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This should apply to the GS as well and to all the oilhead models. No pics (yet) but I am happy to report no bloody knuckles. I got one minor scratch on my right middle finger. For anyone looking to change their front shock (rear is pretty easy), here's how to do it... First you want to remove your lower engine guards. This can be a challenge for some because the top fasteners tend to be hard to get to and loosen without stripping. Then you wan to remove the alternator belt cover. Why? Because it gets in the way of pulling out the shock and putting the new one in later. Next you want to remove a screw holding the front brake line on the right side of the bike. If you don't do this then you won't have slack to droop the front suspension low enough to get the shock out. It's tight in there and I found an L-shaped torx from my tool kit was the best solution. You have to somehow jack the bike up from the skid plate but with the rear still on the ground. I was able to lift it (with a friend) on top of my pannier, but a floor jack is probably ideal and safer. I also secured the bike with a strap from the middle of the handlebars to a hook firmly screwed into a beam in the roof of my garage. Then remove the top tank panel, as well as the two side panels and gas cap (four black screws). I put a rag in the tank opening so those screws holding the gas cap on don't accidentally fall in. Leave the front screws on the side plastic pieces secure; just take off the other two. These are just metal panels; it's really not that hard. Remember the longer screws go in that middle hole of the side plastic pieces. The rest should be roughly the same length. At this point you should be able to put a socket on the top bolt of the shock and take that top nut off. If you have a nifty ratcheting box-end wrench then you may be able to get away with not removing the top tank panel. It might be 15mm or 17 mm or in my case 11/16ths". Not a lot of room to work with. Keep the top bushing/spacer and remember to put it back on top of the new shock later. Remove the lower shock bolt from the right side. At this point, the shock should fall out of the top bracket and come loose from the lower mount. If it doesn't come loose from the lower mount, you can knock it back with a rubber mallet or something until it comes free. Also be sure to keep the rubber bushings and/or spacer that goes on top of the shock but below the top bracket. Then simply put the new shock in but make sure you put the top rubber washer below the bracket back on the new shock. Put the top end in first, then you can slide it forward and down into the lower shock mount. Tighten down the lower shock bolt to 30 ft/lbs/40 Nm and some blue loctite. At this point you can lower your bike back to the floor and on its center stand. Make sure the top of the shock is properly seated through the hole in the bracket. Place that other rubber washer you removed from your other shock on top and then secure with the top nut. I put a bit of blue loctite on it. Tighten down to 25 ft/lbs/34 Nm. Ah, but the shock turns when you try to tighten it! At first I tried a strap wrench but it wasn't really gripping. I finally found the crescent wrench from my tool bag (or 19mm open end wrench) would fit on the very top nut below the top bracket and prevent the shock from turning when you're tightening it. Yes, you will need the assistance of a buddy (two man job). Then you can put the alternator cover back on (not a bad time to consider changing your belt if it's been on there for more than 24K miles), as well as re-secure the front brake line on the right side. Then put your lower engine bars back on. That also can be a challenge and take two sets of hands and maybe some straps to pull the upper bars into alignment so you can attach them to the lower bars.

SANTA ANA, CA - January 22, 2015 - (Motor Sports Newswire) - The S1R exhaust is the latest state-of-the-art product from Two Brothers Racing. The system features carbon fiber highlighted by a natural finished Aluminum outlet and stamped spring-mounted inlet for ultimate durability. The S1R exhaust from Two Brothers Racing showcases a race design while increasing all-around performance. All of our carbon parts are made with a high temp aerospace grade epoxy resin. The carbon fabric is made with a 33 million modulus carbon tow then impregnated with the high temperature resin under very tight tolerances. Aerospace high-temp carbon fiber Teflon coated magnesium end-cap Stamped spring-fit inlet Aluminum CNC Machined outlet Rubber-lined styled mount Spiral-wound perforated core Accepts sound reduction tips For more on this exhaust: https://www.twobros.com/sku/005-41304... Nice shoes!

Someone is a happy guy today! PICKERINGTON, OH - January 22, 2015 - (Motor Sports Newswire) - When Bob J. Loguidice of Ramona, Calif., renewed his American Motorcyclist Association membership last February, it earned him the status of AMA Life Member and qualified him for the 2014 American Motorcyclist Association membership sweepstakes. Today, Loguidice won the sweepstakes prize, a 2014 Yamaha Super Ténéré motorcycle, courtesy of Yamaha Motor Corp. U.S.A. "I'm kind of stunned," said Loguidice when informed of the sweepstakes results. "But this is great news. This just shows what can happen when you have motorcycling interests as a high priority and keep up your AMA membership." AMA members who joined or renewed in 2014 got a chance to win the Super Ténéré. In addition, riders participating in the 2014 Yamaha Super Ténéré AMA National Adventure Riding Series earned additional entries in the sweepstakes. "We are very excited that Bob has won the Yamaha Super Ténéré," said Yamaha Motor Corp. USA Retail Sales Promotion Manager Martin Vivanco. "It's great to see the Ténéré going to an enthusiast with great passion for our sport. The Super Ténéré was built for the adventurous rider who wants to explore the open road and the path less taken, and Bob will have the opportunity to do both this year at a round of the AMA Super Ténéré Adventure Riding Series." Independent auditing and accounting firm Plante & Moran of Columbus, Ohio, administered the sweepstakes. Designed to ride for extended periods across just about any kind of navigable terrain in comfort and style, the Yamaha Super Ténéré serves as the perfect inspiration for the AMA National Adventure Riding Series. The bike, known as the ultimate transcontinental adventure machine, was improved for 2014 with a more powerful inline twin-cylinder engine, electronic cruise control, updated wind protection and heated grips as standard equipment. It also has sport and touring drive modes, traction control, anti-lock brakes, an adjustable seat and more. While Loguidice was elated to win the motorcycle, he was equally enthusiastic about protecting motorcyclists' rights through his AMA membership. "It's extremely important to maintain your membership," he said of the AMA and its commitment to protecting the motorcycle lifestyle. "You have to support the cause. If you don't protect your rights, you're going to lose them." AMA Life Member status comes with 25 consecutive years of membership dues. New and renewing AMA members already are earning an opportunity to win great prizes in the 2015 membership sweepstakes. Those joining or renewing their AMA memberships between Jan. 1, 2015, and Dec. 31, 2015, are automatically entered to win any of these 20 great prizes. Grand Prize -- A 2014 Suzuki Boulevard M109R or a 2015 Yamaha Super Ténéré -- two bikes and two chances to win. Annual Bonus Prize -- A Cardo Systems/Scala Rider G9 communications set that allows you to connect with as many as eight other riders; or a Shark Kage Ramp -- the ultimate in truck accessories for a motorcyclist. Quarterly Bonus Prize -- A TomTom Rider GPS unit, perfect for motorcyclists, will be given away to one winner on March 31, June 30, Sept. 30 and Dec. 31. Monthly Bonus Prize -- One BikeBandit.com gift card to be given away each month, January through December. Join the AMA by visiting www.americanmotorcyclist.com/membership/join. Those participating in the Yamaha Super Ténéré AMA National Adventure Riding Series are improving their odds as well. For the 2015 season calendar, see www.americanmotorcyclist.com/Riding/Dirt/EventsAndSeries/NationalAdventureRide/NationalAdventureRideSchedule.aspx. For more information about the Yamaha Super Ténéré, see www.yamahamotorsports.com.

It all started in June of ’14. I found out I had a few days of vacation to use or lose at work, and at the last minute (3 days before departure) I decided to take a few days off and do a ride from Salt Lake City up through Yellowstone National park to Montana, and then back down through Idaho and back to Salt Lake. I called one of my riding buddies, he jumped on his Harley, and off we went. A motley pair - Me on my Tenere, and him on his Harley. There was no plan. It was ride, find a place to camp, ride, repeat. On day 1 we rode from Salt Lake up past Jackson Hole Wyoming with plans to camp in an ‘un-reserveable’ campground right outside the South entrance of Yellowstone. Well, as things sometimes go we found the un-reserveable campground not only full but half reserved. We rode around the loop of the campground once, and then started to ride the loop again just in case we’d missed something. As we rounded a corner on the second circuit of the campground this crazy German guy in a Touratech riding suit came bounding out of the bushes holding up his hand for us to stop. We did, and he began to inform us that the campground was full, but we we’re welcome to share his campspot with him and his wife! What luck! We quickly agreed, and thus a long-standing friendship was born with Claudia and Mirko of http://www.2ar.eu. 2 Adventure riders on the ride of their lives through the Americas on a charity Mission. We ended up spending the next few days with them as we explored Yellowstone, but I won’t get into that in this account. It was decided in those days that we would meet again in the Fall as they made their way back South from Canada to central America - we’d meet back up in Salt Lake City and do a tour of Southern Utah! Throughout the rest of the Summer I planned the Southern Utah Tour, figured out the routes we would take, and in early October Claudia and Mirko showed up with John Colyer of https://www.facebook.com/anomalyadv in tow. We spent a week in Salt Lake getting everybody ready, and then off we went - South for a planned 9 day tour of 6 National Parks - Zion, Bryce, Escalante, Capital Reef, Arches, And Canyonlands (Moab). It turned into 10 days however, as it got really windy on the day we we’re supposed to ride back to Salt Lake from Moab, and we all felt that was a good enough excuse to extend the trip another day! Hahaha. I won’t bore you with a long-winded account of the trip. That’s what video is for! Here’s a rather long, 15 minute account of the trip. Obviously you can’t fit 10 days of fun and adventure into a 15 minute video, but this was the best I could do! Enjoy! Oh, and if anyone wants to enjoy this route themselves HIT ME UP!!!! I’d be more than happy to do it again with a group, and I won’t even charge a tour-guide fee! Or, if you're interested, I can provide some links/coordinates of camping and trails along the route.

January 19, 2015 - (Motor Sports Newswire) - KTM is incredibly proud that Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider Marc Coma, who hails from Avià in Spain, sealed his fifth Dakar Rally title on Saturday and with it brought home KTM’s fourteenth consecutive win at one of the most notorious races in the world. While Paolo Goncalves took second place, KTM racer and Dakar rookie Toby Price took an outstanding podium third at his first attempt in an incredibly challenging Dakar race, which took place over 14 days and a route of approximately 9,000km through Argentina, Bolivia and Chile. Coma had a 17-minute lead into the final of 13 stages, although the race was halted on safety grounds due to rain at CP2 and Coma declared the winner. Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Racing Team again on top after more than 9.000km at the finish in Buenos Aires Coma: “I’m happy and proud. As usual it was a grueling rally. We had to overcome a problem on the second day that slowed us down a bit in the rankings. So from then on we had to change the strategy a little and push to recover that time. We knew that the marathons would be key stages and they were. I am happy with the team and the people we have around us. This fifth win says a lot about all of us. The level was very high and this also makes the win very valuable.” KTM team celebrates 14th consecutive Dakar victory Marc Coma tackled the Dakar with his usual passion and attention to detail, true to his belief that the only result that counts was that in the final day. He took victory in Stage 5 and was top three in six other stages. He also rode with care and prudence in the two marathon stages, nursing a damaged tire in the first and safely bringing his KTM 450 RALLY home across the salt flats of Bolivia in wet conditions that resulted in many riders having to exit the rally after salt clogged their engines and electronics. Fifth Dakar title for Red Bull KTM’s Marc Coma of Spain Stefan Pierer (KTM CEO): “That Marc Coma sealed his fifth and the 14th consecutive Dakar win for KTM is a personal success for Marc and each team member and invaluable for the entire company. The very strong KTM-supported riders have a large share in this outstanding overall result, above all Toby Price. His third place caused a sensation. The run of the 2015 Dakar Rally once again showed how unique and unpredictable this race is. Even stage winners like Sam Sunderland and Matthias Walkner didn´t make it to the finish line. The conditions were extremely exhausting for all involved. Everyone who made it to the finish in Buenos Aires is a winner.” Coma won Stage 5 on his KTM 450 RALLY bike Price: “To podium at my first Dakar is unbelievable. I’m shocked and definitely didn’t expect to be on the podium straight away. I wanted to be top 20, and I was definitely hoping to be in the top 10, but to cap it off with a podium is great. After the halfway mark we were in the top 10, but the goal for Alex (Doringer) and me was just to make it back each day while preserving myself and the bike; we just put our head down to keep charging and come away with a good result. It’s been great to see Marc take his fifth Dakar title and the 14th for KTM, which is insane. I didn’t know what to expect coming here, as I’ve done Six Days Enduros, but it doesn’t compare. It’s physically and mentally draining with the distance covered. The work behind the scenes is also insane. The guys work pretty much non-stop and on nearly no sleep. It’s a big team effort, and the result is certainly for the team and the rider. We can’t thank everyone enough, as there are so many people that have worked so hard.” Australia´s Toby Price third overall in his debut Dakar The Dakar 2015 was indeed a battle of attrition. Of the 168 starters in the bikes division only 78 were on the starting line for the final run into Buenos Aires. Final Standings Dakar 2015 after 13 stages 1. Marc Coma (ESP), KTM, 46:03.49 h 2. Paolo Goncalves (POR), Honda, +16.53 min 3. Toby Price (AUS), KTM, +23.14 4. Pablo Qunitanilla (CHI), KTM, +38.38 5. Stefan Svitko (SVK), KTM, +44.17 Other KTM 6. Ruben Faria (POR), KTM, +1:57.50 7. David Casteu (FRA), KTM, +2:00.14 8. Ivan Jakes (SVK), KTM, +2:18.18 11. Hans Vogels (NDL), KTM, +3:31.50 14. Paolo Ceci (ITA), KTM, +4:58.14 18. Jakub Przygonski (POL), KTM, +6:21.12 KTM’s Stage Winners Dakar 2015 Sam Sunderland – Stage 1 Matthias Walkner – Stage 3 Marc Coma – Stage 5 Pablo Qunitanilla – Stage 8 Ivan Jakes – Stage 11 Toby Price – Stage 12 Ivan Jakes – Stage 13 www.dakar.com www.redbull.com/dakar

NEW KTM Throttle Control Outperforms the Rest Another innovative design from the folks at Black Dog Cycle Works (BDCW) Sandpoint, ID, October 29, 2014 -- Black Dog Cycle Works' new Throttle Control was created to save riders from wrist cramping and fatigue on long pavement hauls between their off-road adventures. Further, "We designed our Throttle Control to be extremely rugged and user-friendly so it'll hold up to the heavy pounding and battering KTM adventure bikes endure," says Kurt Forgét of BDCW. Early product testers claim that the BDCW Throttle Control is easy-to-install and out performs all other designs they've used. A unique click on/off feature provides positive feel and positioning-taking the guesswork out of setting the proper drag. The design allows the rider to increase/decrease speeds without disengaging the device, as well as easily overridden for emergency situations. Riders who experience the often debilitating wrist pain associated with manually holding the throttle open for long periods will appreciate BDCW's new device. And, without having to fight the throttle 100% of the time, extended slab rides will be far more enjoyable. Available exclusively from Black Dog Cycle Works. Compatible with: KTM 1190 Adventure, 990 Adventure, 950 Adventure, 950 Super Enduro and 690 Enduro Stock grips and hand guards KTM heated grips Flexx handlebars Plus, MANY other motorcycles with dirt bike style handlebars About Black Dog Cycle Works (BDCW) BDCW is internationally known for their ULTIMATE armor skid plates and "Platform" footpegs for big adventure motorcycles. BDCW's products are used and abused worldwide by the top names in the ADV industry. "Living in a small American town we've come to know some of the most amazingly talented people. As a result, we made the solid business decision to build our company around these stellar craftsmen and women who care so much about their work, and continue to WOW! our customers with superior workmanship. That's why all of BDCW's own products are so proudly made in the U.S."

Topic for my upcoming plans with the BMW R1100GS. Some of you might know/saw some video's or pictures of me and know that I have Big plans for my Hyperion. I'll try and keep this topic updated with our progress. First of all we are trying to get in perfect riding shape. This is going slower than expected because of money, time and most irritating of all, delivery failure of some parts. Very short, we want to get a Dakar fairing and a selfmade subframe on it. Kinda like the one Touratech made, but then lowbudget ;-). When we bought the 1100, it wasn't in a good shape, hadn't seen a toolkit in years and almost everything needs a revision or has to be renewed. Summary *October 2014 : bought the bike, placed new battery, sprayed the windscreen yellow, installed new gear box *November 2014 : steel brake lines *January 2015 : new throttle cables, synchronisation, risers, crashbars, new rims with Heidenau M&S TO DO : * mount crash bars * revise Wilbers suspension * decide which fairing kit to use and adjust * do I want a lowering kit or not? * mount slimmer heated grips * GPS-device START BLOG Hyperion is a R1100GS from 1994 and had 147 000 km on it when I bought it. I have full confidence in that he will take me everywhere to see the world and explore what our earth has to show. He wasn't the youngest one on the market, but we have a saying, you gotta learn how to ride on an old hag... The biggest reason we chose this R1100GS was the price, for 2500 euro plus he had Wilbers suspension and a set of R1150GS Panniers. (And maybe I did like the color) So, this is him when he first got home. Me getting a lesson on how to get my bike on his centerstand. So I didn't like the silverish windscreen, got a yellow spraycan and got rid of the silver. More important was, during my first rides I noticed that I couldn't wheelie the bike. The bike just popped out of gear whenever I tried. Our first cost was a new gearbox then. We found one for about 175 euro and placed it ourselves. The operation was a succes,+ fitting in a new battery, and now Hyperion happily lifts his front wheel in the air. With the costs from the insurance, the gearbox and the bike itself there wasn't much to spend left, so I kep riding with it like that till November. In November it was really time to do something about the failing rubber brake hoses. The brakes got stuck because of mush that came out of the brakelines that were detoriating from the inside. So we bought some steel brake lines and that made a big difference. Instead of slowing the bike down, I was now able to stop it completely... I did not like the positioning of my arms, it looked as if I was on the road with daddies bike. My upperbody was pushed to much to the front which had a big influence on my technical riding. We ordered risers for my handlebar that inclined backwards too. Got no problems with the cables, everything still runs smoothly. Positioning on the bike is great at the moment ! Got him synchronized this week too, both cilinders got calibrated and now he runs brilliantly. Gas respond is so much better. If anyone still rides with an older version, get that thing synchronized. It is unbelievable how smooth the engine runs now. In the beginning when standing on idle, the bike rocked between my legs, now it just rests at one place. And last for now, but not forgettable. I bought new rims from the first owner and mounted them with Heidenau M&S, Scout. Was an excellent choice, but I'll leave this open for a tyretopic. ;-) Greeetz Sjiriki

How to remove the rear shock, replace a clutch slave and fill/bleed a clutch line on a (2011) BMW GS Adventure One of the cool things you may have found over the years of motorcycle ownership is first that you’re probably a decent judge after all of what’s really wrong with your bike and that you’re quite capable of fixing a lot of things by yourself. At least that’s what I learned in this case. It all started after completing the COBDR in July ’13. After this gnarly water crossing where I was going too fast through some too-deep water and the engine sucked in some water requiring a trail side air filter, oil filter and oil change, I started to also have an issue with my clutch. It was primarily on the way home. I was riding through some pretty hot weather from Steamboat Springs headed back to Irvine and it was probably Grand Junction when I first noticed the problem. I was coming off the freeway ramp and downshifting when I noticed there was almost no play in the clutch lever. The bike stalled because I couldn’t get it into neutral or use the clutch lever to disengage the gearing. I managed to park it at a Wendy’s, had lunch and then when I came back out and started it up again, the clutch was fine! It was something about the warmer temps or when the engine was hot it would act up. After I got home, I took it into the dealer to check it out and they said it was “just a bubble in the clutch line.” They flushed and filled and it was working fine. Well, it did work fine until the weather warmed up and it started to do the same thing. I then took it to an independent mechanic (since I was now out of warranty) and he said it wasn’t clear to him what was wrong. He did mention the push rod looked a bit worn and replaced that, but it’s only like a $9 part. He did run the engine quite a long time in order to try and recreate the problem but it wasn’t happening. Sure enough, when it warmed up again (WMRS ride in Aug ’13) the clutch went out again. At this point I had learned quite a bit about what types of clutch problems tend to crop up and my #1 theory was that the clutch slave was bad and needed to be replaced. I ordered a new clutch slave for about $155 (plus some new crush washers) and bought some special BMW clutch fluid ($26), although you can find a brand by Magura (Royal Blood Brake Fluid) at your local bicycle shop is essentially the same thing (Magura is the mfg of the clutch slave). The replacement process was really a breeze! So why did the slave fail in the first place? Was it defective? Was it normal wear and tear? Poorly designed? I think the most likely culprit is thermal shock, where the hot engine encounters cold water at a water crossing and that somehow compromised the slave. There is no gasket where it attaches, so I’m thinking that’s the most likely reason. We all like to blame the mechanics too, but I think the nature of this problem (only acts up when hot) makes it hard to diagnose. I will lay out the basics here, but the more detailed instructions are in the attached video. I figure not many of you will need to replace a clutch slave, but many more will need to take the rear shock off and perhaps bleed your own brake lines (every two years), so this should be helpful. Remove rear wheel Remove exhaust muffler Remove the top bolt of your rear shock under the seat. Using a strap to raise the swing arm high enough, remove the lower shock bolt and remove shock. You may notice you can’t get in there with a torque bit unless you raise the swing harm high enough. Two screws will remove the clutch slave; clean out back of engine w/brake fluid and install new clutch slave. Before you re-attach the clutch line to the master cylinder up top and the new slave below, flush it out with brake cleaner, then air to dry. Reattach clutch line using new crush washers top (near master cylinder) and bottom (at slave). Refill the master cylinder reservoir and attach ¼” OD vinyl hose to the bleed valve at the bottom. Using the process described in the video, pump the new fluid through until you see no bubbles. Tighten it back up, re-install rear shock (red loctite and proper torque specs) and exhaust and you’re ready to go!

Here's a little edit of the first trail ride I took the Tenere on after installing my first set of Heidenau K60 Scouts. Tons of fun! This is climbing Bald Mountain in the Oquirr mountains just West of Salt Lake City Utah.