, Officer?' look while slowly dropping speed. No ticket, which was just as well, as I did not want any questions about my number plate, which is still in the Flinders Ranges somewhere!

On the way I managed to avoid six emus, three kangaroos, three pigs and a possum, who all seemed intent on stopping my ride. I am now starting to develop a theory about the 660 Tenere's exhaust note, as it seems to attract emus, having already hit one on a previous trip. Being a safety issue, I was going to write to Yamaha and ask them to recall all the 660s and have them fitted with Akrapovic pipes (at their expense) to change the note to a rumble to keep our feathered friends at bay. What chance do you think I have !!!!

The thermo cooling jacket that Wolfy from AdventureMoto.com.au so kindly donated as a prize on Saturday night proved to be a god-send and I had it on all day until I hit Goondiwindi in Qld at 7pm, where I might had I was as fresh as a daisy. I refreshed it in Cobar by just dipping it back in water and away I went again. I will be sending Wolfy a full report, as I think he is on to something with this. To give you some perspective, when I stopped for fuel I did not even bother opening up my Dririder on most occasions, instead just keeping the jacket's vents open.

Well, I hope all the other Tragics and yourself made a safe return to the roost and look forward to the next instalment of Tenere 'cafe latte' adventure riding.

--Mike Ruoso, Tragic #19

Bloody hell, Mike, that is an awesome effort! 1,680km in just over 18 hours is the stuff of legend, in fact, it's truly Tragic! Thanks heaps for reporting in and thanks also for the feedback for Steve at AdventureMoto: please do fire him an email as he certainly appreciates all feedback on all his products. As for the XT660Z muffler exchange program, well, you can try ... but mate, don't hold your breath! As for losing your rego plate, well, at least you can console yourself you were not the only one to suffer this fate on the new XT660Z: you all needed to shift the rego plate higher up directly under the tail light where it is less susceptible to roost off the back wheel and/or bottoming out on the rear tyre when you G-out on creek beds and dips on the high-speed roads that litter the Flinders. Anyway, thanks again for coming along and looking forward to seeing you next year.

-- Clubby, Ténéré Tragic #1

TÉNÉRÉ TRAGICS TRAIL MAIL:

SORRY, BUT WE CAN'T GET THERE!

Hi Clubby: Bad news, after all the best laid plans, our Ride to the Rocks with the Ténéré Tragics has been cut short. Mike (TT #48) and I left Adeliade this morning (Friday) at 7:30 am, but little did we know that just one hour later Mike would part company with his bike courtesy of an unfortunate circumstance. The damage to both Mike and his bike will mean that we won't be joining you. Instead it would appear that the weekend will more likely be spent in the Accident & Emergency department. It's a pity, as the bikes looked really great in the dawn light on the Port Wakefield Road. I hope you all have a great time, and hopefully we can join you on the next Ténéré Tragics run.

-- Stuart, Ténéré Tragic #47

Thanks for the email, Stuart. We also received your phone message when we arrived at Arkaroola on Friday, so thanks heaps for letting us know about your dramas. Here's hoping Mike and his machine will make a full recovery. We had an awesome time on the Tragics run and all the feedback we've had so far has been extremely positive, which is super-encouraging for us. I'm definitely getting the feeling this event is just the start of something big! Look forward to seeing you at the next Ténéré Tragics run.

-- Clubby, Ténére Tragic #1

TÉNÉRÉ TRAGICS TRAIL MAIL:

THE FINAL COUNTDOWN!

Hi Clubby: Counting down till we take off for the Flinders Ranges. Fitted a GPS and new rear tyre to the Ténéré on the weekend. Took it out for a test-ride and shakedown in the hills around Melbourne with fellow tragic, Ian (his is the blue bike) ... and all systems are go. The photo is outside the coffee shop in Cockatoo. We also fitted two-way helmet intercoms with Bluetooth, for rider-to-rider communication. It's a fantastic bit of gear that makes riding a whole new experience.

-- Dave, Tenere Tragic #41

Looking good, Dave. Ain't nothing sweeter than a couple of slumbering Ténérés resting contentedly in their natural environment. See you soon! And hey, it looks like it's gonna be a zillion degrees out west in a week's time, so make sure you're running the biggest Camelbak you can find.

-- Clubby, Ténéré Tragic #1

TÉNÉRÉ TRAGICS TRAIL MAIL:

JUST ABOUT READY!

G’day Clubby: Well as you keep telling us, the big day is almost here. So, I had a trial pack to see if I could fit all that was needed on the old girl. But I keep thinking that I have forgotten something ... oh, yeah, an engine! At present my engine is still spread all over my bench, however my friendly local dealer has promised that I should get my crankshaft back with a new con-rod fitted on Tuesday (February 22). Then it’s just a case of getting it all back together again and getting the old girl re-registered. Hopefully I will see you and the rest of the Tragics on Thursday morning in Broken Hill, otherwise I will catch you all at Arkaroola!

-- Colin, Ténéré Tragic #6

Thanks for your email, Colin. That photo is an absolute cracker! Now get back in the garage and get that beast back together and we’ll see you at Broken Hill, for sure!

-- Clubby, Ténéré Tragic #1

TÉNÉRÉ TRAGICS TRAIL MAIL:

THE CASE OF THE SMILING STIFF?

Hi Clubby: Getting very excited about the trip. Have purchased various gear from Steve at AdventureMoto.com.au and the bike goes in for new tyres and service on Thursday. The main reason for the email is to let you know my change of contact details. We have moved out of Toowong, we're flood refugees! We are at Jimboomba now. This trip may kill me but I will die with a smile. See you all shortly!

-- Geoff, Ténéré Tragic #24

Hi Geoff: Thanks for your email. The excitement sure is building! Don't worry, there will be plenty of fellow Tragics to make sure you see it all the way through. If not, well, hey, rest assured your bike will be well looked after ...

-- Clubby, Tenere Tragic #1

TÉNÉRÉ TRAGICS TRAIL MAIL:

WATCHING THE WEATHER

Hi Guys:

Are we going to be able to get there?

The road conditions for the area have most roads closed.

What's the scenario if road closures are still in place for the rally?

http://www.transport.sa.gov.au/quicklinks/northern_roads/area4.asp

-- Chris, Ténéré Tragic #4

Experience suggests road closures come and go almost as quickly as the weather conditions change, Chris. The Flinders copped that huge storm late last week on the back of cyclone Yasi that hit far north Queensland and then just kept tracking inland. Right now a lot of roads in the Flinders are closed due to flooding and storm damage. But it's amazing just how fast the road gangs get things cleared up and access restored. We've still got a few weeks to go, so fingers crossed the weather clears and the roads dry out. Stay in touch!

-- Clubby, Ténéré Tragic #1

TÉNÉRÉ TRAGICS TRAIL MAIL:

MY NAME IS THEO & I AM A TÉNÉRÉ TRAGIC

Hi Clubby: I am one of the lucky ones joining you on the Ténéré Tragics ride. Just thought I would drop you a line and ask a couple of questions about getting there and other stuff. You said in one of the Bulletins that there are a number of people coming from all different set-off points, but I'm not sure about Sydney. I am based in Sydney and at this point unless I manage to get in touch with others leaving from here as a base, I am getting there on my own. Do you know if there is a group leaving from here and heading out ?

I am not sure how long to allow to get to the first meet-up point out there either, as I am very new to adventure riding. Most of my riding was on trail bikes in single-track type places with very little road miles to get anywhere. But I am really looking forward to the new experiences I am going to come by on this ride! Especially the sleeping out and stuff. Anyway, I'm raving on, so will look forward to any help and advice you can give me.

I have attached a photo of me and the bike. It's new (1,000km new) as I send this email and I'm still trying to get used to the size and weight of the thing. And the handling too! It's great on the road, though.

I was going to come on a '96 Ténéré but thought better of it as I wanted to be sure I had no issues on the ride, so I bought the new XT660Z. I love it so far! Would you be able to let me know my number also?

Thanks in anticipation and regards,

-- Theo, Ténéré Tragic #28

Thanks for your email, Theo, that's really good stuff! So many Ténéré Tragics have asked about a ride with me to the Getting There Ride at Hillston in central NSW. So I am aright now planning that Sydney riders can get together and play follow-the-leader on the Tuesday and we can do a cross-country run to Hillston -- so from Sydney that will be a 700km day all up. You will be welcome to join. Pack light and carry heaps of water in your Camelbak, its gonna be hot!

Okay, mate I gotta go, more miles to do today on our new XT1200Z Super Tenere!

-- Clubby, Ténéré Tragic #1.