800GS v Tenere

[tommyboy]

Anyone rode both of these and can give me a comparison please

Whats the power like on the Tenere, does it feel much slower than the GS?

Whats the wind protection like on the Tenere 70-80 esp M-way?

Does the suspension feel similiar or is the Yam much softer?

Cheers,

Tom

 

[Tim Cullis]

I have an F650GS twin and a Tenere. The Tenere is obviously less powerful but on twisty back roads it performs well--my mate on a 1150GSA was taken aback. Surprisingly it's not that flexible at lower revs and you need to be at 3000 revs or higher to accelerate in top gear.

A long motorway journey would be less enjoyable due to the viby nature of the big single but many Tenere owners talk about cruising at 85 mph. Personally I think 75 mph is more like it.

Wind protection on the Tenere is far better than on either the F650 or 800GS. An aftermarket screen is almost essential on the BMW (I have an ultra-high Eagle screen from Australia). Although I bought a taller screen for the Tenere I've now taken it off again as it wasn't really needed--the standard Tenere screen is the same height as my Eagle screen.

Unlike the F650/800GS the Tenere front suspension is adjustable but I have yet to play with the adjustment. The BMW setup is fine for smooth roads but somewhat 'crashy' on rougher stuff. I only notice the softer Tenere front end when I get back on the F650 and hit a rough bit.

The Tenere seat is far more comfortable than that of the F650/800GS however the 'hump' of the pillion section prevents taller riders from stretching out.

 

[marcusfordus]

800 Tom, Tenere ?

Did the upgrades not do what they were supposed to do them Tom ?

 

[Richie3264]

my mates got a Tenere and ive got a 800GS, im looking to have a go on his soon on a back to back ride out, so far he doesnt like the Tens seat and the vibes are really bad . We've not been off road yet but that should change next week

Both seem to have great presence on road and both seem to great on the small country roads around N. Yorks and Lake District

Richie

 

[tommyboy]

Did the upgrades not do what they were supposed to do them Tom ?

The screen is much better and bought a beowulf can last week which sounds awesome but I'm still not really loving it, it's just not really what I want
trouble is I am not really sure what I want

Been to the Copdock Bike Show today and saw a great looking KTM 950

I might just sell the 800 and sit on the money until I know what I do want

 

[Garry H]

I have a Tenere and have rode the 800GS and the Ten back to back offroad...The Tenere is nowhere near as powerful but i think it's a lot better offroad ( more so if you are inexperienced off road ) because the engine is nowhere near as snappy..
I also thought the Tenere felt more nimble too
As for the moans about the vibration from the Tenere i recon the engine is very smooth for a single and crusing below 75 is fine
I like mine and would not swap it for a 800GS

 

[Richie3264]

have too agree, the Ten is more nimble and better suited off road than the 800, thats not to say the 800 isnt any good, far from it, but i suppose it boils down to what the individual wants from their steed

personally, i want something that is great on the road but then can turn its hand to light off road tracks. the 800 suits me down to the ground.

riding the Ten back to back with the 800 on the road, i felt that the buffeting was worse on the Ten. As a single, the buzzy ride seemed ok and reasonably smooth...for a single. I found myself having to work the gear box more on the Ten than the very forgiving 800. The seat on the Ten felt like a relevation after the 800 but the rear suspension set up felt harsher than the 800.

I think to be fair if I was to be going some distance I would go for the 800, if I was going to be doing mostly off rod tracks and not too far away I would opt for the Ten. Both bikes need fettling to the individual as we are all different sizes

Bloody hell the Tenere is Tall

Hope that helps and you didnt get bored with my waffle

Richie

 

[everywherevirtually]

That's what I love about the 800. You can take it up to the fells and forest trails and have some fun but equally you can traverse Europe and arrive in comfort and quickly. OK it's not a continent buster like the 1200 and equally it's not a true off-roader but I reckon it's one of the best compromises out there!

27,000 miles and still loving it

 

[Richie3264]

That's what I love about the 800. You can take it up to the fells and forest trails and have some fun but equally you can traverse Europe and arrive in comfort and quickly. OK it's not a continent buster like the 1200 and equally it's not a true off-roader but I reckon it's one of the best compromises out there!

27,000 miles and still loving it

and new boxes

nice one, beat me to them

 

[Dave Ett]

Just been to Marocco with a chap on his Tenere, and they were very closely matched. He reckoned the 800 was slightly easier than the 660 since it'd pull second gear from lower down.

Not much in it weight wise.

660 has a higher screen but buzzes more at motorway speeds.

660 is considerably cheaper!

 

[Tim Cullis]

Whilst I love the Tenere (and the F650GS when it's behaving), many posts I've read lead me to believe the G650 X challenge is a better bike than the Tenere for offroading and is the equal of the Tenere on tarmac. I rode one in Wales at the Offroad School and was quite impressed.

But the fuel tank capacity lets it down--if only it was the same as the F650/800GS I might have bought one rather than the Tenere.

And why is it that with any of these so-called 'enduro' machines you have to spend a fortune kitting it out to do medium-length offroad trips? Why can't we have bikes with a decent fuel capacity, a large side stand foot, wide footpegs, raised handlebars, hinged gear/brake levers, hand guards and so forth as standard?

In the meantime the Tenere is the nearest I've come to what I was looking for.

Tim

 

[everywherevirtually]

and new boxes

nice one, beat me to them

he he he

Whilst I love the Tenere (and the F650GS when it's behaving), many posts I've read lead me to believe the G650 X challenge is a better bike than the Tenere for offroading and is the equal of the Tenere on tarmac. I rode one in Wales at the Offroad School and was quite impressed.

But the fuel tank capacity lets it down--if only it was the same as the F650/800GS I might have bought one rather than the Tenere.

And why is it that with any of these so-called 'enduro' machines you have to spend a fortune kitting it out to do medium-length offroad trips? Why can't we have bikes with a decent fuel capacity, a large side stand foot, wide footpegs, raised handlebars, hinged gear/brake levers, hand guards and so forth as standard?

In the meantime the Tenere is the nearest I've come to what I was looking for.

Tim

Walter Colebatch has used the G650 X challenge for www.sibirskyextreme.com

and got around the fuel capacity issue by adding an X-tank

http://www.hotrodwelding.nl/product.php?id=3

He's on his way home now somewhere in KZH and I reckon with the seat mod thrown in you're right Tim. That said like the Tenere it is bloody tall for us shorter folks.

I'd need the small stool attachment too

 

[Jeremy]

Which makes the better commuter bike?

 

[frank gault]

i owned both early this summer ,the tenere was for me the most fun but the build quality was shocking.

 

[nrg]

Having owned a KLX650 for a number of years I decided I'd test ride the Tenere' if for no other reason just to see how big thumpers had evolved from the mid 90s. So, I spent an afternoon on nice blue one on a hot August day in Italy around lake Garda.
I rode on a variety of terrains including gravel, white tops and some Autostrada highway.
I must say I felt utterly disappointed with the bike. No pull to the motor in low to medium range, constant backfiring and dubious manoeuvrability. The bike felt high, bulky and heavy and the engine just didn’t give me the boost I was used to from my now elderly carbed 650. I felt trapped in Tenere’s dunking seat when sitting and felt as though I was stooping when standing on the pegs, the wind shield got in my way.
I do most of my riding offroad and can only say that the Tenere did not inspire confidence.
Shortly after the Tenere' try out I walked into a BMW dealership and managed to spend a couple of hours on the 800gs. I was pleasantly surprised. The power is there, the weight is not so noticeable, feels easy to manoeuvre and yes I would take it off road and I’m sure it would perform,.... maybe not quite like an XR650R but certainly better than 1200GS.
Just my impressions.

 

[(RIP) Kaister]

I bought the Tenere over the 800Gs.
The ten is 14k otr here - the 800 is 21k otr !!

The ten has brembo's, tourances, immobiliser, good build quality, good supple well damped suspension - but a crap seat.

Honestly - it starts to hurt after 20 miles or so.
Way too soft and angled no wiggle room backwards.

I'm going to cut into the foam from the riders seat pad backwards to give a flatter pad, and then put a thin layer of harder foam on the top.

I'm quite tall so the height doesn't worry me.

 

[yamonda1]

This GS is possibly the best middleweight .......

 

[Garry H]

I was out with a mate the weekend
I normally take my ten but took the Beemer for a change
Forgot just how good the Beemer was

He has moded his seat..We swapped bikes for a short while and i think it's a big improvement over stock
May have to mod mine now
Looks ok too

Beemer makes a much better tractor

 

[Hannu]

XT660Z V F800GS

OK I've also done a similar post on XT660,

Finally sorted out my problem with my KTM 990 Adventure after three years of toroid ownership.

To replace I have narrowed it down to Two Bikes,

New 09 Tenere (last one in the shop)

A demo 800GS with 398 miles

ridden both and like both although the power drop on the Yam is noticeable a lot more.

BMW £7250 Yam £6800 with full luggage, apart from that similar spec.

Unlike to do any major off road with either.

You pays your money you takes your choice

Any ideas ????

 

[santrix]

Mostly road = 800GS