You're selling your bike, you're moving on, what NEXT ?

Dirt_Dad

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Just last week I was standing next to a '23 SAR with my GM at a KTM dealership buddy. He was saying, 'wow, that mid section looks enormous.' I acknowledge it's true, but when you understand what it can do, you sit back, smile at the beauty, and think, what a #@!! awesome beast.

I have zero doubt that SAS above will generate the same feeling for the owner. I admit, I bleed orange these days.
 

thughes317

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Just last week I was standing next to a '23 SAR with my GM at a KTM dealership buddy. He was saying, 'wow, that mid section looks enormous.' I
Interestingly enough, I made the observation today when I was on the SAS that it actually looks and feels narrower than my S10 from the driver's seat (whether it is or not I couldn't say for sure because I can't do a side-by-side).

After pondering on it for a bit, I realized that the wide spot on my S10 (where the upper crash bars wrap around the radiator and electronics area) is much higher than the wide spot on the SAS. Basically, the fat part of the Yamaha is above my knees and staring me right in the face as I go down the road. The KTM is much thinner above the knees, carrying its width (and weight!) down by my toes where I am not looking at it as I go down the road.

It makes the bike feel much skinnier, if that makes sense?


fats10.jpg

fatsktm.jpg
 
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audiowize

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Having ridden both in the last year, the big KTMs feel a lot more top heavy but does inspire some extra confidence with the stock suspension. The Tenere weighs quite a bit more than the KTM, but you'd never know it by just riding the two bikes.
 

Dirt_Dad

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Interestingly enough, I made the observation today when I was on the SAS that it actually looks and feels narrower than my S10 from the driver's seat (whether it is or not I couldn't say for sure because I can't do a side-by-side).

After pondering on it for a bit, I realized that the wide spot on my S10 (where the upper crash bars wrap around the radiator and electronics area) is much higher than the wide spot on the SAS. Basically, the fat part of the Yamaha is above my knees and staring me right in the face as I go down the road. The KTM is much thinner above the knees, carrying its width (and weight!) down by my toes where I am not looking at it as I go down the road.

It makes the bike feel much skinnier, if that makes sense?


View attachment 99219

View attachment 99220
That's a great comparison shot.
 

~TABASCO~

RIDE ON ADV is what I do !
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Last week I just happened to do some work next to a dealer that has Triumph and Ducati. I walked over and looked at the Triumph Explorer and the Multistrada, they had them both. The Triumph looked and felt pretty good, for being "not set up for me" it was good off the showroom floor. I would consider that one day. The Ducati looks awesome and has some great numbers on paper, but for what I do, its just to much power, electronics, sophistication, chain drive. As the sales man said, Its priority and "DNA" is a super bike, this one happens to go off road, I believe that. What a monster @ 175 HP.. That new Triumph is not far behind with something like 145-150HP... Compared to a stock Tenere with "supposedly" 100 HP, these would be fantastic. If I remember correctly, our Tenere is "100 HP" at the crank, and probably 80 at the wheel................. With the Ducati being chain drive and 175HP, that would put the Ducati at almost exactly twice the power at the wheel........ and that is NUTTS.... Fun, but really crazy......

Many new bikes on the market, and more very nice alternatives heading to market. The ADV future looks super fun !


This is a bit strange when I see people talk about not needing any more power in the Tenere. Is this from past experience, or where they ride? I ride my Tenere across the US and then ride 1000+ miles off road. With many Tenere riders not going off road, or very little it would seem that the "touring" type would want more highway power. I ride a lot off road and 100 HP is plenty for off road, but I sure would like more highway pulling power. When I have my big bags hanging off the sides, and Im fully loaded, there are have been many times I have it pinned trying to pass someone and I would enjoy a bit more grunt! My next ADV bike should have plenty of 'grunt' , along with many new features Yamaha does'nt even offer. Not only will it be more convenient for my trip, it certainly will have more power. It will have, more conveniences, more adjustment, more enjoyable......... Maybe not for everyone, but not scared to say, its for me.................. Going without the very basic options is kind of a drag, for instance, cruise control, Etc.........
 
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Sierra1

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. . . . This is a bit strange when I see people talk about not needing any more power in the Tenere. Is this from past experience, or where they ride? . . . .
I am one of "those" people. And yeah, I guess it's where and how I ride. If I did more, as in a lot of, highway driving I could see the need for more HP. I would have stayed with the FJ/FJR for the effortless highway acceleration. But my candy ass can't take hour on hour of saddle time without a break. (I've spent 8-10hrs/day on a bike, but not in a row)

So for me, although not commuting I am riding mainly in town. So torque is more my friend that total HP. And
where the Tenere delivers it is right where my fat ass needs it. No need to rev it up, just a slight twist of that wonderful overly twitchy throttle. Then back off and let that too excessive engine braking take over. And since I'm a luddite, I actually search out a low-tech ride. But I did go techy and got the ES for the adjust on the fly suspension because of our crappy roads.

My FJR kid and I have done some 0-60mph experimentation. Off the line to about 60, side by side, the Tenere and FJR are very close together. Once we hit 60mph and above the FJR just continues accelerate to whatever top speed you want. Surprisingly on the highway, I find myself dropping a gear to accelerate on the FJR, and I don't on the Tenere. Could be that it wouldn't do any good on the Tenere with its relatively low redline.

So yeah, I (and a few others) might end up being the last one(s) here on a Tenere since I have no "itch" for another bike. I've never needed to have the latest and greatest and I'm easily satisfied, I guess. :cool:
 
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adventurelounger

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I'm 10 years into my Super-T ownership experience. Just under 13K trouble-free miles on my '13 bike, and a genuine hoot traveling/motocamping around CT, MA, VT, NH, Maine, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Quebec.

IMG_5651.jpg

(I'm generally an ATGATT guy but this was a 6 am ferry-loading across the street from my AirBnB, so forgive the shorts and sneakers).

Like many folks here, I got my Tenere because I was ambivalent about getting a GS. I'd had two previous BMWs (the smaller "GS"s—an F650 and an F800), and between a half dozen recalls, a separating gas tank on the F8 (!), and my experience with BMW service (always an unpleasantly expensive surprise), I was determined to get a "set it and forget it," reliable, easy-to-maintain large ADV bike. That's exactly what the Tenere is and has been. Comfortable on the slab to get me out of the NYC metro sprawl and up into New England. A terrific pack mule (I even think the OEM panniers are smartly designed, and generally effective, despite being plastic). With the right tires (I put on Heidenau K60 scouts), fun on dirt/gravel/fire roads, if a bit on the portly side. I've done nothing but change the oil, change tires, and farkle here and there to make her mine. She has been as steady, loyal, and unflappable as a bike can be.

And yet...the heart wanders.

This is probably not as much about the Tenere per se, as it is about any bike that you've had and ridden for years. And since the Tenner is such a chug-along, un-histrionic bike, you can ride it for years. A decade whooshed by in a flash. And over this time, I've found I've lost a little lust for her.

To be fair, I've been lucky enough to have had a stable of 2-3 other bikes (some coming, some going) to keep riding amusing and interesting. Depending on the year, it's been a mix of a Guzzi V7 Scrambler, an R75/6 airhead (gone), a late-model Triumph T100 Bonneville (gone), and a Vespa GT200 (gone now, too). The Tenere has always been my steady through this all, and my summer "distance trip" traveling companion.

That is, until I laid eyes on the big Triumph Scramblers.


In that first dark winter of Covid, I was trying to find a way to cheer myself up and look forward to the spring riding season (remember when some states were actually prohibiting entry from out of staters to "stop the spread?" I couldn't even book a campsite in Maine or VT!) And so I wound up buying a bike I'd been eyeing online from National Powersports in NH: a 2020 Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE.

Here she is, fresh from the delivery truck in that first winter of the plague.

IMG_9624_HEIC.jpg

For the past two summers, I've been dividing my motocamping/roadtripping time between the Tenere and the Scrambler. And I've been falling in love. I LOVE the engine on the Triumph. I love the discreet but sophisticated electronics. It has a TFT screen with 6 rider modes, and 2 "screen styles." Electronic cruise control. Keyless ignition. Integrated heated grips. A SUPERB and comfortable classic bench seat (as with the Tenere, I use an airhawk and sheepskin for distance comfort...but it doesn't have the annoying "slope" issue that I've never fully resolved on the Tenere).

About the only three limitations/complaints are 1) the hot, high exhaust (which is generally a non-issue except in August heat & traffic); 2) the attendant half-carrying-capacity, since you're relegated to one pannier because of the exhaust; and 3) the chain. I prefer a shafty (even my Guzzi has one) but that's also a non-issue. Take care of chain. Clean and lubricate. Ride. Repeat.

Here's my Scrambler, fully-farkled, on a motocamping trip to Vermont this summer. And with some mods (a larger windscreen up front, a tail rack in the back), she's become a fun and capable moto-camper. What's the most fun is that when you arrive in dirt-land, and shed the bags, the Scrambler is a TOTAL hoot, relative to the battleship-class mass of the Tenere.

IMG_1996.jpg

Same bridge, 5 years earlier on the Super-T.



I've thought about keeping my Tenere. But I just find that, for everything I used to swing a leg over the Tenner for, I'm more inclined to swing a leg over the Scrambler for. They're both large 1200cc bikes. And with the mods I've made, the Scrambler is now reasonably comfortable for slab. Not quite as comfortable as the better-protected Tenere...but pretty darn close.

And so, I've decided to put my Tenner up for sale. She's listed in the Flea Market on ADV Rider. Might list her here too. With under 13K miles, she has TONS of riding time left in her. I've loved my decade-long relationship with the bike. She has been as faithful, awesome, and dependable as a steed can be.

But it's just time for something else, and I'm already riding it!
 

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Boris

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Last week I just happened to do some work next to a dealer that has Triumph and Ducati. I walked over and looked at the Triumph Explorer and the Multistrada, they had them both. The Triumph looked and felt pretty good, for being "not set up for me" it was good off the showroom floor. I would consider that one day. The Ducati looks awesome and has some great numbers on paper, but for what I do, its just to much power, electronics, sophistication, chain drive. As the sales man said, Its priority and "DNA" is a super bike, this one happens to go off road, I believe that. What a monster @ 175 HP.. That new Triumph is not far behind with something like 145-150HP... Compared to a stock Tenere with a very "supposedly" 100 HP, these would be fantastic. If I remember correctly, our Tenere is "100 HP" at the crank, and probably 80 at the wheel................. With the Ducati being chain drive and 175HP, that would put the Ducati at almost exactly twice the power at the wheel........ and that is NUTTS.... Fun, but really crazy......

Many new bikes on the market, and more very nice alternatives heading to market. The ADV future looks super fun !


This is a bit strange when I see people talk about not needing any more power in the Tenere. Is this from past experience, or where they ride? I ride my Tenere across the US and then ride 1000+ miles off road. With many Tenere riders not going off road, or very little it would seem that the "touring" type would want more highway power. I ride a lot off road and 100 HP is plenty for off road, but I sure would like more highway pulling power. When I have my big bags hanging off the sides, and Im fully loaded, there are have been many times I have it pinned trying to pass someone and I would enjoy a bit more grunt! My next ADV bike should have plenty of 'grunt' , along with many new features Yamaha does not even offer. Not only will it be more convenient for my trip, it certainly will have more power. More power, more conveniences, more adjustment, more enjoyable......... Maybe not for everyone, but not scared to say, its for me.................. Going without the very basic options is kind of a drag, for instance, cruise control, Etc.........
Well put sir.
 

Jlq1969

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My relationship with the S10 is probably different. It is not that I am not attracted by the HP, or by the new models of other brands, but rather that when I bought it, I felt that it was a motorcycle to have it for many years... what better than having a 30-year-old motorcycle, than you bought 0 km, you took care of it and you settled all the pieces well??...... that seemed better to me, than buying an old used motorcycle, restore it??... and ride from time to time on the motorcycle that once belonged to another/others??...
Meanwhile, I look without haste, what the market is offering and probably buy another at any time…..but not today….I think that today, the bikes are the same as 5 years ago (only slightly improved, more some visible electronics o more HP), but we should be in a moment of inflection, some more drastic change should appear (electrical assistance, nuclear energy, 2WD…I don't know…something different)……only the HP, I'm not convinced…..The enjoyment of the HP, is related to increasing one or two steps the level of acceleration or maximum speed reached during while accelerating….and I think I'm getting slower…… something similar happened here in my country with the KTM 1190/1290 (wrongly called the widow makers)….a lot of power, a lot of acceleration, a lot of speed max (for an adventure)….in the hands of riders already several years old…..(big adventures are expensive, people of 25/35 years old rarely buy them and they are bought by riders over 55/60 or more years old, ..yes it is true, they are more experienced….and if a cool head is added to the experience, it is the best……but, what better feeling than accelerating a 1290 at full throttle and reaching 160 mph in a couple of seconds ?….it must be orgasmic:):)
 

lund

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Anyone who needs 150hp in an adventure bike is clearly confused of what an ADV bike true nature is and spends too much time watching youtube instead of going out on an adventure.
No matter what brand, no one on the planet will ever use 150hp off road, on road maybe but then your on the wrong iron. Maybe a crotch rocket will suit you better.
 

thughes317

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Anyone who needs 150hp in an adventure bike is clearly confused of what an ADV bike true nature is and spends too much time watching youtube instead of going out on an adventure.
No matter what brand, no one on the planet will ever use 150hp off road, on road maybe but then your on the wrong iron. Maybe a crotch rocket will suit you better.
Wow, quite a blanket statement, guess I better go get me a different bike. :p

An Adventure is what I make of it, riding whichever bike I prefer to call "ADV bike". My ADV bike's "true nature" is to take me places I have never been and enjoy the trip as much as the destination. Currently, that seems to involve long distances exploring paved back roads with occasional off road thrown in......160 HP is pretty sweet for comfortably enjoying the tarmac miles (but apparently I would be better served on a crotch rocket) and when I do go off-road, those fancy electronics allow me to "de-tune" to a reasonable 100 HP (because of course "no one on the planet" would ever use 150 hp offroad).

YMMV.

As always, the opinion expressed here is strictly that of this poster and in no way reflects the opinion of the Forum or other members.
 
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Cycledude

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I rode a modified KTM 1290 and was not impressed, I believe the modifications were probably messed up by the installer, probably would have ran better without the modifications.
 
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