USA Bids Farewell to the Super Tenere - We Hardly Knew Ya'...

[mrpincher]

If it is really over - I just want to Thank Yamaha for bringing this bike out to us at that price.

I bought my Tenere based on Wasps pictures and the African crews ride reports. It was my first bike in 30 years, I shopped for a bike for two years then stumbled on the Tenere, I ordered and waited another 9 months. I'm having a blast @ 28,500 miles. I intend to continue to have a blast. I have at least a couple more bikes in my future before I am food for the worms. ::025:: ::025::

Possibly Yamaha crunched the numbers and noticed many of us with disposable incomes are saggin' at the waistline and the re-placement will need to be a lighter model.

They have a new data set based on our purchases and they're not fools. I hope we look good enough on paper to make it worth the effort to keep us. I love this bike. I always planned on buying another when I wear this one out.

::021::

 

[Reveille]

Man I buy a 2012 Husqvarna TE310 and KTM buys them out, and it seems they are dropping the TE310 all together and now this ::010:: Oh well, now both my bikes will be limited run, excellent performers making them even that much more sought after ::008:: ::003:: I still have 2 awesome bikes in the stable. That's all that matters to me. ::024::

 

[Sup-Ten]

Almost feel like I should buy a second one and stash it away.
Must play lottery. Lol


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[OldRider]

Whoa!!! I picked up a Charcoal 13 model which I think is the coolest color ever made and now I find out it just went up in value. It's a win win for current owners. ::014:: ::014:: ::014::

 

[snakebitten]

I can't imagine they sell less Super Tenere than the WR250R that goes on for years or the Vmax, and they still offer these two. I hope they sell parts to support the bike is my worry. 2013s color choices were rather bland, so sales were not probably stellar. Maybe it will come back. Can only hope.

I finally get to disagree with you instead of just farklejousting.

But first, I do agree with your premise on other low selling models surviving year to year.

As for hoping they keep selling parts, what parts? So far it looks like they just need to provide consumables. And I think most, if not all, are shared with other models in the Yamaha line. Maybe they should keep a stock of spokes n rims though. (Bet those pricey rims get even more pricey)

And finally, the 2013 colors............
I can't count how many times folks posted "I might have to trade my Tenere just to get that gorgeous White one" (paraphrasing, of course) And the mat grey one gets lots of compliments too. (My current favorite colored S10)

Not much of a conflict, in the scale of things. But its the best I could do today.

 

[coastie]

Yamaha built a bike that has minimal sales and what bikes they did sell don't need any parts and they are loosing money on service contracts because we are keeping them and putting huge miles on them. They built the perfect bikes for us savvy consumers.

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[Bigbore4]

FWIW my dealer (Mike Larson, Larson's Cycle) rode a Super Tenere to First Thursday last night.

Yeah Baby.

Now if you are in MN...

BSA's galore, thumpers (SRX 6, XBR) a Bimota etc.

So maybe someday the Super Tenere will be of that ilk.

First Thursday, Be there biches.

 

[Big Blu]

Yamaha won't abandon this market. They'll have an even better adventure tourer in the future, ooh yeh, for sure.

That new three banger motor would seem to be a good foundation for a lighter more agile adventure tourer. BRING IT Yamaha!

Regards, Paul

 

[snakebitten]

So what country might have purchased more Teneres than us Yanks?
I can't imagine it selling elsewhere better than here.

Is there a country that is listed as getting 2014 models?
The more I think about it, this just might be a V-Strom 1000 type skip-year?

 

[TenRider]

This sucks big time! Love this bike, and Yamaha go do this crap. Have some balls Yamaha and take it to the big boys. I won't go back to a road bike, adventure bike all the way. They are the perfect bike to explore in Australia and do some serious kms.

Yamaha have just had a major dealer gathering, will have to find out what will happen to the Australian market. ::022::

 

[Dallara]

~



Hell, I just hope that friggin' Yamaha rep is all wrong about this, or that it is a smokescreen, and that the Super Tenere continues in their line-up even if they skip a year.

OTOH, it wouldn't be the first time Yamaha chose to "abandon" a market... Like they did with the TDM, the GTS1000, or the T-Max just to name a few. And it does surprise me in a way. Take the two-stroke YZ125 and YZ250, for instance. Sales of those fell to near zero, and Yamaha quit developing them at all, and haven't for years now, but they stayed in the line-up... All while the other three Japanese companies abandoned adult two-stroke MX bikes altogether. Now two-strokes are experiencing a bit of a resurgence, and now the 125 and 250 smokers are selling again.

And look at Kawasaki's KLR... It didn't sell well at all when it was introduced, and the Tengai variant they offered disappeared quickly, but Kawasaki stuck with it and kept the KLR in their line-up with almost no changes for years and years. Now the damn things have a cult following and are one of K's steady sellers.

I hope it is just a "skip a year" deal to clear out warehoused inventory, but if you look that has never been Yamaha's modus operandi... Suzuki, yes... But not Yamaha. Once a model is gone we rarely ever see it again.

If they do go smaller, lighter, less displacement, etc. I honestly hope they *DON'T* use the new triple... A triple makes a lousy off-road engine, and the new triple is chain drive. I'd much rather see that 900cc twin they recently showed in an "adventure" bike than the triple, even if it has chain drive. But IMHO shaft drive is one of the best things about the Super Tenere. I'd hate to lose it. A twin makes a much better off-road capable engine.

Hell, I'd rather see a 700+ cc single in an off-road targeted "adventure" bike than the triple... But that's just me.

Dallara



~

 

[Duconce]

~



Hell, I just hope that friggin' Yamaha rep is all wrong about this, or that it is a smokescreen, and that the Super Tenere continues in their line-up even if they skip a year.

OTOH, it wouldn't be the first time Yamaha chose to "abandon" a market... Like they did with the TDM, the GTS1000, or the T-Max just to name a few. And it does surprise me in a way. Take the two-stroke YZ125 and YZ250, for instance. Sales of those fell to near zero, and Yamaha quit developing them at all, and haven't for years now, but they stayed in the line-up... All while the other three Japanese companies abandoned adult two-stroke MX bikes altogether. Now two-strokes are experiencing a bit of a resurgence, and now the 125 and 250 smokers are selling again.

And look at Kawasaki's KLR... It didn't sell well at all when it was introduced, and the Tengai variant they offered disappeared quickly, but Kawasaki stuck with it and kept the KLR in their line-up with almost no changes for years and years. Now the damn things have a cult following and are one of K's steady sellers.

I hope it is just a "skip a year" deal to clear out warehoused inventory, but if you look that has never been Yamaha's modus operandi... Suzuki, yes... But not Yamaha. Once a model is gone we rarely ever see it again.

If they do go smaller, lighter, less displacement, etc. I honestly hope they *DON'T* use the new triple... A triple makes a lousy off-road engine, and the new triple is chain drive. I'd much rather see that 900cc twin they recently showed in an "adventure" bike than the triple, even if it has chain drive. But IMHO shaft drive is one of the best things about the Super Tenere. I'd hate to lose it. A twin makes a much better off-road capable engine.

Hell, I'd rather see a 700+ cc single in an off-road targeted "adventure" bike than the triple... But that's just me.

Dallara

Ktm already made it, 690 Enduro R, 300lbs and 10 in of travel, talked with my dealer tonight, he just got back from dealer show, said the Rep didn't mention anything about the T. Don't know if that's good or bad

~

 

[Karson]

Karson,
I totally disagree. Yamaha did a ton. Just as much as any other bike. When it came out, it was on the cover of every bike magazine at one point. Sometimes several times. They had great you tube videos of the lifestyle. Their sponsorship of Nick Sanders was brilliant. They sponsor the AMA Adventure Riders series. They have a great banner at most dealers (I got one Ebay). They prominently displayed it with a cool engine cutaway at motorcycle shows. The aftermarket ADV companies had some good farkle stuff for it. What else should they have done? I think that the adventure market in the US just isn't that big for this kind of machine. I also think some don't like the looks or the hp.

I guess that I'm a lower than average exposure'd consumer, because unless I was looking at a Yamaha Adventure Touring bike I would have known about, well, 0% of that. I can remember seeing a bunch of BMW GS commercials on TV, though. I subscribe to AMA, but in terms of publications, that's all I get. My circle of friends either have well-broken in sport bike, or 1200 sportster.

I tried to get my sportster buddy on a wee-strom, but something about the 1200 sportster "cruiser" bad-boy image did him in. It's a cheap entry into that "image".

I think that in this market ~$14,000 OTD is too much to bring a new audience on board. Even with how much of a bang for buck this bike is. My age group is looking to fit in with an existing group of riders, not try and forge a new trend....

 

[Dallara]

I guess that I'm a lower than average exposure'd consumer, because unless I was looking at a Yamaha Adventure Touring bike I would have known about, well, 0% of that. I can remember seeing a bunch of BMW GS commercials on TV, though. I subscribe to AMA, but in terms of publications, that's all I get. My circle of friends either have well-broken in sport bike, or 1200 sportster.

I tried to get my sportster buddy on a wee-strom, but something about the 1200 sportster "cruiser" bad-boy image did him in. It's a cheap entry into that "image".

I think that in this market ~$14,000 OTD is too much to bring a new audience on board. Even with how much of a bang for buck this bike is. My age group is looking to fit in with an existing group of riders, not try and forge a new trend....

I think you've sort of hit the problem with the American motorcycle market pretty squarely on the head, Karson...

In most other countries owners actually *RIDE* their motorcycles, a lot, all over the place - traveling, commuting, and even as their primary mode of transportation.

Sadly that's not the case here in the USA. It may seem different here on this forum, but for the most part the vast, vast majority of American motorcycle riders actually ride their bikes very, very little... Sometimes only a couple of thousand miles a year - or less. And that's true whether it's a cruiser, a bagger, a sportbike, a dual-purpose bike, a standard, an "adventure" bike, and yes, even a Gold Wing or similar touring mount. The riders that actually put more than 5,000 miles a year on their bikes in the USA is really a very small minority of the total market...

Here in the USA, regardless of the rider's age - young, old, or somewhere in between - it seems the bikes *image*, and how the rider sees his own *image* on that bike, are far more important that what the bike can actually do, how it rides, or really anything else... Seems the vast majority of riders here in the United States either want to be seen as Bandito "outlaw" biker or a Valentino Rossi wanna'-be, or maybe a stunter. There's just a whole lot of people here in the USA who seem to worry most about how they look more than anything else. That can make for a very stagnant and lethargic motorcycle market, as well as a fickle one.

A shame really. We have one of the best countries in the whole world to ride motorcycles in, and most people who buy motorcycles don't realize it... Or even care.

Dallara



~

 

[Duconce]

I thought a Sportster was considered a womens bike or a beginners bike, so much for image. But that is a good point.

 

[snakebitten]

It is amazing how often folks will post "I just bought my fill-in-the-blank 3 months ago and already have 1800 miles on it. It has been perfectly reliable so far"

I've ridden daily for most of my life. So although those kind of posts are more common than not, I'm lost to the implication that they have ridden a lot. Even more that there is any reason to consider the bikes reliability has been tested yet.

Maybe it's just Texas? Lol

We drive 100 miles a day to just get to work and run an errand or 2. Even more.

 

[RockyDS]

We have one of the best countries in the whole world to ride motorcycles in, and most people who buy motorcycles don't realize it... Or even care.

Dallara

We have the best CONTINENT in the world to ride motorcycles in!

More importantly we have the best roads for adventure motorcycling.

But I guess there just aren't enough adventurous people like us buying Super Tenere's. More people buy into the cruiser image - a Harley if they have money to burn or something like a Vulcan 900 if they don't.

Yamaha just want to make a profit. If they can't sell bikes they'll sell ATV's, sleds, or generators.

 

[NickBrewer3]

I can't imagine they sell less Super Tenere than the WR250R that goes on for years or the Vmax, and they still offer these two. I hope they sell parts to support the bike is my worry. 2013s color choices were rather bland, so sales were not probably stellar. Maybe it will come back. Can only hope.

By law a manufacturer must supply parts for 10 years for vehicles that they sell here. Also, Yamaha has a pretty good reputation for providing parts for the models they sell, I can still find new parts for the early 70's Yamaha Enduro's my brother and I restore.

 

[Combo]

~



Hell, I just hope that friggin' Yamaha rep is all wrong about this, or that it is a smokescreen, and that the Super Tenere continues in their line-up even if they skip a year.

OTOH, it wouldn't be the first time Yamaha chose to "abandon" a market... Like they did with the TDM, the GTS1000, or the T-Max just to name a few. And it does surprise me in a way. Take the two-stroke YZ125 and YZ250, for instance. Sales of those fell to near zero, and Yamaha quit developing them at all, and haven't for years now, but they stayed in the line-up... All while the other three Japanese companies abandoned adult two-stroke MX bikes altogether. Now two-strokes are experiencing a bit of a resurgence, and now the 125 and 250 smokers are selling again.

And look at Kawasaki's KLR... It didn't sell well at all when it was introduced, and the Tengai variant they offered disappeared quickly, but Kawasaki stuck with it and kept the KLR in their line-up with almost no changes for years and years. Now the damn things have a cult following and are one of K's steady sellers.

I hope it is just a "skip a year" deal to clear out warehoused inventory, but if you look that has never been Yamaha's modus operandi... Suzuki, yes... But not Yamaha. Once a model is gone we rarely ever see it again.

If they do go smaller, lighter, less displacement, etc. I honestly hope they *DON'T* use the new triple... A triple makes a lousy off-road engine, and the new triple is chain drive. I'd much rather see that 900cc twin they recently showed in an "adventure" bike than the triple, even if it has chain drive. But IMHO shaft drive is one of the best things about the Super Tenere. I'd hate to lose it. A twin makes a much better off-road capable engine.

Hell, I'd rather see a 700+ cc single in an off-road targeted "adventure" bike than the triple... But that's just me.

Dallara




~

I think Yamaha did the skip a year a few times with the VMax if I remember right?

 

[tomatocity]

Well, I wasn't going to post about it at all until I saw the link to the the new 2014 FJR1300ES in another thread. When I saw that the new 2014 Yamaha street bikes were all shown there I thought I'd break the news.

My Yamaha dealer buddy told me a few days ago that he was talking to his rep and was told there would be no 2014 Super Tenere. I was holding out that maybe that was a smokescreen so I wanted to wait until Yamaha showed the new 2014's and see if a new Super Tenere slid in there.

Anyway, my buddy told the rep said that the 2012 Super Tenere's had sold pretty good, but the 2013's didn't sell well at first, and slowed down from there. Apparently Yamaha just doesn't see the market here for the bike. Sad part is my buddy made it sound like the rep was saying it's well and truly over the S-10 here - Sayonara USA. He was asked about other markets and possible replacements but the answer to that question was pretty much a flat "I don't know."

Another funny thing came out of the conversation... That the reason for the FZ-09 triple was it's cheaper to manufacture than the FZ-8 was. Lesser parts count (something like 15% fewer parts in the engine or something like that), some new ways of casting and making the frame that make it cheaper to manufacture, etc., etc. No word at all on any other FZ-09-engine based models that he knew of.

I hope you're right, and that we get an updated and improved Super Tenere in 2015... But sadly, I don't think it's gonna' happen.

Won't be the first time in my life one of the best bikes I've ever owned was a two-model-year wonder, though, damn it!!! ::025::

Dallara
~
~

Yes there are less parts for the FZ-09 but the lesser suspension on the FZ-09 is almost the difference of the price of the FZ8.