LONG-TERMER: Yamaha Tenere World Raid

Dave Manning gives us an update on the big adventure bike…

I used to think that the low average mileage clocked up by so many British riders was just down to the fact that they weren’t using their bikes on the daily commute to work. And, four years ago, the situation changed quite drastically for many of us, with working from home becoming the norm rather than an occasional bonus. Despite that, the last month has seen more miles piled into the Yamaha than I had expected.

I hadn’t thought I’d actually done that much, until I totted them up for this article, but bearing in mind that the times that I had used the bike, only a couple were the 24-mile round trip to the office, and every other outing saw at least 100 miles covered. Add in a blast down to Heathrow (most definitely the most bike-friendly of all the UK airports, with free motorcycle parking), and all of a sudden my daily average was higher than if I’d been into the office each and every day through March…

That also means I have, finally, had to adjust the chain; noticing that the gear change was becoming a little less precise, but given that I’d clocked up in excess of two-and-a-half thousand miles over winter it’s perhaps fair to say that I’d left it a bit late to get the spanners out, despite regular lubing… the flip-side of that is that adjusting the chain is conventionally easy. Nothing in the way of oversized nuts or spindle hexes, and easy-peasy wheel adjusters only needing a pair of spanners. Much better than the wheel adjustment on some other bikes, particularly a certain Italian adventure bike…

I’d known that the tyres had been heading towards the point at which they’d need to be changed, but the closer proximity that I gained while adjusting the chain just reinforced that knowledge. While still legal, the Pirellis were getting really close to the wear markers, and I had a return trip to Heathrow on the cards. They’d be fine for that, but the 260-mile round trip would be sure to get the rear very close to the point that I’d want it to be changed as soon as possible. And that is where I get to with this report, with the big Yam now parked in the work lock-up awaiting either a new pair of shoes or a return to its maker. But it’s worth noting that, as far as I am aware, the tyres on the Ténéré are the originals, and way over 7000 miles from a rear is, in my mind, perfectly acceptable!

And while I have a new long-termer waiting in the wings, the World Raid isn’t finished with just yet…

Dave Manning / 7459 miles / £11,910