Romaniacs : Off-Road Day 3

Romaniacs is a grueling 4-day test of skill and endurance. And, the rules are plain; if you do not finish 2 days, you are no longer allowed to race. But, with the addition of the Marathon Stage this year, we had a bit of an exception and Andy had a chance at redemption. He woke up in Râmnicu Vâlcea with no schedule, no agenda and no pressure. Literally hundreds of other riders found themselves in the same position with just one agenda item: traverse the 100+km north to the race paddock in Sibiu. For those that were exhausted from 2 days of fighting the off-road terrain, taking the Transalpina highway across mountain switchbacks was a welcome respite, even on a dirt bike with mousses. This would have been a perfectly acceptable, and perhaps even enjoyable option on a Tenere. But, Andy opted for the DQ tracks. These are loaded onto the GPS and follow an off-road route that primarily tracks against the Atom class race route. It goes through checkpoints and even lands you at the service point to meet your crew and fuel up.

The Atom class tracks proved to be just right for an amateur rider on a big bike. The riders still had to make it across the Carpathians, so there were still tricky climbs and steep descents, but nothing to the extent that Andy had experienced on off-road days 1 and 2. And, of course, as luck would have it, nature gave Andy absolutely perfect conditions with cool temps and no precipitation. There were fast connectors across gravel and prime dirt where the Tenere could really sing. There is no doubt the dirt bikes were not expecting this beast to pass them so easily. I’ve been in their boots and experienced first hand what it’s like to be on the pipe, pushing a 2-stroke as fast as I think is possible only to hear the growl of a 689cc parallel twin barreling down behind me. And then…the horn. That silly horn just taunting the dirtbikers as they’re passed easily by a pink and purple beast.

Andy was able to keep a fantastic pace and make it to the service point without the pressure of a race. He got to take in the chaos and visit with friends who were still in the hunt before continuing towards Sibiu.

That’s not to say the course was without its challenges. The GPS was showing that the end was near, and if he cut the engine on his bike, Andy could hear the roar of the crowd at the race finish. Just as he was feeling good about the course, there was an off-camber side hill. Andy took it slow to avoid rolling off the side of a cliff, when all of a sudden, the front tire gave and the bike slid off the side. But, again, spirits were high and Andy stayed calm and turned the regret of that first fall on off-road day 1 into a lesson learned. He took out his Green Chile ADV Z-Drag and got to work. This was the sole track to the finish line, so any riders coming up on him found that there was no go around and it would be in their best interest to help. The Z-Drag made relatively quick work of a precarious situation and Andy rolled across the finish all smiles.

Romaniacs : Off-Road Day 2

After just 1 day of racing, the riders seemed to have found a good cadence. They understand the start procedure, tracking against the GPS and ensuring they hit every checkpoint. But just as soon as they “get it,” the race organization throws a curveball. Welcome to day 2, the first marathon day. Romaniacs has hosted a marathon stage before, but each year is different and this marathon stage is new for most competitors.

The Basics: Typical stages have been clover-leaves or an out-and-back. That means racers may take a liaison from the paddock to the race start and then again from the race finish back to the paddock, but they get the comfort of returning to their service crew and also returning to their hotel. Service crews have all night to fix any issues, change tires and ensure the bike is ready to race the following morning. The marathon stage turns this upside down by having the riders get to the race finish for day 2 in a completely different location where they’ve set up a parc ferme. The riders will stay the night without assistants or service crews before heading back to the paddock on Day 3. This changes the strategy a bit. Racers are not allowed to change tires and they are limited to the tools and parts that they carry or that are available in the Milwaukee tent. The service crews will only be available at the mid-race service points on day 2 and day 3. The service points eat into race time, so you have to prioritize what can be done within the 20 minute service window so as not to take up more race time, and what can each rider do themselves at parc ferme without the assistance of their crew.

Whats in the bag: Each rider is given an overnight bag (a construction waste bag) intended to hold only their overnight clothes and perhaps an extra kit to wear the next day. We also prepped Andy with supplements to manage his energy and nutrition. This meant loading empty water bottles with a post-ride recovery mix for day 2, and then AG1, an amino acid mix and extra hydration mix for his pack in preparation for day 3. It sounds simple, but only if you and your crew have your routine dialed. Remember, each day is an eternity fueled by adrenaline and mici (Romanian sausage). There is so much to do and racers are dehydrated and exhausted by the time they get back from riding. Thankfully, I was keenly aware of Andy’s routine from hygiene to nutrition so prepped his marathon bag for him.

The Ride: The riders wound their way south from Sibiu through the southern Carpathian Mountains to Râmnicu Vâlcea, paralleling the famous Transalpina Highway. Day 2 started off fast and flowy reminiscent of riding the sandy, wooded trails in central Michigan. The single track wound through tight trees before hitting hill climbs that led to the riders facing high-exposure off-camber downhills. One wrong move could have you and your bike tumbling down a sheer cliff for over a hundred feet. Once your heart recovers from those terrifying downhill sections, you’re rewarded with 50km of fast, flowy dirt and gravel road before the track once again changes into a deeply rutted, gnarly climb that went on for kilometers up a steep hill. The remainder of the day brought more off-camber side hills with high exposure before winding back down the mountain. At the bottom, you find yourself, at times, knee-deep in all of the rain from the day before. This is definitely type 2 fun until you crest a hill and find yourself rewarded with some of the most amazing views across the Romanian countryside.

Day 2 proved to be a bit too challenging for most. Of 157 riders in the Iron Class that qualified to start on Day 2, only 36 saw the finish line. Rain sweeping across the mountains in the afternoon took out most competitors. And, unfortunately, Andy exceeded the allotted time for the 3rd checkpoint by just 20 minutes and was not permitted to continue. He exited the track onto pavement to parc ferme in the rain.

But, due to the marathon stage, the disqualified riders had one last opportunity to ride the gnarliest trails Romanian has to offer. Next up, we’re on to Offroad Day 3 and a taste of the Atom tracks.

Romaniacs : Off-Road Day 1

TLDR: After opting out of the prologue due to the high risk of damage both to bike and rider, Andy started in 153rd place out of 157 riders. Riders in each class are assigned a start time based on prologue results and if they did not participate, then based on registration order. Andy had a late start time which means he got to experience torrential rains and zero traction scenarios before timing out.

Pre-race prep: The evening after the prologue is a mad dash to ensure each rider is prepared for the next day. Support crews are stationed in the paddock or nearby. In our case, our support crew, Carpathian Adventures, has a homebase 1km from the paddock where the bikes are kept. It’s a bit of a mad dash to lay out all the gear Andy will need for the first race day, confirm with the service crew that the bike is prepped and then drop off a box of parts, snacks, and extra gear to be brought to the service point.

There’s a balance between what Andy can carry on himself and the bike and being light enough to make it through a 100km+ day. There are multiple points where riders can fill up on water, but only one Service Point. That means if Andy snaps a chain 30km prior to the service point, that’s the end of his day. The Tenere has a bit more room under the seat than most dirt bikes, but still only enough room to carry absolute essentials. The items that are most likely to brake and can be repaired trialside as well as the emergency recovery equipment. The service crew will bring additional parts and tools. For Andy, they’re also carrying an extra set of goggles and gloves, essential if it starts to rain, and foods we know will agree with Andy’s stomach.

Amidst the regular race prep, we are managing the added hiccup of an arm injury from a collision with another rider on a training ride just 2 days prior to the race start. This is when I’m thankful for how much we’ve traveled, being able to speak multiple languages, and how often I’m injured (bit of a joke but bit of truth there). What you know at home doesn’t always translate to what is available in a foreign country. In most European countries, your local grocery store is not going to carry neosporin and drug stores the way we know them do not exist. There is no room for the big box store. Most of Europe has pharmacies that are just that. There is no makeup aisle, snack packs or Hallmark greeting cards. Scoping things out ahead of time means you’ll be able to make an efficient plan.

So we’ve run around Sibiu, picked up first aid supplies, water, extra protein bars, organized the bike and extra parts with the service crew, then tried to cram as many calories into Andy as possible, and it’s nearing midnight. Now we try to rest.

Race Start: The running around isn’t over. The morning of the race, Andy drives to the support crew. It’s half a km (about a quarter mile) but not worth expending the energy to walk his gear over. From there, the riders gear up and head to the paddock where they pick up their GPS’s and wait for their start time. Racers are released from the paddock 30 seconds apart and they have a 30 minute window to ride 18km on paved roads to the off-road start.

The day by the numbers: Each rider is scanned in at the off-road start to allow for the staggered start. Cumulative ride time across all days determines your place. But where the first race day spans 120km (75 miles) across the mountains, timing is everything. Start times range from 6:00am to 10:30am across all classes with race organizers anticipating a 3 and a half hour day for the iron class. The reality is, the first rider made it back in 3 hours and 58 minutes at 12:27pm. The last rider to make it to the finish came in at 8 hours 47 minutes at almost 6:30pm. Andy rode for just under 5 hours to make it to the Service Point, approximately half way through the race.

Weather moves fast through the mountains and the riders that were able to get an early start experienced a completely different track than those with a later start time. The top ten guys had a completely dry race where the latter half of the pack experienced torrential rains. Severe weather reports forced the race organization to cut the race short and reroute some of the riders. Again, timing is everything.

And they’re off! Andy started off strong on day 1 right into a section along a river, where he passed 20 or 30 riders. But, about an hour in, the trail cut across the mountains and the riders faced a downed tree that was suspended over the trail at an angle, pointing downhill. Other riders were able to pop the front end up and land their skid plates on the tree. From there, they pulled the rear end up and over. Not an easy task on a dirt bike and it would not have been worth trying on a different adventure bike without lower frame rails. Andy got the front end up and over only to have the skid plate slide on the tree and over the edge of the trail, tumbling about 6 feet down and upside down. He hit his head on the way down and most likely suffered a mild concussion, so did not think to grab his winch. Instead there were riders telling him to continue down the side of the mountain to try and ride up further down the trail. Unfortunately, he found himself 35 feet down in a ravine full of logs. A German father and son pair went down to help him and called in more German reinforcements. With 4 other riders and the help of the Green Chile Z-drag system, they were able to get the bike back on the trail. This 45 minute delay would prove to be too much to overcome.

Andy continued on through more climbs and steep descents, but the Tenere was fast and flowy between the next 2 check points and Andy was able to pass more riders before getting to the service point at 2:00pm. Just as he was about to exit the service point, the entire ride changed again. I was with the media crew but trying to track Andy when, suddenly, all of our phones started blaring with severe weather warnings. Thunderstorms were rolling through, but Andy proceeded on, riding in the rain for the next 3 hours. The rain turned the downhills to a sloppy mess with hail sprinkled on top. The bike tracked uphill so long as he had momentum, but the downhills required him to get off the bike and walk next to it. If you’ve followed Romaniacs, you’ve seen this technique before. Even the gold riders will walk their bikes down the mountainside, praying their boots find traction. The technique is the same, but the consequences of sliding with a 195kg (430 pound) bike are that much more severe. Andy pushed for 3 hours before finding himself in a mud rut where the bike physically did not fit. It took 5 members of the sweep crew to pick up the mud-caked bike and get it on firm enough ground to ride out.

At the end of the day, the bike and Andy survived, a bit battered and bruised, but ready to tackle Off-Road Day 2.

Romaniacs : Prologue

Before the race festivities start, the race organization gets to work building out the prolog (or prologue if you’re American). The prolog is a sprint race used to determine the off-road starting order within each of the five classes. Each class runs slightly different obstacles from jersey barriers and massive logs to monster truck tires. The formula is one part carpenter, one part mad scientist and a dash of sadism sprinkled on top. Like the rest of the race, the prolog is not for the faint of heart.

There is a fair amount of debate amongst competitors, especially those new to the program, as to whether or not to try their hand. Race order is determined first by prolog time and then by race number, which was given out sequentially at registration, plus a penalty, depending on class, tacked on for opting out. Part of the problem (or diabolical master plan by the race organization) is that construction for the obstacles begins days before the race start and happens in real time down a city street. That means you’re able to see the obstacles and either begin to panic or start to formulate a plan.

Regardless of manufacturer, almost all competitors are on a 300 2-stroke with approximately the same clearance and same wheelbase. This means that the difficulty of the obstacles is identical for all competitors, except those on adventure bikes. The stock Tenere 700 has a 100mm (4 inch) longer wheelbase and 110mm (4.5 or so inch) shorter clearance. Part of the challenge built in to the prolog is a short run up to almost all obstacles. This tests a rider’s balance and requires the rider to use technique instead of speed to get up and over. Some obstacles are so close together that the Tenere rear tire is still on the preceding obstacle as the rider needs to pick up the front end for the next.

Like the rest of motorcycling, the key here is measuring risk versus reward. Do I have the ability to get through the prolog? What is my start order and will I run into down riders? Will I break myself or the motorcycle that will prevent me from racing? Where am I in the default starting order? All these thoughts swirl around as the rider tries to read the obstacles. This, too, is an art. It’s knowing which obstacles will move (rocks move, tires flex, logs roll). It’s being realistic about what you and your bike are capable of. Each rider is weighing these same questions under the pressure of performing in front of an international audience. But, this is what we came here for. What other way could there possibly be to start the hardest enduro rally in the world.

Romaniacs : Inscription

First things first, once you arrive in Sibiu, you’ll have to make it through Inscription. What looks like chaos is actually a highly coordinated machine that gets competitors through a dozen different stations in preparation for the race. The energy is palpable as you have a mix of first time racers and experienced hard enduro pros. The registration area smells like excitement and sweaty dudes.

The race organization has staffed aids specifically tasked with walking around looking for confused competitors. Once you confirm your registration, you’ll go from station to station until you make it out the other end with your swag bag and a sense of utter relief.

• Safety First: Red Bull requires that you have a mobile phone with service able to call one of their many support crews. As expected for a hard enduro, they have medical and mechanical assistance in addition to sweeps.

• Stickers: obviously you need stickers, there is a whole station for them

• GPS: each rider is required to bring their own GPS. The race organization collects them prior to each off-road race day and then delivers them wiped of all data and pre-loaded with just the tracks for the day. This is not a navigation rally, but when you find yourself meters off trail because you lost traction on a steep off-camber side hill, you’ll be grateful for the GPS

• Accommodations: coordinating 700+ competitors and their support crews is a unique logistical challenge when you place them in a relatively small city in the middle of Romania. And the new marathon stage this year adds an extra hurdle to get those competitors paired up for an off-site stay while their crew remains in town. Staying at a race hotel is not required, but staying out at the marathon stage is. The accommodations coordinator is absolutely phenomenal and somehow remembered everyone’s personal situations.

• Race License: if you’re not already licensed by your home country’s race organization, Red Bull has coordinated with FIM to provide on-site licensing for the event. This is no local race and requires a physical to ensure that you are fit enough to race.

• Photo & Interview: this is a huge race with lots of surprises. You never know which racer might end up leading the pack so photos and videos of all competitors are collected up front.

Every racer needs to go through inscription, which means you get to run into a lot of familiar and sometimes famous faces. It’s a chance to talk racecraft and strategy. Everyone continues to watch the weather and you can hear the split between racers who thrive in the mud and those that are praying for dry conditions.

The motorcycle world is small and the hard enduro world even smaller. Despite this being our first time at Romaniacs, this was a bit of a reunion and a welcome reminder that even when racing halfway across the world, we’re amongst friends.

Road to Romaniacs - Episode 5 : Suspension

Off-road, suspension is everything. Let me say that again, suspension is Everything. Manufacturers build motorcycles for the average rider, and historically that has meant, motorcycles are built for a 165-187 pound rider. As someone 50 pounds short of the average, riding off-road on any stock bike has meant that gravel roads and two-track are just fine, but as soon as I get into any rocky terrain, I don’t have enough weight to actuate the suspension.

For reference, on a 250 pound dirt bike, I run 2 spring rates softer than stock with a gummy tire, a 3L water bladder and an extended range tank that is always as full as possible. By the end of a long day, when I’m empty on fluid and fuel, I’m down 32 pounds. That is 25% of my weight. That means I have to change my riding style to avoid looping the bike and getting tossed by obstacles. I also change the suspension settings, but ultimately, that is fine tuning that can not make up for a 30+ pound differential.

When you translate this to an adventure bike, the effects are a bit unexpected. We had the great fortune of working with MX-Tech to develop a custom suspension for the Yamaha Tenere 700. Andy and Adam go in depth on that development and testing process, but let’s start with the numbers:

2023 KTM 300 EXC
246 lbs
1482mm +/- 10mm
370mm
48mm WP Suspension
300mm
WP XACT Monoshock +310mm travel

2020-2024 Yamaha Tenere 700
Wet Weight: 452 lbs
Wheel Base: 1595mm
Ground Clearance: 239mm
Front Suspension: 43mm upside down telescopic fork
Front Travel: 210mm
Rear Suspension: single shock, adjustable preload and rebound

Heavy Enduro T7 with MX-Tech Suspension
430 lbs
1595mm
264mm
49mm Blackjack fork
260mm
MXT National Shock

The reality behind these numbers is that you are competing on a bike that is not just heavier but with a longer wheelbase. That means you have that much less room to maneuver and that much less run up on an obstacle. An after-market suspension can not fix the wheelbase, in fact it may make it longer as you increase the height of the bike. But, the MX-Tech suspension will increase your ground clearance, allowing you to clear obstacles that much more easily without risking damage to the skid plate. Thankfully, the Tenere 700 has lower frame rails, protecting the bottom of the engine and also giving strength and structure to the skid plate.

Separate from the very obvious difference in travel on the front forks, the stock Tenere has very limited compression and rebound adjustments with no preload adjustability and no bottoming resistance. That means as you hit bigger obstacles like down trees or large rocks, the weight of the bike coming down on the stock forks consistently runs the risk of bottoming. The MX-Tech build has a proprietary huck valve that kicks in at the bottom 30% of the stroke to add hydraulic bottoming resistance. Even if you bottom, the incremental increase in resistance with the huck valve means that you will not feel a sudden jolt. This same technology is built into the National shock. Where the stock shock has adjustable preload, compression and rebound, the MX-Tech National Shock allows for significantly more adjustments through high-speed, mid-speed and low-speed compression, rebound adjustment and a pre-load adjuster on top of that magic huck valve. And, the National Shock has 40 some odd clicks of adjustment, allowing for improved fine tuning on your settings.

Traversing 4 days of hard enduro terrain up and down the Carpathian Mountains means that even if the stock suspension could deliver the same travel, the materials themselves are not designed for something like Romaniacs. The stock forks are 43mm aluminum fork tubes with steel fork legs, whereas MX-Tech designed a beefier 49mm fork with Kashima coating on the upper fork tube and DLC on the lower fork leg. This attention to detail and creating not just a premium-looking product but one that can stand up to abuse is clear throughout the build, including the National Shock. If this is sounding like a sales pitch for MX-Tech, well, quite frankly, it is. Because the stuff works. Rewind back to previous blogs for how the suspension held up at the KXCR Hard Enduro in Kentucky or Grinding Stone Hard Enduro in Arizona. It has been tested in the worst conditions and continues to deliver unmatched performance.

TLDR: learn about suspension, whether it’s through our friend MotoAdventurer and his podcast or Adam and Andy’s YouTube conversation on suspension and testing tires, go learn the basics and start messing with your clickers.

Road to Romaniacs - Episode 4 : Test Run

Well, we did it. And, by we, actually, I mean Andy did. He raced the Round 3 of the US Hard Enduro Series, Grinding Stone, hosted in Page, Arizona. This race is notoriously challenging, even for a hard enduro. And, the rock features are like nothing else. There are steep climbs with nothing but a sandy run up and exposure on all sides. It was terrifying to watch, let alone race.

We don’t usually race out west, because it tends to be high-consequence-racing. That is, if you’re any good, you’ll probably eventually end up hurt. We’ve both done desert races and each time we walk away counting our lucky stars for not having crashed at 80+mph in the sand or not having been yeeted off of a 50 foot cliff straight into rocks. But, it’s hard not to be tempted when you hear the bikes prepping for the race. And when you get a small town like Page hosting a race, the buzz in the air is palpable. I’ll let Andy explain his take on this particular race through the vlog, but I wanted to pause to talk about racing more generally.

First of all, despite what social media says, I’m not even an average rider but very much a novice relative to the folks who are out there actually racing. I have no delusions of grandeur and am very much grounded in the fact that I am now over 40 and have to make it to work on Monday. So, why race? Why put myself through sometimes torturous conditions against 20-somethings hitting their peak? It’s for me. It’s for no one else and for no other reason than to test my mettle. I am perfectly content knowing that I’m no pro, and there will always be someone faster and hungrier. But, I’m not content going quietly into middle age. There is nothing like the adrenaline pumping before a race and that incredible sensation when you see someone just ahead of you, just in reach and you push harder than you would on a trail ride just to catch that next rider. I concede it’s not for everyone, but I implore you to try at least one race before completely dismissing it.

Road to Romaniacs - Episode 3 : Logistics

How to get a bike to Europe. Plan B C D

As we jumped into this adventure, we knew that this would be the hardest part. Logistics. We’ve traveled coast to coast in the U.S. and have had the great fortune of riding in South America and Europe. But, always a fly and ride. I 100% recommend renting a bike if you can. But, in case you’re dead set on getting a bike to Sibiu Romania, here are your options:

By Boat

None of these options are cheap, but for just the transit over the Atlantic Ocean, this is the most economical. The problem is ships move through ports, so you’ll have to find yourself at a port to send it off and then pick it up at a port once it arrives in Europe. There are a handful of major commercial ports in Europe: Rotterdam Netherlands, Antwerp Belgium, Bremerhaven Germany and Constanta Romania. Great! Pick Constantza. Easy peasy and done, right? Wrong! So wrong. Constanta is on the Black Sea which for the past 2 years (I’m writing this in spring 2024), has seen inconsistent cargo traffic due to the war in Ukraine. There is one company, a Ukranian company, based out of New Jersey who is currently shipping to Romania, Dnipro LLC. These guys are clearly professionals, and they didn’t B.S. me. Routes are available to book today, but no one knows what things will look like in July. And, most shipments are going into Romania with very few going out, so the return shipment can not be guaranteed.

To ship to Constanta, it will take you 35-45 days out of New York.
Cost: $950 + customs, VAT tax, miscellaneous fees along the way

That leaves us with Bremerhaven being the next closest. Trying to find a european shipping company to take a motorcycle out of a container and as an LTL shipment from Bremerhaven to Sibiu Romania was impossible. I tried. But, if you are willing to ship out of New Jersey/New York and want to ride around Germany, perhaps time it to cruise through the Netherlands during tulip season, then you’re in luck. The folks over at CFR Classic have you covered with everything from receiving, loading, container drayage and port fees, ocean freight…. all the things I didn’t know I had to think about to ship a motorcycle. Only a handful of other shipping agents even got back to me, and of those Dnipro and CFR were the only that had the patience to walk through this project with me. CFR knows what they’re doing, and they care about your vehicle. Their entire specialty is shipping very cool, very expensive cars overseas. They even created a proprietary container to keep your vehicle safe.

It will take you 7-10 days to clear US Customs + approximately 20 days on the water via shared container + some shorter amount of time to clear German customs.
Cost: less than $1,500 USD.

By Plane

The guys at Dnipro were also the only ones that offered a realistic air freight option. As long as I could get the bike into a container to their hangar in New Jersey, they would be able to ship it to Bucharest. This requires disassembling your bike and putting it into the smallest volume crate possible. Air cargo is 100% dependent on the size and weight of your shipment, so if you choose this option, get creative.
Cost: a cool $4,000 one way not including customs or taxes

By Buy by

Air was definitely out. And, boat could be done, but then we would be out a bike for at least 2-3 months due to the shipping timeframes. You also run the risk of the bike not making it. We’ve all heard horror stories about packages being lost, entire shipping containers falling into the ocean, or contents being battered while at sea for a month. The whole thing makes one of us very nervous. So, why not buy a bike and either keep it in Europe or sell it at the end of the race? We didn’t just ponder this over dinner. We went all in and created a plan with the good folks at Carpathian Adventures. These guys are legit saints. They dove into this head first with us and created a plan:

• Step 1: Carpathian Adventures would source the bike, a left over or gently used 2021-2022 Yamaha Tenere 700. They did this. They found a used bike, and we learned that there is a premium on Teneres across Europe, but some can be found in good condition for about $11,000-12,000 USD. Depending on the model you’re looking for, there might be a difference in what models manufacturers offered in the states versus the EU, and there may be a difference in model year. The US 2024 Teneres turned out to be released a year earlier in Europe. There is also the issue of the title. A US citizen can not purchase and register a bike for legal use in Europe.

• Step 2: source your parts. We have some pretty phenomenal support from CamelADV, MX-Tech and Slavens Racing, and they were all in. We knew the suspension would fly with us, but every other part that went into this race bike would need to be shipped from Canada and the US or for fungible parts (brake pads, rotors, etc.) sourced locally in Romania. The parts that are shipped would need to clear customs in Romania and an additional import tax would need to be paid (19%). Before you begin this endeavor, ask yourself, “Do I want to know how much I’ve poured into this bike?” And, then, ask yourself, how long you can keep this from your partner, who will undoubtedly lose her sh*t when you complete the list. The list price for parts on a race-ready Tenere 700 and spare race parts? $17,400 USD. That’s before we add VAT. chhhyeaaahhh…that’s a solid no from me, dawg.

• Step 3: pimp your husband out. If he finds a sugar momma, you both win.

• Step 4: build. Carpathian Adventures can build you just about anything out of their shop in Sibiu and they know where to take you to test your build. They have an incredibly fair hourly labor rate and will source fungible parts for you at cost.

• Step 5: race with the hopes that you don’t break yourself or the bike.

• Step 6: sell. Once you figure out which bits are not broken, you have to figure out whether it’s worth selling the bike as is or putting it back to stock and parting out the race bits. It’s a time consuming process and you’re guaranteed only a fraction of your initial investment. How much is a gently crashed race Tenere worth in Sibiu? Your guess is as good as mine.

You guys, this was such a good idea. Was. The logistics of sourcing and shipping all those parts, building and testing in a limited time frame, and the financial impact was just not realistic. We didn’t choose this route, but I can not express how strongly I recommend Carpathian Adventures. Hour long conference calls, tapping their local resources, a willingness to be creative in solving our problem….they have been such great partners. And, they do ‘normal’ motorcycle stuff like providing support for dirt bike racers at Romaniacs and enduro tours through the Carpathian mountains.

Cost: $28,000 USD minus $8,000 (?) when the bike sells.

The Other Plane

This is perhaps, our last and final hope. We are still finalizing these logistics so I don’t want to jinx it, but we’ll include an itinerary and details in a later blog installment. Hint: there will either be pasta or feta involved.

TLDR: don’t race a custom bike overseas. And, don’t trust the guy in this video :)

Road to Romaniacs - Episode 2 : The Why

With warmer days in the forecast, we can’t believe the 2024 season is already here. We heard your input and are super stoked about partnering with some amazing folks to deliver more this season, because it’s not just about training for Romaniacs. Although, the training has not slowed down. In fact, it’s just about to ramp up.

We invited everyone to the Heavy Enduro garage last winter, and had so much fun we’re doing it again with 3 sessions ranging from trailside hacks (when BDR’s go wrong) to motocooking. We’ll have a bonfire going with s’mores and learn all about how to cook while motocamping. Check our calendar for all of our garage sessions and trainings.

Walking through our training curriculum and especially as we put together the next level classes like ADV 2.0 or our garage sessions, I couldn’t help but get a bit nervous. It’s the same feeling I get when I haven’t ridden for a couple of weeks. I start wondering if I even remember how to ride. It’s this odd space between imposter syndrome and just sheer nervousness. But, the more people I talk to, the more common I find it to be, and that in itself is a bit reassuring. The thing about riding and racing offroad is that, it’s a new adventure every time. Even when you’re revisiting a trail you’ve ridden dozens of times, nature throws something new in your way. I’ve learned to calm my nerves by finding joy in that unknown and overcoming those obstacles instead of letting the nervousness compound. And, ultimately, that’s what we teach. Once you get the basics down, the next biggest hurdle is yourself. If you’ve never ridden through the woods, your brain will be occupied by every rock, root and curve in that dirt path. It’s overwhelming because you don’t know what to ignore and what needs your attention. But, then, you keep riding and, maybe it takes a dozen repetitions or (if you’re like me) a hundred repetitions, but your brain realizes that fist-sized rocks are nothing for a 21” wheel. Your brain learns to tune out all that noise and focus on bigger and bigger obstacles. There may be a parallel for life off the bike in there somewhere also. So much of what we teach is getting back to basics so that you can build in that muscle memory, but more importantly, your brain can process the fact that you’re taking on increasingly challenging obstacles safely. What you’re seeing on our Road to Romaniacs is not some unattainable feat, but just a later part of the same journey.

Road To Romaniacs - Episode 1 : Training

Well, we’re doing this. And, we’re learning a ton just from the process of articulating what the heck is happening. This blog/vlog series will be released from two separate perspectives: Overkill Andy is releasing a weekly (ish) video on YouTube (see below), and I (Susan) am in charge of the written supplement. To be honest, I considered just copying the transcript from the YouTube video here, but I think you’d miss a critical component. To be fair, Andy is doing the heavy lifting (warning: there will be more bad puns throughout these blogs), but it’s hard to capture everything that’s going on in a 5-10 minute clip. And, no one, not even privateers at Dakkar, actually go it alone. I wanted to capture the additional perspective here and provide a bit more context. Plus, if you have particular questions, whether it pertains to logistics or training or any part of our experience, throw your question in the comments and we’ll address it in a future installment.

We tend to just appear at rides from coast to coast, but there is an awful lot that goes into this traveling circus. Andy and I both work full time jobs that are incredibly satisfying in and of themselves. We take a great deal of pride in our careers and give as much as we can to our jobs. Heavy Enduro, and getting to Romaniacs, are passion projects. We do this because we absolutely love riding and even more importantly, we want to contribute to a community that has given us so very much. You may see snippets of training or workouts on our social media pages, but the reality is, Andy is working out every day.

The current regimen is a mix of cardio and strength training that occupies at least an hour every morning before work. He comes back home to shower, make sure the dogs get a minute of love before heading into work. I try to get home early enough to walk the dogs before it’s dark out, prep dinner and then get in my own workout. Yoga and rock climbing, and Andy joins in on the rock climbing for at least a couple hours. It is an amazing total body workout that is core intensive and trains balance in unexpected and changing conditions. A huge bonus is that if you’re doing it right, you’re not over gripping each hold and it prevents arm pump on the bike. So, now we’re up to 2-3 hour workouts every day and I’m a bit fanatical about getting my steps in, so I’ll sometimes be able to con Andy into adding anywhere from 1 to 4 miles with the dogs. Are you tired yet? We haven’t even gotten to meal prep. But nutrition feels like a whole separate blog.

But then, the weekend hits. To help with off-season training, because we chose to live at the 42nd parallel, we’ve staged our bikes out west. This has meant trips to Arizona and California with another week long stint around St. George, Utah coming up in a few weeks. Glamorous, right? Fly and ride. Easy peasy. The reality is that we are incredibly fortunate to be able to do this, but it takes a good bit of finagling and I have taken intentional steps in my career to be mostly autonomous and to be able to work from the road when necessary. I fly in and drive to our target destination, filling the water tank and picking up supplies before working from the RV until Andy flies in after coordinating with a dog/house sitter and making sure he’s not leaving a dumpster fire at the shop. Still sound easy? Clearly, you’ve never driven a 29’ RV through Hawthorne Plaza just south of LAX, trying to get into the Costco only to find that (1) the speed bumps are unreasonably tall, (2) the corners are impossible without hitting a 3-point turn or hitting angry Karen’s SUV, and (3) there is no parking. I fit into 4 parking spots easily. I did not fit into that Costco. I also found that there are only 2 sites between Malibu and Tijuana that will let you fill up on potable water in the months of January or February. Super fun discovery. And then, the airport pickup. San Diego airport has a 13’ clearance for all vehicles. They don’t tell you until you’re on a one-way into the arrivals pick-up lanes with no outs. I made it, but not without a fair amount of anxiety. And, most of the desert apparently has no cell phone signal. If you don’t set up your StarLink prior to hitting a dead spot, you’ve got a $600 paperweight and will probably miss the Zoom call with opposing counsel that took weeks to schedule. So, if you’re not popping a Xanax yet, well, I suppose you’re ready to adventure with us.

TLDR? Racing is hard. Prepping for a race of this magnitude changes you. Training is a lifestyle. Working out will occupy no less than 3 hours of your day not including getting to the gym + 8 hours of work + 1.5 hour commute + prep your bike + possibly sleep. I imagine by June, we’ll be scheduling our shits.

Heavy Enduro's Road to Romaniacs- Prologue

The Red Bull Romaniacs hard enduro rallye is an off-road motorcycle race run annually in Sibiu, Romania. It was created in 2004 and year over year is considered one of the most challenging hard enduro races in the world. The race week starts off with a gnarly prolog held on the Bulevardul Coposu, a main street in the city center of Sibiu and moves to nearby mountains and forests. Then competitors are off to a four-day offroad race in enduro trails cut across the Southern Carpathian Mountains.

In case it’s unclear from the description, this is most definitely a dirt bike race. Every winner for the last decade has been on a 300 two-stroke with a certain orange brand being highly favored.

But Heavy Enduro doesn’t follow the predictable path. Heavy Enduro’s Andy Janik will be heading to Romania on a Tenere 700. To be fair, this has been done before, but by a professional racer with factory support. This is the story of Andy’s journey and what it takes to prep your average dirt bike rider both physically and mentally and how an average joe takes a moderately-priced adventure bike and turns it into a machine capable of tackling some of the hardest trails in the world.

Andy won’t be on a stock T7 and last year’s race winner definitely had some primo upgrades, but it’s worth comparing the starting point for these bikes. The winner of the 2023 Iron Class was on a Beta 300 rr, a comparable two-stroke that was similarly upgraded.

2021 YAMAHA TENERE 700
Engine Type 689cc liquid-cooled DOHC 4-stroke
Dry Weight 412 lbs
Wet Weight 452 lbs
Suspension (Front) 43mm inverted fork
Travel (Front) 8.3”
Ground Clearance 9.4”

2023 KTM 300 EXC
293 cc 2-stroke Engine Type
234 lbs Dry Weight
246 lbs Wet Weight
48mm WP Suspension (Front)
11.8” Travel (Front)
13.7” Ground Clearance

Just your average day in the woods on an easy Adventure trail through beautiful Kentucky woods.
2023 US Hard Enduro Race #22 hosted by KXCR