Thanks Wannabe. Just came back from my first REAL off-road ride this weekend in the Cederberg - by real I mean 4x4 only trails with LOTS of sand and loose stones. Even had the crash bar crack (not even from a fall), lost the orange head light cover (somewhere along the R354), bent my off-road foot peg and eff'd up my foot in the process of bending the peg. We had 4 guys - 3 types of bikes. Honda Transalp, 2x BMW 650Gs Dakar and my 660 Tenere. The 19" front wheel on the transalp made it very unstable in the sand - to the degree that one of the bikes 'trenches' in the sand made me come off. The guys on the Dakar's drooled over my bike. The one guy had printed the specs of our bikes and they loved the Tenere - they sat comparing notes for about 10 minutes. Back to bike choice - I took the Tenere merely because of my long legs - the BMW 800GS and the Tiger 800XC both have low foot peg to seat height stats. The seat height is measured from the ground and so with the variable ground clearances, that dimension remains constant - short legs and you could go with any bike. The Tenere has longer shock travel and is cheaper than the BMW and Triumph. It also has a bigger tank - 23lt. The other guys topped up at a farm whilst I still had more than adequate petrol left in the tank. I got mine for R73650, 2009 model, 13000Km on the clock, with loads of extras (I would reckon around R10k min.) New 660 Tenere was R84 950 when I was looking for one in August last year. The 800Gs and 800XC were both over R100k new. I worked out that a kitted out Tenere would cost less than a Std Spec BMW or Triumph. I also like the swing arm of the Tenere more than the others - it has design to it rather than the standard 'plain jane' ones. I test rode all 3 bikes - the Triumph was the nicer to ride just because of the smoother power delivery (triple vs single) but the BMW and Yamaha gave adequate power for what I needed - even two up. For off-road, the 1200's are great, but are too heavy for deep sand. They have power which is great, but the weight makes it difficult to move around 'freely'. That is the downside of getting a bigger cc bike - weight. 21" front wheel is a must, not a need, for off-road riding. That sand and loose stone takes your front wheel too easily with a smaller front wheel and makes you create said trenches for the riders behind you. You can ride with any tyres as long as they have an a/t rating i.e. not road only tyres. One BMW had knobblies and he rode the easiest through the terrain but it chowed the tyres on the tar sections. I have a Conti Twinduro knobbly front (original but soon to be replaced) and a Pirelli Scorpion Trail a/t tyre on the back and it handled well. Kit, get decent boots, riding jacket, gloves and pants. Helmet would help too but you don't need top of the range stuff. You just need quality gear that will protect you from bushes, thorns, rocks and, in the case of a fall, your whole body, almost. Upgrade the bike with as much protective kit as you can - crash bars, bash plate, hand guards, light protector (and make sure it stays there). Off road pegs are nice but not a must - it just gives better support. These upgrades gave me peace of mind knowing that whatever I throw at the bike, it'll be OK. You can check my pics here. Was an awesome experience. Hoping to do it again soon (with the wife this time but on less tricky surfaces). Edit: being the mapping guy I am, I mounted my Edge 800 to the bars - lemmie know if you want the maps and I'll email or PM you the links.
