Apples to apples.. Why did you choose a Tenere over a GS?

[domromer]

My vstrom has been sold and it's go time. I've narrowed my choices down to a used 2012 Tenere or a used 1200GS.

I commute every day, most weekends I go for day trips on the bike and my vacations are motorcycle trips. So I rack up about 20k miles per year. Also a large portion of this riding will be two up.

So I'm hoping current Tenere owners can chime in as to why they chose the Tenere over the GS and why they think it makes sense for me.

Dom

 

[BaldKnob]

Read this, Dom: http://www.yamahasupertenere.com/index.php?topic=2308.msg38796#msg38796

Similar thread from honest and candid Tenere owners. More reasons to buy the Yamaha? You commute daily. You ride 20,000 miles per year. You're looking at a used motorcycle. If you want to buy into a club... get the Beemer.

 

[domromer]

Re: Re: Apples to apples.. Why did you choose a Tenere over a GS?

Read this, Dom: http://www.yamahasupertenere.com/index.php?topic=2308.msg38796#msg38796

Similar thread from honest and candid Tenere owners. More reasons to buy the Yamaha? You commute daily. You ride 20,000 miles per year. You're looking at a used motorcycle. If you want to buy into a club... get the Beemer.

Thanks ill look at that. I access this site through my phone via tap talk and the search function pretty much doesn't work at all.

 

[creggur]

Apples to apples.. Why did you choose a Tenere over a GS?

I've posted versions of this little story about my journey to the Tenere a few times here and on other forums. The thread this came from was about the Tenere's character (or supposed lack thereof). 11K miles in and the bike has been flawless - many have stories of much higher mileage with the same result:

The supposed lack of "character" is why I ended up buying a Tenere. In the interest of full-disclosure I wasn't looking for a hardcore Adventure bike, I wanted a comfortable sport-tourer I could aim down the occasional dirt road that caught my eye.

I came off an 07 VFR 800 that I absolutely loved! Great engine, not the most powerful, but dead-nuts reliable. I know guys with six-figures on the odometer that have never even checked the valves, as the price/hassle with the VTEC system was so great if you could make it to 50,000 miles it's cheaper to just replace the engine if something goes wrong. Never heard of anyone not making it, and very, very, rarely heard of a valve needing adjustment when they were checked.

But...no matter how much I spent/tried I couldn't get the bastardized 'somewhere-between-full-tuck-and-upright' ergos to work for me. Guess one needs to be a 5'6" 148 pound Asian test-rider to really appreciate them. I dunno...

I need reliability as I work 60-70 hours per week and riding is my decompressor. When I want to ride, I want to ride - not wrench or spend time at a dealership. Like all of us, I like to hit the road to remote areas, and can't afford being stranded with no dealership for hundreds of miles if something does go wrong...

Enter the Adv bikes I considered:
Ducati MS - beautiful, awesome road performance, and I could afford the bike, but not that Italian "character".

BMW GS - good-looking bike in a rugged 'Road Warrior' way, fawning reviews, and a cult following that makes a newcomer think all is good from the outside-looking-in...then deeper research uncovered how much "character" the final drives etc. have. No-go for me.

Explorer 1200 - probably the perfect bike for me, a powerful sport-tourer in an attractive and functional package, but it hadn't even hit dealers in the UK at that time so there was no telling if it had "character" yet or not. It was too new, and the sparse dealer network was a deal-killer.

Enter the Super Tenere: I'd bought into the reviewers' lines that it was underpowered and over weight, boring and lacked "character", etc. - that's why it was last on my list. Then I started reading real-world reviews from owners here and on the other forum, and my interest perked up.

One Saturday I was in-bound from a 200 mile ride on the VFR, with my neck, shoulders, and lower back killing me from the riding position. I stopped by my local Yamaha/Kawi dealer (where we bought my wife's Ninja 250 and FZ6R) to see if they had a Tenere to look at. There at the front door was a Blue Beauty - the Tenere had a true presence in person. I sat on her and immediately thought, "Damn, that's comfortable!" I spent a few minutes poring over the bike and setup a test ride for the following weekend.

Ten miles of test riding was all it took. One year and about 11,000 miles later I have zero regrets. The only ergo mods I've made are Grip Puppies ($10.00), Seat Flattening Mod ($5.00), and a slight bar adjustment ($0.00). I've done 800 mile weekends without the slightest discomfort - just returned from a 700+ mile, two-day trip yesterday and still couldn't be happier.

I do plan on getting a Flash soon, and adding a fuse block for some electrical farkling, but other than that I'm good. Even with that and the Akra pipe I added in December I'm still in for thousands less than the bone-stock versions of the other bikes I considered. Smart Money in my book... Eventually I'll upgrade the suspension, but at 178 pounds the stock stuff works fine, so I'm gonna beat on it for a while longer before upgrading it.

I'm sure my story isn't unique, I know two other VFR riders from the VFRD forum who have traded for a Tenere, and have seen many more here from other sport-tourers. Actually, the Tenere is quite similar to my VFR in that it's not the most glamorous or exciting offering in the class; it just does everything I want it to do very well (just more comfortably). That's the kind of "character" I enjoy...

 

[coastie]

Re: Apples to apples.. Why did you choose a Tenere over a GS?

If you just want to ride day after day after day and just change tires, oil, and add Gas then the Tenere is for you. If you really want the latest wizbang technology and you like that BMW badge the get the GS.

I got the tenere because I wanted to explore the country and I did not want to worry about braking down. It was also about 4k cheaper, and that 4k can dress up the tenere in high quality farkles, which will clearly out perform the beamer. Example add full Ohlin or Penske suspension, arrow headers with your choice of can, and an ecu flash and you will have a reliable high performance machine, With the saved money left over you will be able to purchase farkles for comfort/protection.

 

[Dirt_Dad]

Coming from a VStrom I was used to reliability. Never worried about breakdowns ever with that bike. Reliability is the first consideration for me. I'm not amused to be hundreds or even thousands of miles from home and having to find a dealer to fix something in the middle of my trip. I owned a Spyder, I know exactly how that feels, and it sucks. That ruled out the GS for me. It has a legendary reputation for expensive, potentially trip ending mechanical issues. No interested. Also made me not consider the KTM, which was a bike (when running) I had test ridden at an open house and really liked. But I'm much happier with a bike I trust. It's a major plus that the Tenere turned out to be fantastic.

 

[mcbrien]

I've owned several Yamaha's and my father was a BMW faithful back in the 70's . That flat twin
is odd . I've ridden hundreds of miles and still don't like it . A friend I ride with as a 2000 something
and that motor is still odd . Great suspension though . I was torn between the Tenere and a Selvio
but riding by my self on desolate roads pushed me towards Tenere and 15000 miles later I have no
regrets . Selvio's are getting good reviews and carry something like 8 gallons of gas for some serious
mile munching . I should ride one , you should too ::008::

 

[Carolina Tim]

Having owned several BMWs, including an R1100GS, and having ridden a couple of the newer 1200GSs, it boiled down to these three things for me:

-better expected reliability from the Yamaha (every BMW I've owned has developed "teething"problems, or worse; vice versa for my Yamahas)
-better "weight management"from the Yamaha (less of a top heavy feel, seemingly better/lower CG)
-comparable technology/features for significantly less money

 

[justbob]

I bought a new 2003 1000 V-Strom for a trip to Prudhoe Bay, it was a good and dependable motorcycle but lacked the new technology. I bought a new 2005 FJR1300 that got totaled when I got rearended on the interstate. At that time I had accumulated about 400,000 miles on many different Japanese motorcycles with no major problems and very few problems of any kind. I then purchased a 2005 BMW R1200RT which became one of the best motorcycles that I have ever owned, very comfortable, great fuel mileage and fuel range and with the latest technology. It also became the worst motorcycle that I have ever owned and the only one to leave me stranded on the side of the road, not once but twice. In addition to that it developed a major oil leak that contaminated the clutch, that happened at 35,000 miles just barely under the 36,000 mile warranty.( Thats another problem I have too, why does a premium touring bike have a 3 yr or 36,000 mile warranty ? I exceeded the warranty mileage limit within 18 months.) It suffered the dreaded finaldrive failure after the warranty expired and BMW would not cover any part of the repair, even though I had been told that BMW was covering finaldrive failures out of warrany. I bought a used finaldrive and sold the bike. BMW wanted $1900 to repair the bike. The oil leak/clutch repair would have cost me nearly $2000 if it would have been out of warranty. The BMW ABS computers are also a known failure item that cost around $2000. These kind of expensive repairs are not what I am used to and will keep me from ever owning another BMW. My Tenere is proving to be another typical reliable (non-european) motorcycle that I expect many happy miles of ownership.

 

[Buckeye71]

For me it was the fact that I was starting to feel a little like Jodie Foster in The Accused every time I visited my local BMW/Triumph/Ducati dealer, be it for service, parts, or new bike purchases.

Making the switch to Yamaha has been the best decision I have ever made. I haven't had an ounce of trouble with my Tenere since I picked it up in September of 2011 and my dealer, Lancaster Sport Cycles, has simply been a pleasure to do business with.

 

[TWOTIME]

For me it was the fact that I was starting to feel a little like Jodie Foster in The Accused every time I visited my local BMW/Triumph/Ducati dealer, be it for service, parts, or new bike purchases.

Making the switch to Yamaha has been the best decision I have ever made. I haven't had an ounce of trouble with my Tenere since I picked it up in September of 2011 and my dealer, Lancaster Sport Cycles, has simply been a pleasure to do business with.

same here

 

[squarebore]

Apples to apples.. Why did you choose a Tenere over a GS?

No BMW dealer for about 150km. BMW way too expensive. Piston face the wrong way. Been waiting for a Japanese maker to build something like the s10 for years. Good value. Jap reliability. No bullshit eurowank trash.

 

[macca]

I used to own a 1150GSA for 2 years and 11K miles pre the LWR hype. It had a number of issues including failed shocks, lots of corrosion , rear end rebuild (recall) followed by rear bearing failure so I traded for a KTM950Adv. I still hang on the UKGSer forum (as there is other stuff on there) and the number of peops reporting toasted final drives, bust clutches, exploding gearboxs plus other gremlins on the 1200GS(A) just keeps me reminding me never to ever get another, even though the GSA1200 looks pretty nice.

 

[Gregg5789]

I had a similar experience when reading cycle world review. I had never owned a sport tour type bike and started with reviews by the "pros." I got a Vstrom cuz money and a happy medium. I met a couple of guys who put knobbies on and rode all over Alaska. A year and 9000 miles later, 12 trips to the dealer for aspiration problems and two major trip cancellations and I could not get rid of it faster. Ride Now gave me what I owned and on to the Tenere. I only have 650 miles on it and love it. Looks and rides unbelievable. I dont think it handles as well and in a sprint the vstrom would beat her, but the s10 is five times the bike. I'm on my way to Estes, Co for 7 days with my new jesses and some camping. Will let you know when i get back.

Ride more, beer more, work less

 

[Don in Lodi]

The Beemer wasn't even an option for me. The Stelvio was on my radar. If Honda had done what Yamaha has I would have gone there. Sure would like to ride an Explorer.
A POI for you, regular two up, prolly should have a new rear shock, though others are doing it with out...

 

[~TABASCO~]

I agree with many points stated above so no need to repeat... I've considered the BMW several times over the years, so for sure im not a hater... But a few mechanical difference that will/do make a difference..
- Dry single disc clutch VS multi plate wet clutch
- Single sided swing arm with proprietary large bearing, hollow axle design VS Standard dual sided swing arm with "normal" bearings load equalizing from side to side.
- Proprietary front end limited on future suspension upgrades VS more "standard" forks with more suspension options
- Relatively weak upper rear shock mount VS more robust mount (observation by counting problems with each bike, and over all engineering)
- Relatively low miles per valve check (but easy to get to) VS much longer valve check intervals (harder to get to) I know of a bike that had the valves checked each 25K miles. The first time a shim had to be changed was at 76K
- A somewhat fickle electrical system (a little of everything) VS So far a very solid electrical system (head light harness seems to be the only note of issue)

 

[Mzee]

I also came from a V-strom background. I loved reliability. My story of the S10 is simple. I test rode an S10 and then BMW over a period of 9 months. The S10 won. I have 45,000km on her and she is flawless.

 

[mingo]

I sold my 1200GSA to get a SuperTenere because I wanted a RELIABLE bike, with a LONG valve inspection interval, and easy to maintain at my local independent bike shop without having to be married to the BMW dealer for software updates and computer diagnosis of error codes, not to mention outrageously expensive parts and service. The ABS on the SuperTen works well on road and off.. You don't NEED an off switch for the ABS off road.. On the BMW you do, or the bike will be freewheeling..


Usually when a new GS comes out, I'm running down to my dealer to have a look. I'm not even slightly interested in the new 1200GS Liquid Cooled. Too many electronics making their way on to their new bikes.


One owner posted on ADVrider.com that his starter's clutch engagement failed. The starter would work when he hit the button, but wouldn't engage the engine... what was BMW's fix? Replace the entire engine, because it was too difficult to get at the starter's clutch... I'm not kidding.


I love the Tenere, the engine has a lot of punch (I have done the 50 cent clutch switch mod), I like the riding position, the ease of maintenance.. I just replaced the final drive fluid.. it took me less than 10 minutes. On my 1200GS, I had to remove the wheel, remove the speedo/abs senor on the inside of the FD flange, to get at the filler hole.. My first 12GS had the drain hole at 9 o'clock so I had to drop the FD to drain it. My second one the drain hole was re-located to 6 o'clock location but still no external filler hole... The central hole in the GS's FD and the lack of a filler hole was form over function.


I'm so glad to be done with BMW for good and this is after owning close to a dozen bmw's. I'm so glad I don't have to spend countless hours on internet forums trying to learn about potential issues and remedies of the bikes I owned.. With the SuperTenere... I just ride with ease of mind.. ::013::


I also dumped my problem plagued K1600GT and purchased the 3rd GEN 2013 FJR just because I like to have a sport touring bike as well... If I could only have one bike, it would be the SuperTenere.

 

[Carolina Tim]

Let me add another two cents. Putting aside all these arguments about quality, reliability, technology, and so forth, a significant part of any motorcycle purchase for me has to do with the bike appealing to my sense of style, of what "looks right"to me. And the Super T looks right to me. Better than the Tiger, better than the GS, better than the Mulitstrada, and as good as the latest KTM Adventures.

Despite being an Appalachian American, my sense of style and of what has aesthetic appeal comes straight from Europe. I will admit that many of BMW's products have an appeal to that sense, as do Triumphs, Ducatis, KTMs, and Huskys.

But I don't think Yamaha gets enough credit for their consistently appealing designs. Credit their attractive bikes to the part of their corporate culture that stresses overall harmony and beauty in all their products--musical instruments as well as motorcycles. This sensibility pushes them closer to that European sense of style I like than any other Japanese company. And the bonus for us is that we can have these beautiful machines without the penalty of European electrical glitches, inadequately tested final drive systems, overly complicated assemblies, wrongheaded dealer networks/policies, and so forth.

My first motorcycle was a silver '78 Yamaha RD400, and it still looks great. In fact, I want one just like it, right now!

 

[creggur]

Apples to apples.. Why did you choose a Tenere over a GS?

There you go, Dom. You're just gonna get page-after-page of this here. And it's all true - it really is a great all-around bike - maybe one of the best ever built.

Thought I'd bought the best sport-tourer ever with my VFR, and the VFR is awesome, but the Tenere is better - hands down. I ride mostly street, but it's real easy to find guys taking this thing places I'd be struggling on a 250 dirt bike.

I've done hours of slab in comfort, tore through twisties watching guys on sportbikes work their asses off while I sat on their tail in total comfort, commuted when I could, and even got her in the dirt a few times (something I haven't done since I was a kid) and had an absolute blast!

If you're looking for a go anywhere, do anything, reliable machine - you've found it. And this isn't just brand-loyalty hyperbole - this is the first Yamaha I've ever owned. Though it won't likely be the last...