This is a copy of the post I made on www.ST-Owners.com , it's not from the eyes of someone used to dirt bikes, it's from someone used to sport touring so may be more applicable to guys here on FJRs, C14s or RTs etc... In fact, other than some relatively easy dirt farm roads I don't take my bikes down non-pavement terrain. I've always owned Hondas and mostly Goldwings and ST1300s and never a dirt bike at all... So...please take that into consideration when reading. Thanks!
Burleson Powersports had a Yamaha demo event. Among one of the bikes you could demo was the new 1200 Super Tenere.
Since I have a deposit on one I figured a real ride would be nice. Here are my impressions for what it's worth:
Power
Lots of it an on the low end. Being used to the ST, I always felt like I wasn't spinning the engine fast enough but it would really take off well from a stop at low RPMs and the front end would get very light, very quick.
Six Gears
The test ride rarely had me going over 60 for long. I tried to put the bike in 6th gear a few times and it felt very useless, like I was bogging the engine with any throttle input. I think you need to be going at least 70 for it to be where it should, which is great!... Once I got back on the ST I was in 5th and kept thinking I was in 1st as it felt like 5th was too low of a gear... it's amazing how fast you start getting used to a bike.
Handling
Just as good as the ST if not a little better. The bike definitely felt lighter than the ST. It wasn't a very long ride and it was guided so you could only do so much.
Handlebars
I felt lots of vibrations in the handlebars, my hands were tingling within a few mins. The bike was in Sport mode... I noticed when I put it in Touring mode there didn't seem to be as much. It could have been the angle of the bars. Not sure if it was the roads we were on or just the character of the engine. It's not going to be as smooth as the ST or Wing in any way. But, it's not meant to be.
Seat
We put it on the low position and it was 'almost' the same as the ST w/sargent seat in middle position. The seat is very cushy so it will compress some and should be very comfortable - again, as much as a 10 mile ride can determine.
Brakes
Front - Wow - the Front lever is the one linked to the Front/Rear... Incredible.. could just be because it's a new bike with less than 300 miles on it but they felt stronger than the ST's brakes.
Rear - The rear brake pedal felt small and too close to the foot peg, very strange feeling at first, you had to search for it... the rear brake was okay, nothing all that special... it just worked, not weak but not strong, but it's also not linked to the front when using the rear brake first.... the front lever is the big stopper on this bike.
Windshield
Coming off the ST it seemed tiny... however, going from the Wing to the ST the ST's fairing / shield seemed very small so it may just need some getting used to. The wind protection is nowhere near that of the ST of course. However, the side fairings do come out some so it's not as bad as it sounds. There are some additional deflectors you can get, the shield can be adjusted upwards and there are already some aftermarket shields available.
Conclusion
Well, I think if you want this bike to replace an ST or similarly equipped Sport Touring bike, you may be disappointed. It's not a sport tourer, it's a dual sport bike... you have to keep that in mind when riding / evaluating it. Many times people have talked about how the ST has no character, it's so smooth and seamless it's almost boring, are the comments I've seen. Well, the Super Tenere does have character, it has a definite vibration and throttle 'feel' if that makes sense.. I did have a good time riding it. When you hit the throttle it doesn't just zip smoothly along, it grunts and goes, and does that quite well.
I think this is a bike that can do may things well. You'll have to get used to it's 'character'... and it's not and ST as I've already said. The ride did not change my mind, I will want one of these in the garage and can't wait to put some real saddle time in on it.
I hope my comments help those thinking about the bike in the future.
Burleson Powersports had a Yamaha demo event. Among one of the bikes you could demo was the new 1200 Super Tenere.
Since I have a deposit on one I figured a real ride would be nice. Here are my impressions for what it's worth:
Power
Lots of it an on the low end. Being used to the ST, I always felt like I wasn't spinning the engine fast enough but it would really take off well from a stop at low RPMs and the front end would get very light, very quick.
Six Gears
The test ride rarely had me going over 60 for long. I tried to put the bike in 6th gear a few times and it felt very useless, like I was bogging the engine with any throttle input. I think you need to be going at least 70 for it to be where it should, which is great!... Once I got back on the ST I was in 5th and kept thinking I was in 1st as it felt like 5th was too low of a gear... it's amazing how fast you start getting used to a bike.
Handling
Just as good as the ST if not a little better. The bike definitely felt lighter than the ST. It wasn't a very long ride and it was guided so you could only do so much.
Handlebars
I felt lots of vibrations in the handlebars, my hands were tingling within a few mins. The bike was in Sport mode... I noticed when I put it in Touring mode there didn't seem to be as much. It could have been the angle of the bars. Not sure if it was the roads we were on or just the character of the engine. It's not going to be as smooth as the ST or Wing in any way. But, it's not meant to be.
Seat
We put it on the low position and it was 'almost' the same as the ST w/sargent seat in middle position. The seat is very cushy so it will compress some and should be very comfortable - again, as much as a 10 mile ride can determine.
Brakes
Front - Wow - the Front lever is the one linked to the Front/Rear... Incredible.. could just be because it's a new bike with less than 300 miles on it but they felt stronger than the ST's brakes.
Rear - The rear brake pedal felt small and too close to the foot peg, very strange feeling at first, you had to search for it... the rear brake was okay, nothing all that special... it just worked, not weak but not strong, but it's also not linked to the front when using the rear brake first.... the front lever is the big stopper on this bike.
Windshield
Coming off the ST it seemed tiny... however, going from the Wing to the ST the ST's fairing / shield seemed very small so it may just need some getting used to. The wind protection is nowhere near that of the ST of course. However, the side fairings do come out some so it's not as bad as it sounds. There are some additional deflectors you can get, the shield can be adjusted upwards and there are already some aftermarket shields available.
Conclusion
Well, I think if you want this bike to replace an ST or similarly equipped Sport Touring bike, you may be disappointed. It's not a sport tourer, it's a dual sport bike... you have to keep that in mind when riding / evaluating it. Many times people have talked about how the ST has no character, it's so smooth and seamless it's almost boring, are the comments I've seen. Well, the Super Tenere does have character, it has a definite vibration and throttle 'feel' if that makes sense.. I did have a good time riding it. When you hit the throttle it doesn't just zip smoothly along, it grunts and goes, and does that quite well.
I think this is a bike that can do may things well. You'll have to get used to it's 'character'... and it's not and ST as I've already said. The ride did not change my mind, I will want one of these in the garage and can't wait to put some real saddle time in on it.
I hope my comments help those thinking about the bike in the future.