Is the Tenere the right Adventure bike for me?

[Alphahotel]

Hi,

I do not currently own a Tenere but I am seriously considering buying one. I currently have a 2006 Yamaha Roadliner (1900cc V Twin) that I customized and enjoy riding it but I want to be able to go off road. I have a friend who does a lot of adventure bike riding and talking to him about his trips is what sparked my interest. The two bikes I am looking at are the Tenere and the V-Strom 650 Adventure which is the bike he rides and recommends. I know that there are many differences between the two so this is why I am here to listen to those who have the knowledge and experience to help me with this decision. I grew up riding dirt bikes but have only ridden big cruisers as an adult. I do want to have a bike that I can ride two up if needed. I turn 40 soon so an adventure bike may be my big birthday gift to myself. I am looking for info from all who will help me with this decision. Thank you.

 

[sportsguy]

Tough, very individual question.

Now, both bikes are going to meet the needs you have outlines.

Both are great rides.

One will need chain maintenance, one won't.

Both can be customized like crazy.

One will cost more to insure.

One will haul two up more easily and maybe in slightly better comfort (this is very subjective, though).

I traded my FJR1300 in on my Tenere and so far - all 200 miles of it - have been fantastic. Very different bikes, BUT, being able to see where that gravel road goes matters to me, so the Tenere gets an edge in my life.

Obviously, you need to test ride both.

4 years ago I test rode both the Vstrom 650 and 1000 while bike shopping. Ultimately, I went with the FJR. The Vstroms, while great bikes, just didn't do it for me. I'm sure I'd have been happy with the DL1000 - the 650 I would have found lacking in power in short order (again, a personal point).

Being as objective as I can, I'd suggest the Tenere. Yeah, yeah, this is a Tenere board, so it's obvious, right?

Well, no. I'm thinking you're experienced, like to customize and travel. You want two up. In my mind, that adds up to the Tenere scoring a bit higher.

Just be sure to ride them both - that'll get you much closer to your decision.

...and WELCOME to the forums!

duane

 

[cosmic]

Welcome alpha. As for your doubt... you're a Yamaha guy...of course you gonna choose S10. ;D

 

[limey]

It will Take you places you only dream about.


Makes a great submarine .

 

[Mzee]

You are better placed to answer that question.

 

[roll_it_on]

Good stuff shared already but if you are on the taller side I would say ST over the 650 vstrom. I owned a 650 in the past and now have the S10 which is about the most comfortable stock bike I have had to date with regards to cockpit room. The vstrom is a great bike but cramped unless you do some mods like bars and foot peg lowering/seat raising etc.

Power wise no comparison......

 

[Dallara]

~


Never owned a 650 Wee-Strom, but I've ridden one, and a couple of SV-650's... The were all great motorcycles. I think the 650 Suzuki V-twin engine will go down in history as an all-time classic.

That said, I have owned a Yamaha Star Stratoliner S... I used to call it my Stratolounger ::025:: ... And you look like a pretty good sized boy. Coming off your Roadliner I'm gonna' guess you like T-O-R-Q-U-E, and with that capital "T". For that reason alone I'd have to think you'd like the Super Tenere more than the Wee-Strom, especially two-up.

I can only say this. I've owned a lot of motorcycles in my 40+ years of riding (and I do mean a *LOT*), and my Super Tenere is most definitely in the Top Three of "The Best Motorcycles I have Ever Owned", and it's currently tied for 1st Place.

The Suzuki is a fine piece of equipment, but just because of the chain alone it will be more maintenance intensive than the Super Tenere. I think if you spend much time here and over on ADVrider you will quickly surmise that the Super Tenere is arguably one of the most reliable, dependable, and bulletproof motorcycles ever made. That alone makes it a fine choice for a bike you plan to explore the backcountry and remote places with, especially when you want to make sure you and yours always get home. Another point to consider is that the Super Tenere was designed from the ground up to be a dual-purpose, far off the highway motorcycle, whereas the Wee-Strom is more of a street-bike slightly modified for light off-road use. The Super Tenere was designed, developed, and built to be a true "Round The World" mount. Not so the Suzuki.

IMHO you can't go wrong with either, but if you want that torque, and you want the tougher, more dependable, and more off-road capable of the two, the Super Tenere is the better choice.

Just my two centavos...

Dallara



~

 

[squarebore]

Gidday mate, if you after an opinion, here's one, get the dl650 with abs. Ride it a couple years. If you don't do much off road them maybe get the S10 after that. I find the s10 too big off road for anything but gravel roads. You have to be a lot better rider than me to go single trail on this machine.

 

[Rasher]

I may be able to offer a little insight, I have a Tenere, the Mrs has a V-Strom.

Firstly both are great bikes, and the differences are mainly what you would expect....

The Yamaha is much bigger and heavier when stationary, your feet are further from the floor and it feels like a big bike, when hopping on the Suzuki it feels small and when pushing it around it feels like a toy in comparison - would certainly be easier to pick up from the floor.

Once moving the S10 is so well balanced the extra weight is not really noticeable, but what I noticed was the V-Strom pegs seem very high and much further forward and as a tall guy I much prefer the Yamaha's leg room and seat - the V-Strom one is long and quite slippy so you tend to ride back and forth.

Handling is good on both, but you can feel the extra quality of the Yamaha suspension, although I modded my S10 suspension riding a cheaper spec bike shows how good the S10 OE stuff is (or how bad the budget Suzuki stuff is)

The engine is obviously much weaker on the V-Strom, in isolation I think it is good as it will pull from low down, has a reasonable mid-range from 5-8k and a fair top end rush from 8k-11k, but the S10 just trashes it without breaking a sweat with far more grunt and typically requires half the revs for the same shove - my ECU-Unleashed setup would probably keep up with the Suzuki without needing to rev past 6k.

I have not ridden the Suzuki two-up, but it obviously will be well down on both power and handling, a pillion makes far less difference to the bigger heavier bike and with the better suspension and huge torque if your intending to do much two-up the Yamaha is the only choice....

.... except the V-Strom is maybe easier to handle and cheaper to drop off-road - although it really was designed as a road bike so I suspect the Yamaha in many ways is a better off-road tool, especially if you consider the extra low down torque, power modes and traction control.

The Yamaha is also better equipped and has a shaft drive.
You can't really lose with either, but asking us lot which one to buy is likely to get one answer ::008::

 

[eemsreno]

Alphahotel
Everything said here is good but I don't agree with Squarebore
I have both bikes and ride the Wee to work most of the time.
I had the Wee before the Tenere and went on one two up trip with it and my wife didn't want anything to do with it after that.
We just got home from a 2,750 mile camping trip to Colorado on the Tenere and loved every second of it. [except the hail storm]
Every time I get on the Wee I feel like I'm getting on a China bike [KLR replica ]
The Tenere is the most Awesome bike out there capable of taking you places that you would think a big bike could never go. [Even two up]

 

[Siseneg]

I'd have to offer that the 'comparison' between the 650 V and the 1200 S10 isn't really an apples to apples kind of thing. Different class machines altogether. Should more likely be comparing the V to a KLR or Dakar.

I definitely considered it a huge move up in the category to go from a KLR to the S10. I know I jokingly refer to the S10 as a 'double-wide KLR' because it is simply more massive, terribly powerful and way complex in comparison to a KLR. I would assume that is the case with the 650 VStrom as well.

Now, having ridden the KLR 8,500 pavement miles and 1,200 dirt road miles in one sitting, I can attest that the 650cc engine will get you where you want to be, it is just not that much fun to be at highway speeds for hours on end at 5,000 RPM (even with taller gearing). The Tenere eats up 75mph stretches waaaay more comfortably. The KLR 650 can be coaxed and cajoled along tough single track trails; it's big and fat compared to say, a WR250, but it can follow one almost anywhere that doesn't require a lot of wheel-lifting. The Tenere will not go there (well, I can't make an absolute statement like that really, there are some folks that have done impossibly difficult and incredibly cool things on these bikes), it's just too big.

I've picked my KLR up from some tough falls, the Tenere I've picked up from one single tip-over in the driveway and it's a beast. The crash bars will probably mitigate that but luckily I've not had a second chance (just yet).

What I'd say in summary is that the KLR (for me, was a pretty good 50/50 bike. I presume the V will be the same. It will do everything!; just not particularly well. The Tenere shines as a two-up highway machine that has some pretty admirable off road capability, but it (to me) favors the road more than the dirt. If you're an experienced and confident dirt rider, the Tenere will get you through some tough stuff, but if you're starting out in the adventure world it might be a bit much to tackle right out.

Now, go look through this forum for the ride reports from DCStrom and JaimeV and see what these S10's are really capable of in the right hands.

All that, and it's still just two cents worth of opinion

 

[RED CAT]

They are worlds apart. The Suzi is a nice all round bike more novice oriented and great for most riders especially road riders that just got into gravel/dirt. But for the more serious gravel/dirt riders the S10 is far more capable performance wise. More comfort on road too. Of course powerwise there is no contest. If you are out there just to enjoy the scenery, either will do but if you are kind of aggressive, get the Super Tenere and giggle a lot.

 

[cb0802]

If I had known about this forum last November I would have started a thread like this,

Hi,

I do not currently own a Tenere but I am seriously considering buying one. I currently have a 2005 Harley Softail Deluxe that I customized and enjoy riding it but I want to be able to go off road. I have a friend who does a lot of adventure bike riding and talking to him about his trips is what sparked my interest. The two bikes I am looking at are the Tenere and the V-Strom 650 Adventure which is the bike he rides and recommends. I know that there are many differences between the two so this is why I am here to listen to those who have the knowledge and experience to help me with this decision. I grew up riding dirt bikes but have only ridden big cruisers as an adult. I do want to have a bike that I can ride two up if needed. I turn 40 soon so an adventure bike may be my big birthday gift to myself. I am looking for info from all who will help me with this decision. Thank you.

I bought the Tenere and hit 10,000 miles on my way back from Upper Michigan last week. I can't speak to the 650, but I will tell you that the S10 is everything it's cracked up to be. I did about 2,700 miles of pavement and 300 miles of dirt. Dirt roads, dirt trails, dirt paths. Uphill, downhill, through the mud and across a few creeks. It's heavy, but very forgiving to a novice adventurer.
While there are A LOT of factors that go into your decision, one that I would recommend is to take a serious look at the type of riding you WILL do, instead of the type of riding you WANT to do. I pictured myself riding this bike around the world and back again. I was going to ride up Mt Everest and across the Serengeti. I was going to go Trans-Alps, Trans-American, hell, I wanted to go Trans-Atlantic. Reality is, I spend most of my time on pavement. The beauty of the Tenere is that it’s always the right bike for anything I want to do. It is very comfortable on road; I did back to back 800 mile days without a problem (and ran a 5 mile race on day 3). It is very capable off road; I did 90 miles of snow-mobile trails in a day.
Over 10k miles in 8 months, I would say 1k were off road. 10%. What do you think your percentage will be 8 months after you buy your new scoot? What you may lose by having a heavier bike off road (10% of the time), you will be glad to have on road (90% of the time). One thing I learned is that the capabilities of my bike far surpass the capabilities of its rider.

 

[True Grip]

Alphahotel these are all great comments buy you a Tenere you will not regret it. Just look at the pics in this thread it will open doors for some great riding.

Limey awesome watercrossing! We need a watercrossing picture thread and your pic should be first. What do you say? Emgee could contribute too.

 

[jaeger22]

These are some great comments above and I find little I would disagree with. I, like a lot of others here came to the S10 from the 650 V-Strom. And both ARE great bikes. I put 93K miles on the strom, mostly long trips including coast to coast and back 3 times. It was still going strong but I had to ask myself, do I really want to do this years coast to coast and back on a bike with 100K miles? Or get a new bike. . . .NEW BIKE!!! ::015::
So I kicked off an in depth study to determine which to buy. I looked at every thing in the adventure class with an eye to lifetime cost, comfort, reliability, parts availability, and shear fun factor. Keep in mind that my use is 95% road and much of it long hall. The two bikes that quickly came to the top of the heap were the S10 and the V-Strom. The V-strom is the better value IMHO. It cost less and is cheaper to run (Gas and tires) and it will get the job done and put a smile on your face. But the S10 is the better bike (at lease for me) because it has more room (I am 6-4 and ride two up a lot), more power, and despite being heaver, it is much better off road. The drive shaft is a big plus and the savings from not buying chain and sprocket sets makes up for a big part of the gas cost difference. Best advice is as above, ride both. Buy the one that moves you. You can't go wrong with either.
As for me, I am leaving in the morning (from Orlando) headed for Portland Oregon on my s10!! ::013::

 

[snakebitten]

One thing for sure, this thread (and many others. [Ouray thread in events]) makes it very clear that S10 riders are actually doing REAL adventure on their bikes. These aren't garage queens or starbuck talker riders you are getting advice from.

Trust these lunatics. They have earned it.

 

[Jeffthechef]

Alpha, hoping to offer some insight to your question. I too have been riding a large cruiser (Kawasaki vn2000 Vulcan) along with a BMW r1200r. I bought a S10 about 6 months ago and have not really been off it. I am tall 6'6 and the size really suits me along with the way the bike handles both on and off the road and the power it offers.
My wife also really likes the feel from the pillion position. We are from Australian and have recently sent our S10 to the states and are currently doing an 11week ride of the states, Alaska and Canada .
I can not recomend the Tenere enough as it provides everything it promises and more.
Hope you make the right choice.

 

[Robare]

Hi,

I do not currently own a Tenere but I am seriously considering buying one. I currently have a 2006 Yamaha Roadliner (1900cc V Twin) that I customized and enjoy riding it but I want to be able to go off road. I have a friend who does a lot of adventure bike riding and talking to him about his trips is what sparked my interest. The two bikes I am looking at are the Tenere and the V-Strom 650 Adventure which is the bike he rides and recommends. I know that there are many differences between the two so this is why I am here to listen to those who have the knowledge and experience to help me with this decision. I grew up riding dirt bikes but have only ridden big cruisers as an adult. I do want to have a bike that I can ride two up if needed. I turn 40 soon so an adventure bike may be my big birthday gift to myself. I am looking for info from all who will help me with this decision. Thank you.

We have a lot in common. I ride a 2007 HD Road glide. I enjoy riding it, but I too would like to be able to go off road or at least some fire roads/gravel destinations. I'm having a hard time pulling the trigger on selling the road glide myself. I've modified it to fit me perfect (6'3"), plenty of leg room and a back rest. I'm more worried my knees/legs and back will hate me for it. I'm 42. Road trips are easy on the road glide - 3400 miles in a week this spring a lot in rain. Last fall picked up some dirt bikes for me and my son and that has become a great thing for us and I want more of it.

Any way I went and test drove a Tenere, Vstrom, and Gs800. By far the Tenere was my favorite. I suggest you need to go test ride and see for yourself which is better for you. I'm guessing you'll prefer the Tenere too because of your background, size of current bike. I think the V-strom maybe to vanilla for you. If you really want a smaller bike that is more dirt capable maybe the GS800 might work better, but that will cost you.

 

[3putt]

Lots of experienced riders here with the S10, and just like me they struggle to explain how good this bike is overall without sounding like a gusher/salesman.

I will only say, you can go offroad with street tires better than some offroad bikes with dirt tires, due to the superb ABS and TC electronics.

 

[Alphahotel]

Thank you for all the replys and advice. I went and sat on both bikes Friday and my mind is made up. The Tenere is bigger but was easier for me to throw a leg over, balance and had more leg room. Now begins the task of finding the right Tenere for me. I have my cruiser so I am in no hurry and may wait until closer to winter when prices/deals are better plus work has me busy this time of year. Again thank you to all who replied and I hope that we can ride together some day.