Ownership experience

Good thread Rasher.
I'm looking forward to trying one in the new year. I haven't got one yet and I'm already thinking of mods I'd like to do!
Am I right in thinking that the bike is not fitted with hazard flashers?
I think I'd shorten the centre stand a bit to make it easier to use.
A wider brake pedal would be another mod.
The more I look into this bike the more I like it.
 
Thanks Frank.
I realised it had, looking at a close up of one for sale on ebay last night.
That's one more step closer.
 
Things still going well here in Super Tenere land. I've put just over 1000 miles on the bike since I bought it. Mainly motorway but some decent hooning in between.

It appears to be one of those bikes that grows on you, and I like it more every time I ride it. It isn't hysterical, bonkers, or with knife edge handling or anything like that, it's just extremely competent and very nice to ride.

I've now got used to the handling and have started to chuck it about much more. I was a bit cautious coming from the light & agile KTM 950SM onto a much bigger bike, but having taken it moderately easy I'm now happy to throw it all over the place, and the bike takes it very well indeed.

I've got one gripe about pickup from idle as you accelerate hard e.g. away from traffic lights. The fueling seems a bit lean as it hesitates a tad before picking up, so I'll have to look into that.

Overall, very nice so far. Covered the thing in GT85 so it also smells good, and along with having my Streetguard suit washed the other day the bike and I make a delightfully fragrant pairing.
 
Glad you like it
I love mine glad I sold my F 800 gs and bought a Supertenere excellent bike and getting more popular by the day
 
I've got one gripe about pickup from idle as you accelerate hard e.g. away from traffic lights. The fueling seems a bit lean as it hesitates a tad before picking up, so I'll have to look into that.

They are restricted low down in the first 3 gears, you can get an ECU remap that gives up to 20BHP more at around 4k and an extra 4-5BHP up top but you need to send your ECU to Italy.

These are the poeple:

http://www.motoshopyamaha.com/

They offer the Diapson ECU flash

http://www.twowheelsblog.com/post/6674/yamaha-super-tenere-diapason-racing-sporty-future-for-xt1200z
 
They are restricted low down in the first 3 gears, you can get an ECU remap that gives up to 20BHP more at around 4k and an extra 4-5BHP up top but you need to send your ECU to Italy.

These are the poeple:

http://www.motoshopyamaha.com/

They offer the Diapson ECU flash

http://www.twowheelsblog.com/post/6674/yamaha-super-tenere-diapason-racing-sporty-future-for-xt1200z

I'm not getting involved in a brand v brand argument here. But, 20BHP is an enormous amount of extra horse - why do Yamaha not do this themselves or is it because they have to consider the implications in a wider sense i.e carbon footprint etc. Also, would this mess up the warranty on the bike if an engine failure resulted?
 
I'd very much like the additional 20hp low down if it was fairly inexpensive to get. There's a lot of discussion (mainly USA based) on yamahasupertenere.com about the Diapson remap, but it's rather annoying to send an ECU to Italy to get it done. I'm sure someone in the UK will offer it soonish.

My "wind deflectors" arrived yesterday after quite a long wait. These are like the BMW winglets, rather than being an add-on for my underpants. I also took delivery of a California Scientific screen which is higher than the Yamaha touring screen (on sale on eBay) and should suit my height a bit better.

Due to the stupidly cold weather I haven't tried it out yet but have high hopes for a smooth and quiet ride.
 
S10 x GSA Direct Comparison

S10 x GSA Direct Comparison
As an owner of both bikes ( 2009 GSA with 28000 km and a 2011 S10 with 3000 km ) and after following this thread for some time I decided to make a practical comparison between them.
I have more than 230.000 miles riding experience, most of it on GS/GSA bikes, mostly on long distance journeys through South America, Asia and Africa.
As a basic point I do not consider both bikes capable of any off road real travel. I usually use the off tarmac term when riding in gravel, dirt and sand roads.2222

The test

With my son I took both bikes from Sao Paulo, Brasil ( where we live ) to San Pedro de Atacama in Chile and back.In order to test the bikes in all conditions we switched bikes every 200 miles.

This is a 7000 KM journey, 80 % on tarmac and the rest on gravel, dirt and light sand roads. We faced temperatures between 40 and -2 degrees Celsius (104 28 F ) and altitudes from sea level up to 5000 meters ( 17000 feet ) when crossing one of the Andes passes.

Both bikes had the same tires ( Tourance for tarmac and Karoo T for off tarmac ), new brake pads, oil and filters. The GS has all the options ( ABS, ESA, ESC etc ) and the S10 the standard package that includes ABS, traction control and engine mode.

Both bikes has 38 liter Zega Pro panniers and assorted protection gear from Touratech. The S10 carried also a 3 gallon Rotopak fuel tank that I never used. Each bike was loaded with around 36 kilos of luggage.

Some numbers

Total mileage: 6998 km/4375 miles

GSA Fuel Consumption: 388 liters ( 18 km/liter- 42 mpg )
S10 Consumption: 368 liters ( 19,5 km/ liter -44 mpg )
( the overall mileage is low due to very steep and twisty roads to cross the Andes pass and the low speed/third gear all day ride through sandy roads in the Atacama desert. Both bikes are capable of 47/50 mpg runs on tarmac)

GSA Oil Consumption : 3 liters
S10 Oil Consumption: 0,5 liters

S10 Water Consumption: none

Overall Impressions

Steering

Although both bikes has basically the same weight, the S10 feels lighter on low speed maneuvers and heavier on medium to high speed turns. Although heavier, the steering seems to be more precise than the GSA, specially on bumpy tarmac roads.

Braking

The S10 brakes are in another league. I always believed that ABS was only usefull in the tarmac and it really annoyed me that the S10 had no “regular” way to switch off the ABS. During this trip I never switched off the ABS and its intervention is so seamless that you hardly notice it working. If there is an aspect where the S10 shines over the GSA is in the braking- traction control aspect. You must adapt your riding to this braking system, in order to use the interlinked braking system to its best. It took me two days dirt riding to really get used to it. The GSA brakes are also very good but IMHO Yamaha system is much better.

Traction Control

Also here the Yamaha system is better. After a few days, used it almost the time on mode 2 except on very twisty tarmac sections , full of diesel spills from the trucks. Different from the GSA system most of the time you only know the system is working because of the light. You feel nothing on the engine noise or riding attitude. I never switched it off. Both ABS and traction control worked perfectly on the Karoo tire in both bikes.

Driving Mode

The S10 has the driving mode switch. I leave it in the S mode. You can achieve the same effect with wrist control.

Ergonomics

Aside the original seat, the GSA offers a better ergonomic position for the rider. Wind protection, controls positioning are better than the S10’s. The original seat of the |Yamaha is better that the GSA. All the electronic adjustment of the GSA ca\n be made from the left handlebar, while the S10 has the engine mode on the right handlebar and the rest directly on the front panel. I find the GSA more comfortable on rides above 600 km / day.

Front Suspension

On the tarmac I prefer the GSA system specially because of the lack of diving under braking. Off tarmac the S10 is more compliant to the road and specially better on sandy roads.

The S10 suspension is more adjustable ( although not at the flick of button ) but I usually leave it at the same setting all the time, ie preload at 3 and compression and rebound at 4 clicks

Rear Suspension

My impression is that both are at the same level ( considering the standard shocks ) Again the S10 suspension is more adjustable ( although not at the flick of button ) but I usually leave it at the same setting all the time, ie preload at 3 and rebound at 6 clicks
/





Rear drive

Both work well, but on a previous GS I had a drive failure at 15.000 miles. I think that the double swingarm in the S10 is more reliable on the long run. To soon to say anything.

Engine

From the technical point of view the S10 engine is much more advanced than the boxer. The side radiator works well.My trusted mechanic says that the S10 engine is awfully limited, meaning that it could deliver easily 130-140 hp only dealing with the ecu and fuel injectors, specially if running on ethanol. It has an annoying “gap” around 3500 rpm, but it seems something related to the injection map and could easily be fixed with Power Commander.

It takes bad gasoline ( low octane ) with no problems. This bad batch we got was exactly when crossing the high altitude pass ( 17.000 feet Paso de Jama ) and although you could feel the power loss there was no knocking at all. The GSA boxer engine complained a lot ( pinging) and was really running very hot.It looks like the ECU+ knocking sensor could not deal with high altitude and bad gas at the same time.

By the other way the boxer engine is the “ character “ of the GSA. It is reliable and it is for ever linked to the GS brand. I just love this engine, so my analysis is biased here.

Rear Frame

To soon to say anything about the S10 rear frame sturdiness. The GSA with heavy panniers usually cracks when riding off tarmac..

Price

At least here in Brazil, the GSA costs US$ 50.000,00 and the S10 costs US$ 34.000,00

Service

Number of BMW service centers between Sao Paulo and San Pedro de Atacama= 0

Number of Yamaha service centers between Sao Paulo and San Pedro de Atacama= 30+

Parts Cost

GSA rear shock in Brazil= US$ 2.857,00 ESA
S10 rear shock in Brazil= US$ 975,00


Labor Cost

BMW labor cost per hour: US$ 100,00
Yamaha labor cost per hour: US$ 50,00

All things considered I consider the S10 a better bike to long distance travel. Character by character the GSA is unbeatable. I will keep both, but from now on will travel with the S10.
 
An excellent and very comprehensive test.
More encouragement for me to try one. Hopefully next week, but not quite as far as you travelled!
Thanks for posting.
 
S10 x GSA Direct Comparison
As an owner of both bikes ( 2009 GSA with 28000 km and a 2011 S10 with 3000 km ).......................................



Price
At least here in Brazil, the GSA costs US$ 50.000,00 and the S10 costs US$ 34.000,00

Service
Number of BMW service centers between Sao Paulo and San Pedro de Atacama= 0
Number of Yamaha service centers between Sao Paulo and San Pedro de Atacama= 30+

Parts Cost
GSA rear shock in Brazil= US$ 2.857,00 ESA
S10 rear shock in Brazil= US$ 975,00

Labor Cost
BMW labor cost per hour: US$ 100,00
Yamaha labor cost per hour: US$ 50,00

All things considered I consider the S10 a better bike to long distance travel. Character by character the GSA is unbeatable. I will keep both, but from now on will travel with the S10.


excellent post :clap:clap ( 660 owner )
 
Very interesting - thanks for that post. I'm very jealous of the ride you did - it sounds fantastic.
 
Welcome to the forum Jose and thanks for that comparison.
Good to see the S10s are beginning to show their qualities.:thumb
 
Just fitted the wind deflector things (like GS winglets). They do deflect the wind, which is excellent!

I've now got a California Scientific screen (http://www.calsci.com/motorcycleinfo/Tenereprod.html) which is taller than the Yamaha touring screen. I've got a nice smooth airflow now, though it is still a tad noisy which might be my helmet or might be the screen angle - more fiddling required.

Other than that, the ECU is off to Germany on Monday for some "adjustment".
 
Quick update here. I'm absolutely loving the Super Tenere. The ECU "adjustment" has made a very big difference to the bike. It is a delight to ride and now uber-responsive. Handling is a hoot as well - cornering is very nice and it flicks about in a way that belies its size.

Unfortunately, it is all too comfortable cruising at 90mph and 70 feels quite pedestrian, so I need to be a bit restrained.

I still need to do a day-long ride to satisfy my long-distance comfort factor. The bars are possibly a bit too swept back though not as extreme as the GS by any stretch, but I may get myself a straighter set.

I'd like the brakes to be a bit more powerful - a big grab is needed to stop the bike fast, whereas my KTM 950SM had awesome stoppers that you just needed to look at to stop the thing.

I've got a new rear rack coming to enable me to mount my Pelican 1510 photographic kit case easily onto the back.
 
Thanks for the regular reports Tobers, really usefull mate, keep em` coming......:thumb2
Any S10 owners out there got any opinions on pillion comfort.
 
Thanks for the regular reports Tobers, really usefull mate, keep em` coming......:thumb2
Any S10 owners out there got any opinions on pillion comfort.

My missus reckons the s10 is as good if not better than the gs, IM loving mine, I have the ecu done ,arrow headers.mivv can,and pc 5, It goes like feck,Cant recomend them highly enough,also Handling is sharper than my gs was,It also returns 50 mpg on a run now 2100 miles and getting better:thumb
 
Mrs Monty also says the S10 is as good if not better than the GS from a passenger perspective.

My beastie is bog standard engine-wise at the moment, but will start to bolt on some goodies soon. Here is photo I took this morning when out on yet another enjoyable ride.

Super%2520Ten.jpg


Regards,

Matt
 


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