2016-2021 STen cost to own

[DanT]

I'm looking at the Super Tenere as my next Dual Sort and wonder how it stands up to the R1250GS when it comes to cost to operate and maintenance over a years' time.
I see the R1250GS needs Premium gas, and the required maintenance can be expensive.
How is the STen, can you run 87 oct fuel or does it need 91 or higher and I see valve checks and adjustment are needed around 24 to 26K miles. I have seen that in print yet, so I figured I'd ask here. Do you find part etc. to be costly?

 

[whisperquiet]

I own both bikes currently…..a 2022 1250GS and a 2023 Super Tenere.

I’ve owned the GS a little over a year/12,000 miles and normally run 89 or 91 fuel….no problems with either but the GS routinely gets 10-15 less fuel mileage than my S10. It has been no problem to self service and the valve clearances at 12000 miles were well within spec. I have a cheap Tracfone Android phone, a OBDLink LX scanner, and the Motoscan pro app to reset the maintenance minder and/or clear any codes for the GS. If you have the bike serviced at the dealer, it will be $$$$$$. Oil changes, air filter, and final drive changes are easy. I am 6’4” with a 35” inseam…..the GS is slightly more cramped than the S10. Both bikes have lowered foot pegs, handlebars risers, and leveled seats.

My 2023 Super Tenere is my 5th S10 and one of my all time favorite motorcycles…..not flashy, not the fastest, etc., but just an enjoyable bike to ride. They are a super reliable motorcycle that require only the major 26,000 mile valve check which can be a PITA + good luck finding a competent mechanic if you don’t do it yourself. There is plenty of info on this site. Otherwise, routine maintenance is easy with oil/filter, final drive, and air filter changes. I normally run 89 grade gasoline in my S10 also.

COST…….if you buy a new GS, it will cost $6000-10,000 more than a comparable S10 where I live locally as most GS bikes are optioned heavily……it will be hard to find one with out the premium package which adds about $4000 to the base price. A base GS does not come with cruise….the S10 does.

In summary, both are great bikes with the GS having a TFT screen with multiple monitoring screens, multiple drive modes, and huge support. The fit and finish is no better than the S10 IMHO. The S10 is more mellow, but just gets the job done…..fast enough and reliable.

 

[Checkswrecks]

The Tenere is definitely cheaper to own and operate. You can run 87 unless the bike is under heavy load, sun as loaded down on hot summer days. Parts are definitely Yamaha prices, not BMW prices. If you need to pay somebody to do the valve check, the $500-is cost will still be roughly what a GS service is but then again it's only every 26,000 miles. Oil changes are DIY cheap and easy. The Tenere has proven to be much more reliable and also does not have the CANBUS system meaning you can run lights and other accessories without an add-on controller.

 

[Sierra1]

. . . . A base GS does not come with cruise….

Wow. It sometimes bugs me when people talk shit about the Tenere not having this or that. But. For 10 years, the Tenere has had cruise. Not as an option. And with all of that highly expensive German engineering, they charge for cruise. smh

 

[DanT]

Whisperquiet, your write-up is a big help. Thanks for providing it. It will help me maul this over.

 

[DanT]

Checkswrecks, thanks for the info. I have to put together a pro's and cons comparison on these two machines.

 

[Sierra1]

. . . . Do you find part etc. to be costly?

I'm biased for Yamaha, and against BMW. I've never had a problem with any of the Yamahas I've had; gas, tires, and oil. And tons of issues with the Beemer. The Beemer was great until the warranty was up. Disclaimer: it was an '04, and it was an RT. But 3 input shafts, 4 clutches, numerous starters, gallons of oil, and one side stand later, I won't have another one.

 

[Kemlyn⚙️]

When it comes to reliability, low operating cost, Yamaha does very well against it’s competition.

 

[Wallkeeper]

When I was looking what struck me about the Super T was “Boring”. Boring in the same way a plane ride should be. It will not leave you stranded like I have seen KTM s and BMW s along the rural roads. Parts can usually be more readily had any where you may travel. Is it the most powerful? No. Is it the quickest? No. Does it have a “beak”? Thank God, NO! Can it make you smile? Yup.

I think the only bike to compete may be the new V-Strom. I also think the Guzzi could be there if their network was better

 

[Sierra1]

When it comes to reliability, low operating cost, Yamaha does very well against it’s competition.

That's the one I always see. But it has to be a few years old. Victory is now Indian.

 

[TenereGUY]

Well, parts are cheaper for a Yamaha... but what parts are you replacing? Have to agree with everything that's been said above. The pdf of the reliability says it all. I met someone on my Alaska trip this past summer who was on a 2020 GS1250 Rallye. We've become good friends... while on said trip a problem re-emerged and got so bad he traded it in in Seattle. They gave him $9200 for a 2020 1250 Rallye and charged him full msrp for the new one. It was an electrical problem and it would throw codes and then die. Wait a few seconds alongside the road and it would start up just fine but the frequency was increasing. He had to get back to south Texas across a lot of barren hot country. So he "traded". They tried for two yrs prior to fix it. It started after the bike had 500 miles on it. Hadn't done it in 5 months. I've known some other BMW owners and it's like a little secret but they all say... yeah, trade it in when the warranty expires. Then my uncle who was a diehard BMW fan came one Xmas and wanted to show me a picture of his new girlfriend. Ok...it was a new Goldwing! Say what? Why? His riding buddy had a new K1200 and it ate the oil pump and BMW wouldn't cover it. Not the first time I had heard that BMW is stingy covering warranty problems. The ST is a mule and it goes. I don't think I have read or heard of any mention on this forum about major problems with the ST. You want reliability, easy maintenance, availability of dealers wherever you are... then I would by the ST. Will you be in the popular clique? No, but run silent, run deep!

 

[ncpkwyrider747]

I have a 2023 S10 and I'm a bit confused about some of the comments made about fuel. The owners manual specifies premium unleaded and the sticker on the gas tank also says to use premium unleaded gas (91 or higher if I recall correctly). I know I have a lot to learn about this bike since I've only owned it for 6 weeks but what am I missing?

 

[RCinNC]

My bike is a 2014 non ES Super Tenere that I’ve now owned for 112 months and two weeks. It currently has 102,912 miles on the odometer. That averages out to about 915 miles per month, or just shy of 11,000 miles per year.

I didn’t keep track of the costs over the years (and it would be kind of irrelevant regarding what I paid for a particular service item 10 years ago as opposed to what it would cost now), but I did keep pretty close track of the services and maintenance done to my bike over the past decade. I’ve done all the maintenance myself with the exception of the three valve clearance checks, the replacement of the cam chain tensioner, the replacement of the bearings in the front and rear wheels and steering stem, and the rear shock rebuild. Tire changes, brake pad replacements, fork rebuilds, radiator hose replacement, etc were all done by me. I’m not a maintenance nazi, but I do try to follow the guidelines in the owners’ and service manuals.

I tend to change things like tires more often than other guys, mainly because I do it myself so it’s not as much of a hassle as it is for a guy who has to make arrangements with a shop. I also tend to change brake pads well before they hit the minimum thickness Take that into account when you’re trying to figure out your own potential cost of ownership.

It may look like a lot of stuff on that list, but bear in mind that it covers a 10 year time period. Also bear in mind that what the list doesn’t include are any costs related to something that actually broke. That’s because literally nothing on the bike has ever broken. Wear items have failed, naturally, but the bike has never been deadlined in all these years because a component failed.

I often use regular gas in the bike, even though the owner’s manual recommends premium. It’s never presented any issues. When I had the oil analyzed at 88,000 miles, my engine showed less than average wear. For a giant chunk of the overall miles, I didn’t use super expensive motorcycle specific oil. Many of my miles were logged on “car oil” from O’Reilly Auto Parts, and Rotella. Filters are often whatever is on sale at O’Reilly’s, or Amazon (Mobil, Mahle, and Bosch Steeltech are probably the filters I’ve used most often).

Here's the breakdown of what I've done (or had done) to the bike since August 2014:

 

[Ss1]

I can tell you about my experience in operating the 2018 ST for 3 years. When traveling to Tajikistan, you must pass through Uzbekistan! There are no gas stations with gasoline in Uzbekistan; I know only 3 gas stations with gasoline. You only need to drive around Uzbekistan 500 km on bad gasoline like 80-grade. So, after 500 km on this kind of gasoline, the valves began to ring. BMW and KTM sometimes did not cover this distance))). So, you need to fill in good gasoline, otherwise the engine will not last long. And so, in 3 years, I changed the seals on the front fork 2 times and at 50 thousand km the seal of the rear gearbox leaked. Plus there was a problem with the shock absorber, it also leaked.

 

[bimota]

i spent more on parts in 12months on a 1200 gsa than i have on my tenere in 10 yrs

rob

 

[DanT]

You guys are great. Thanks for share this and I think a S10 will be in my garage IF my wife is comfortable on it and , I this she will be.
Now, to find a good used S10.

 

[Cycledude]

My best friend is a BMW rider, he has had mostly decent luck with BMW but yes on almost every long trip he has needed to get something fixed at a BMW dealer, wiring problems, replace radiator, weld broken side stand, charging system failed and no parts available so we mounted a deep cycle battery up in Alaska and he then loaded it on a ship back to the lower 48 and still no parts available to fix it, he wound up riding another 700+ miles home and waiting a month for his local BMW dealer to get a replacement Stator to fix it, but they did give him a free loaner bike to use while he waited.

 

[bimota]

You guys are great. Thanks for share this and I think a S10 will be in my garage IF my wife is comfortable on it and , I this she will be.
Now, to find a good used S10.

my wife loved the comfort of the big 1200 gsa, the S10 was a bit cramped after that, but i moved the top box back 2 inches , put lower pegs on for her and a comfort seat she loves it as much now so no issues there

rob

 

[Tenforeplay]

I believe bmw has knock sensor so if you end up with lower octane gas you won't kill the engine, and of course you can use lower octane gas, but you won't be getting the hp numbers advertised, and I wonder how many are really getting the hp numbers advertised.

And I've never read of someone killing the Super Tenere engine from low octane gas, for what that's worth.

 

[Kemlyn⚙️]

I can tell you about my experience in operating the 2018 ST for 3 years. When traveling to Tajikistan, you must pass through Uzbekistan! There are no gas stations with gasoline in Uzbekistan; I know only 3 gas stations with gasoline. You only need to drive around Uzbekistan 500 km on bad gasoline like 80-grade. So, after 500 km on this kind of gasoline, the valves began to ring. BMW and KTM sometimes did not cover this distance))). So, you need to fill in good gasoline, otherwise the engine will not last long. And so, in 3 years, I changed the seals on the front fork 2 times and at 50 thousand km the seal of the rear gearbox leaked. Plus there was a problem with the shock absorber, it also leaked.

I had no idea 80 octane fuel was available in Russia or anywhere in the World.. must be like running diesel fuel in a Super T.
It seems you do a great deal of off road riding that’s most likely the reason for premature shock seal failure.. heavy vibration will also effect the transmission seal life. Good riding and good luck.