So far I am very impressed with the bike, the steering is a little slow and suspension could be better (and will be once I get it to MCT) but the engine is a gem, and the build quality looks very good.
The motor has amazing grunt off the bottom end (with the clutch switch mod) Even with taller gearing than GS it feels quicker at top gear roll ons and two-up it motors really nice even shifting at 4-5k.
Performance up to a ton is pretty quick even two up, but then starts tailing off rapidly which suits me just fine as it stops me bothering to go really quick. But the engine is so smooth (and tall geared in top) so it will happily cruise at a ton in top (just over 5k) whereas the GS felt very strained and vibey in comparison.
I think flat out the GS is quicker, although as the GS has a peakier delivery and vibes a lot more and is noisier some of this may be a deception, overall there is not much in it compared to my '08 bike, but I do feel the Twin Cam is quicker up top and mag tests seem to reflect this (although Triumph are claiming BMW are putting out tweaked press bikes) - anyway who cares, or more to the point who buys a GS / Tenere for top end performance
Ground clearance is a bit limited and I keep decking my boot and need to learn to corner on ball of foot when going quick, but when the suspension is sorted I will add some ride height to increase the clearance – solo with some extra pre-load it is not too bad, but two-up I am already finding it a bit of a pain.
Overall the Handling is very nice, it steers far slower than the GS, an extra line of pre-load on the rear helps (two lines for two-up) but it still feels far more relaxed, something I am sure I will adapt too and this is more a reflection of how well the GS turns for an adventure bike rather than a failing of the Yamaha, and it is not like the Yamaha does not handle well, it feels great on twisty roads. The upside is the Yamaha is definately the most stable bike I have ever ridden and will be great on bumpy roads and in gale force winds.
My bike came with Tourance EXP's which was nice as some have Deathwings fitted as standard!
The build quality and ease of maintenance looks great, the bike looks well put together and changing the Engine oil, Oil Filter and FD oil is a doddle (under 30 minutes for the lot)
The bodywork fits really well, the side panels are much better fitting and much easier to remove and re-fit than the GS stuff and appear to be of high quality.
Riding position and comfort seem as good as my GS with its Tony Archer seats with similar arse comfort and leg room, Mrs Rasher is delighted and reckons it is comfier on the back than the GS, plus the smoother engine and less peaky power delivery works well for her, overtakes seem far less flustered with the smoother delivery so I can make more progress with less nagging (She also used to moan about the popping and banging of the GS and found it embarrasing, like we were on some old s*** heap)
The switchgear is pretty good with just one annoyance - the computer controls are on the dash, although saying that it shows more info at any one time than the GS so I find myself needing to flick between screens less often.
I have added the Yamaha Heated Grips, although well overpriced (Almost £300) I got free fitting and it saved me having to butcher the stock grips, or have some other ones that are smaller and look odd. Apart from the price they are great, nice little analogue control for variable heat, warm up quick and get pretty hot, although right grip feels slightly warmer than left (due to the throttle being more insualted from bars beneath)
I had already decided I did not want Yamaha luggage, although it fited well enough at 62L for the panniers it was smaller than Vario's (68L) we were used to (and find about as small as we could manage with) so I have ordered a 37L / 45L combo of SW-Motech giving a useful 82L (About same as GSA luggage)
The only other thing I do not like is the OEM screen, then again I have found screens are crap on most bikes including the stock GS screen so will be fitting a Givi Airflow as thise worked well on my GS. I already have the Yamaha Wind Deflectors (Wingletts) as these were a reasonable £70 (and again fitted FOC by the dealer)
At some point the bike will be getting a remap, just not decided who from yet, and I will modify the suspension before my next long Euro Tour next summer, probably a Wilburs as they are good quality and considerably less than Ohlins, and more importantly offer a ride height adjuster which will help speed up the steering a smidge and increase ground clearance.
Overall very impressed, the bike feels genuinely "unstoppable", and I have no plans to haul spares around with me
The motor has amazing grunt off the bottom end (with the clutch switch mod) Even with taller gearing than GS it feels quicker at top gear roll ons and two-up it motors really nice even shifting at 4-5k.
Performance up to a ton is pretty quick even two up, but then starts tailing off rapidly which suits me just fine as it stops me bothering to go really quick. But the engine is so smooth (and tall geared in top) so it will happily cruise at a ton in top (just over 5k) whereas the GS felt very strained and vibey in comparison.
I think flat out the GS is quicker, although as the GS has a peakier delivery and vibes a lot more and is noisier some of this may be a deception, overall there is not much in it compared to my '08 bike, but I do feel the Twin Cam is quicker up top and mag tests seem to reflect this (although Triumph are claiming BMW are putting out tweaked press bikes) - anyway who cares, or more to the point who buys a GS / Tenere for top end performance
Ground clearance is a bit limited and I keep decking my boot and need to learn to corner on ball of foot when going quick, but when the suspension is sorted I will add some ride height to increase the clearance – solo with some extra pre-load it is not too bad, but two-up I am already finding it a bit of a pain.
Overall the Handling is very nice, it steers far slower than the GS, an extra line of pre-load on the rear helps (two lines for two-up) but it still feels far more relaxed, something I am sure I will adapt too and this is more a reflection of how well the GS turns for an adventure bike rather than a failing of the Yamaha, and it is not like the Yamaha does not handle well, it feels great on twisty roads. The upside is the Yamaha is definately the most stable bike I have ever ridden and will be great on bumpy roads and in gale force winds.
My bike came with Tourance EXP's which was nice as some have Deathwings fitted as standard!
The build quality and ease of maintenance looks great, the bike looks well put together and changing the Engine oil, Oil Filter and FD oil is a doddle (under 30 minutes for the lot)
The bodywork fits really well, the side panels are much better fitting and much easier to remove and re-fit than the GS stuff and appear to be of high quality.
Riding position and comfort seem as good as my GS with its Tony Archer seats with similar arse comfort and leg room, Mrs Rasher is delighted and reckons it is comfier on the back than the GS, plus the smoother engine and less peaky power delivery works well for her, overtakes seem far less flustered with the smoother delivery so I can make more progress with less nagging (She also used to moan about the popping and banging of the GS and found it embarrasing, like we were on some old s*** heap)
The switchgear is pretty good with just one annoyance - the computer controls are on the dash, although saying that it shows more info at any one time than the GS so I find myself needing to flick between screens less often.
I have added the Yamaha Heated Grips, although well overpriced (Almost £300) I got free fitting and it saved me having to butcher the stock grips, or have some other ones that are smaller and look odd. Apart from the price they are great, nice little analogue control for variable heat, warm up quick and get pretty hot, although right grip feels slightly warmer than left (due to the throttle being more insualted from bars beneath)
I had already decided I did not want Yamaha luggage, although it fited well enough at 62L for the panniers it was smaller than Vario's (68L) we were used to (and find about as small as we could manage with) so I have ordered a 37L / 45L combo of SW-Motech giving a useful 82L (About same as GSA luggage)
The only other thing I do not like is the OEM screen, then again I have found screens are crap on most bikes including the stock GS screen so will be fitting a Givi Airflow as thise worked well on my GS. I already have the Yamaha Wind Deflectors (Wingletts) as these were a reasonable £70 (and again fitted FOC by the dealer)
At some point the bike will be getting a remap, just not decided who from yet, and I will modify the suspension before my next long Euro Tour next summer, probably a Wilburs as they are good quality and considerably less than Ohlins, and more importantly offer a ride height adjuster which will help speed up the steering a smidge and increase ground clearance.
Overall very impressed, the bike feels genuinely "unstoppable", and I have no plans to haul spares around with me
