Do I just get it ?

[fender5803]

::021::
Here is my question. It is Oct 4th 2011 and there are a small handful of Super Ten's around my town. 14 according to CycleTradr. I think that was within 100 miles. So, not many, yes?
So do I wait a small amount of days or even weeks maybe thinking some might appear from hiding?? I have spent a couple months narrowing it down believe it or not from Dl650's (I ride a 2004 now) to GSX1250FA's (I know a street bike) to BMW 800's and 1200 ($$$) to Tigers to even Kawasaki Ninja 1000's but the S10 with it's traction control and general beefiness just seems to pass all the tests I have made up in my mind by reading, reading and reading. I have not ridden any of these and don't really plan to or worry about Pre-riding one. Maybe that's dumb but I feel there is so so so much to read about them all written by way more experienced "testers" than I; I will be happy with my choice ....

So what's can I except with the 2012 Yamaha Super Tenere (Tiniri) near future, is it get one if and when I can afford to NOW, or wait a little bit and maybe have a choice of colors at the dealer I choose-?? I really like the S10-! Maybe it is that simple .....

Thanks if anyone has any information to make a decision for me so I won't have to. Pretty lame, no?

DT

 

[kgfire]

Wow ... reminds me of the guy that died in a round barn because he couldn't find a corner to pee in!
My advice is don't buy anything because no matter what you get you'll always wonder about the other ones.

 

[fender5803]

Wow ... reminds me of the guy that died in a round barn because he couldn't find a corner to pee in!
My advice is don't buy anything because no matter what you get you'll always wonder about the other ones.

Yup that's just how I feel. Well said-!!!
Nope, I am almost probably sure pretty much I'm replacing my DL650 or adding to the stable unless as you say I give up and quit looking, maybe ....

 

[Combo]

What kind of riding have you done in the past?

If you like Adventure riding without the ruff stuff or if you like long hauls to the hard packed dirt roads you will love this bike and riding 2 up she will too. ::001::

 

[fender5803]

What kind of riding have you done in the past?

If you like Adventure riding without the ruff stuff or if you like long hauls to the hard packed dirt roads you will love this bike and riding 2 up she will too. ::001::

Well the fact is probably lots of non ruff stuff due to the massive freeway system in my home town, really no way around it but the hard packed fire roads are not to far away. Thanks, it all helps.
DT

 

[JJ Moto Addict]

My father said I made vroom vroom sounds before I could speak, all because of a motorcycle that zipped past.

The Super T does it all. I've never enjoyed motorcycles so much.

This bike is an angel - Sent by the motorcycle gods to embrace a few spirits. O

Do you get it? YES!!! ::002::

 

[Twisties]

I guess the older they get the cheaper they will get.... How close to new do you want? Are the advertised prices within your budget? Would you wait a year to save $1000 on a bike with more miles? I guess that's what the question probably is. I say if you can afford it, go ahead... it's already a great value.

 

[Don in Lodi]

::021::
So do I wait a small amount of days or even weeks maybe thinking some might appear from hiding??
DT

You did hear that the Tenere for 2012 was by special order only, right? That 14 bikes you counted will dwindle quickly to maybe two or three unclaimed bikes or bikes ordered under dealer's names. There was talk that Yamaha of North America has a further handful of bikes to distribute to their high volume dealers. Tony O's shop that sold like thirty bikes is only seeing something like three more bikes between now and March.I'm thinking buying sooner rather than later, and perhaps further afield than your 100 mile radius, if anybody actually has one on the floor. Or, as we've also maybe heard, wait for the 2013 PDP program to come around again in a month or so, or wait for the 2013s to be delivered next Spring, I've heard it both ways.

 

[digitalmoto]

You're not actually expecting an unbiased opinion on this forum are you?


You live in LA. Right? So you can ride pretty much year round. There goes the "wait until Spring" arguments.


Short version: You could pick up a black XTZ so that you'd have the faster model when everyone gathers in Whitehorse, YT during the first week of July, 2012. Those blue ones... I gotta tell you, they are SLOOOOOOOOW. But a black one... It rocks! Yamaha must add a few extra ponies to the Raven units. ::024::


Long version:
I rode everything in the class except the Triumphs and the Super Tenere. None had been released when I plunked down my deposit. I read every review for every bike that I could get my hands on. I did the BMW off-road school North of LA, so I spent 2 full days (plus some setup time the night before) with the big beemer. I rode the Duc Multistada S. I rode the GS800 & the GS1200 at demo events. I rode the KTM Adventure where I bought my SuperDuke. They let me take the bike out for an hour+ test ride. Then I made a list.

Requirements:
I had a roughly $20K budget. Which kind of ruled out the 1200cc BMWs. I couldn't put one together like I wanted for under $21K. Same for the Duc. Besides, who puts carbon on an off-road bike?

I need something that will last. Ducatis aren't exactly known for their hyper-mile characteristics. BMW seems to be having more QC issues as well. The Triumphs are first year releases. That leaves the KTM and the Yamaha which has already been released in Europe and Ozzieland.

I wanted the horsepower and torque of a liter+ engine. It seems like every review of an 800 says they are buzzy on the freeway. I do 400 or 500 miles in a day with some crappy freeway seams. (Seattle HOV lanes suck.) I want a bike big enough to handle the mileage to get to the fun stuff.

I'm partial to v-twins having had a Monster S2R100 (wife's), SuperDuke, SV650SF (wife's) and a DL-1000 in the garage. Not that it really matters in this class. It's either a 2 or 3 cylinder.

I'm not a hard-core off-road guy so I needed something forgiving. ABS is absolutely required. Traction control is desired. Electronic suspension adjustments make my geek brain smile.

I needed something big physically enough with enough oomph to do 2-up, loaded. My wife rarely rides pillion, but it does happen. I need something that she can be comfortable on for days at a time. She seems OK on the FJR so I used that as a baseline.

I do a couple 1200+ mile trips a year, mostly runs up to Canada which means a big gas tank, reasonable mileage numbers, and the ability to load up my gear AND get rowdy with my sport bike buddies.

And finally, I wanted a black bike. I know it's trivial, but I wanted what I wanted. I have an Orange KTM and a Blue FJR. My DL was black and I thought it looked great. My old YZF was black too. I prefer black bikes.

So ends my list.


Then I rode everything I could get my hands on. The BWM1200 felt like a pudgy DL-1000. Familiar and boring. The GS800 was too small and twitchy without enough zip for my tastes. The KTM Adventure felt close enough to my SuperDuke to be really disconcerting when it didn't act like my SuperDuke. They share motors with different cams. The difference in engine braking was what really kept me off the KTM. The SuperDuke has engine braking. The Adventure doesn't. Freaky when you're dropping into a familiar 20mph corner doing 10 mph more than you expected. Un-fun. Suzuki no longer makes the DL-1000, which had its own issues. The 650 engine is similiar to what's in my wife's SV. It doesn't have enough torque/horsepower for what I want to do.

After looking at my requirements list, reading the reviews, and getting some saddle time on the available bikes, the Yamaha moved to the top.

The XTZ was the best bike for me. My only complaint is the damn saddle which is fixable and not unique to the Yamaha.


Summary:
In the end, it's your money. Dropping $14k + accessories is not a trivial act for most people.

I bought the bike that best suited me and my goals. That bike is a Raven Super Tenere.

Your results may vary.


Is the horse dead yet? ::002:: I think it is.

 

[fender5803]

Hey Don in Lodi and DigitalMoto thanks to you both for your telling posts.

Don that's just the info I was wondering about, wether to act now or end up waiting. I wondered how that works with the special order when the orders are all filled but more are wanted, I guess people wait and hope they bring it back in the next model year.
DigitalMoto thanks again for your thought, all of them-!! I know just what you mean about the lack of juice in the smaller cc's. Just what I feel on the dl650. Not good for the highways, IMHO.
I hate to have anything to do with beating a dead horse.
I will need to decide soon, I can just feel it. No I just know it. I have the money know and don't really want to wait because there might be no money next year ....
Thanks again and also JJ-CarsSuck, very well put.
-DT

 

[Brntrt]

The decision on buying a new bike is not easy, there are a lot of good choices. When it was time to enter the 21st century and upgrade from my aging fleet of KLR's I had it narrowed down to 5 bikes. BMW F800GS, BMW R1200GS, Tiger 800, Tiger 800XC and the Yamaha XT1200Z. I took multiple test rides on all of them. I even fell victim to the "siren's call" of the Hinckley tripple and owned a Tiger 800 for all of a month before realizing it was too much of a road bike and felt "fragile" off road. I was looking for a bike that was comfortable eating up 600+ mile days and capable of getting dirty in the rough stuff. This narrowed the field to the big GS and the S10.

I love the styling, performance and character of the 1200 GS, but not the initial price, maitenance costs and "reliability" issues. These were a deal breaker.

Based on reviews out of SA and OZ i took a chance on the S10 being a dirt worthy, cross continental tourer.

After couple months of ownership, 4000 miles. Here are my impressions.

1. A very well engineered motorcyle
2. Off road I am amazed at the places I have taken it, and even more amazed at getting out of those same places. Learning to trust the ABS off road has been tough. Will probably do a switch to turn off.
3. Touring this bike is the Bee's Knees. Zipping down the freeways is "boring", whether you are going 100mph or 50 mph, truck wash, crosswinds the bike doesn't care, it is rock solid stable
4. In the twisties the bike is better than I am.
5. The only negatives i have found are things that are personal in nature, ie. windscreens, seat, risers ETC.
6. The best part, when it comes to $$$$$. It's not a BMW. ::022::

BTW the more I ride it the better it gets.

 

[dcstrom]

You did hear that the Tenere for 2012 was by special order only, right? <asnip> Or, as we've also maybe heard, wait for the 2013 PDP program to come around again in a month or so, or wait for the 2013s to be delivered next Spring, I've heard it both ways.

Don, where'd that info come from? I thought we'd determined that at the dealer meeting a few weeks ago, it was announced that the S10 would be floor stock next year i.e. no PDP? Along with a higher MSRP of $14.5k. I know my dealer in WV had 2 on the floor last week.

What we don't know is whether the stock in stores now is a new shipment, or leftovers from the PDP. If leftovers, you should probably grab one, unless we can find out when the next shipment will be.

Trevor

 

[AVGeek]

I'm not sure where in LA you are, but I can tell you I was wishing for a dual sport bike last year when I rode the Miracle Mile! One of the reasons I left SoCal was because of the crappy conditions of the roads, and I think the Super T would be a good fit for the "urban jungle" that is LA.

 

[Don in Lodi]

Don, where'd that info come from? I thought we'd determined that at the dealer meeting a few weeks ago, it was announced that the S10 would be floor stock next year i.e. no PDP? Along with a higher MSRP of $14.5k. I know my dealer in WV had 2 on the floor last week.

What we don't know is whether the stock in stores now is a new shipment, or leftovers from the PDP. If leftovers, you should probably grab one, unless we can find out when the next shipment will be.

Trevor

Like I mentioned, I've heard it both ways. If they are going to be a stock item next Spring, awesome! When it comes to reading those threads I'll read one or two posts, like from Tony, so I may not be fully up to date... I've got mine, I don't honestly care how they do next years bike. I do know I read from Tony about the few extras being trickled out over the next few months. Thought it was a silly way to do it. Our dealers floor stock right now is PDP stuff, ordered under dealer's name. No clue who gets the trickle down bikes, or when, again, except for Tony O's post on the subject. I would hope stock on the floor will dry up soon in regions with twelve month riding seasons.

 

[barkingllizard]

BTW the more I ride it the better it gets.

Life is too short, follow your dreams now..... Six months from now there could be a zombie apocalypse.

 

[Don in Lodi]

Life is too short, follow your dreams now..... Six months from now there could be a zombie apocalypse.

Exactly!
::021:: ::022:: ::004::

 

[fender5803]

OK that's it. It's over. When I read about the possible zombie influx I put a deposit down today on a 2012 Super Tenere with my local Yamaha dealer. It's official.
He said mid november, we'll see. I said I don't want to get left without and he said the dealer is getting four or five, or did he say three or four? My hopes are good I mean why would he say it if it wasn't true- right? Yea ....
How many days are in mid-November, hmmmmm ....

Thanks for all your thoughts everybody-!!
-DT

 

[Brntrt]

OK that's it. It's over. When I read about the possible zombie influx I put a deposit down today on a 2012 Super Tenere with my local Yamaha dealer. It's official.
He said mid november, we'll see. I said I don't want to get left without and he said the dealer is getting four or five, or did he say three or four? My hopes are good I mean why would he say it if it wasn't true- right? Yea ....
How many days are in mid-November, hmmmmm ....

Thanks for all your thoughts everybody-!!
-DT

Congrats! ::012:: ::012:: ::012:: ::012::

 

[mobyfubar]

Six months from now there could be a zombie apocalypse.

I hate when that happens.

 

[mykrysys]

Yup that's just how I feel. Well said-!!!
Nope, I am almost probably sure pretty much I'm replacing my DL650 or adding to the stable unless as you say I give up and quit looking, maybe ....

Sold my DL650....bought the Tenere....real simple...have not looked back