AKC Tenere
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I love it! ::015::AKC Tenere said:::012::
I was on my way to pick up a used GS 8 hours away. At the last minute I would check my phone to see if there were any Tenere nearby for a test ride, there was, well sort of, it was 3.5 hours from home which put me an extra 1.5 from my destination.MrSpock said:About a month ago (July 2015) I test rode a bunch of heavy ADV bikes that I was allowed to consider as a potential cure for my midlife crisis. Ok joking. I just was going back to riding after taking a pause for growing couple of kids. So, I called some of my local dealers and rode:
2015 BMW R1200 GS (they didn't have GSA for test ride, so I assumed it was close enough)
2014 KTM 1190 Adventure
2015 Triumph Tiger 800 XCx
2015 Triumph Tiger 1200 Explorer
2015 Suzuki V-Strom 1000
2015 Yamaha Super Tenere (non-ES)
Here are my notes (strictly subjective and incomplete):
- Bimmer: super expensive, first available GSA is coming in 5 weeks, need to make a deposit NOW. Concerned with first generation of water cooling engine. Too many electronic gizmos, including critical components. Germans are not known for reliable electronics. Plus, it is a bimmer - can I cope with the parking lot looks??
- KTM 1190: POWER!!!!! Amazing machine! Great engine and suspension. Felt much lighter than it is. However, very expensive in maintenance, chain drive, bad dealer attitude (would not give me a deal - asked MSRP plus $2000 in fees for a 2014 model with about 200 test drive miles on it! Oh, and I had a stall on the freeway during my test ride.
- Tiger 800: Zippy. Fantastic engine! Nice and light-weight, enough power for one + luggage. Great fully adjustable suspension. Cons: very hot engine - was impossible to sit on it in traffic on a 90F day. Chain drive. Tube tires on spoke wheels!!! Welded passenger pegs that would total your bike in case of a lay over without panniers.
- Tiger 1200: A behemoth. Very top heavy, didn't like the dynamics and ergonomics. Triumphs are not known to be very reliable.
-V-Strom: I had a Vee for 4 years and some 30K miles, so this new model supposed to cure some design flaws... Well, some were cured, some weren't. It felt like almost the same bike. Sure enough it was the same engine. A 20+ years old engine... I would expect more from a supposedly "new" bike. It felt heavier, even more restrictive.
- S10: plenty of power. Not as smooth and powerful as KTM or bimmer, but enough for 2-up and luggage. Engine is a bit rough and low-RPM - something to get used to. Seems to have nice weight distribution. No thrill shaft drive. Decent fully adjustable suspension, pretty comfortable ergonomics out of the door. Fantastic set of features and for the price and overall value (approx $4000 less that KTM, $8000 less than GSA). I always liked Yamaha engineering and reliability.
So, here I'm - breaking in my new S10 and reading the internets about the bike and its farkles.
I traded in my 2013 BMW LC GS and odd thing I find is that people mention the S-10 is low on power and rough at low RPMs. If that is the case then people will REALLY hate the BMW for that. I can lug at 1500 rpm on the S-10 no issue. On the beeemer it would jerk me around like crazy until I hit well aroung 2500 and even then it had a very very rough lunging sort or feel. It's transmission was also garbage..ugh..sooooo rough...MrSpock said:- Bimmer: super expensive, first available GSA is coming in 5 weeks, need to make a deposit NOW. Concerned with first generation of water cooling engine. Too many electronic gizmos, including critical components. Germans are not known for reliable electronics. Plus, it is a bimmer - can I cope with the parking lot looks??
- S10: plenty of power. Not as smooth and powerful as KTM or bimmer, but enough for 2-up and luggage. Engine is a bit rough and low-RPM - something to get used to. Seems to have nice weight distribution. No thrill shaft drive. Decent fully adjustable suspension, pretty comfortable ergonomics out of the door. Fantastic set of features and for the price and overall value (approx $4000 less that KTM, $8000 less than GSA). I always liked Yamaha engineering and reliability.