Yamaha XT1200Z SuperTénéré owners: Show Us Your Bikes!

There are NUMEROUS threads about bear preparations, bear encounters, thar-I -wuz, my-buddy says, & it'd be a shame to pollute this thread by degrading into another. Basically, the main two trains of thought are (1) gotta have a gun, and (2) pepper spray. Both have vocal adherents & detractors and my thought is that there is a place for each. Trying to answer your question directly and add a comment about the $2000 Bush Pilot gun:

Yes, hardware and sporting goods stores in bear country carry pepper spray meant for bear defense. I've talked to Alaska Troopers who've used the stuff and I've trusted one of them as my guard on a project. When you are going into the edge of the brush in the dark of night to take a leak, you don't have the time or maneuvering room for a gun and for the first second or so there's the hesitation that comes with recognizing whether you are looking at a lost kid or a bear. The pepper spray works and is non-fatal if you are wrong in that decision, because the following photo is NOT how much time you're going to have:
I plan in terms of walking up to the yellow while unzipping my fly, and waking a bear who is under the yellow. How fast can you ACCURATELY place 5 slugs FAST when you are that close and rattled?

As for guns, the most common gun I've seen in the Alaska bush has been a short barrel pump shotgun. We did have spray but also the pumps on the packs in front of us:


On a more humorous note about the question: Do bears shit in the woods? The answer is absolutely! They shit in the woods, on the rocks, on a shoreline, and anywhere else they damn well please!

Bears and guns

Park service just noted a study of hundreds of bear encounters in and out of parks, Bear spray is effective over 90% of the time

long guns are effective 83% of the time

and pistols less than 70%

that saying the time I spent in Alaska and in camps around Yellowstone a 12 ga slug gun with the first round #2 and followed by 550 gr. slugs was the weapon of choice. Bear spray is fatal to neither party, you or the bear. One of the last grizzly/ bow hunter encounters in Northern Idaho the guy died, his buddy shot him with a large calibre hand gun. That probably feels pretty good for the rest of your life.

I like the shotgun advice... Nothing I prefer more for close encounters than a good shotgun.

Problem is that nobody makes nice, new, quick "breakdown" pump or auto shotguns any longer. That said, there is one great choice in shotguns that easily and quickly break down and re-assemble like that Alaskan Co-Pilot rifle...

The Winchester Model 12.

And they are readily available for reasonable prices on the used market. Grab one of those with a shorter barrel, a nice soft "breakdown" shotgun case, and some shells and you've got something that will pack just as nicely in most ADV bike side cases.

Here's some info on the Model 12, as well as a couple of sites that have a number of them for sale:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tgd9JDFoYJA

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winchester_Model_1912

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_do_you_break_down_a_Winchester_Model_12_pump_shotgun_Serial_607799

http://www.collectorsfirearms.com/admin/show_inventory.php?catID=14&subcatID=184

http://www.bedlans.com/collector%27s_shotguns.htm

One of the great things about a shotgun, IMHO, over pepper spray is that it's effective on other dangerous critters, like snakes... or multiple, potentially predatory humans.

And regarding bear pepper spray that might get accidentally get used on people...

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081129230617AAtKEvQ

You might not kill your buddy, but burning him bad enough he requires hospitalization, and perhaps blinding him for life is not a pleasant thought, either. Something to consider with the wide fogging, range, and Scoville heat units bear sprays are capable of.

Just my less than two cents...

Dallara



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Doh. Shoulda searched first. Thanks fo the advice anyway.

Funny how a great thread can mutate to a bear thread.

SHOW US YOUR BEAR ON YOUR BIKE THREAD NOW!!!

At least it's still a Yamaha "Big Bear".

Well,yeah,you guys are right,this isn't a bear thread(it is a great thread tho--thanks for all the great picts). But my Tenere does & will take me into bear country often( I live in it) & bear encounters,esp grizzlies, are frequent( I had one). So Teneres & bears aren't entirely unrelated. One question tho, can you take pepper spray into Canada???

They're better with garlic.

When I went up North I only took one of these. They must work because
I made it back.

Depends on the border crossing, have been allowed and have not, depends on the whim of the officer. Just had to suck up and buy a new can. Funny thing as bad as US TSA is, no problem going the other way. Go figure

Pluric, they say when dead grizzlies get cleaned & gutted those bells are often found in the bears' stomachs....along with M&Ms.

:eek1 I'm screwed.

Just take a cotton ball, run it down your fork leg...........

I didn't mean "screwed" literally.

All I could find on my office computer to even remotely try to put this thread back on track.

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And in the spirit of getting the thread back on topic...






It may not be a bear, but there is one of my favorite beasts is in the pic with my "Texas Tenere"... It has four-wheels, though!


Dallara




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Pluric, Dallara, if you hear any bells ringin it's probably bears headin for the M&Ms locked in those aide cases. Ok, I'll shut up. You guys are a lotta fun tho. keep up the good workz.

So when those Harley riders have those little bells hanging down off their Hogs that's "Bear Bait", right? :dg

Dallara













p.s. - now don't you any of your H-D owners get offended... I have an XR-1200.

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You be the first to call him 'Tinkle Bell'. I think it will work out fine. I'll even hold your beer.

Geez, Pluric!!!

How the hell did you get a picture of ME?

Now you know why I want that stiffer spring for my Tenere...

Dallara



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Gosh pluric, you got every grizzly in Cyber's Space drueling over the tonne of meat.And the bear'd only have to jog to catch up with that Hog.How many M&Ms you spose it took to swell that guy up???

Wow, I knew you had good taste in motorcycles but now I know you just have GOOD TASTE

I like the beast in the background

We seem to have the same taste for motorized vehicles, here are my two beasts

My V is not as powerful as yours but I still love it

I can't see the color of your Tenere but my two beasts look awesome in black