Thought I might note down experiences of owning one a Super Tenere.
Bought for £7850 with 1100 miles, its a blue one.
In the last 2 weeks I've put 500 miles on it. Average mpg 52.9 according to the dash computer. More like 51.5 according to pump litres and miles. I've happily done 220 miles between fill ups with another 20-30 to go I think.
Good stuff
- I like the two power modes. "Touring" is better renamed "Commuting" as its just right for tooling around the M25 in the rain - nice and smooth. "Sport" is better renamed "Hooning" and is rather excellent. I'm quite surprised how quick it is - I was worried I'd miss the KTM, but the hoonability is very much in evidence.
- The bike is very comfy. Plenty of room for arms and legs for a 6'2" like me. The seat is fine and quite luxurious after the 950SM.
- It feels very unstressed and well engineered. The engine feels long legged and just flows very nicely at 100mph. It feels smooth, very torquey whilst being good for smooth cruising.
- With the preload wound up the handling is transformed. The bike seemed to have beem set up very soft so was slow to turn. With some twiddling on the preload it is superb fun. Not as agile as the 950SM (but what is) it doesn't half zap about the back lanes. Very reassuring handling.
- The gearbox is nice, light and precise. Gear lever is adjustable but watch for the lower nut which turns the wrong way!
- Switches etc are very nice and solid. Mirrors are nice and vibe-free at all speeds.
Bad Stuff
- The bike had a stutter or stumble on pulling away from stationary due to over-lean fuelling for emissions regs. Using this technique (http://www.yamahasupertenere.com/index.php?topic=1973.75) it is pretty much eliminated.
- The screen is poor, with a lip resulting in high frequency thrumming and noise, much like my old 1200GS. There's a turbulence zone about 3 inches in height which hits me at the top of my visor. I have a touring screen and Wasp Works bracket on the way to sort this. Needs sorting though as its annoying from 60mph up.
- Its clever but fiddly to work on. For example, the hinged tank is a masterstroke. You can lift the tank but it remains attached to all the fuel lines and pivots at the back and the removed seat can be used to hold it up - genius. However you need to remove the side panels with different types of bolts (though all the same allen key size) with some quarter turn and others full screw-in, and then unbolt 4 bolts holding the tank down instead of 2 that would be enough. Bit daft.
- The clutch and throttle are heavier than I'd like, compared to the KTM at any rate. I think I'll get used to both.
Overall, I'm very happy so far. I fitted Oxford heated grips which was easy enough to do and they are very good, although the controller is a bit fiddly.
Much is said about it being a heavy bike but I find it pretty irrelevant. Sure it feels heavier to wheel about than my KTM was, but its a much bigger bike. It has a feeling of solidity about it which I really like. It feels like you could happily just ride it away into the sunset day after day.
I'll update this every now and then to keep you posted. Feel free to pitch in with your own experiences.
Bought for £7850 with 1100 miles, its a blue one.
In the last 2 weeks I've put 500 miles on it. Average mpg 52.9 according to the dash computer. More like 51.5 according to pump litres and miles. I've happily done 220 miles between fill ups with another 20-30 to go I think.
Good stuff
- I like the two power modes. "Touring" is better renamed "Commuting" as its just right for tooling around the M25 in the rain - nice and smooth. "Sport" is better renamed "Hooning" and is rather excellent. I'm quite surprised how quick it is - I was worried I'd miss the KTM, but the hoonability is very much in evidence.
- The bike is very comfy. Plenty of room for arms and legs for a 6'2" like me. The seat is fine and quite luxurious after the 950SM.
- It feels very unstressed and well engineered. The engine feels long legged and just flows very nicely at 100mph. It feels smooth, very torquey whilst being good for smooth cruising.
- With the preload wound up the handling is transformed. The bike seemed to have beem set up very soft so was slow to turn. With some twiddling on the preload it is superb fun. Not as agile as the 950SM (but what is) it doesn't half zap about the back lanes. Very reassuring handling.
- The gearbox is nice, light and precise. Gear lever is adjustable but watch for the lower nut which turns the wrong way!
- Switches etc are very nice and solid. Mirrors are nice and vibe-free at all speeds.
Bad Stuff
- The bike had a stutter or stumble on pulling away from stationary due to over-lean fuelling for emissions regs. Using this technique (http://www.yamahasupertenere.com/index.php?topic=1973.75) it is pretty much eliminated.
- The screen is poor, with a lip resulting in high frequency thrumming and noise, much like my old 1200GS. There's a turbulence zone about 3 inches in height which hits me at the top of my visor. I have a touring screen and Wasp Works bracket on the way to sort this. Needs sorting though as its annoying from 60mph up.
- Its clever but fiddly to work on. For example, the hinged tank is a masterstroke. You can lift the tank but it remains attached to all the fuel lines and pivots at the back and the removed seat can be used to hold it up - genius. However you need to remove the side panels with different types of bolts (though all the same allen key size) with some quarter turn and others full screw-in, and then unbolt 4 bolts holding the tank down instead of 2 that would be enough. Bit daft.
- The clutch and throttle are heavier than I'd like, compared to the KTM at any rate. I think I'll get used to both.
Overall, I'm very happy so far. I fitted Oxford heated grips which was easy enough to do and they are very good, although the controller is a bit fiddly.
Much is said about it being a heavy bike but I find it pretty irrelevant. Sure it feels heavier to wheel about than my KTM was, but its a much bigger bike. It has a feeling of solidity about it which I really like. It feels like you could happily just ride it away into the sunset day after day.
I'll update this every now and then to keep you posted. Feel free to pitch in with your own experiences.