12 or 15

[akostenere]

The last couple of weeks I had a dilemma about trading in my St12 for a 15 SE. my biggest issue was the vibration on my 2012 ST. Yesterday I had a test drive with a 2015 new ES. I was not impressed at all. Yes..... the bike is smoother and like the digital upgrade to it..... but the seat is terribly hard, the engine sound like an electric sewing machine, handle bar position and angle awful, instrument cluster looks cheap early 80's design and the price!!!!!!!!!!!! What????? Out of the door 19,750.00 ?????? No,,,,No..... Stick with my 2012 St!!! I fill better now... the vibration dose not bad after all.... all it is a perspective. ::012:: ::012::

 

[fredz43]

Sounds like you prefer your 12 and that is what is important, what you prefer. That dealer is really out to stick somebody with prices like that. Yamaha has $1500 in incentives on the 15 ES right now. My dealer in IL just sold a 15 ES for $13,190 plus tax.

Different strokes for different folks, but I like my 14 ES much more than my 12 and I really liked that bike.

 

[Mikeybikey57]

The vibration on my '11 was not nice and left both my hands numb after relatively few, high speed miles. After reading about the positive results here, I decided to do the clutch basked mod instead of shelling out £££££'s for a smoother bike. The bike still vibrates a little but my hands stay fully sensate for considerably longer than they used to. It's not the cheapest modification in the world but the outlay is relatively small and the results are brilliant, so maybe you could give it a try. ::008::

 

[rotortech71]

The vibration on my '11 was not nice and left both my hands numb after relatively few, high speed miles. After reading about the positive results here, I decided to do the clutch basked mod instead of shelling out £££££'s for a smoother bike. The bike still vibrates a little but my hands stay fully sensate for considerably longer than they used to. It's not the cheapest modification in the world but the outlay is relatively small and the results are brilliant, so maybe you could give it a try. ::008::

^^^^^^^^What he said^^^^^^^^^

 

[JV]

When I got my 13 a few months ago the first longer ride I took had my hands tingling.
I made a list of changes I wanted to make on it comparing it to the upgrades made on the 14 model.
I bought a set of Rox anti-vibe risers off ebay at a great savings and did the extended cables along with them. That took care of the vibes.
Changed the seat, added a Eastern Beaver 3 fuse rig at the same time. I installed Oxford heated grips I bought off ebay for a discounted price that someone had screwed up one of the plugs on and added a throttle lock for cruise control simulation.
What I've spent so far comes nowhere near what a 14 or 15 would have cost and I am very happy with my 13. ::001::
Clutch basket and manual CCT will come later, just gas and go for now.

 

[barkingllizard]

15 all the way, akostenere, +1 on this

snip...
That dealer is really out to stick somebody with prices like that.
snip...
I like my 14 ES much more than my 12 and I really liked that bike.

first thing I did was readjust the handlebars, rotate forward, to get the ergonomics right for me,
everything else is there and then some.....

 

[mrpete64]

I would "strongly" suggest the 2015ES. I have the 2014ES and love the bike. I just returned, from a 2000+ ride down the Blue Ridge Parkway and then to my brother's in Kentucky...then back to Duanesburg, NY. I also rode this bike to Colorado last summer. Everything works perfectly. Being able to put the bike on soft on the interstates...then normal/firm on roads like The Blue Ridge is very nice. The cruise is flawless. I just put it on 69 and enjoy myself. The electric factory grips work...great!
From what others have said, on this form, there is NO comparison between the older Tenere's and the newer versions. If you can swing the extra bucks I think you will NOT be disappointed with the '15. I have had a lot of BMW's and this bike is just as good..if not better. If you have never had cruise control on a bike once you have it you will never want a bike without it.
Mr. Pete------->
aging hippie

 

[tomatocity]

Like Fred I liked my 2012. It had a newly rebuilt engine and I traded it in on a 2015 ES. No regrets... not one.

 

[Phil T]

Picked up a 15ES about a month ago and it does everything really well. Paid under 14k OTD. if a dealer is asking 19k plus you need to find another dealer to work with. The dealer I purchased from was asking about $1,000 for setup and I said I would not pay the advertised asking price plus tax and they took it. Shop around a bit.

 

[Checkswrecks]

That dealer asking $19+ is fishing and ought to be avoided.

Cycle Trader and Craigslist both have leftover non-ES 2014s for roughly $10,000. The only two things you won't get are the heated grips and electronic suspension. You can find a couple of threads here about how to add the grips for a little less than $250, plug and play.

 

[Brick]

I second this... I too lived my 2012 and really love my 2014 ES. It's just that much better! The cruise control is amazing!

Like Fred I liked my 2012. It had a newly rebuilt engine and I traded it in on a 2015 ES. No regrets... not one.

 

[WJBertrand]

Almost $20K for a '15 Super Tenere ES is a rip off, even if that is out the door. I paid $15,700 OTD for my '15 back in June, relatively early in the riding season. Toward fall and the 2016's on the way, you should be able to easily beat that on any left over '15s.

With respect to vibration, your impressions of the '15 surprise me and raise the question whether the TBs were properly synced or something else was amiss? Coming off of a Honda ST1300, which is an exceptionally smooth bike with virtually no engine vibration from the counter-balanced V4, I am extremely impressed with the vibration control Yamaha has accomplished with this big parallel twin. My last 4-stroke twin was a '69 Norton and there's just no comparison.

 

[Marty]

I had a test drive with a 2015 new ES. I was not impressed at all.

Same here. I swapped my 2012 with a nice fellow who had a 2015 ES. The 2015 was a little bit smother but, not by much at all. His bike was stock. Mine has Anthony's flash, a Penske shock from Stoltec, and sonic fork springs. I couldn't wait to get my bike back! My bike felt faster and smoother on off throttle. I also liked the more progressive clutch engagement of my bike.

IMO most of what I have seen written about the 2nd gen improvements are grossly over stated. Its going to be interesting to see how the 2nd gen rubber cluch basked dampers hold in a hot oil bath on hi mileage bikes.