S10 seems to be absent from many media articles on ADV bikes?

[AndyCBR]

I suscribe to a few motorcycle magazines and it seems like the S10 has been getting "left out" on some of the articles lately.

What gives? It's got a great price point. The new ES models bring something to the table while still giving those that don't want those options a choice with the base model. Yamaha has made several recalls and design improvements since the model was first introduced. The long term reliability seems to be proven.

I know the GS will be the standard the media types use as a benchmark but it seems like the fanfare for the S10 is underwhelming.

Case in point:
http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/reviews/go-anywhere-do-anything-adventure-bike-comparison-test?cmpid=enews102114&spPodID=030&spMailingID=21599142&spUserID=NjMwNjg1NDU1NTES1&spJobID=421642679&spReportId=NDIxNjQyNjc5S0

As far as a "go anywhere, do anything" bike, an S10 with a good set of 50/50 tires can't be beat IMO.

::022::

 

[Ramseybella]

It sort of always been that way!!
They like the three letter manufacturer who's name shall not be mentioned. ::025::

 

[greg the pole]

It's how it goes. It's not the latest, and greatest then it doesn't deserve mention.
who cares about usability, and excellent reliability. It's all over rated.

 

[Tippo]

The only motorcycle magazine that I bother to read is Motorcycle Consumer News. They take no advertizing and therefore can be a bit more objective. They do take some junkets to sample new product at the manufacture's expense so they are not perfect. They always say good things about BMW's but they have liked the Tenere from the beginning. This year they sampled a number of adv bikes in their element with Rawhide Adventures. The Tenere, although lacking many of the latest and greatest features of the KTM and BMW was one of the favorites.

This month they gave high marks to the new FZ-07 and mentioned that it would make a great mid-weight adv bike.

Jeff

 

[Frenchfries]

It's true that the Yamaha Super Ténéré is often missing from the comparos in the specialized press. And when it is present, it is often slammed as an overweight, under-powered pig. And you know what, they are right! Yamaha did a terrible job in designing the ECU flash on this bike. That's why a lot of us went to different routes to improve the power of the engine. Personally, I went with the ECU reflash from AVC. Before that, even coming from the 09 BMW GS Adventure, the engine felt very frustrating to me. It seems that the 2014 got a redesigned flash, but it's too late. The competition already moved on and provide much more exciting engines. We don't care, because we don't have multiple bikes in our garage, but if we were testing journalists in a comparo, that would definitely strike us.
Now is a re-flashed pre-14 or a '14 Ténéré powerful enough? YES! Although, a couple of times I would have loved to get an additional 20 HP to make a lightning pass on the road.

But, what is frustrating is that those comparos are just not to the point. The issue is not only what bike has the most/best engine, or is the fastest, but also which one is better tailored for its targeted audience. Then small items like shaft drive, maximum factory warranty, fuel range, long-ride seat comfort, feedback from users on forums and overall cost of maintenance (which includes the price of spare parts and availability) should be factored.

I have subscribed to a magazine named Road Runner for $10 a year. In the Dec 14 issue, they crowned the 2014 KTM 1190 Adventure bike of the year. I was balancing between this bike and the S10 in Nov 13 before buying the S10. So I was interested. They picked this bike for all the usual reasons: fast and fun. Then I browsed the owners' forums. And I saw that this bike is a disaster for the owners (side and central stand collapse w/o warning, the engine gets quite hot, the air filter does not filter and kills the engine in less than 10,000 miles, parts are hard to get and very expensive, factory not responsive, ....) . Definitely the fun bike to have to get some fun around the block, but for a reliable partner, look elsewhere. I feel that crowning such bike as "bike of the year" is very misleading. And following their advice would lead to a house-of-pain. I will not renew my subscription. Not even for $10/yr!

I am not in charge of PR nor advertising at Yamaha, but to differentiate the S10 from the competition, that would be a great idea to focus on real users stories. Many of us have done a lot of things with this bike, and got a lot of miles with no trouble but a lot of smiles, and that's ultimately what counts for an adventure bike.

 

[skyRIDER55]

That's the reason that was my last issue of Motorcyclist. In the rider comments they even say they are not into ADV bikes. They like go fast bikes. Me, I'm into ADV bikes. I only subscribe to 2 magazines now. Roadrunner and ADVMOTO. These magazines I enjoy all the way through. Both have said good things about the Super Tenere.

 

[longride]

Journalists can pick whichever bike they want because they don't have to BUY it! I know. I was one! Easy to ride and be thrilled, but when you have to shell out enormous amounts of cash for purchase, service, and breakdowns, then things come into perspective quickly. Magazines are designed to sell motorcycles, not be consumer advocates. The fanciest and most expensive its great to ride, but the Tenere will only impress over the long haul.

 

[20valves]

I dropped Motorcyclist in 1998 when they gave the Honda VFR800 BOTY over the R1. I knew Mitch Boehm previously worked for Honda so that just seemed like a rigged game to me. And yeah, these guys hang out on the bikes, swapping back and forth over a few days or weeks. That is definitely NOT the ownership experience. Forums like this can offer much more insight into the pluses and minuses of bikes from people who have ridden them for years over thousands of miles. The mags are useful for their dyno graphs, not much more.

 

[mrpete64]

I agree with George. If I did not have to pay for my bike, with my own money, I would have purchased a BMW GS Adventure. Also, If I did not have to pay for my own car I would buy a new seven series BMW for??? In the real world one makes economic choices every day. Lets see, a Mac amp for seven grand or an Emotiva for fifteen hundred. Hmmmmmm. I could have easily paid for the BMW. I had four of them...nice bikes. I just wanted something that was nice to ride, comfortable, had cruise, and shaft drive. I had a vstrom 650 that was a very nice bike. Probably one of the best bikes I have owned. It just did not want to spend the money to upgrade the suspension for my weight. Besides, I liked the new 2014 ES. Glad I bought this bike. Drove it out to Colorado and back putting on 5,000+ miles. I can say that I did not take it "off road" which I never intended to to in the first place. My overall feelings about this bike...it is...great! Plenty of power, nice ride, and...not one issue! I will clean it up, change the oil, and get it ready for a trip to Alaska next spring/summer.
A good review of adventure bikes would be to start in New York...do interstate to California...go up the coast to Alaska...drive it back to New York via two lane roads...and then write a review. Include all the costs of gas, up keep, etc. Motorweek does this with cars. The get them and then drive them for a year. On occasion they give you updates, etc. When they are done you get a "real" gas mileage rating...and discussion on the good/bad to the car.
Anyway, I also only pay attention to Motorcycle Consumer News. They seem to be the most objective of the lot. And there magazine is not 95% sport bike related stuff.

Mr. Pete-------->
aging hippie

 

[pnelson]

This article is about non-adventure bikes...
"This particular group consists of five big ADVs with an orientation that favors blacktop over boulder gardens. (In August, we anointed the KTM 1190 Adventure R as the best dirt-biased ADV machine, with the costlier BMW R1200GS Adventure in hot pursuit.) "

This article is about the adventure bikes...
http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/reviews/down-dirty

The Tenere came in 3rd. They said the engine lacked character except for its broad, flat torque curve. During the test, the Tenere's skid plate (which was one of those that bolt to the oil pan) hit a rock and the bike started leaking oil. Duh... that was the first thing on my farkle list, a skid plate that did NOT bolt to the pan. But... should the consumer have to know this kind of stuff or should Yamaha have done it right the first time, or in this case since it was a 2014, the second time?

My review? A broad, flat torque curve, mile-after-mile reliability, and rock-bottom prices on new bikes right now in the fall of 2014 make the Super Tenere a bargain that I'm happy to be riding. ;-)

 

[RED CAT]

We're preaching to the choir here. Reason we are here is that we already know our S10s are the best Adventure bikes out there. Just got back from a fantastic, mostly dirt road ride in Montana and Idaho. Love my new, maybe not so new (7000kms) 2014 Tenere . Performed flawlessly. Roosting all day for 4 days. Stock Bridgestone tires are crap though. Had a new 2008 GS1200 and love my S10s way more. Had a new 2006 KTM Adv S. Not so reliable. I hear the 1190s are worse. Tried a new 2014 GS1200. I liked it but someone else would have to buy it for me at $10,000. more than my S10. So where does that leave me? 2014 Super Tenere, Adventure Bike of the Year!

 

[Big Blu]

This past Saturday I was at AIMExpo in Orlando, seems the most commonly displayed Adventure bikes used by vendors to demonstrate their accessories were the BMW GS, the 1000cc VeeStrom, and a few KTM's. Vendors use the bike they consider to be the volume leader, hence a larger market for their goods.

Many vendors also had fully farkled FZ-09's, seems that bike is a huge market success. After a demo ride Saturday on a FZ-09 I understand why! ::008::

Paul

 

[TalonMech]

Yamaha may not be providing ST's for the moto journalists to include in their shootouts. They (Yamaha) haven't done a stellar job marketing the ST in my opinion. But then again, Hardley Ableson is about the only motorcycle manufacturer that has marketing down to a science. They sell millions of those boat anchors on wheels, and probably enough tee shirts and leather vests to keep them in business if they never sold another bike.

 

[Big Blu]

Yamaha may not be providing ST's for the moto journalists to include in their shootouts. They (Yamaha) haven't done a stellar job marketing the ST in my opinion. But then again, Hardley Ableson is about the only motorcycle manufacturer that has marketing down to a science. They sell millions of those boat anchors on wheels, and probably enough tee shirts and leather vests to keep them in business if they never sold another bike.

BMW is pretty good at marketing, seem they break sales records just about every quarter.

Paul

 

[cb0802]

I understand why reviewers don't like the s10. Out of the crate the engine is a little disappointing. The motor is loud and twitchy. Power delivery is stiff and to me it seemed like the engine was always under strain.
That being said I'd be willing to bet that my s10 with 27k miles would get better reviews than it did new. The engine has gotten quitter, smoother, and looser as it's aged. It'll be two years old next month but a better bike than the day I purchased it.

 

[advswede1981]

I love my bike but I have to admit, as some have already stated, that the engine/power is uninspiring and boring, which hurts its reputation. It's absolutely beautiful when it's cruising but it lacks that throttle "umph" you'd expect from a bike of its size.

 

[Mzee]

Firstly, different strokes for different folks. Secondly, the best reviewer of my S10 is myself. I am sufficiently intelligent to know what I want from a bike. For instance, I wanted a touring bike, I wanted a shaft driven bike, I wanted power, not as in a super bike, but something way better than the my Vstrom 650 offered, I wanted an a bike that was reliable and not so complicated that I can sometimes fix it myself. These and much more I found in the S10. I knew that coming from the factory it would not be as complete as I wanted it to be, and so bit by bit I farkled it.

It really does not matter what journalists say. I own an S10, I am my own journalist and know the weakness and the strength of my S10. It would be hard to persuade me that I made a bad choice. I live in South Africa and sometime I'm in the middle of no where, hundreds of miles from civilisation. When my S10 breaks down, I should be able to fix stuff and keep riding without the need for somebody with a computer to come and fix it for me. The KTMs and BMWs and Ducatis are great bike, by my S10 is my master and servant and meets my needs in such a way that no other bike does. A very satisfied owner, and for your information, I own the first edition that has never lacked to satisfy me in a single moment. ::015::

 

[Ramseybella]

If only some journalists lived in the real world and step away from the key pad once in awhile not everything needs to go 240 mph.
I came off a 1050 Tiger and I admit I miss that flat out rocket like power burst of the triple but I know it's time to settle it down after my crash last year, the Tenere is tamed and easy to deal with.
One can look up a fire road and at least know it will go above and beyond what a sport bike will do up that road.
No issues that can't be fixed, replaced the clutch basket was #1 for sure.

 

[greg the pole]

I love my bike but I have to admit, as some have already stated, that the engine/power is uninspiring and boring, which hurts its reputation. It's absolutely beautiful when it's cruising but it lacks that throttle "umph" you'd expect from a bike of its size.

I don't know...yes the new GS has that instant hit, and is quick, but the tenere is no slouch. Put a pipe on it, and a Clutch switch, after swapping to the new 2014 clutch basket, this thing is a smoothie...And I will be flashing the ECU with AC this winter...wow wee, can't wait.

Besides, the amount of shit and abuse that I put my bike through its three years of use, none of the other brands would put up with without crumbling.

 

[oldbear]

Remember always that road tests/comparisons are always a "snapshot" of a machine-a brief overview after spending a few days/miles on the bike. The super model/beauty queen might very well be a lot of fun for the night but could very easily be a b..ch to try and live with....