What do we now think of the bike

So now you've got one how well does it stack up?

  • It surpasses my expectations

    Votes: 779 56.2%
  • It's exactley what I thought it would be

    Votes: 513 37.0%
  • It's not quite what I thought it would be

    Votes: 88 6.3%
  • It's nothing like I thought it would be

    Votes: 6 0.4%

  • Total voters
    1,386

Swagger

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I'll lock this off and when we see how the results are panning out we'll open up the debate.
 

toompine

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Just posted this in the GS/ST thread and it bears reposting for this survey

I road Observed trials for decades. I road raced. I road a lot of lot of commute miles. At the annual San Mateo motorcycle show in 2010 I happened to ride the Tenere. It was the first ADV bike that I had been on that I had a chance to get my feet down, most of them gave me a nosebleed from the seat height. Bonus 1. ::008:: Test ride was a mix of freeway, street and goaty road. The Tenere did them all really really well. Bonus 2. ::008:: Back into the parking lot and stood up on the pegs, solid, easy full lock turns, perfectly balanced weight down low. Bonus 3...done, sold. ::008::

Ordered, waited, waited and got to know all these fine folks as we salivated over the bike and dreamed farkle dreams.

After I got the bike I took an off road class for big bikes at an OHV park I had known for 40 years. I knew every inch of that place and in my mind I had a list of all the places I would not/could not ride the Tenere. Somehow the instructor did not have the same list and we rode all the trails I had ridden my trials bike on. Trails mind you, not sections. Regardless I came away from that day knowing I had bought a great big trials bike capable sport touring.

Next was Death Valley and two days off road; gravel;some fast, some deep, sand, rocks, steps. All no problems. Big smiles. Then it was Prudhoe Bay and back. 9,000 miles. No issues, took it all in stride.

36,000 trouble free miles now, lots of dirt, (still dirty from a recent Death Valley trip with even more and tougher trails this time ( and a gravel road/two track that we were hitting 65 mph on ???). I bought this bike to do medium length trips (200 - 300 miles), long trips (thousands of miles), and dirt riding. This bike excels in the dirt, way better than ever anticipated and it does all those other things very well.

Expectations exceeded in capability, reliability and fun factor. All that and it was (and remains) a reasonable expense ::001::
 

rmarble1

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May 24, 2013
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29
Location
Texas
I took possession of a new 2014 Tenere ES model.................serial number 18!

Moved my skid plate, engine guards and Rigid LED's from my 2013 over to the new bike with just a slight mod for the engine guard. Seems Yamaha put a wind deflector under the chin of the fairing and it interferes with the brace used to stabilize the top rail of the guard. Likely Yamaha will tell you to remove the new deflector when installing the factory part.............but...........I used a cutoff tool and made a slot for the bracket.

Now to the issue.....................bags..............panniers................whatever you want to call them. On the ES model (and I don't know about the standard), they have relocated the rear brake reservoir up just under the seat and there is also a new canister of some type just in front of that. Over both of those is a new cover and it seems to interfere with the current bag mounts available on the market and no one seems to have a resolution as of yet. I purchased the Givi Trekker Outback bags and mounts and can attest that they do not fit with the ES model. They have been sent back to the manufacturer and apparently Givi will be in engineering mode for several months to make a mount for the bike. Shame as the bags are first class.

Attached are pictures to illustrate:
Bag01: Shot showing how the mount interferes with the master cylinder (black plastic cover removed)
Bag02: Closer shot of the same
Bag03: Picture of the cover back over the reservoir and box
Bag04: Picture of my 2013 for reference with the area where these parts are located being void of any items

Now...............anyone know of anybody that has a solution? I really want to get out on the road with the bike and need a way to pack some provisions.

SWMotech?
Moose?
I won't buy Touratech.

Thanks
 

Attachments

Nearly Normal

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Dec 12, 2013
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Desert Southwest
YES!

Thanks for posting this, toompine...this is just the kind of imput I've been searching for as I plan for my next bike. While the statistics imply that most big adventure bikes will be on-road only, my history is mostly off-road, and may seach is for a bike that's adaptable enough to get into those backroad places...and bring me out alive. With my offroad tastes, I want to be sure the bike I buy has the ability to explore that part of our world. Your assessment of the ST is a huge help to me...Thanks! ::008::

toompine said:
Just posted this in the GS/ST thread and it bears reposting for this survey

I road Observed trials for decades. I road raced. I road a lot of lot of commute miles. At the annual San Mateo motorcycle show in 2010 I happened to ride the Tenere. It was the first ADV bike that I had been on that I had a chance to get my feet down, most of them gave me a nosebleed from the seat height. Bonus 1. ::008:: Test ride was a mix of freeway, street and goaty road. The Tenere did them all really really well. Bonus 2. ::008:: Back into the parking lot and stood up on the pegs, solid, easy full lock turns, perfectly balanced weight down low. Bonus 3...done, sold. ::008::

Ordered, waited, waited and got to know all these fine folks as we salivated over the bike and dreamed farkle dreams.

After I got the bike I took an off road class for big bikes at an OHV park I had known for 40 years. I knew every inch of that place and in my mind I had a list of all the places I would not/could not ride the Tenere. Somehow the instructor did not have the same list and we rode all the trails I had ridden my trials bike on. Trails mind you, not sections. Regardless I came away from that day knowing I had bought a great big trials bike capable sport touring.

Next was Death Valley and two days off road; gravel;some fast, some deep, sand, rocks, steps. All no problems. Big smiles. Then it was Prudhoe Bay and back. 9,000 miles. No issues, took it all in stride.

36,000 trouble free miles now, lots of dirt, (still dirty from a recent Death Valley trip with even more and tougher trails this time ( and a gravel road/two track that we were hitting 65 mph on ???). I bought this bike to do medium length trips (200 - 300 miles), long trips (thousands of miles), and dirt riding. This bike excels in the dirt, way better than ever anticipated and it does all those other things very well.

Expectations exceeded in capability, reliability and fun factor. All that and it was (and remains) a reasonable expense ::001::
 

corndog

"If it isn't broken, it can still be fixed"
Joined
Apr 2, 2014
Messages
104
Location
Elk Creek, Kentucky
This bike has met my expectations which were set very high. I have ridden a 2007 liter strom for 97,000 mostly trouble free miles (water pump seal and clutch slave my only issues). First and foremost I demanded durability no matter what I paid (price was small factor in my purchase). After durability I wanted suspension, easy maintenance, a shaft would be nice and good dealer support.

I started thinking about new bikes 2 years ago. The tenere impressed me but weight was an issue and so was availability. I looked at everything; Ducati, BMW, triumph, KTM, another strom. But every time, something kept me on my trusty vstrom. As 100,000 miles approached I made the decision, this would be the year. Then it came down to the tenere (any year) or a 2014 strom. Again I waited because I had to see and ride a new Vstrom. The new strom disappointed me in the styling, and low ground clearance. The 2014 strom appeared to have the same issue as my 2007, a great street bike but really not my pick for dirt. None of my extensive farkles from the 2007 would work on the 2014.

So, I found myself at the yamaha dealer. Then I find out the tenere was changing in 2014..dam...more indecision. After seeing what the new 2014 offered, the previous models were my pick...ESA, cruise, new dash...meh, not worth the extra money. The dealer I love put me on a grey 2013 cheaper...about $1k less than the 2014 strom ( I know I rated cost low, but it was a factor).

Then I started breaking it in. I spent my first day going over the bike and found one issue. Yamaha choose to route the rear brake hose where it rubs against a metal frame support. A piece of rubber hose and a zip tie provided a "cushion" and adequate peace of mind and I planned my first ride.

Pros-
1) The bike is fueling perfectly out of the box. I may reflash at a later date, but for now I see no reason.
2) Brakes are awesome. Modulate well. Stop well.
3) The chain is much easier to lube.
4) Power is fine, my 100,000 mile strom will spank it though.
5) MPG - around 39 to 42...decent, and better than my flashed strom by far.
6) Weight, which was a big hang up with me was not an issue. The tenere carries it's weight very low and well. The strom is lighter but carries weight high. The tenere feels lighter than the strom.
7) offroad I was playing in terrain I would never consider with my strom. The suspension exceeds my expectation both in damping and spring rates.
8) The tenere came with lots of protection that my strom did not have. It also has a center stand. Thus some of the weight comes from extra hardware (not a bad trade).
9) Looks. This is subjective for an ADV bike. I wanted a dirt bike look. I wanted to see the engine. It needed to look strong and muscular, not smooth and sexy.

Cons -
1) Wheels. Specifically the rear as I lost a spoke (found it and the nipple, it choose to fall off at a rest break and since the bike was new, I was checking the spokes and found it 15 feet behind the bike, the nipple another 5 feet back...karma). The spoke jettisoned itself with less than 100 easy street miles on the clock. Picky i know and a known issue. However, I went ahead and re-torqued all my spokes and ping them with a metal bar routinely for tightness. No repeat issues.
2) Battery. I left my GPS on for a few days....duhh. When I went to go for a ride with my BMW friends the bike was dead. No dash lights dead. Worst part...the crap from my buddies. I hope this was just dumb luck and not a sign of an undersized battery. No continued issues now that I turn GPS off.
3) The bike makes my hands go slightly numb. I need to consciously ride with a relaxed grip. This is getting better with time/ mileage.
4) The seat, the first factory seat I have kept is about 1 inch too short for me. Good foam, good grip, just puts me pretty friendly with the gas tank.
5) LCD readout on dash takes a while to become intuitive..small issue.
6) Cooling. Moving, the bike cools great. Get in stop and go traffic, or in the single track, and the fan will be coming on soon. The coolant temp readout is fun to watch, this bike really swings through a wide temp range (170 to 220 f) is routine. I know the sideflow radiator is contributing to this. I hope the fan motors are durable. At least it should be hard to put a rock through the radiator, but side fall protection for the radiator is critical. I put a Rumbux on before I left the pavement.
7) No hazard flashers, how can I safely wait with my BMW buddies on the side of the road.
8) No gear position/OD indicator...the one thing the 2014 tenere had I wanted.

The pros far exceed my cons in my reasoning. The honeymoon is over and I have over 2,000 miles on it. I expect it to fix me breakfast now and not complain too much. Great machine, I see why you guys are so proud of it. It has earned my trust quickly and I am in planning stages for a long ride about this summer. ::014::
 

Koinz

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Congratulations on your new purchase.

I've killed my battery more than once. Different scenario, but it was dead as a door nail as they say. Boosted it each time and let the bike charge it and its still on the bike from day 1.

You can purchase the flasher switch and harness and it's pretty much plug and play. There's a thread about it here. Purchased direct from a dealer in japan for ~ 120.00.

The flash is worth it and really wakes up the engine. I find the fueling just fine without adding a power commander, but others have added one.

I haven't lost any spokes, but I've heard a few here that have. Surprised you lost one so soon with easy miles on it.
Oh ya, I think there's only one cooling fan and yes it's a jet engine when it kicks on.

Good luck with your new bike.
 

copb8

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Oct 19, 2013
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Bought this bike as an occasional rider when my wife wasn't coming along. Wanted to get off road more after having a great dirt road ride on the FJR but found it wasn't well suited for that (obviously). Sold a Triumph S3 to get it. Now that I've had it a while I'm starting to second guess keeping the FJR just a tiny bit. The only things that stop me are power, smoothness, and my wife prefers the back of the FJR. It's a MUCH better bike than I expected.

One downside though. There's LOTS of farkles and upgrades for it and I've barfed them all over the thing at considerable expense!
 

rmarble1

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May 24, 2013
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Does anyone know of a backrest that can be fitted to the rear rack of the Tenere? My wife likes the ride, but would prefer something to lean against. I'm really not wanting to put a top box on with a pad.
Thanks
 

Disaster

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May 7, 2014
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I went from an ST1300 which was too stiff to be comfortable on long trips and a V-strom 650 which was a bit small and didn't have the most comfortable seat. I was nearly ready to give up on long distance biking altogether after taking an 800 mile trip one day that left me in tears from butt pain while at the same time dealing with numb hands. The S10 was a last ditch effort. In the 3 weeks since I've bought the S10 I've logged 2,500 miles with the longest trip being 650 miles in one day. Other than typical early season saddle soreness it's been very comfortable. I'm sure the Seat Concepts aftermarket seat and Vox risers are a big factor in that comfort too.

The original windscreen had to go though...too much noise. It was replaced by a 24" parabellum which works very well.

The one negative is the gas mileage at expressway speeds. She gets thirsty when pushing close to triple digit speeds. On one particularly fast stretch I only saw about 27mpg. Around town she gets in the mid 40's.
 

yamajamr

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Nov 8, 2013
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sw ny
i've had a lot of different motorcycles over the years and after a year or so something else catches my eye and i switch.I kept a klr650 for a long time as a second bikeand wound up with 40000 trouble free miles.I've now had the 2012 tenere for a while and don't even seem to care about looking anymore...its everything i was looking for and then some.....kind of like a klr on steroids.i've since sold the klr and find the tenere suits all my needs and makes a great touring bike to boot! The added bonus has been hearing so much about its reliability!
 

MotoJunky

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Being new to adventure riding, I really wasn't sure what I was getting myself into or if I made a good choice based on previous reviews available on the large adventure bike class.

The more I read about and ride my s10 es, the more I'm looking less at the other bikes in the garage. I'm finding more and more reasons to ride it over taking the truck. Yes its hot, yes it will get hotter. I'll just shift my commute/adventure riding times accordingly.
 

Clevermonkey

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May 11, 2014
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Oregon
::022::

Likes:
The size and feel
Motor torque
Handling
The fact I can wear any of my boots to ride. All my previous bikes required pointy boots to find the shifter.
Stance overall. The handle bars sweep back a tad much for me but I have long arms for my height.
The fact that the stock seat doesn't actually suck.
I love the sound of the motor it sounds WW2 fighter plane to me, just quiter.

Things I would change:
TC on the fly
ABS off switch
I would prefer more of an exhaust note, but I am sure my neighbors appreciate the ST's polite idle.

Over all awesome. I have this pet peeve about buying an adv bike then having to spend more on panniers and engine guards, but the plus side is that you get to choose them and competition is good for the market right?
 

s-flow

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Apr 23, 2011
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93
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Sweden
I bought the first gen. Tenere in 2011 now it has 43000 Km and are no longer mine. I recently traded it in for a
brand new 2014, white it is! just as my old one.

I have only 500 km on this one and are taking it easy during break-in but I have been able to notice a few differences
of course. I had only one real concern about the -11, the vibrations.. I have to be very sensitive for vibes as neither a
pan european, ZZR 1400 or Z750 is acceptable for me, those are bikes well known to be very smooth.

I ordered the -11 ST after reading about the silky smooth twin and belived it would cut it for me, but it never really got
good enough. I tried everything. akra, PC5, Ecu unleashed gen 2, vibranators, ROX anti-vibe risers, SW Motech anti-vibe and shock
handle bars, pro-grip gel grips and a lot more.

Now.. why on earth do I get another big parallel twin!? That would mean vibrations?

During the test ride I noticed that Yamaha had worked hard to adress the vibes particulary. The power, torque, fueling and other
things people seemed to adress by them self with aftermarket options but the vibes stayed annoying for certain individuals.

The internal friction (which still may be a bit tight during break-in) in combination with the new handlebar arrangement, aluminium bar and
rubber risers is sucessful! There is vibrations still there but now to be honest I fell good about them due to they beeing equally smeared
out over the RPM-range and the intensity are very low. I do have lots of nice gel-grips sitting around at home, just to slide on if I'd like but
at the moment I think I don't need them.. that is good!

Other then that the CC is great and the E-suspension also great. The look of the bike is better du to a more finished look.

The powercurve, is as good as ECU-unleashed's Gen 2 flash and the fueling is perfect, so Im very happy for the 2014 XT1200ZE!

Greetings!
Daniel
 

Blackster77

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Apr 6, 2014
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Courtice Ontario
Finally picked up my 2014 ES. Picked it up in the rain, rode 4 hours home in rain/drizzle/cloud and general crap. We bonded. From the moment I pulled away from the dealer it felt as if I had been riding this bike for 15 years. The motor is fantastic, smooth lots of usable power, the tranny is probably the smoothest I have ever shifted and I Couldn't be happier with this bike. I have only logged pavement to this point but have some gravel planned for my vacation time coming mid-end of June and the Virginia's/Pennsylvania etc etc.

Have already logged the miles for the break in service in the last 4 days but of course work hath reared it's ugly head forcing me to garage it. I can't stand commuting to work on what is my escape/passion. Comfortable on the highway and the 401 thru Toronto is the worst highway in the Hemisphere. Wind/buffeting/tractor trailers don't bother it much. The windscreen is the smallest I have had on a bike in sometime but in the high position I don't find too bad. If I do much else to this bike it will be a bigger screen but even that at this point isn't a priority, riding the snot out of it is.

Still trying to sort out the usable tank range on it but that will come after a few more tanks and lots more miles. Overall a happy Super T owner I am. Hope to see many of you down the road!
 
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