ES vs Non-ES

[Scrambler007]

I bought the 2021 ES (only version available that year), but knowing what I know, if I could have found a well equipped non-ES, I probably would have gone with that. I was expecting the suspensions to be better on the ES and it turns out I'll have to have them resprung and revalved anyways and had the suspensions been non-electric it would have been an easier job (many places didn't even want to work on them cause they never worked on them before).

To be honest, at least on my bike. The difference between -SOFT -3 (softest) and HARD +3 (hardest) is mostly visible on the smaller cracks and bumps (on rough roads, which is mostly what I have around here, the adjustment range goes from almost comfortable to uncomfortable, on nice roads, all settings work fine, you can actually ride at quite a spirited pace). On bigger bumps, its a bit harsher than I'd like regardless of the settings (and I've also gone through all the preload settings). At 200lbs I now set the preload on 2 Helmet + luggage, even when I'm alone with top box, otherwise your using most of the travel just sitting on the bike. There's so many things to like about this bike (cruise control, valve check every 42000km, drive shaft, heated grips, low center of gravity, great handling, decent weather protection, good low end torque, center stand, luggage, etc) and once I get the suspensions resprung/revalved (and possibly have the ECU reflashed this winter), it might even be one of the best bikes I've ever owned (this is my 22nd or 23rd).

 

[Scrambler007]

Yes lots of folks complain the springs aren’t stiff enough but not me ! I did listen to folks claiming springs weren’t stiff enough on a different bike many years ago and bought and installed stiffer springs, I hated them ! After one year I removed them and re installed the original springs and couldn’t believe how much better it rode !

Stiffer springs address the sag problem, but not the valving issue, that's where the sharpness on the bigger bumps comes from. Just stiffer springs will help prevent bottoming out, but if you just replace the springs without touching the valving, you're not really improving that aspect. I had an Africa Twin and everyone complained about how soft the springs were, and it was super comfortable and I never felt the need to replace them. On the Super Tenere, stock, just sititng on the bike your probably using half of the travel if not more, so it doesn't take much to have the suspensions pack on a series of bumps. Best advice I can give, is if you can, try both ES and non-ES and see which one you prefer out of the box.

 

[mcadvrider]

I bought the 2021 ES (only version available that year), but knowing what I know, if I could have found a well equipped non-ES, I probably would have gone with that. I was expecting the suspensions to be better on the ES and it turns out I'll have to have them resprung and revalved anyways and had the suspensions been non-electric it would have been an easier job (many places didn't even want to work on them cause they never worked on them before).

To be honest, at least on my bike. The difference between -SOFT -3 (softest) and HARD +3 (hardest) is mostly visible on the smaller cracks and bumps (on rough roads, which is mostly what I have around here, the adjustment range goes from almost comfortable to uncomfortable, on nice roads, all settings work fine, you can actually ride at quite a spirited pace). On bigger bumps, its a bit harsher than I'd like regardless of the settings (and I've also gone through all the preload settings). At 200lbs I now set the preload on 2 Helmet + luggage, even when I'm alone with top box, otherwise your using most of the travel just sitting on the bike. There's so many things to like about this bike (cruise control, valve check every 42000km, drive shaft, heated grips, low center of gravity, great handling, decent weather protection, good low end torque, center stand, luggage, etc) and once I get the suspensions resprung/revalved (and possibly have the ECU reflashed this winter), it might even be one of the best bikes I've ever owned (this is my 22nd or 23rd).

Thank you, really appreciate the feedback!

 

[MattR]

I currently have a 2018 ES wasn't really fussed about buying ES against non ES, it was the last one one in the dealer so got it at a bargain price. I would go for the 2017 non ES all day long you can always add heated grips and cruise.

The 17 non Es comes with cruise


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Longdog Cymru]

I currently have a 2018 ES wasn't really fussed about buying ES against non ES, it was the last one one in the dealer so got it at a bargain price. I would go for the 2017 non ES all day long you can always add heated grips and cruise.

I have a 2017 non-ES and it definitely comes with Cruise Control, as I mentioned in another post, I fitted Oxford heated grips but they can be incorporated into the Yamaha menu controls for the heated grips.

 

[fac191]

All 14 plus have cruise.

 

[Sierra1]

Cruise is a Gen I, Gen II thing. All Gen IIs have it.

 

[lund]

There is a correction that needs to be made that I have read a couple of times mentioned by members.
The ES is NOT an "on the fly" adjustment, as mentioned as roads changes. You need to pull over and put the bike on its center stand to remove the weight off the rear spring to do any adjustments or you stand the chance on damaging the adjuster motor at the shock.
This is specifically implied in the owners manual on the proper procedure to adjust the ES suspension.
The only adjustment that could possibly be made is shock valving and rebound +/- but that is not mentioned in the owners manual in the procedure as an on the move adjustment that I have ever read.
Please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[holligl]

The ES is NOT an "on the fly" adjustment, as mentioned as roads changes. You need to pull over and put the bike on its center stand to remove the weight off the rear spring to do any adjustments or you stand the chance on damaging the adjuster motor at the shock.
This is specifically implied in the owners manual on the proper procedure to adjust the ES suspension.
The only adjustment that could possibly be made is shock valving and rebound +/- but that is not mentioned in the owners manual in the procedure as an on the move adjustment that I have ever read.
Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Bike does NOT need to be on center stand to adjust preset. You only have to be stopped. If that's what the owners manual states, it is a CYA on Yamaha's part. Adjustment motor is far more robust than that. I would say you don't want to run it up and down repeatedly as it may overheat the motor. In general, if I am adjusting compression for trail modes, I am also turning off traction control so you need to stop anyway. The damping is adjustable on the fly, as previously noted.



Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

 

[Jlq1969]

It is right. the preload is only adjusted stopped and conveniently on the center stand (to avoid breakage in the electric motor), "but" it would be good to clarify that the regulation on the fly, of the rebound, also affects the compression, so, once the rear spring is regulated according to the load that the motorcycle has to support, the adjustment of the suspension “on the fly” (soft/std/hard), will also affect the hardness of the suspension, by regulating not only the rebound but also the it will regulate the compression speed of the fork and the rear shock….then it would regulate the hardness in a certain way, and as a personal opinion of mine”, the suspension of the S10 is adjustable “on the fly”
The preload is just that “PRE-load”…..I think that adjusting it once, before leaving, is enough and very rarely does it need a subsequent adjustment.

 

[Sierra1]

. . . . The ES is NOT an "on the fly" adjustment, as mentioned as roads changes. You need to pull over and put the bike on its center stand to remove the weight off the rear spring to do any adjustments or you stand the chance on damaging the adjuster motor at the shock. . . .

. . . . The preload is just that “PRE-load”…..I think that adjusting it once, before leaving, is enough and very rarely does it need a subsequent adjustment.

As stated preload is exactly that. . . . PRE. Yes you have to be stopped. . . . that's why it's not even available to make changes unless your stopped. If rebound/compression was not intended to be adjusted "on the fly", access to the settings would not be available while traveling down the road. Not to mention, having to stop to make those adjustments would defeat the point of making them electronically adjustable in the first place.

 

[WJBertrand]

So the requirement, allegedly in the owners manual, to place the bike on the center stand to make ES preload adjustment appears to be nothing more than legend. The owner’s manual makes no such statement when doing an adjustment. (Photo)

There is a comment about not having any weight on the vehicle, (not the suspension) which means you probably shouldn’t be sitting on it when making adjustments. I think perhaps this has been misinterpreted as no weight on the suspension at all.

We should probably not propagate this misinterpretation on the forum

The bike must be stopped and the engine running to make preload adjustments. The gross damping adjustments within each preload setting are available all the time, including on the fly. The finer incremental +/- damping adjustments are, like the preload adjustment, only available when stopped. I’m thinking Yamaha just wanted to limit the stuff you can fiddle with on the fly so as to reduce possible distractions with respect to these fine adjustments.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Scrambler007]

So the requirement, allegedly in the owners manual, to place the bike on the center stand to make ES preload adjustment appears to be nothing more than legend. The owner’s manual makes no such statement when doing an adjustment. (Photo)

There is a comment about not having any weight on the vehicle, (not the suspension) which means you probably shouldn’t be sitting on it when making adjustments. I think perhaps this has been misinterpreted as no weight on the suspension at all.

We should probably not propagate this misinterpretation on the forum

The bike must be stopped and the engine running to make preload adjustments. The gross damping adjustments within each preload setting are available all the time, including on the fly. The finer incremental +/- damping adjustments are, like the preload adjustment, only available when stopped. I’m thinking Yamaha just wanted to limit the stuff you can fiddle with on the fly so as to reduce possible distractions with respect to these fine adjustments.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

For the preload sometimes I'll do it on the side stand by I pull on the passenger grab handle to make it easier on the electric motor, more so if I'm increasing preload.

 

[WJBertrand]

For the preload sometimes I'll do it on the side stand by I pull on the passenger grab handle to make it easier on the electric motor, more so if I'm increasing preload.

I read the owner’s manual pretty thoroughly when I got my bike so I didn’t like thinking I’d missed an important point like that. The comments about needing to put the bike on the CS were news to me, so I was motivated to check for myself.

I’ve made adjustments when stopped whilst straddling the bike (butt up off the saddle) with no issues. Bike was not on either stand, just being held vertically with my own weight lifted off. I’ve got a 20% stiffer rear spring installed too!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Scrambler007]

I read the owner’s manual pretty thoroughly when I got my bike so I didn’t like thinking I’d missed an important point like that. The comments about needing to put the bike on the CS were news to me, so I was motivated to check for myself.

I’ve made adjustments when stopped whilst straddling the bike (butt up off the saddle) with no issues. Bike was not on either stand, just being held vertically with my own weight lifted off. I’ve got a 20% stiffer rear spring installed too!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

I don't think you dammage anything, but over time, you are more likely to have issues with the motor than if you have it at least on the side stand. Next month I'm having it resprung and revalved, and I'll keep putting it on center stand as much as possible.

 

[lund]

Thank you for the clarification on this.
So now how I understand it, preload settings are done at a stop, not necessarily on its center stand and dampening settings can be adjusted incrementally till a desired setting is set on the move. Correct???

 

[holligl]

Thank you for the clarification on this.
So now how I understand it, preload settings are done at a stop, not necessarily on its center stand and dampening settings can be adjusted incrementally till a desired setting is set on the move. Correct???

You are correct.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

 

[WJBertrand]

Thank you for the clarification on this.
So now how I understand it, preload settings are done at a stop, not necessarily on its center stand and dampening settings can be adjusted incrementally till a desired setting is set on the move. Correct???

Mostly correct, only the gross hard, standard and soft settings are available on the fly. The smaller +/- settings within each gross setting, the ones i call incremental, are only adjustable when stopped.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[fac191]

Bike does NOT need to be on center stand to adjust preset. You only have to be stopped. If that's what the owners manual states, it is a CYA on Yamaha's part. Adjustment motor is far more robust than that. I would say you don't want to run it up and down repeatedly as it may overheat the motor. In general, if I am adjusting compression for trail modes, I am also turning off traction control so you need to stop anyway. The damping is adjustable on the fly, as previously noted.



Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

I do mine on the side stand.

 

[MIKE R]

Maybe the route of the confusion is here:-



'When using the preload adjusting function, there should be no weight on the vehicle'

This is taken from the owners manual for a 2019 model but it is also mentioned on page 3:38 in my now sold 2014 model Owner's Manual

Mike