squarebore said:
I was very happy with my 2010 gen 1 until I read this. I think I'll go and visit my local dealer.
I am not so sure many are that big a deal - or could not be sorted on earlier bikes, but it is a substantial list of small improvements and addressing all you can on an early bike would cost more than buying a later bike.
Assuming your the kinda guy that does not like to mess around much the later bikes make more sense - and will hold better value as you do not get much money back on many mods.
If you are on a tight budget, or do not care about most of the changes an earlier bike makes more sense.
In the UK you can pick up a 2011 with about 10,000 miles on the clock for under £7,000 (one on Autotrader right now for £6795 with 11k) 2014s start at about £9k and new ones can be had for just over £10k. I would add £200 to the Gen1 cost for a basic flash to remove the restrictions (some may also improve fuelling and power slightly)
Look at the list below, decide what you would want from a Gen2 and what it would cost to add to a Gen1:
Cruise Control - If you need / want this a Gen2 is the only sensible option
Heated Grips - Available as option on Gen1 and lots of third party options @ £70
Electronic Suspension - If you need / want this a Gen2 is the only sensible option
Larger windscreen - Many much better third party options out there for a few bucks < £100 (and probably find one much better than Gen2 stock screen)
Adjustable windscreen - As above
New winglets under windscreen - Option on earlier models (£70)
Revised Instruments that are configurable - Oh yes, a minor point, but they are much nicer
Revised handlebar controls - As above
Revised handlebar position - Everyone is different so this will probably be preferred by some and disliked by others - and other bars can be fitted to Gen1
Revised body panel - Of no real significance IMO
Revised throttle cable position - As above
Revised sidestand with larger footprint - Never had a problem with mine, and third party options / home remedied available (£20)
Revised mirrors - Mine work fine on the Gen1
Better power - A good flash will bring Gen1 up to the same level, a good custom remap will take it above Gen2 (£200 - £400)
Improved fuel mileage - Very slight
Much SMOOTHER engine with less vibration - Retro-fit clutch basket would bring Gen1 to similar level (£400)
Revised fueling - Usual sales blurb, still limited by noise / emissions regs, a custom map is needed to get fuelling optimal on any modern bike.
Revised touring and sport modes - A flash can improve Gen1 maps - and you could even choose your own this way.
LED lights - Nice touch
Revised Exhaust - Hidden away, and plenty of nicer third party ones out there (£200 - £600)
Better Sound - Personal opinion, and most would find an Arrow / Akro much nicer (As above)
Substantially improved speedometer accuracy (now reads 1mph high versus previous 10% high) - mine is only about 8%, but I just knock 10% off as a guideline.
GPS mounting bar - Third party options out there cheaply enough.
For anyone with an early bike it is cheaper to modify it, to swap my 2011 for a 2014 would cost about £4,000 which gets:
Wilburs shock + Fork Rework (£1,100) = Far better ride and handling than stock 2014
Full Exhaust system + Custom Flash (£950) = Far more power through rev range that 2014 model with improved fuel consumption and smoother running (than stock Gen1)
Givi Airflow Screen + Yamaha Winglets (£200) = More adjustment / wind protection than 2014 model
Oxford Adventure Heated Grips (£70) = Work much better than Yamaha ones fitted to my 2011 bike (got them on two other bikes)
So for roughly half the price of upgrading my 2011 I have got a bike that is significantly faster and better handling than a 2014 model, I may even throw the 2014 clutch basket in it at some point.
But if I was buying from scratch right now I would go for the 2014 bike at £9k
