My 1st Super Tenere

[PhilokaRider]

Hi

I am Pk, I am a fairly new rider looking to get my 1st Super Tenere. I have 2 options i need to make a decision on, pretty much the same bike only difference is mileage and extras and obviously the price. Both bikes look clean and in good nick. The bike 2 with less mileage on the other side of the country though, if I buy it I would have to do it without seeing it and go on pics and conversation with seller, then there would be the shipping cost of getting it here. The bike 1 with more mileage I will be able to view and ride home if i buy it, less than 100km away.

Bike	Mileage	extras	Price
Bike 1. 2011 Yamaha XT 1200 Z Super Tenere	75000km	Top Box only Touring screen	R 63 900
Bike 2. 2011 Yamaha XT 1200 Z Super Tenere	17075km	Yamaha OEM Pannier (incl Top Box)	R 94 900

I would like to get some advice from more seasoned Super Tenere owners, i think the risk of not being able to view bike 2 together with the shipping cost will have a cost implications that might take the bike over 100K. My question is is the 57 925km difference worth it? or should i just try get the bike closer to me and not worry too much about the mileage.

 

[Sierra1]

Welcome, from Texas. Mileage is not much of a worry with this bike. We have more than a few members with over 100,000 miles, and one with over 300,000 miles.

 

[EricV]

Welcome to the forum PK. Please consider adding your home city to your profile. It gives context to your posts and helps others give better answers to any questions you may have.

The prices seem appropriate for the age and kms of the two bikes. If both were close to you, the lower kms is appealing, plus the panniers. That said, I'm one of the riders that's put on over 160K on my Super Ten. It's still going strong with many more kms now and a second owner.

Early production bikes needed to have the Cam Chain Tensioner, (CCT), replaced before 80K kms to avoid failure. The replacement CCT has a blue or green dot on the outside so you can tell by looking at it if its been replaced. Sometimes the original CCT started failing as early as 35K. A rattle on the upper right side of the engine, especially noticeable on cold start is the obvious indicator. Any cold start noise like that should go away quickly, not take 20-30 seconds before getting quieter. It can be a very expensive repair.

The main service is valve check/adjustment every 40K. The valves don't always need adjustment/re-shimming at every check interval.

Ask both sellers what maintenance has been done to the bikes, if you haven't already. If the CCT hasn't been replaced on the 75K bike, find out what your local shop will charge to do that job as well as the upcoming valve check/adjustment. This might be a consideration on the price of the bike as well. You will want to do both sooner, rather than later.

If the 170K bike hasn't had the valves checked recently, it's likely due and if the first check was skipped, it is more likely that some re-shimming will be required, which will cost a bit more than if they were in spec. (More labor)

If you're talking distances like Cape Town to Johannesburg, is it possible for you to fly to where the bike is and ride it home over a couple of days at a price that works for you? It's much more fun to ride the bike home than pay someone to ship it. The Super Tenere eats up 800K days easily.

 

[PhilokaRider]

@EricV @Sierra1 Thank you for the feedback. I think mileage is less of a consideration at this point. I will ask the question you have raised EricV, i just want to make sure you read the mileage correct, bike 2 is 17 thousand KM(not 170 thousand) and bike 1 is 75 thousand KM. if i understand you correct the one that would be due for valve check is bike 1.

 

[EricV]

@EricV @Sierra1 Thank you for the feedback. I think mileage is less of a consideration at this point. I will ask the question you have raised EricV, i just want to make sure you read the mileage correct, bike 2 is 17 thousand KM(not 170 thousand) and bike 1 is 75 thousand KM. if i understand you correct the one that would be due for valve check is bike 1.

Thanks for the correction Pk, early morning brain fog, or that's my excuse today. 17K is quite low for a 2011 model. It may have some issues from sitting. Fork seal leaks come to mind. I would not expect the CCT to have been replaced, but it would need doing at some point. I would suggest having it done at the next valve check service at 40K.

I agree, don't worry about the mileage. 75K is no big deal.

 

[bimota]

warm welcome

from S Wales UK

Rob

 

[Tenforeplay]

I buy and sell odds and ends, and I have come to the conclusion that it is the owner that has a major factor of whether the product has been taken care of.