XT600 Tenere - The original overland adventure bike!!

Although there has been a long list of 'acceptable' overland adventure bikes over the years, and no bike is bad as such when on an adventure. There is however one bike that has stood the test of time, and for those that know, this bike will always be the all-time ORIGINAL overland adventure bike!!

I present to you, and salute, the Yamaha XT600 Tenere.

An air-cooled super single thumper with a 'massive' fuel tank as standard plus a broad and comfortable seat ready to carry you over the plains of Africa into the sunset!

And 20 years ago, back in 1998 when the earth was young and bare, that is exactly what the mighty 600 Tenere did for me.

After welding up my own jerry can holders with bird poo. And making up a plumbers pipe with screw-on end caps to keep my maps dry (as per advice found in the greatest motorcycle adventure handbook of all time by Chris Scott). My journey started in London, UK then through France.

I barely touched the tarmac through Andorra, with just an occassional wave at oblivious pedestrians, and then down to the southern tip of e'Spain for the ferry crossing to Morocco. Just a hero and his bike.

In Morocco I came accross some rocks...

After struggling to understand gibberish in Morocco it was 'vamos' onto the beautiful desolated land of Mauritania and the usual twice weekly military escort accross the border and through the landmine fields.

Mauritania was followed by Mali; as it has been down there for quite a while. In Africa you have got to use what is available to you and a boulder next to a tree gives a bit of protection for sleeping out rough:

From Mali I crossed into Burkino Faso where I found elephants as that country is know for. I am afraid that from here on things got a bit loose and shady through Togo and Benin ending with some monkeys and malaria in Nigeria. And because cameras were not yet invented in 1998 I have no further evidence to show that those countries even exist.

But this is me, more than two decades ago, and I did make it to the Cameroon Border where I was advised not to continue my journey because of the war in the Congo (which had started in Aug 1998 and turned into a 5 year long slaughter). It was no tea party down there they said.

In loving memory of arguably the greatest adventure motorcycle ever build. I miss you buddy.