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After nine years and 50,000 miles I decided to sell our '04 FJR 1300 and find a replacement two-up sport tourer. We have ridden with several guys and gals on big adventure bikes, mostly BMW GS models, and have been impressed with how well these bikes handle twisty roads. They are also very comfortable and have a lot of storage. Since we don't have the financial means to join the BMW club we had to look elsewhere (i.e. Japanese). I know V-Stroms are excellent bikes but I can't get past the looks. Earlier this year a bunch of us were doing some dual sport riding in the Smokies where some of us rented bikes from GSM Motorent in Townsend Tennessee. They had a tricked out Yamaha Super Téneré that I was able to take for a test ride. I liked it and told Dan, the owner, that I would be interested if he ever decided to sell it. He contacted me a while back saying he was going to sell it at the end of the season and we worked a deal.
Tuesday Cathy and I flew into Knoxville where Dan and his wife Debbie picked us up. We did all the paperwork and had a very enjoyable evening at Dan and Debbie's place sitting around a fire drinking beer and wine. We stayed in their rental cabin Tuesday evening before heading out Wednesday morning. We have a friend, Frank Covucci, who used to run AMA Tours and now does a couple tours a year on his own. One of his tours is a Fall Appalachian Mountain Tour we have taken a couple times. I also helped Frank run this tour last year. We scheduled our trip to coincide with Frank's Tour so we could see him and some friends who were on the tour. We met up at the Wheels Through Time Museum in Maggie Valley where we got a private tour from Dale Walksler and the staff grilled lunch for the tour group (plus us). We rode to our lodging for the next two nights, Nantahala Village. Thursday was a free day for the tour and we spent the day riding some of the best roads around like Hwy. 28, Deal's Gap, and the Cherahola Skyway. Friday we rode to the next stopping point in Bristol Virginia. The route included Hwy. 421 from Mountain City to Bristol which is one of my favorite roads anywhere. Saturday Cathy and I said good bye to our tour friends and headed back toward Chicago. We rode about 220 miles of Hwy. 421 before hitting the interstate in Richmond Kentucky and stayed in Harrison Ohio Friday night. Today we finished our trip home.
The Super Téneré is a fantastic bike but is also quite different than the FJR. It took some getting used to but is very easy to ride and is the most comfortable bike I've ever owned. Our friend Denny followed us up Hwy. 28 and Deal's Gap before stopping at the Deal's Gap overlook. He informed us that we had been showering sparks on Hwy. 28. We also did some peg dragging on Hwy. 421 so I guess you can say I'm used to it already
.
Thanks,
Joe
Tuesday Cathy and I flew into Knoxville where Dan and his wife Debbie picked us up. We did all the paperwork and had a very enjoyable evening at Dan and Debbie's place sitting around a fire drinking beer and wine. We stayed in their rental cabin Tuesday evening before heading out Wednesday morning. We have a friend, Frank Covucci, who used to run AMA Tours and now does a couple tours a year on his own. One of his tours is a Fall Appalachian Mountain Tour we have taken a couple times. I also helped Frank run this tour last year. We scheduled our trip to coincide with Frank's Tour so we could see him and some friends who were on the tour. We met up at the Wheels Through Time Museum in Maggie Valley where we got a private tour from Dale Walksler and the staff grilled lunch for the tour group (plus us). We rode to our lodging for the next two nights, Nantahala Village. Thursday was a free day for the tour and we spent the day riding some of the best roads around like Hwy. 28, Deal's Gap, and the Cherahola Skyway. Friday we rode to the next stopping point in Bristol Virginia. The route included Hwy. 421 from Mountain City to Bristol which is one of my favorite roads anywhere. Saturday Cathy and I said good bye to our tour friends and headed back toward Chicago. We rode about 220 miles of Hwy. 421 before hitting the interstate in Richmond Kentucky and stayed in Harrison Ohio Friday night. Today we finished our trip home.
The Super Téneré is a fantastic bike but is also quite different than the FJR. It took some getting used to but is very easy to ride and is the most comfortable bike I've ever owned. Our friend Denny followed us up Hwy. 28 and Deal's Gap before stopping at the Deal's Gap overlook. He informed us that we had been showering sparks on Hwy. 28. We also did some peg dragging on Hwy. 421 so I guess you can say I'm used to it already
. Thanks,
Joe
I gotta ride an adventure bike someday.
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