Itchy boots Season 8

[ChrisL]

For those that follow her, Noraly's shoulder has healed and she is in the process of having a bike built especially for her next trip, it's being built in Germany by a Tenere specialist, he certainly has an interesting workshop, proper old school, I'm not sure I agree with all his ideas but he definitely knows his bikes. Let me know what you think and what you'd do differently if anything.

 

[Carpmart]

The design principles are sound.. get her on a bike she pick up, lower to the ground, bush mechanics can fix etc

The builder is the kind of old school engineer mechanic I love who will have hopefully built in reliability and durability… time will tell if it’s a vanity build for him or a genuinely bullet proof bike for her.

Did he say something like the Ohlins rear shock is forty years old, rebuilt of course? Why are they not fitting the classic Paris Dakar wheels that they showed.

 

[dazandandrea]

I love the idea of the simple principle. To be honest i think the additional tech being added to bikes and cars now is getting to the point of being ridiculous.

 

[ChrisL]

Why are they not fitting the classic Paris Dakar wheels that they showed.

They may yet, if I've understood correctly the bike is in the 'try it for size stage' in the first episode she had a little ride around on it, no doubt there will be more mods done, she talks about a different fuel tank being fitted as one, the only thing I don’t like so far is it has no fuel gauge and very little reserve, some of which can't be accessed without lifting the front of the tank, maybe the new tank will resolve that or she will fit an auxiliary fuel tank and a fuel pump to get it into the main tank. We'll have to keep watching to find out.

 

[Oldrat]

I’m a fan.
Both of Norally and of low tech motorcycles.

I reckon the Yamaha is a good choice, simple tech and plenty of spares available, the only problem being for which model.

That makes her very reliant on being in contact with the builder when anything goes wrong.

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[Geistguy]

I'm a big fan of Itchy Boots and look forward to seeing how this "new" bike works for her, i just hope that it's not too basic, not having a dash screen to show speed and fuel level would worry me. Last nights episode was worth watching just for the guys knowledge of Teneres.

 

[ChrisL]

I'm a big fan of Itchy Boots and look forward to seeing how this "new" bike works for her, i just hope that it's not too basic, not having a dash screen to show speed and fuel level would worry me. Last nights episode was worth watching just for the guys knowledge of Teneres.

She has a navigation device which displays her speed but agree about fuel level gauge, I would have though that essential when travelling long distances in the bush.

 

[Davebe]

It's good to see her back to planning one of her epic trips! Probably she develops a good idea of miles covered/fuel left after day upon day in the saddle!

 

[Geistguy]

It's good to see her back to planning one of her epic trips! Probably she develops a good idea of miles covered/fuel left after day upon day in the saddle!

I would have thought that the terrain she travels on would make it difficult to gauge mpg but no doubt fuel pods will be fitted.

 

[Just smiffy]

I watched her for a long time then got bored of the same old format…..

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[ChrisL]

I watched her for a long time then got bored of the same old format…..

Not sure what she could do to make it more interesting for you, any suggestions

 

[dazandandrea]

I watched her for a long time then got bored of the same old format…..

Bit like the campervan/ motorhome/ narrowboat vlogs we watch .
Then they start to invent conflicts and disasters to grab peoples attention.
Still not got bored of her travels yet.

 

[chaser]

Bit like the campervan/ motorhome/ narrowboat vlogs we watch .
Then they start to invent conflicts and disasters to grab peoples attention.
Still not got bored of her travels yet.

Roaming radfords have gone from knowing it all to having every disaster known.
Looks like they are winding down to something different.

 

[Jofang]

I would have thought a Suzuki DR650 would have been a better choice, as it's lighter than a Tenere and has better worldwide parts availability. There's also a lowering kit available for the Suzy giving an extra 10cm lower. Maybe the chap she knows is a Tenere fan, not Suzuki.

 

[RowleyBirkinQC]

I would have thought a Suzuki DR650 would have been a better choice, as it's lighter than a Tenere and has better worldwide parts availability. There's also a lowering kit available for the Suzy giving an extra 10cm lower. Maybe the chap she knows is a Tenere fan, not Suzuki.

Can still buy those new in the USA…

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[Jofang]

I'd buy a new one today if available in France. Plenty of old ones with carb and expensive if in good nick. Lots of good updates on new ones in USA though such as starter motor bendix release on kickback. Old ones can smash the alloy casings.

 

[fred_jb]

I watched the German guy droning on about all the design choices he had made in the interests of reliability and simplicity. Noraly seemed to be happy, but I'm not sure she really understood the implications.

I think he seemed a bit obsessive and took it to unjustified extremes and in the process has actually made operating the bike more complicated. How often do modern electrical components, and in particular relays fail, with relays being easy to replace anyway. The only electrical thing I remember failing on her Honda, despite the crashes, was the starter button which a local mechanic managed to bodge back to life for her, and this Yamaha also has a starter button!

The other choices I disagree with is no engine management and no fuel injection. This means the bike has been seriously detuned to cope with poor fuel rather than being able to adjust on the fly with the aid of knock sensors, etc.

Also a carburettor is a bit of a nightmare if you have frequent and extreme changes of altitude as Noraly is wont to do. Unless you rejet it in the mountains it will lose a lot of power due to thinner air, whereas fuel injection will adjust automatically. I remember years ago on my first trip to the Alps on my trusty carb equipped CX500, I thought the loss of power and rough running meant it had developed a fault until I realised what was happening!

 

[ChrisL]

I remember years ago on my first trip to the Alps on my trusty carb equipped CX500, I thought the loss of power and rough running meant it had developed a fault until I realised what was happening!

Indeed, I remember stopping at the top of a Mountain pass in the Alps on my brand new CB900FA in 1982 and it not starting, I had to free wheel down the road and bump start it to get it going again, it ran okay once started so all okay in the end.

 

[Carpmart]

Yes I agree… some strange design principles being adopted and whilst I see the attraction of a carb in some respects, they are inherently less reliable than electronic fuel injection.

My post above suggested this is a bit of a vanity project for our German engineer friend. Let’s hope Noraly doesn’t end up with a basket case!