Morning.
Our lead this week isn't a new bike at all, it's Itchy Boots closing out a multi-year ride across an entire continent on a 1987 Yamaha Tenere, and it puts the KTM 690 Rally's return and the Zero DS's 271-mile single-charge record in good company.
There's a water crossing warning on the Colorado BDR worth reading before you load up, a steering head rebuild after 18,000 miles on a TW200, and a new story from our garage at the end, Two Inches from a Fir Tree, on fear, faith and a 450 pound bike.
— Keith
Reading time: 6 minutes.
WELCOME ABOARD
156
new riders joined us since Issue 13.
If this is your first Dispatch, welcome. We are Keith and Andrea, two riders in Calgary, Alberta, Canada who put this field report together every week. To everyone who has been here a while, thank you for sticking with us. Hit reply any time with a route, a repair or a question. We read every one.
✦ THIS WEEK'S LEAD
I've reached the end of the EURASIAN CONTINENT on a 1987 Yamaha Tenere 🇰🇷 |S8, EP164 VIDEO
What it is — Itchy Boots (Noraly Schoenmaker) posts the episode where she rides her 1987 Yamaha Tenere to the edge of South Korea, closing out a multi-year ride across the entire Eurasian landmass.
The detail — The bike is a 1987 Tenere, not a modern ADV machine, and this episode marks Season 8, Episode 164 of a continent-spanning series.
Why it matters — If you've ever wondered whether an old single-cylinder dual-sport can actually do the miles, this is proof, and a reminder that crossing a continent doesn't require a new bike.
Source: Itchy Boots (YouTube)
✦ INDUSTRY & BIKES
KTM 690 Rally Review: The LC4 ADV Bike Returns After Nearly 20 Years ARTICLE
What it is — ADV Pulse rides KTM's revived 690 Rally, the LC4-powered successor in spirit to the old 640 Adventure that helped kick off the ADV category in the late '90s.
The detail — The piece measures the new bike against the 640 Adventure's reputation for light weight and a 7-gallon tank, nearly 20 years on.
Why it matters — If you've been waiting for KTM to bring back a proper LC4 adventure bike, this tells you whether the wait was worth it before you go looking for one.
Source: ADV Pulse Read it →
Zero DS Sets Guinness Record: 271 Miles on a Single Charge ARTICLE
What it is — Ultimate Motorcycling reports a production Zero DS set a Guinness World Record for the longest single-charge ride on an electric motorcycle.
The detail — The bike covered 271.2 miles on public roads from the French Alps toward the Mediterranean on one charge.
Where it falls short — Record runs happen under ideal conditions and riding style, so don't expect that range loaded down on a trail ride.
Why it matters — If electric dual-sport range has been your hold-up, this is the number to recalibrate against, even with the usual record-run asterisks.
Source: Ultimate Motorcycling Read it →
Royal Enfield's Himalayan 750 Is Already Around The Corner ARTICLE
What it is — RideApart publishes spy shots of Royal Enfield's largest Himalayan yet, the 750, caught testing ahead of a launch expected within weeks.
The detail — RideApart says the 750 is getting closer to production and that recent spy shots suggest an official launch could be just weeks away.
Why it matters — If you've liked the Himalayan but wanted a bigger engine, hold your order until the official numbers land.
Source: RideApart Read it →
✦ GEAR & PARTS
Akrapovič titanium footpegs designed for serious adventure riding ARTICLE
What it is — Adventure Bike Rider covers Akrapovič's first footpeg set, a titanium design aimed at serious off-road riders rather than the exhausts the brand is known for.
The detail — The pegs are cast from titanium in Akrapovič's own foundry, with a wide platform and removable rubber pads for road riding.
Why it matters — If your stock pegs feel small standing up on rocky trails, this is a name to check against your budget before your next upgrade.
Source: Adventure Bike Rider Read it →
Yamaha TW200 Steering Head Rebuild Tutorial | Make it Handle Like New VIDEO
TDubsKid tears down a TW200's steering head after 18,000 miles wore the bearings notchy, and walks through the full rebuild start to finish. The kind of job that's cheap in parts and easy to put off, right up until your bike won't hold a line on gravel.
Source: TDubsKid (YouTube) Watch it →
Our Top 5 Favorite Gear Items Right Now 2026 VIDEO
What it is — Runa and her partner run down the five pieces of gear they keep reaching for after years of filming and living on the road.
The detail — The list comes out of what they describe as testing countless setups over years, not a single trip's impression.
Why it matters — If you're building a kit from scratch, this is a shortcut past the gear that didn't survive their own testing.
Source: tshansen (YouTube) Watch it →
CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS
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This is the gear that rides with us, collected on a single list so you can look it over before your next overnight trip. Tap through, pick what fits your setup, and see what has earned a spot in our packing.
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✦ ONE BIG NUMBER
78 miles
The margin by which the new electric single-charge record beat the old one. Zero's DS covered 271.2 miles against the previous Guinness mark of 193.053 miles, an improvement of more than 40%, and the bike was stock apart from a factory Power Tank accessory. It's the same run behind this week's Zero item, and a reminder that the old range-anxiety math is changing fast.
Source: Ultimate Motorcycling
✦ RIDING SKILLS
Video: Standing vs. Sitting For Off-Road Riding ARTICLE
ADVrider breaks down when to stand and when to sit off road, aimed at riders who learned on pavement and never had to think about it. It covers the basics of weighting the pegs over rough ground, worth a refresher even if you've been doing it for years. Good one to pass along to anyone new to the dirt side of ADV riding.
Source: ADVrider Read it →
Five Lessons from Hammock Camping in Montenegro ARTICLE
Adventure Spec tries hammock camping on a trip through Montenegro and comes back with five concrete lessons, not just a gear plug. Worth reading before you swap your tent for a hammock on a multi-day ride, especially the parts about picking ground you can actually hang from.
Source: Adventure Spec Read it →
✦ TRAVEL & ROUTES
COBDR Route Updates ARTICLE
BDR flags two things worth knowing before you load up for Colorado: weekday closures on Ophir Pass for mine cleanup, and a deep water crossing reported near Tincup on Section 3. Short, practical, worth checking against before you commit to a route that includes either.
Source: Backcountry Discovery Routes Read it →
READY TO RIDE: CHAPTER SEVENTY-EIGHT ARTICLE
Nomadic Knights keeps up its running series of quick snapshots from the road, five short scenes from wherever they've been riding lately. Lighter than a full trip report, more like catching a friend's trail updates between bigger stories.
Source: Nomadic Knights Read it →
We Rode from Europe to Africa VIDEO
Two riders take Honda CRF300s from the UK toward the Trans Morocco Trail, and the trip goes sideways before it even starts with an oil leak and a surprise in Gibraltar. A good watch if you're planning the same crossing and want to know what actually goes wrong.
Source: The Wandering Honda (YouTube) Watch it →
✦ PODCASTS
EP178: Public Land Access & ADV Road Closures What Riders Can Do PODCAST
Drew and Mark talk with Scott Jones about what happens when a trail or road you ride gets closed, and what options riders actually have before and after it happens. Practical listening if you've ever shown up to a favorite route and found a gate where there wasn't one.
Source: Moto Adventurer Unscripted Listen to it →
Just Simply Riding Around the World — Jess and Greg Stone PODCAST
What was supposed to be an 18-month ride has turned into four years on the road for Jess and Greg Stone, traveling with their dog while running a business from wherever they land. Good one for the drive if you've ever wondered what happens when a trip just doesn't end.
Source: Adventure Rider Radio Listen to it →
✦ FROM OUR GARAGE
Two Inches from a Fir Tree: Fear, Faith and a 450 Pound Bike
On a rocky, rutted descent near Vernon, British Columbia, Keith found himself on a 450 lb adventure bike with less than two inches of air between his handlebar and a large fir. He writes about the Adventure Bike Gathering, why fear is where he feels most alive, and what the research on fear and flow says about riding. It's the one we'd hand to anyone standing at the top of their own hill.
Read the full post on WaarMoto.com — Two Inches from a Fir Tree: Fear, Faith and a 450 Pound Bike.
THE TIP JAR
If the Dispatch has earned a coffee, we'd be grateful.
Everything above is free, and it will stay that way. It also takes many evenings a week to put together and, with a list this size, a real bill to send. We don't need everyone to chip in. But if the Dispatch has saved you a scroll or pointed you at a ride you actually went on, and you'd like to help keep the garage lights on, a few dollars does it. If not, no worries at all. We'll be in your inbox next Thursday either way.
That's the stack for this week. Keep an eye on that water crossing near Tincup if you're headed to Colorado, and if your pegs or your steering head have been complaining, now's the time to deal with it before the next trip. See you next Thursday.
ONE FOR THE ROAD
“To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive.”
— Robert Louis Stevenson
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WORLD ADV DISPATCH · A FIELD REPORT FROM WAARMOTO.COM
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