Review: Desert Travels by Chris Scott, Kindle edition

Times have changed when Chris Scott offers a book as a Kindle edition. 

It’s not as though the desert travel veteran is un-tech-savy—his authoritative Sahara Overland Forum has been on the Web for what seems like eons. But Chris’s participation in threads there always had sort of a message-from-the-wilderness mystery to it—one imagined him typing on a gritty Panasonic ToughBook from the top of a sand dune, sending the signal via satellite using a generator powered by a camel harnessed to plod in circles, or maybe hooked up to the rear wheel of a knackered Yamaha XT500.

However, the advent of a Kindle edition of his Desert Travels means he must have snuck back to his flat in London for at least long enough to arrange the appropriate technology transfer. In any case, for the price of a cup of coffee ($2.99) you can now have the book downloaded to your Kindle, or a device that can read Kindle books (such as an iPad).

Desert Travels covers some of Chris’s earliest explorations in the Sahara, beginning with his disastrous initial foray and precipitous retreat on an XT500, ending with a fractious ride alongside a pseudonymed companion from Algeria to Mauritania, and centered around a foray into vehicle-supported (via a dodgy 101 Land Rover) guided motorcycle trips, on which “five set off . . . only one came back riding.” This period in the 1980s, just before the nomad rebellions began to make travel in the central Sahara, and Algeria in particular, hazardous in places for foreigners, is what Chris refers to as the Golden Age of Saharan Exploration, when anyone with the experience and/or commitment could undertake truly epic trans-national journeys across an area the size of the United States.

Of course, every explorer since Mungo Park has felt he participated in “The Golden Age of Saharan Exploration,” but in Chris’s case he might have a point. Especially given recently resurgent violence toward tourists in Mali, the days when all one needed to worry about in the Sahara were minor risks such as dying of thirst or heat stroke are, at least temporarily, over.

One of our Overland Tech & Travel Experts, Sahara expert Chris Scott is also a VIP presenter at Overland Expo each year. Chris is as humble and approachable in person as he is in print, a rare thing for someone with his breadth of experience.Any first-person travelogue runs the risk of self-glorification, or at least self-indulgence—unless it’s written by Chris Scott (or his Saharan compatriot Tom Sheppard). Chris is so modest, the cover of the print edition of Desert Travels shows a motorcycle, period. Nary a sign of the author posing in front and looking off into the distance with steely-eyed determination. The self-effacing attitude pervades the book, and renders it not only insightful but hilarious. There’s one extensive but interesting diversion into the history of the tragicomic Flatters expedition of 1880—it’s almost as if Chris included it to say to the reader, So, just in case you’ve decided I’m inept . . .

No one even close to inept could have survived 30 years of Saharan exploration into some of the most remote regions of the desert, frequently solo. Trust me, for three bucks you’ll get a lot more enjoyment from this book than you will from a cup of Pike Place Roast. Find it here: Desert Travels 

Tested: 2012 Yamaha Super Ténéré

Photos by Tom Riles and Brian Nelson

If it’s Tuesday, it must be Timbuktu!

by Ken Freund 

Reprinted with permission, RoadRUNNER MagazineYamaha has been selling this new Super Ténéré adventure-touring model in Europe for several years now and is finally bringing it to North America. Ténéré (pronounced like “tay-nay-ray”) is the word for “desert” in the language of the Tuareg tribe that resides in the region of the Sahara where Timbuktu is located. The first bike to carry the Super Ténéré name was the 1989 XTZ750 twin and it won the trans-Saharan Dakar Rally six times — so this new machine has good DNA!

Powertrain

Power is supplied by a liquid-cooled 1199cc parallel-twin engine unique to this model, which is rated 108.4 hp in Europe (US specs don’t list power). With an 11.0:1 compression ratio, it breathes through four-valves-per-cylinder and has a DOHC shim-under-bucket valve train that boasts 24,000-mile service intervals. Twin 46mm Mikuni EFI throttle bodies feed fuel through 12-hole injection nozzles and two-spark-plugs-per- cylinder light the fires. The Super Ténéré also gets Yamaha’s YCC-T ride-by-wire throttle control that interfaces with an effective traction-control system.

Inside, the motor is fitted with a 270-degree crankshaft, having a staggered firing order that produces a unique exhaust note. Parallel twins are known for their vibrations and to combat this, Yamaha added two primary counter-balancers. These keep vibes completely in check until about 80 mph in sixth gear, when a few tingles get through the handlebar.

Photos by Tom Riles and Brian Nelson Redline arrives at 7,750 rpm and the torque curve feels very steady throughout the mid-range. While lacking spirit, the engine has plenty of power for passing and climbing and this docile character makes the bike feel predictable, easy to ride on loose surfaces and unintimidating to less-experienced riders. There are two rider selectable engine-computer maps called D-Mode: Touring and Sport, which simply control the rate of throttle opening and don’t affect peak power. Touring mode is very linear and best on dirt, while Sport mode has an initial strong pull that makes the bike feel more powerful than Touring—even if it’s not.

A hydraulically actuated wet clutch, six-speed transmission and low-maintenance shaft drive bring power to the rear wheel competently, with no missed shifts or false neutrals. Overall gearing is well-matched to the bike and engine, although a slightly lower first-gear ratio would help in rough off road conditions. Sixth gear is tall for relaxed highway riding, turning about 4,000 rpm at 75 mph. The 6.1-gallon tank includes a gallon on reserve and can take you more than 200 miles. 

Chassis and Suspension

The stout tubular-steel frame uses the engine as a stressed member for rigidity. An inverted 43mm fully adjustable fork and the aluminum rear swingarm both offer 7.5 inches of travel for a plush ride. In back, a single shock provides rebound settings and has a knob for quick preload adjustment. 

Yamaha employs a linked Unified Braking System. With UBS, applying the front brake alone also provides some rear-wheel braking, which is handy when you’re riding on dirt standing up, but pressing the rear brake first overrides UBS for separate braking. UBS is unobtrusive and even adjusts the bias percentage, based on how much weight the bike’s carrying.

In front, a pair of 310mm wave rotors clamped by four-pot calipers and a single 282mm disc with one-pot caliper in back provide strong braking — perhaps a little too grabby for off-road. We were skeptical about the standard ABS, which is not switchable, but seemed to work acceptably well on dirt. If you really want it off, run the bike on its centerstand in second gear briefly until the ABS warning light comes on, and ABS will be disabled until a restart.

Traction control, also standard, controls wheelspin by varying ignition timing and injection cutoff, and it has three settings. Setting one intervenes early enough to prevent slides; setting two is for riders who like to get a bit loose on dirt, and there’s an off position for serious off-roaders who really like to power slide. All settings worked as claimed, and setting two was great for letting the back hang out a little on dirt, without worrying about doing a face plant.

Yamaha developed spoked wheels that allow tubeless tires, and our test bike was fitted with 110/80-19 front and 150/70-17 rear Metzeler Tourance EXP rubber (Bridgestone Battle Wing tires are also original fitment). Low-speed maneuvering is easy, grip is good, and even at high speeds, the bike feels planted and stable.

Photos by Tom Riles and Brian Nelson Features and Ergonomics

The manually adjustable standard windscreen does an adequate job, but requires tools to adjust; a larger screen and wind deflectors are offered as accessories. Instrumentation is all in a tidy cluster that includes speedo, tach, dual trip meters, clock, fuel gauge, fuel trip meter with average and instantaneous consumption, coolant and air temperatures, plus D-mode and Traction Control settings.

Super Ténéré has a riding position designed to allow standing for off-road sections, yet offers all-day comfort when seated. Although seat height is adjustable from 33.3 to 34.3 inches it may be a bit tall for some riders, so a 1.4-inch lower seat is available optionally. Passenger seating is spacious and rear footpegs are comfortably positioned.

The aluminum panniers, which have a 61-liter combined capacity, and the 30-liter tail trunk that can hold a full-face helmet, are offered as accessories. They look nice and are keyed with the ignition, but the locking mechanism is fiddly and you always need to use the key. Other accessories include an engine guard that holds two optional fog lamps, an aluminum skid plate, headlight protector, heated grips, case liners, and a tankbag.

Final Thoughts

We found the Super Ténéré to be nicely made and finished. It’s well sorted out, capable, comfortable, fun, and easy to ride all day. It’s a great all-around machine that can take you to work daily, attack the canyons and backroads on the weekends, and then whisk you across vast continents on your vacation.

=================

Technical Specs: 

+ comfortable, good handling, reasonable price

- heavy compared to GS, could lose a few pounds

Distributor Yamaha, www.yamaha-motor.com

MSRP:  $13,900

Engine:  DOHC 4-valve-per-cylinder parallel twin

Displacement:  1199cc

Bore x Stroke:  98x79.5mm

Fuel Delivery:  Mikuni EFI w/ two 46mm throttle bodies

Power:  108.4 (Euro spec)

Cooling:  liquid

Ignition:  digital electronic w/ 2-plugs-per-cylinder

Transmission:  6-speed, hydraulically actuated clutch, shaft drive

Frame:  Tubular steel w/ engine as stressed member

Front Suspension:  KYB inverted 43mm fork, adj. preload, rebound & compression damping, 7.5in travel

Rear Suspension:  aluminum swingarm, YHS single shock w/ adj. rebound & preload, 7.5in travel

Rake/Trail:  28º/5in (126mm)

Brakes: Front/Rear Dual 310mm wave discs w/ 4-piston calipers/ one 282mm disc w/ 1-piston caliper

Tires, Front/Rear:  110/80R17/150/70-17

Wet Weight: 575lbs (306.5kg) (claimed)

Wheelbase:  60.6in (1540mm)

Seat Height:  33.3 – 34.3in. (845/870mm)

Fuel Capacity:  6.1gal (23l) w/1 gallon res.

Fuel Consumption:  42.1mpg

Colors: Impact Blue, Raven 

"Reprinted courtesy of RoadRUNNER Motorcycle Touring & Travel magazine (www.roadrunner.travel)."Not for sale or distribution.  RoadRUNNER Magazine is a bimonthly motorcycle touring publication packed with exciting travel articles, splendid photography, route maps and other features that help ensure wonderful two- wheeled adventures. Subscriptions are available on our website and by calling (866) 343-7623. 

How do I find information for shipping a bike or vehicle overseas?

What are some resources for someone wanting to ship a Jeep overseas, such as China or Australia?

- David T., USA (via email)