Riding Position

[tomatocity]

While I was looking into the Super Tenere the riding position was reported as upright. This upright position was very different than what I am used to and comfortable with. A light grip and loose elbows is what I am used to on my modified Gen1 KLR. Modified as in everything but the stock handlebars.

2012 Super Tenere

Risers:
-I tried the Rox 2" Rise x 1 1/8" Stem Clamp x 1 1/8" Handlebar Dual Sport Pivoting Risers and found the clutch and brake lines to be too tight during full lock.
-We installed Rox Pro-Offset block Riser with 1" up and 1" back. This did make a difference though is not the answer for me. I still lean forward too much which puts hand pressure on the handlebars.
-Later I realized if the mirror clamps are moved toward the center of the handlebar it will create more usable line length.
-I was considering the 1 3//4" Rox riser though discovered there is a problem with pullback clearance. I think this can be resolved with shorter clamp caps and lower bolt heads.
-alike thread http://www.yamahasupertenere.com/index.php?topic=518.new;topicseen#new

Clutch & Brake lines:
-Longer clutch and brake lines would resolve the clearance issues with the Rox 2" Rise x 1 1/8" Stem Clamp x 1 1/8" Handlebar Dual Sport Pivoting Risers. How much longer and at what cost?

Handlebar Grips:
-In the past I have used 714's on KLRs and a DL1000 but I am open to another grip. Must support grip heaters.

Handlebars:
-This should be given a lot of thought since not everyone has the same hands, wrists, shoulder width, and rding style.
-The bend for the stock Gen1 KLR fits me well. I used them on the DL1000 with no problems. Recently found the Pro Taper Raptor series has a comparable sweep (hand wrist fore arm alignment) and is a higher bar. I have not tried this bar yet but have plans to buy them soon.
-The sweep angle of the stock handlebars contribute to my hands becoming numb.

Seat:
-As personal as the handlebars but SpeedStar founda simple and inexpensive way to lower the rear of the seat to make it more flat.
-I like like the comfort of the stock seat but my butt says different. Could have something to do with the foot peg position.
-alike thread http://www.yamahasupertenere.com/index.php?topic=1465.0

Foot Pegs:
-This might be the negative for the ultimate riding position. The foot pegs seem to be further back than what I am used to. The foot peg position does not support my weight (220 lbs) seems to push me forward toward the tank and puts too much body weight on the seat.
-This could also be adding to the weight being pushed toward the handlebars helping with numb hands problem.
-Additional hand weight on the handlebars contribute to poor turning during braking and down hill riding.

All of the above is based on road riding and I am sure there is a lot to be added and discussed. Off-road riding should be a good discussion. Please jump in and let us know your thoughts and experiences.

I just want to ride "Comfortably".

 

[Brntrt]

I too ride a Gen1 KLR and I fully understand the neutral upright riding comfort of the KLR. The S10 seems to pull me forward in the stock configuration. I fitted the Rox 2" on the S10 with about a 1/2" of pullback. My clutch cable is a bit on the tight side but so far so good. This helped in pushing me back. Now I know this is going to sound counter intuitive, but the Speedstar seat mod along with the seat in the lower position also helped straighten me out. It's not KLR comfortable but darn close. My standing position is perfect, way better than my KiLleR. ;D

 

[stevepsd]

I noticed the footpegs a bit further back than I am used to....maybe that is why the seat is getting a bit uncomfortable after several hundred miles in the saddle at a go?

 

[fredz43]

My Gen 2 KLR with Sargent seat and stock bars may have been the most comfortable bike I have had in 45 years of riding. I hope that with a few mods, my XTZ12BL will be as comfortable. So far I have added SW-M risers which helped a bit, put on 714 grips, which are much more comfortable than the stockers for me, did the seat mod which leveled it out a bit and had the seat recovered with smooth vinyl, since the non slip stuff was irritating to me. I will be interested in hearing how the pro taper bars work out. I don't know if there is a difference in Gen 1 and Gen 2 KLR bars, but if the pro tapers are close, that might help. Whenever Sargent gets around to making a World Sport seat for this bike, I will buy one.

 

[RMac]

I found that I was getting quite a lot of hand strain and numbness in my fore finger and index finger on the throttle side and having to take my hand of and flex it for relief regularly. The original position of the bars was such that my elbows had a decent bend in them and it seemed that the outer palm part of my right hand at the wrist got quit a lot of pressure on the throttle grip. Somewhat intuitively (counterintuitively speaking ) I decided to roll the bars forward to reduce the bend in my elbows and ride with straighter arms. I still experience some strain and numbness in my right hand so far from perfect, but seems to be quite a bit better interestingly. Even though I have pushed the grips further away from me and lean more forward now I think that having straighter arms is keeping all my joints in more natural alignment and reducing the pressure on my hands! Time will tell. Yep, standing comfortably now means I have to lean my whole body quite a bit forward, so not as good in that respect.

 

[elizilla]

Just so people who are researching the Super10 won't think it's all bad, I'd like to sing its praises a bit.

I have not yet done any really long days. But in my local break-in rides, I am finding nothing to wish for, ergonomically. I'm not going to say it's like a pair of old shoes, because old shoes break down and feel like crap - it's more like a pair of expensive new shoes from the women-in-sensible-shoes shoe store, you know the store that all the local podiatrists refer their patients to, where they sell Danskos and Birkenstocks and there's not a stiletto in sight.

I did have to make some adjustments when I got it home from the dealer - I moved the seat from the low position to the high position. I adjusted the shifter down. I rolled the bars a little back towards me, and rolled the brake/clutch levers down as much as I could without the handguards touching at full lock. The bars are now exactly the right distance away, and their height is perfect. They felt strangely wide for about ten seconds, but that feeling went away really fast, leaving only the light handling that I think is due to that same wide width. My feet are in the perfect spot - not too high or low, not too far forward or back. The seat is at a good angle; I don't feel like it tips me forward into the tank the way some have complained. The tank feels nicely narrow between my knees.

It's like a combination of all the best ergonomic features of the V-Strom and the TDM. Almost instantly it seemed very natural; I don't feel like I'm having to adapt to it at all. After doing most of my riding for the last three years on either the NT or the VFR, the Super10 feels like I have come home. Last week, with only 200 miles on the Super10, I had to take the NT out to get some groceries, because the luggage racks for the Super10 weren't here yet. The NT already felt more awkward than the Super10 felt on my first demo ride. I'm now a bit over 500 miles and it feels like I've been riding it all my life. I already find myself taking corners faster, and making slow speed maneuvers, like I've been riding the Super10 for years instead of not quite two weeks. I hadn't realized just how much more cautious/nervous I had become, on the VFR and the NT, simply because they didn't feel as right.

The only thing that still feels awkward, is getting the sidestand down. Damn but it is hard to kick it down without hanging the armor plate on my boot, on the teeth of the footpeg!

Oh, and I am not liking the grippy seat cover. I expect I'll do something about that, but I'll wait until I have gotten enough miles in to know whether I want to change anything else before I recover it. You can't judge seat shape and cushioning until you get out for 800 miles or so in one day.

 

[rem]

That's pretty much exactly what I meant when I said I really like the bike. Well said. And I even like the seat, but I bought a gen-u-ine sheepskin seat cover from Egli Sheep Farm in Ontario. Tickles my ass like a feather, if you don;t mind my saying so. It's a foine, foine motorsickle.

I took that piece of crap GoldWing and ran it in the river .. kidding don;t have one .. kidding R

 

[Don in Lodi]

The only thing that still feels awkward, is getting the sidestand down. Damn but it is hard to kick it down without hanging the armor plate on my boot, on the teeth of the footpeg!

That's my gripe exactly! No armored boots even. I'm wondering if one of the foot plates by... Altrider? might be the ticket. The one edge is serrated for shoe contact. I wonder if the oversize is enough to let the shoes swing a little wider. That pin Yamaha put on there, what were they thinking?

 

[elizilla]

That's my gripe exactly! No armored boots even. I'm wondering if one of the foot plates by... Altrider? might be the ticket. The one edge is serrated for shoe contact. I wonder if the oversize is enough to let the shoes swing a little wider. That pin Yamaha put on there, what were they thinking?

I put one of those on my bike. The one I got is made by Hepco-Becker. This one: http://www.amotostuff.com/super_tenere_body_wind/420-4531-12.html It helps a little, but I still have to be very careful to catch the stand by the very edge, because if I get in any close, that plate hangs up on the footpeg. I wonder if it will be easier or harder when the weather gets colder and wetter and I put away my vented boots and start wearing my waterproof boots all the time?

 

[RMac]

Hey, hey, no complaining, just seeking perfection. The S10 is way better comfortwise compared to my old DL650, just that I am getting bother with my right hand for reasons I haven't been able to understand yet.

 

[roy]

I have done two 600 mile days on mine with not much effort, stock windscreen in the low position and stock seat with only a beadrider pad on it. The windscreen is my only complaint, at times it was okay but others I experienced buffeting at the top of my helmet. I have since moved it up one notch but not had a chance to ride it yet. This is a easy biek to do a lot of high mileage days on. I am completely happy. I wish I was tall enough to run the high position on the seat it would help in the knee area with comfort but I'm just a tad too short. I could do it with tippy toes but it could get interesting on uneven ground with the footing. so I continue to run in the low position.

 

[RMac]

Same deal for me regarding seat height. Legs feel so much more relaxed in high position and tried it that way for a month, but nah, too damn short. What I can say though is OEM touring screen and wind deflectors works real good for me. 80 to 90% reduction in turbulence (?) Good enough to know that I will have this setup as long as I own this bike. I'm 5'10" by the way and 44 years old. Yes, age is a factor when it comes to comfort.

 

[doctorj]

Just so people who are researching the Super10 won't think it's all bad, I'd like to sing its praises a bit.

I have not yet done any really long days. But in my local break-in rides, I am finding nothing to wish for, ergonomically. I'm not going to say it's like a pair of old shoes, because old shoes break down and feel like crap - it's more like a pair of expensive new shoes from the women-in-sensible-shoes shoe store, you know the store that all the local podiatrists refer their patients to, where they sell Danskos and Birkenstocks and there's not a stiletto in sight.

I did have to make some adjustments when I got it home from the dealer - I moved the seat from the low position to the high position. I adjusted the shifter down. I rolled the bars a little back towards me, and rolled the brake/clutch levers down as much as I could without the handguards touching at full lock. The bars are now exactly the right distance away, and their height is perfect. They felt strangely wide for about ten seconds, but that feeling went away really fast, leaving only the light handling that I think is due to that same wide width. My feet are in the perfect spot - not too high or low, not too far forward or back. The seat is at a good angle; I don't feel like it tips me forward into the tank the way some have complained. The tank feels nicely narrow between my knees.

It's like a combination of all the best ergonomic features of the V-Strom and the TDM. Almost instantly it seemed very natural; I don't feel like I'm having to adapt to it at all. After doing most of my riding for the last three years on either the NT or the VFR, the Super10 feels like I have come home. Last week, with only 200 miles on the Super10, I had to take the NT out to get some groceries, because the luggage racks for the Super10 weren't here yet. The NT already felt more awkward than the Super10 felt on my first demo ride. I'm now a bit over 500 miles and it feels like I've been riding it all my life. I already find myself taking corners faster, and making slow speed maneuvers, like I've been riding the Super10 for years instead of not quite two weeks. I hadn't realized just how much more cautious/nervous I had become, on the VFR and the NT, simply because they didn't feel as right.

The only thing that still feels awkward, is getting the sidestand down. Damn but it is hard to kick it down without hanging the armor plate on my boot, on the teeth of the footpeg!

Oh, and I am not liking the grippy seat cover. I expect I'll do something about that, but I'll wait until I have gotten enough miles in to know whether I want to change anything else before I recover it. You can't judge seat shape and cushioning until you get out for 800 miles or so in one day.

I agree pretty much with all you said. I would recommend you think about the extended kickstand by Wunderlich marketed through Hepco Becker at Amotostuff. I think it is around $33 and really is nice and sure makes finding the kickstand a piece of cake. I feel much better about resting the bike on dirt or non solid surfaces too. Oops, I didn't read far enough since now see you did that--nevermind.

doctorj

 

[tomatocity]

My Gen 2 KLR with Sargent seat and stock bars may have been the most comfortable bike I have had in 45 years of riding. I hope that with a few mods, my XTZ12BL will be as comfortable. So far I have added SW-M risers which helped a bit, put on 714 grips, which are much more comfortable than the stockers for me, did the seat mod which leveled it out a bit and had the seat recovered with smooth vinyl, since the non slip stuff was irritating to me. I will be interested in hearing how the pro taper bars work out. I don't know if there is a difference in Gen 1 and Gen 2 KLR bars, but if the pro tapers are close, that might help. Whenever Sargent gets around to making a World Sport seat for this bike, I will buy one.

Fred, today I went to PCP Motorsports and checked the handlebars of the Gen2 and they are the same. I ordered the ProTaper Contours (1 1/8") Raptor handlebars. I will post the difference when I recieve and install them.

 

[fredz43]

Fred, today I went to PCP Motorsports and checked the handlebars of the Gen2 and they are the same. I ordered the ProTaper Contours (1 1/8") Raptor handlebars. I will post the difference when I recieve and install them.

That is good news, Tim. I will be eagerly waiting for your review. Will you be using some generic handguards, since the OEM's use the thread inside the end of tthe bars?

 

[tomatocity]

That is good news, Tim. I will be eagerly waiting for your review. Will you be using some generic handguards, since the OEM's use the thread inside the end of tthe bars?

I am looking for a wedge nut that will thread on the handguard bolt. Just like Acerbis and the others use.

Any suggestions? Anyone?

 

[Don in Lodi]

How about a bicycle shop. They use those wedge nuts to hold all sorts of stuff on.

 

[tomatocity]

How about Acerbis or one of the other manfacturers that make the parts for motorcycles. I am sure the Acerbis parts from my KLR would work but then I would have to get more for my KLR.

Now that I think about it I might have to drill the Bar End Weights and Handguards to fit a larger diameter bolt. Hopefully not but...maybe.