Mike's Tenere & Motorcycle Blog

  Olympia Dakar 2 Mesh Jacket & Pants circa 2016-19 After 7 years riding with  First Gear 37.5 Kilimanjaro riding jacket & pants  with bonded waterproof layers that always felt hot & clammy in warm/hot weather & on the recommendation of a friend who has been using Olympia's Dakar 2 jacket system for  several years now I am preferring my recently acquired (used) Olympia Dakar 2 mesh riding jacket & pants that have a zip in thermal jacket liner & rain coat (that can be worn outside as well) & pant with rain over pants for much improved warm/hot weather comfort while not giving up too much on colder days, with the inherent compromise of having to stop to add or remove layers. This combo has been comfortable in temps as low as 1*C (34*F).         Olympia History Olympia was an innovator in motorcycle riding apparel & made quality products priced below the premium brands in the late 2000s, but product quality, features ...

  Headlight Protector I sourced a 3mm thick clear plastic (the description quotes both acrylic & polycarbonate) headlight protector from AliExpress for $23.52 Canadian including shipping with no additional charges upon delivery. The quality is surprisingly high, optically clear with no blemishes, rounded edges, a rigid design preformed to match the oem headlight shape & mounts via the 4 oem side deflector mounting points with black anodized aluminum spacers, 8 plastic washers & longer allen button head bolts. The hardware kit should have included 4 more plastic washers to isolate all metal parts from plastics, so I re-used the 4 oem plastic washers used between the bolt head & the side deflector in addition to the 8 supplied. The rubber M5 well nuts provide isolation between the side deflectors & the oem headlight assembly resin frame.  Tech Tip:  Check the condition of the side deflector & windscreen M5 oem rubber well nuts as they deform & de...

 ECU Flash Tune by 2 Wheel DynoWorks The recent addition of a Black Widow decat header & removal of the oem air box snorkel has prompted an ECU flash tune to my 2021 Tenere 700 to be performed by 2 Wheel DynoWorks. Last years mail-in ECU flash Black Friday sale ($225 US or $310 CDN) was for the entire month of Nov & can be done via mail, drop off or ride in at their Kirkland shop just east of Seattle Wa, USA...note that they will refund the $50 US shipping charge invoiced at purchase if you opt to bring the ECU to their shop, ratcheting up the cost to benefit ratio substantially. Kudo's to them for having no time limit on when to have it flashed after purchase, so was be able to ride down this spring. If seeking the most refined fueling & power delivery, cooler running & healthier motor an ECU flash tuned for your particular set-up provides the greatest benefit, whereby on the Tenere 700 the majority of the improvement will be in the  low/mid range (~ +4 hp ...