Baltimore was the 3rd SuperTen I've been on, the other two were Euro. Having been on this one twice this weekend, it seemed more dirt bikish than the other two for some reason. Maybe it's that I'm getting to the point that the novelty factor is wearing off. My son got off thinking the Super Tenere would be something more and that he prefers his lighter DL650.
After my son & I were talking about how the engine didn't seem overwhelming for a 1200 & when my next ride came, I held back and ran the tach up when we could accelerate to highway speeds. I haven't ridden a DL1000 or Tiger girlie in a while but think they have more torque down low and then with revs the S10 won't kick in but will pull away.
I know that compared to the Beemer GS bikes I rent, the S10 starts smoother and just runs quieter/smoother without the drama the 1150 and 12GS have. With the Beemers, starting has that slow Harley hesitation and kick, then you feel every pulse as they rev. They sound and feel like they have more power and their machinery isn't muffled inside the bodywork. The counterbalanced Yamaha engine just starts smoothly and goes. Maybe too quietly and I do like the Akropovic looks more. In specs, the BMW is slightly stronger, but in real terms clearly the blat-blat-blat and pulsing of the Beemer is not the object of my attention. I now understand why some of the Europeans regard the S10 as underwhelming before realizing what it can do.
Something I've not seen others mention is heat. It was 100 degrees F and we were wearing shorts under mesh pants, which would result in cooked shins on a GS. I don't want to remember how bad the first generation FJR was. Other than the fan sound kicking in and out, heat from the side mounted radiator was a non-event on the Super-T.
First gear is indeed short and more biased toward dirt use. A couple of times I stood on the pegs in first as the groups came to lights and was at a near-stopped balance effortlessly. Tim said he was tempted to go into the gravel when his group got back to play with this, as he noticed the same. First gear should be great for stop & go commuting. Neither of us tried starting from a stop in second gear, but I think the bike could do it daily in street use.
Riding out on Tim's WeeStrom, it struck me that the Yamaha bars are simply too wide for what is going to be mostly a street bike. The bars had the width of a GS or even KLR650, so just from the ergonomics, I'm going to install a VStrom handlebar.
This time, I was paying attention to the steering and felt the Super-T does turn in slower than the Strom and is stiffer than steering the GS. I think the answer will be fitting it with the narrower handle bar off a Wee and raising the forks the inch + to the bars. It wasn't bad, this should just make it more natural. That said, doing the couple of corners we had as quickly as I could (held back a bit going in), everything else about the cornering completely felt like a Beemer GS, without the pulsing of the engine.
The GS has better suspension than the Yam and any Strom I've been on, and for the cost difference it damn well should.
The positions of the brake and shift levers definitely were set-up issues for a new bike, but those are easy to change. The previous Super Teneres I've been on were set right, so it's just a matter of adjustment.
The other biggie to me on this one was that the seat didn't seem as flat as the 2 Euro bikes and I was more on my nuts. Maybe the previous ones were on the other height setting? Maybe broke in? Maybe just my memory? Don't know and it wasn't uncomfortable and sure not as bad as the FJR or others, it just wasn't as naturally "me" as I remembered the Euro bikes having been. I think it'll be okay for now but may need to be re-stuffed or replaced in the long term.
I came away asking again if I should keep the FJR that I have and like, then pick up a 2006 Tiger. Tim thinks that's what I should do, but I think he just wants to keep borrowing the FJR.
Money does factor in. I got one of the "dealer priced" ones, so there's not much price difference between a new VStrom and the SuperT. Plus, the shaft drive is a huge factor for me with commuting and how much I ride, so the Strom is out. The BMW is beyond what I am willing to spend and while great to rent, even if it were the same price I just don't want to live with one.
In the end, I think I'm going to go through with my Super Tenere delivery, add the big CalSci windshield, the VStrom handlebars, some other farkles, & see how it goes.
After my son & I were talking about how the engine didn't seem overwhelming for a 1200 & when my next ride came, I held back and ran the tach up when we could accelerate to highway speeds. I haven't ridden a DL1000 or Tiger girlie in a while but think they have more torque down low and then with revs the S10 won't kick in but will pull away.
I know that compared to the Beemer GS bikes I rent, the S10 starts smoother and just runs quieter/smoother without the drama the 1150 and 12GS have. With the Beemers, starting has that slow Harley hesitation and kick, then you feel every pulse as they rev. They sound and feel like they have more power and their machinery isn't muffled inside the bodywork. The counterbalanced Yamaha engine just starts smoothly and goes. Maybe too quietly and I do like the Akropovic looks more. In specs, the BMW is slightly stronger, but in real terms clearly the blat-blat-blat and pulsing of the Beemer is not the object of my attention. I now understand why some of the Europeans regard the S10 as underwhelming before realizing what it can do.
Something I've not seen others mention is heat. It was 100 degrees F and we were wearing shorts under mesh pants, which would result in cooked shins on a GS. I don't want to remember how bad the first generation FJR was. Other than the fan sound kicking in and out, heat from the side mounted radiator was a non-event on the Super-T.
First gear is indeed short and more biased toward dirt use. A couple of times I stood on the pegs in first as the groups came to lights and was at a near-stopped balance effortlessly. Tim said he was tempted to go into the gravel when his group got back to play with this, as he noticed the same. First gear should be great for stop & go commuting. Neither of us tried starting from a stop in second gear, but I think the bike could do it daily in street use.
Riding out on Tim's WeeStrom, it struck me that the Yamaha bars are simply too wide for what is going to be mostly a street bike. The bars had the width of a GS or even KLR650, so just from the ergonomics, I'm going to install a VStrom handlebar.
This time, I was paying attention to the steering and felt the Super-T does turn in slower than the Strom and is stiffer than steering the GS. I think the answer will be fitting it with the narrower handle bar off a Wee and raising the forks the inch + to the bars. It wasn't bad, this should just make it more natural. That said, doing the couple of corners we had as quickly as I could (held back a bit going in), everything else about the cornering completely felt like a Beemer GS, without the pulsing of the engine.
The GS has better suspension than the Yam and any Strom I've been on, and for the cost difference it damn well should.
The positions of the brake and shift levers definitely were set-up issues for a new bike, but those are easy to change. The previous Super Teneres I've been on were set right, so it's just a matter of adjustment.
The other biggie to me on this one was that the seat didn't seem as flat as the 2 Euro bikes and I was more on my nuts. Maybe the previous ones were on the other height setting? Maybe broke in? Maybe just my memory? Don't know and it wasn't uncomfortable and sure not as bad as the FJR or others, it just wasn't as naturally "me" as I remembered the Euro bikes having been. I think it'll be okay for now but may need to be re-stuffed or replaced in the long term.
I came away asking again if I should keep the FJR that I have and like, then pick up a 2006 Tiger. Tim thinks that's what I should do, but I think he just wants to keep borrowing the FJR.
Money does factor in. I got one of the "dealer priced" ones, so there's not much price difference between a new VStrom and the SuperT. Plus, the shaft drive is a huge factor for me with commuting and how much I ride, so the Strom is out. The BMW is beyond what I am willing to spend and while great to rent, even if it were the same price I just don't want to live with one.
In the end, I think I'm going to go through with my Super Tenere delivery, add the big CalSci windshield, the VStrom handlebars, some other farkles, & see how it goes.
