Rebuild 34L Tenere or New Bike?
 

Hi! I've returned from Africa with my Tenere 34L in a very sorry state and I'm planning my next trip away - beginning 2012 from Europe heading East with no final destination. I love the Tenere to bits but at the moment I don't know whether to spend the time (which I have) and money (which I don't have) on restoring the Tenere which would be a great bike once it's finished (but may cost a fortune) or should I spend the money on getting a decent 2nd-hand bike elsewhere.? I fear nostalgia is holding me to the Tenere - all suggestions greatly appreciated! Thanks - Dave

I'd get a new bike. The cost of a proper restoration is prohibitive and will be more than the extra money you will spend getting a new one. The attachment will fade with time.

Knowledge
 

Hey,

I'd go with the rebuild for a couple of reasons,

• You have the time and the knowledge gained would last a lifetime
• for the same amount of money of a 2nd hand bike wouldn't yours be like new again..?
• The confidence gained in the knowledge everything is perfect and as should be is a great confidence booster prior to a trip.
• Yor bike has quirks, you know them and can live with them, no need to learn again.
• The expense and level of restoration is up to you, showroom or good runner?
• If it breaks down on the trip, you'd know what, if and how to repair it.

or do you just want a new(er) or different bike? These feelings are ok, it's not being unfaithful,............. "it's just not working out", "it's me... not you", "we need time apart", "I've met another bike", ha, ha, ha!

Can I just say that although I have no real experience here, I think Geoff's post above is brilliant. I get really attached to my bikes even though most of them are totally inappropriate to my needs, and have ended up with far too many because I just can't let them go :(

If you 'love (your) Tenere to bits' I suspect that some of your unconscious planning for the next trip will be based on your experience with it in Africa, and unless you really are after a change, I would have a go with what you have already. Whatever other bike you might get, you will undoubtedly end up comparing it with the Tenere, especially if that 'relationship' doesn't work out.

i'm currently rebuilding a xr400r to my liking. that way i don't need to make compromises on a new bike (because of the money)
with new/secondhand you don't know what you got. with a rebuild you do. and you can fix anything on the road because you know your bike

To some degree the decision will depend on how much has to be replaced on the existing bike. If the frame has to be replaced and the engine and gearbox needs to be refurbed then you may be better off spending the time nad money on a second hand bike in better condition (which will also need some work).

Otherwise, there is a great deal of satisfaction to be gained from resurecting the old faithful Tenere and then doing another trip on it.

The other factor is age. You may gain some reliability if you replace it with something much newer but if you replace it with something of the same vintage that appears better on the surface, you may just find yourself opening another can of worms.

Thanks for the advice, had a quick look at the bike today and although it needs a good bit of work there's no one thing there that's going to be too big a job (read too expensive) to fix. As has been pointed out I'll know the bike inside-out when it's done, will have confidence in the bike and it should be good as new. Gotta start a rebuild thread now! Thanks - dave

Get another Tenere and swap the parts you need, that should be cheaper than buying new parts and you will end up with a lot of spares, too.

What's wrong with the bike anyways? Frame broken, engine problems, anything expensive?

Info on the bike here: http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...-project-54463 All input welcome!

good choice :thumbup1:
carfule with the wireing though misstakes are easy made.
just take your time for it, spare are widely available.

Stick to what you know. The experience in rebuilding what you already know is a good bike will be invaluable. Also you can make sensible changes to make it even more perfect.

Another vote for the rebuild, I overhauled my '83 G/S after 120,000 miles then did 20,000 trouble free miles across Africa on it, since then I have added another 20,000 almost trouble free.
If you buy another second had you have no idea what horrors might be hidden inside.

And if you do buy a new one what would you get? I have done this minefield myself. Everyone will just say that whatever bike they currently ride is perfect for everyone else. The truth is that it's impossible to get an unbiased opinion. There are now dozens of new ADV style machine out there and less choice than ever before because the companies that make them have caught on that these things are now trendy coffee-shop transport so the capabilities and build quality of these machines have fallen massively. Add to that the complications of EFI, emissions control and trendy styling and modern ADV machines are basically useless without massive modifications.
In an ideal world I would buy a BMW R100gs, a very old and reliable bike but everyone has caught on to this and the price has sky rocketed. How about the modern Tenere 660. Nice bike but let down by terrible build quality. Get chatting to the dealers and they will tell you that a year outside on display ruins their bikes. BMW r1200gs? Totally unreliable. Like riding a laptop powered by Vista. A nice engine with utter junk bolted all over it so it's guaranteed to fail. F800gs. Every piece built in Poland will break and then the clutch will shatter.
Honestly, if you have a good bike then stick to it because good bikes is one thing they're not building any more. I currently have a Rotax powered BMW G650 X-country. I'm turning it into a travel bike slowly. It needs a new subframe to support luggage, more fuel, better seat, wind protection, rear shock, progressive springs, etc, etc. I love the bike but making it viable is turning into the cost of a whole extra bike. I trust the engine but frankly that's a good job because I can't get to much to fix it if it does break.
Stick to your good bike that you know. I wish I was in your shoes. To have a sound bike that you know is good, reliable and can cope with what you're doing to it is an enviable position many people on here would love to be in.

Rebuild.
 

Hi Luadraman,
I would go for the rebuild better the devil you know and all that, if you have the skills all well and good if you dont what better way to learn them, look at the confidence that you will have in the bike and your abilities.
All the best with your decision.
Andy.