Portrait: Dr. Ténéré - Ingo Löchert

When it comes to the XT600Z Ténéré, Ingo Löchert from Berlin is the first port of call.

His website www.rallye-tenere.de is the ultimate collection of information and a living reference work

 

Through life on Stolle

Ingo Löchert was born in 1967 and is known in the scene as Dr. Ténéré.

Nobody provides as much knowledge about Yamaha's legendary Enduro range as Ingo.

His website www.rallye-tenere.net covers the entire timeline up to the current XTZ690 / T700. The enterprising Berliner also has a long and close professional association with motorcycle technology and also has many talents.

Countless conversions have already left his workshop. Sparkling clean one-offs, some of which have also been used in rallies.

His illustrations are also legendary and have been published by KEDO on various Products can be found in the webshop.

People like Ingo Löchert generally have a lot of exciting things to say, which is why we asked him for an interview.

Hello Ingo, thank you very much for your work.

Many drivers use your website for research, to get inspiration or even basic information about their own project. Valuable knowledge.

Entry-level drug Hercules moped

The young man is his own man. Get up, sandwich, spark plug lead, math work

We all have our "first moped". How did your two-wheeler career start?

Ingo:

In 1983 I took over my cousin's old moped, a Herkules Hobby Rider 2.
It was only then that I became interested in motorized two-wheelers. Since my "Möff"
was no longer new, it had to be repaired from time to time. So Many a quick repair session on the way to school was on the agenda. program. Of course, I didn't have the money for a specialist workshop at the time, so I had to do it myself.

At first, my father helped me, although he didn't really have any real experience.
technical knowledge in the automotive sector, and later I did everything myself,
rebuilt and painted the good old thing.

My grandpa saw how much interest I had in it and so he decided that I should go to should definitely drive something bigger and get the appropriate driver's license.
Unfortunately, he didn't live to see my 80s and died very unexpectedly. 

He was my best friend ...

A YAMAHA DT 80 LC 2, brand new in black/red, was the dream machine at the time.

Ingo:

I have never been able to keep my vehicles original to this day, so of course the DT was also individualized. It was my first conversion project. Higher, chicer, sportier,
more extreme - a real eye-catcher, my "baby".

The 80s were followed, after passing the class 1 driving license test, by a DT 125 LC with front drum brake and 16 hp.
Here I let off steam completely. 1.02 m seat height, fork with disc brake from a DT 200. 
Motocross rear suspension, studded tires, 200 cubic set with different carburetor and
Boyesen diaphragms. A performance exhaust system, a different gear ratio and, of course, complete A different design rounded off the whole thing. The Berlin police brought my
"Paulinchen" on the power roller and certified me 24.7 hp.

The fascination for the "Paris - Dakar Rally" then entered my life in 1985.

BMW had the Gaston Rahier's winning motorcycle on display on the "Spinnerbrücke". Berlin's legendary The motorcycle meeting place at Wannsee has existed for a hundred years. Inside the promo car, a visually stunning Movie about the rally.

I only had eyes for Franco Picco's YAMAHA TÉNÉRÉ. 

It had to become a TÉNÉRÉ. A decision that determined the whole life life.

Ingo:

I have been riding YAMAHA TÉNÉRÉ exclusively since 1988 and have also taken part in international meetings for over 30 years. Of course, this has resulted in thousands of encounters, conversations and experiences. All of them somehow also part of the wealth of knowledge and the basis of my work in the forum www.XT600.de and my info page www.rallye-tenere.net.

Having is better than needing.

What does your fleet look like - what's in the garage?

Ingo:

At the zenith of my collecting career, I had five YAMAHA TÉNÉRÉ models ready to ride in the garage.

An original TÉNÉRÉ from 1984 in a well-kept original look with modified chassis.

Another Sonauto Dakar Replica'TÉNÉRÉ from 1985 1VJ. There is really almost nothing left on this machine original.

Thirdly: A beautiful XT660Z TÉNÉRÉ "Franco Picco Edition" model DM 02 from 2008. completely rebuilt.

Fourth: One of the first TÉNÉRÉ 700s in the "BYRD Design" rally from 2019, also very heavily remodeled.

Fifthly: A T7 WORLD RAID with rear tanks, various Improvements and the appearance of Pol Tarres' first factory rally motorcycle. 

Then there was my wife's MT-07.

In the end, that was too much for me.

I spent my already limited free time only in of my screwdriver garage to maintain the actual condition.
So I sold the original TÉNÉRÉ to an acquaintance who had been begging me for years. got on my nerves 🙂

For very good money.

Paris - Dakar - Berlin - Iserlohn

The 660 TÉNÉRÉ went to a YAMAHA dealer in Iserlohn, where it is not for sale in the showroom. Just as I rode it until the end. I miss the 660 very much, it was a great bike and covered 80,000 km without any problems.

So I currently only own the "Sonauto Dakar Replica XT 620 TÉNÉRÉ", the "BYRD Rallye" T7 and the "WORLD RAID Rallye Special" - three TÉNÉRÉs.

What are your most important sources of knowledge?

How did you manage to gather so much information?

Ingo:

I started reading all the articles and reports about the Dakar Rally and the rally in 1985. collecting motorcycles, taking photos at trade fairs and finding out what was going on at the time. was still really difficult without the Internet.

As far as my experience with the 600cc single cylinders was concerned, I learned from my own experience with my TÉNÉRÉ, because I ride it every day, all year round. Moped - never by car. That adds up to quite a few kilometers. I do everything on my mopeds myself and so we grew from the problems we solved ourselves.
Together with 2 friends from the scene and an administrator, we created the www.xt600.de with forum and the Rat & Tat online help, where everyone can tell us their technical problems. We were actually always able to help.
When I was retraining as a media designer, the idea grew in my mind, to create a website that brings the spirit of TÉNÉRÉ closer to the people.should bring. The history, the models, the special features of this successful concept.

I got out my folder collection, scanned pictures for nights on end, wrote texts and researched much more intensively again. Many friends helped and added to my material. In order to gather even more information, MiGa and I finally wrote to Jean-Claude Olivier, the head of YAMAHA MOTOR FRANCE (SONAUTO), and asked him, with reference to the website that had already been uploaded, perhaps for more detailed pictures and facts. He was enthusiastic and invited us Berliners to visit him in France, where the dreams of our youth still stood. It was an incredible day, I have never again met such an impressive person as JCO, the Dakar legend. I photographed, discovered and floated in seventh heaven. One of the best days of my life.
Due to the ever-growing fan base of the www.rallye-tenere.net I received more and more material, even YAMAHA referred to me and my website, although no support has come directly from YAMAHA to date. Over time, I also got to know more and more of my former rally idols. They also supported me, sometimes in terms of material.
The website has now been running for 23 years and is still amazingly popular and well-known.

Of course, material relating to the old models is slowly becoming scarce and it is difficult to find new items.

How was your work received in the scene?

Ingo:

Basically very good. Many forums and the Ténéré content on Facebook and the like were still under construction. The hunger for information was great.

Of course, the whole thing also had its downsides. With success comes envy and so, unfortunately, you often have to let yourself be made a fool of. Unfortunately, most people don't see the incredible amount of work that goes into it. However, I am very happy about constructive criticism and additions from the fan community, which I am happy to incorporate into the site.

Since the release of the new TÉNÉRÉ 700 in 2019, interest in the website has grown enormously, as I naturally also include and promote "The New One".

What were your most formative trips and encounters?

Ingo:

As I always travel with the TÉNÉRÉ, of course, that adds up to quite a few kilometers on various tours in many countries. I've traveled a lot around the world and have only met nice and remarkable people wherever I've been.
I find Scandinavia the most beautiful.
The most impressive encounter was definitely with Jean-Claude Olivier, the former head of YAMAHA France, the father of the TÉNÉRÉ and nine-time Paris-Dakar participant.

Your website is a private thing. What do you do professionally and what overlaps are there?

Ingo:

I've been working at POLO as a technical specialist for fourteen years now, and of course I've turned my hobby into a career, although it was never planned that way. I can help a lot of people in the technical department. With tips and advice. It's exactly my thing. I switched to YAMAHA ZENTRUM BERLIN in 2022 at the request of YAMAHA, but I was bitterly disappointed. When I resigned and my former boss at POLO was already looking forward to me coming back, I switched to YAMAHA FUHRMANN at the request of the country manager. Here I learned how real professionalism and top customer service can work at YAMAHA.

The team was great, but I didn't want to spend the whole day as a service consultant just standing behind the computer, making appointments, writing invoices and estimates.
I wanted to be closer to the motorcyclist.

Helping out in the workshop - troubleshooting the mopeds - that was my thing. The mechanics also thought it was great when I was there. The dry PC job wasn't my thing.
After several requests from the POLO management, I finally switched back.

I must have left a big gap after all.

In the south of Berlin, I have already designed my technical area very personally. Everyone knows who works here as soon as they see it. Posters, old helmets, films on a monitor and, most recently, two of my TÉNÉRÉs standing in front of the technology counter can be seen there.
I'm back home, even if I'm sometimes a little sad to no longer be with YAMAHA, because that was always my dream.
Unfortunately, I was not deployed as promised and as I had imagined.
My website has very little to do with Polo. The exception are the "disciples", as my colleague calls them, who often visit me there. Of course, you can read where I work on the website.

With the T700, Yamaha has stayed on the ball when it comes to the "Ténéré spirit". stayed on the ball. You are there too. What is your assessment? Is the plan working?

Ingo:

I am very happy that YAMAHA got their act together and packed the great CP2 engine into a great chassis. It should have happened much earlier, the TÉNÉRÉ community has been eagerly awaiting a light, powerful rally-oriented two-cylinder motorcycle with the legendary name since 1996. But it has become all the better, a truly great success, without any real weaknesses. The TÉNÉRÉ 700, also known as the T7, is a truly off-road capable lightweight all-round enduro that can really do everything. The only thing I found too small for a real TÉNÉRÉ was the tank with its measly 16 liters, luckily the WORLD Raid came later. For me, the best TÉNÉRÉ since the original 34L model.
The new model has already adopted the spirit, even if not every T7 driver is also a TÉNÉRist, there is still a certain difference.
I am extremely pleased about the new hype surrounding this model, which also brings the history of the TÉNÉRÉ back to the fore. I love watching videos and sporting events where the 700 can shine, even though I'm unfortunately too old and no longer physically able to join in.
Unfortunately, the TÉNÉRÉ 700 comes a little too late for me, but I still enjoy every Ride with my two models.

What advice would you give YAMAHA? Is there Potential for improvement?

Ingo:

I think the 2025 version of the TÉNÉRÉ 700 has hit the nail on the head.
Head on. This model is so successful and has been improved in detail that there are actually no suggestions for improvement on my part.
The mounting position of the muffler should perhaps be checked again. be reconsidered and revised. In the event of a fall, the forces go into the frame - this is a sensitive point in the design.
Of course, there should also be a WORLD RAID variant again, because it has been now officially discontinued in 2024, which I cannot understand at all - For the There is no better motorcycle for adventure travel. But people just have it didn't understand that there was an almost standard rally-ready bike in the store. stands.

Basically, you have to thank YAMAHA for carrying the whole spirit of this adventure machine from the 80s into the future with the further development of the TÉNÉRÉ series with the T700.

Events organized directly by YAMAHA, such as the TÉNÉRÉ Bosnia Rally and the TÉNÉRÉ Expirience Team events, are simply great and show how much Yamaha itself values the scene.

I think that's really fantastic and I'm grateful for it.

What are your plans for the future, what's on the list?

Ingo:

I have no big long-term plans for the future, but must try to maintain my current state of health. 32 years of diabetes have left their mark, the late effects are clearly restricting me.
I've already experienced and done a lot, and I'm happy with it so far.
I enjoy the now, enjoy the time with my mopeds, as long as I have them can still drive. Spontaneous things are still possible, but I just have to be careful.
I can't really imagine life without a motorcycle / TÉNÉRÉ.
I will try, but on the whole, as always, I won't let this stupid illness restrict me and will continue to do my thing and of course maintain the website.
I will still go to some meetings, but only nationally, to see my longtime friends from the TÉNÉRÉ scene - my second family.
I hope that every motorcycle enthusiast, whether XT, TT or TÉNÉRÉ, stay on the ball and don't let it get you down, no matter which direction it comes from.
Live your thing, enjoy every great moment and live in the here and now, have simply enjoy this great hobby.

You can find more information about Ingo Löchert personally at

https://rallye-tenere.com/Interview

And of course everything you always wanted to know about the TÉNÉRÉ.

Incidentally, the hosting of the website is kindly sponsored by KEDO GmbH.

A matter of honor.

 

We KEDOs would like to thank Ingo very much for his commitment and his interview.

If you are fascinated by the classic Yamaha long-distance enduro bikes, you have come to the right place.

Grab a barn find or a neglected beauty from the 80s and 90s.

Give us a call. We have the parts and are happy to help.

We were at the Scrambler Fever in Poland last weekend and it was really good again! 2 days of rattling through the woods with about 70 other enduro enthusiasts. Due to the extreme drought, many forest roads were a sandy hell. Everyone cursed about it, many crashed but everyone had a big grin on their face afterwards. More about this event soon....

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