- Joined
- Feb 26, 2010
- Messages
- 2,126
Well, I've finally gotten to ride both the Super Tenere and the Tiger Explorer. Not quite as I planned, but I have at this point ridden both bikes. I managed to get a bit of seat time on the S10 about a month ago, when Yamaguy55 let me take his for a spin when we were out for a group ride. Just this past weekend I was on a weekend overnighter and stopped off at a local Triumph dealer to test ride the Explorer.
I'm still on the Tiger 1050, that's no secret. With all the riding I've managed to get in lately getting a new ride hasn't been a priority, but like all things I steadily work towards the end goal, sometimes it just takes a while. That's just me. A fool and his money as easily parted, so I try not to be a fool. With that said, even though the Super Tenere looked to be the "total package" when it was announced a while back, now that I'm ready to actually plunk down my moolah I figured I had to at least survey the competition. Hence I've been waiting to see what the Tiger Explorer would be all about. So off to the impressions...
As I said, I took off on Yamaguy's S10 with the traction control set on high and the touring mode enabled. My very first impression was the lack of sensitivity on the throttle. Now, if anybody here has ever ridden a Tiger 1050 you'll know what I mean when I say the Tiger 1050 is "twitchy." The S10 throttle was almost too insensitive. I'm not sure how much different the sport mode is, but what a difference from what I was used to. Not good, not bad, just different. I recall the brakes being adequate but not overwhelming as I tested them out.
As I revved the S10 up and took off I immediately noticed what I knew I would - the engine. Now, if anybody has ridden a Triumph triple, you know what I'm talking about. They are smooth, torquey, and rev to 10k RPMs. They are an amazing combination of a twin and a four, somehow combining the best of both with seemingly none of the drawbacks. The S10 engine, as we all know, is a big twin with that 270 degree firing order. So to me it felt rather lumpy and frankly, quite lacking in power for what I felt it should have. Nonetheless I started off and started thwacking through the gears and putting her through the paces. The road I was on wasn't the best, and since I was on somebody else's bike I was taking it pretty easy. What become very apparent was just how planted this bike is. The Tiger 1050 weighs in at something like 500lbs wet vs. the S10's 570 pounds, with the 1050 carrying the weight high up, and the S10 carrying it down low. I learned something that day - that weight is not necessarily a bad thing. The S10 felt as if I could just point it anywhere and it would go there without drama. It was really an amazing feeling, and I would describe the Tiger 1050 as "skittish" compared to it in the rough-road handling department.
Downshifting at one point produced a nice chirp from the rear tire, taking me back to the last shaft driven twin-cylinder bike I'd owned and reminding me that twins have immense engine braking. Not something I actually care for, to be honest. The transmission is good, nothing unexpected or enlightening, just a good transmission.
So being a month ago, and with the ride being rather short (only a few minutes) all I recall from there was riding back up to the rest of the guys (on a gravel road) and wanting to jump the S10 over a little bump in the road! I actually had quite a grin on my face when it was all done and honestly I wanted to keep going. After I dismounted and took a few seconds to gather my thoughts, I realized what the S10 really is...AN OVERSIZED DIRT BIKE. Yes, it felt exactly like somebody supersized my KLX! The feeling that I could roll over anything was there, and I finally understood some of the professional reviews I'd read. Yamaha has built an awesome off-roader, or at the very least biased it towards dirt.
So fast forward a month, and I'm riding out on a demo Tiger Explorer 1200. Again, a rather short ride (about 9 miles worth). Right out of the gate, I noticed the engine - it is, in a word, superb. It was different from the 1050 triple, less triple whine, more triple growl. The thing just pulls like a mule in any gear. What the S10 was lacking in the engine department the Explorer had. The transmission worked very well, a major upgrade from the one in the Tiger 1050. Smooth, and no chirping on sudden downshifts that I ran into on the S10.
The road surface that I rode the Explorer on was very different from the road that I tested the S10 on, so this is not a fair comparison, really. With that said, the Explorer exhibited very much the same stability that the S10 did, again, a much welcome change from the Tiger 1050. I don't recall too much about the S10's suspension, but I vividly remember how nice the Explorer's suspension flowed through the transitions. Again much improved from the Tiger 1050. I can't say how it truly compared to the S10 without a back-to-back ride, but it definitely stood out to me on this test ride. The brakes on the Explorer were fantastic. Great feel and stopping power. They're not linked like the S10, which would limit offroad braking a bit (have to utilize foot brake, which is rather tough in motocross boots sometimes).
So as I stepped off the Explorer I did NOT have the "it's a big dirt bike!" impression that I had when dismounting the S10. Intuitively I think that the "feeling" you get when riding these bikes is indicative of the design approaches each manufacturer took. The S10 clearly has the dirt bias, and as we all know it shines off road. From a design sheet perspective the Explorer has more of a road bias, and you can feel the difference when you ride both bikes.
So what does it all mean? Well, it means that if you're like me and you're considering both these bikes you need to really step back and assess what you expect to do with the bike. I've had enough chats with S10 owners to know that even though the S10 is capable, it's not a 250cc bike when going off-road. Some folks do use their S10s as true off-roaders, but will I? Will you? I can only see myself doing mild dirt roads, not single track or anything real technical, I have a KLX for that. So does that mean I should go with the more road-biased bike? It's tough to tell. The price tag on the Explorer is extremely tough to swallow, EXTREMELY tough. The price of it really doesn't hit home until you find yourself actually considering buying one, then the S10 starts to look REALLY attractive.
So anyways, I'm still undecided, and I want to do the back-to-back test riding that I originally intended to do back in May. More than a ten minute ride is needed to truly assess each bike's character, but one thing is for sure, either bike is an upgrade to what I have now and either bike I think is superb. The local dealer carries both bikes, and has already told me to stop on in when I'm ready. Knowing me, I'm not sure right now when that will be. I used to think people sold their bikes when they had kids because of their risk-tolerance, now I know that it's because the little buggers eat up all your time!
I'm still on the Tiger 1050, that's no secret. With all the riding I've managed to get in lately getting a new ride hasn't been a priority, but like all things I steadily work towards the end goal, sometimes it just takes a while. That's just me. A fool and his money as easily parted, so I try not to be a fool. With that said, even though the Super Tenere looked to be the "total package" when it was announced a while back, now that I'm ready to actually plunk down my moolah I figured I had to at least survey the competition. Hence I've been waiting to see what the Tiger Explorer would be all about. So off to the impressions...
As I said, I took off on Yamaguy's S10 with the traction control set on high and the touring mode enabled. My very first impression was the lack of sensitivity on the throttle. Now, if anybody here has ever ridden a Tiger 1050 you'll know what I mean when I say the Tiger 1050 is "twitchy." The S10 throttle was almost too insensitive. I'm not sure how much different the sport mode is, but what a difference from what I was used to. Not good, not bad, just different. I recall the brakes being adequate but not overwhelming as I tested them out.
As I revved the S10 up and took off I immediately noticed what I knew I would - the engine. Now, if anybody has ridden a Triumph triple, you know what I'm talking about. They are smooth, torquey, and rev to 10k RPMs. They are an amazing combination of a twin and a four, somehow combining the best of both with seemingly none of the drawbacks. The S10 engine, as we all know, is a big twin with that 270 degree firing order. So to me it felt rather lumpy and frankly, quite lacking in power for what I felt it should have. Nonetheless I started off and started thwacking through the gears and putting her through the paces. The road I was on wasn't the best, and since I was on somebody else's bike I was taking it pretty easy. What become very apparent was just how planted this bike is. The Tiger 1050 weighs in at something like 500lbs wet vs. the S10's 570 pounds, with the 1050 carrying the weight high up, and the S10 carrying it down low. I learned something that day - that weight is not necessarily a bad thing. The S10 felt as if I could just point it anywhere and it would go there without drama. It was really an amazing feeling, and I would describe the Tiger 1050 as "skittish" compared to it in the rough-road handling department.
Downshifting at one point produced a nice chirp from the rear tire, taking me back to the last shaft driven twin-cylinder bike I'd owned and reminding me that twins have immense engine braking. Not something I actually care for, to be honest. The transmission is good, nothing unexpected or enlightening, just a good transmission.
So being a month ago, and with the ride being rather short (only a few minutes) all I recall from there was riding back up to the rest of the guys (on a gravel road) and wanting to jump the S10 over a little bump in the road! I actually had quite a grin on my face when it was all done and honestly I wanted to keep going. After I dismounted and took a few seconds to gather my thoughts, I realized what the S10 really is...AN OVERSIZED DIRT BIKE. Yes, it felt exactly like somebody supersized my KLX! The feeling that I could roll over anything was there, and I finally understood some of the professional reviews I'd read. Yamaha has built an awesome off-roader, or at the very least biased it towards dirt.
So fast forward a month, and I'm riding out on a demo Tiger Explorer 1200. Again, a rather short ride (about 9 miles worth). Right out of the gate, I noticed the engine - it is, in a word, superb. It was different from the 1050 triple, less triple whine, more triple growl. The thing just pulls like a mule in any gear. What the S10 was lacking in the engine department the Explorer had. The transmission worked very well, a major upgrade from the one in the Tiger 1050. Smooth, and no chirping on sudden downshifts that I ran into on the S10.
The road surface that I rode the Explorer on was very different from the road that I tested the S10 on, so this is not a fair comparison, really. With that said, the Explorer exhibited very much the same stability that the S10 did, again, a much welcome change from the Tiger 1050. I don't recall too much about the S10's suspension, but I vividly remember how nice the Explorer's suspension flowed through the transitions. Again much improved from the Tiger 1050. I can't say how it truly compared to the S10 without a back-to-back ride, but it definitely stood out to me on this test ride. The brakes on the Explorer were fantastic. Great feel and stopping power. They're not linked like the S10, which would limit offroad braking a bit (have to utilize foot brake, which is rather tough in motocross boots sometimes).
So as I stepped off the Explorer I did NOT have the "it's a big dirt bike!" impression that I had when dismounting the S10. Intuitively I think that the "feeling" you get when riding these bikes is indicative of the design approaches each manufacturer took. The S10 clearly has the dirt bias, and as we all know it shines off road. From a design sheet perspective the Explorer has more of a road bias, and you can feel the difference when you ride both bikes.
So what does it all mean? Well, it means that if you're like me and you're considering both these bikes you need to really step back and assess what you expect to do with the bike. I've had enough chats with S10 owners to know that even though the S10 is capable, it's not a 250cc bike when going off-road. Some folks do use their S10s as true off-roaders, but will I? Will you? I can only see myself doing mild dirt roads, not single track or anything real technical, I have a KLX for that. So does that mean I should go with the more road-biased bike? It's tough to tell. The price tag on the Explorer is extremely tough to swallow, EXTREMELY tough. The price of it really doesn't hit home until you find yourself actually considering buying one, then the S10 starts to look REALLY attractive.
So anyways, I'm still undecided, and I want to do the back-to-back test riding that I originally intended to do back in May. More than a ten minute ride is needed to truly assess each bike's character, but one thing is for sure, either bike is an upgrade to what I have now and either bike I think is superb. The local dealer carries both bikes, and has already told me to stop on in when I'm ready. Knowing me, I'm not sure right now when that will be. I used to think people sold their bikes when they had kids because of their risk-tolerance, now I know that it's because the little buggers eat up all your time!