Test Ride of Super Tenere

[Scooper]

Dropped my Road Star of at Obermeyer Yamaha in Jasper ,Indiana today. While Shelly and I were talking to Cam the service tech the owner comes over and asks if we want to test ride his personal new Super Tenere. I'm standing there thinking the last time he did this to me it was his brand spanken new 2008 FJR. I ended up buying one of those so here we go again ..... I pause for a second and remember I was able to resist buying when he had the new V-Max and the same offer as the FJR & now Tenere. Ok I fell for it again and said sure ! We did about 40 miles on it all black top. The bike fit my 6'1" frame well as I mount it. Cam is giving me the walk through as Shelly gets on. First thing after we take off is thinking it was a dog. Two cylinder was a little lumpy at first but then I switched modes to "Sport" and forgot the lumping two cylinder as the bike pulled hard. The seats felt good but 40 miles is no test to that. Bottom line is I could lose the Road Star and have one of these tomorrow if my wife were not a "Cruiser Rider". When she rides her own I prefer to ride a similar style bike. Maybe a third bike is in my future but not right now. Anyway I got to ride a new model and it is sweet !!

Later

Scooper

 

[SQUEAL]

Dropped my Road Star of at Obermeyer Yamaha in Jasper ,Indiana today. While Shelly and I were talking to Cam the service tech the owner comes over and asks if we want to test ride his personal new Super Tenere. I'm standing there thinking the last time he did this to me it was his brand spanken new 2008 FJR. I ended up buying one of those so here we go again ..... I pause for a second and remember I was able to resist buying when he had the new V-Max and the same offer as the FJR & now Tenere. Ok I fell for it again and said sure ! We did about 40 miles on it all black top. The bike fit my 6'1" frame well as I mount it. Cam is giving me the walk through as Shelly gets on. First thing after we take off is thinking it was a dog. Two cylinder was a little lumpy at first but then I switched modes to "Sport" and forgot the lumping two cylinder as the bike pulled hard. The seats felt good but 40 miles is no test to that. Bottom line is I could lose the Road Star and have one of these tomorrow if my wife were not a "Cruiser Rider". When she rides her own I prefer to ride a similar style bike. Maybe a third bike is in my future but not right now. Anyway I got to ride a new model and it is sweet !!

Later

Scooper

I havent sat on one or rode one yet, but while at the dealership in CO. I got into a discussion about them with a salesman. Yamaha had brought some out for all the Dealer personell to try out. He said he liked it, and it had a lot of torque. He indicated it was a bit heavy for gravel and he didnt feel comfortable in the loose stuff. Overall though he thought it was a pretty good machine. He also mentioned there was a gentleman that rode his FJR down from AK and tried one out and didnt like it at all. Rode home on his FJR..... Just second hand, but what the heck. I like spreading rumors with the best of them....LOL. Tyler

 

[stevec677]

Yesterday I switched bikes with one of the guys in my group for about 70 miles. My 2009 FJR for his 2012 Super Tenere. I was excited to try out the S10 as I have always wanted a large dual sport (ie. R1200GS). I came away with mixed thoughts. The bike does everything well. Suspension, ergonomics, power, braking, seating, wind protection, etc. My problem was that it wasn't exciting. It will get you from here to there, but it wasn't as fun as I thought it would be. My KLR, while way under powered, is more fun to ride. The S10 is definitly capable to run with sport touring bikes (unless you really take the sport touring thing to extremes (ie. dragging pegs)). I am real interested in trying an R1200GS to see if maybe a large adventure bike is not for me. As for now, I am still infatuated with my Feejer.

 

[WRichStrom]

I was talking to the parts guy at Desert Valley Powersports in Prosser, WA today and the owner (Dan Denchel) asked me out of the blue if I wanted to test ride one of their two Tenere's. I am definitely not a dirt rider but as a former DL1000 owner I sure like that concept in both the dirt and the around town commute to work stuff.

Anyway I have read the other link for the Tenere and have been gathering information from MCRIDER007 and the others. I got a 18 mile test ride to Gibbon Road and it is more refined on the road than my DL1000 was. Sport mode was quick enough for my skills. I was very impressed at how smooth the vibes were in the grips, but I didn't have long enough to evaluate that. I know my FJR is more than ready for TBS, so actually the Tenere was probably smoother than my FJR currently is.

It may not be a rocket ship but it is plenty fast. I was very impressed in the DVP parking lot at how I could turn in very tight circles trying to imitate getting around switchbacks.

It is not a light bike at nearly 600 lbs., but boy it sure feels much lighter than what it really is. I don't need a second bike around but Dan said it wouldn't replace the FJR on long trips and that is probably true. But for the most part anymore I am limited to mostly day trips and my daily commute.

I am really stuck on my FJR so this thought of going to the Tenere is interesting. Who know's I might be able to spring some money and that would become my next bike. It is definitely more refined than the DL1000 ever was! And I traded that in for a ST1300 which was one heck of a mistake on my part (almost as bad as trading my first FJR in for a Ultra-Classic!).

Great bike the Tenere is but Yamaha is sure shooting itself in the foot with its PDP, or whatever it is just like in its Gen I FJR years.

 

[Checkswrecks]

I've put over 2600 miles on my Super T in the last 2 weeks and at first was worried, becuase it seemed to be a bit of a dog when compared to the bike I rode in Europe. I was thinking about the folks who think the bike is missing something.

Not any more.

The thing likes to be rev'd and you just can't do that in the break in period. Once past that, the initial off-idle stumble is gone, the engine breathes much more easily, etc. The power is just starting to come on in that 3500-4500 rpm area where a BMW GS has it's sweet spot. At higher revs the GS feels strained to me and the ST just goes.

btw - especially in Tour mode, the power is restricted at less than 3000 rpm. Tour mode is best for rain. Otherwise, I keep it in Sport and the TC in the looser setting (2). Hammer the throttle in TC2 and the rear steps out without passing the front. You can roost rocks with the TC off, but that's just plain mean.

On the Dragon and other roads in TN & NC, I ran the Battle Wings to the edges and never touched anything that ground on the pavement. Again like the FJR or GS, it's not an R6 due to weight, but it'll do anything the tires are capable of. (Tires are same sizes as a GS and VStrom.)

Having riden both back to back on the same roads, gravel is FAR easier to ride than on the WeeStrom we still have, because the ABS and Traction Control work without being conspicuous. Yes, it's heavy, but just like the FJR, that weight seems to disappear at pretty much any moving speed and it sure feels far lighter than a GS or a KTM. None of these are hard core dirt bikes, even though the Aussies and Nick Sanders have been showing the ST can take it.

I do miss the velvet smoothness of the FJR engine and the Tenere has less power in a drag race. But the kitchen chair seat of the ST makes up for it on long distances, like a GS does. The two changes I made were a larger windshield and a $2 mod that lowers the rear of the seat, making it flatter. We did a 520mile day on Tuesday and a 1,000+ miler would have been a cinch.

If you test ride one of these, remember to tach it up in Sport mode and that most of us with an FJR had to make some personal changes. The ST is also a blank canvas.

 

[Scooper]

I've put over 2600 miles on my Super T in the last 2 weeks and at first was worried, becuase it seemed to be a bit of a dog when compared to the bike I rode in Europe. I was thinking about the folks who think the bike is missing something.

Not any more.

The thing likes to be rev'd and you just can't do that in the break in period. Once past that, the initial off-idle stumble is gone, the engine breathes much more easily, etc. The power is just starting to come on in that 3500-4500 rpm area where a BMW GS has it's sweet spot. At higher revs the GS feels strained to me and the ST just goes.

btw - especially in Tour mode, the power is restricted at less than 3000 rpm. Tour mode is best for rain. Otherwise, I keep it in Sport and the TC in the looser setting (2). Hammer the throttle in TC2 and the rear steps out without passing the front. You can roost rocks with the TC off, but that's just plain mean.

On the Dragon and other roads in TN & NC, I ran the Battle Wings to the edges and never touched anything that ground on the pavement. Again like the FJR or GS, it's not an R6 due to weight, but it'll do anything the tires are capable of. (Tires are same sizes as a GS and VStrom.)

Having riden both back to back on the same roads, gravel is FAR easier to ride than on the WeeStrom we still have, because the ABS and Traction Control work without being conspicuous. Yes, it's heavy, but just like the FJR, that weight seems to disappear at pretty much any moving speed and it sure feels far lighter than a GS or a KTM. None of these are hard core dirt bikes, even though the Aussies and Nick Sanders have been showing the ST can take it.

I do miss the velvet smoothness of the FJR engine and the Tenere has less power in a drag race. But the kitchen chair seat of the ST makes up for it on long distances, like a GS does. The two changes I made were a larger windshield and a $2 mod that lowers the rear of the seat, making it flatter. We did a 520mile day on Tuesday and a 1,000+ miler would have been a cinch.

If you test ride one of these, remember to tach it up in Sport mode and that most of us with an FJR had to make some personal changes. The ST is also a blank canvas.

Well time changes everything. One week later and I bought that demo Tenere. Let my Road Star go and will keep the FJR.

I'm soo weak,,,, but this is going to be fun.

Later

Scooper

 

[Checkswrecks]

Well all I can say is CONGRATULAITONS,,,

:yahoo:

Just wait'll you can turn off the tcs, do a series of twisties at about 6,000 rpm, turn the tcs back on and then poke around the gravel roads.

 

[speedycoop]

What is the $2 seat mod? Just wondering. I did not like the seat angle myself. Thanks

 

[Scooper]

What is the $2 seat mod? Just wondering. I did not like the seat angle myself. Thanks

It has to do with replacing the rubber bumpers under the seat pan and replacing them with shorter one from Home Depot.

Here's the link.

https://www.yamahasupertenere.com/index.php?topic=1465.0

Regards

Scooper

 

[AVGeek]

One thing about the Tenere, is that it makes the FJR feel small! I had been riding my new bike and jumped back on the FJR last Wednesday, and it sure took me a bit to readjust back! It almost felt like I was learning to ride again...

 

[Scooper]

One thing about the Tenere, is that it makes the FJR feel small! I had been riding my new bike and jumped back on the FJR last Wednesday, and it sure took me a bit to readjust back! It almost felt like I was learning to ride again...

I agree completely.

Got on the Feejer after a couple weeks riding the S10. Felt short and stubby at first but did not take long to feel at home again. Love the smooth power of it and will be keeping it. Now have the best of both worlds

Scooper