2014 ES 400 mile observations

[LJM]

Hi guys, so many good things about the ST but you all all ready know that. The one thing I really like is that motor it 's super ! It's like the power band starts at 1200 rpm and just keeps going, big fun. I've had the high HP adv bikes and really wasn't expecting such a great motor in the Yamaha. One thing I've noticed is the front brake seems kinda of touchy anyone else notice this ? Mine starts out pretty linear then it just bites hard with out really increasing lever pressure. Trail braking really takes a light touch. I'm wondering if I might have glazed my rotors. I'm going to take a good look at them tomorrow. Not sure what type of pads Yamaha has on there I'm wondering if there sintered type. The ES (and prob the non es) is fantastic and I'm comparing it to my long gone Ducati Multistrada elec Ohlins I think Yamaha nailed it. I can't wait to this bike broke in and start riding a bit harder. I need to outfit with bags & I have a new windscreen on order. Absolutely no buyers remorse !!! It's nice having a bike where I'm not worried about what's gonna break/fail next.

 

[cosmic]

I have braided hoses, and Brembo Red pads, but I would still love some more bite. That said, I don't think it bites hard enough.

 

[copb8]

To hijack your thread a bit, I was intrigued about your comments regarding your old bike. I'd be curious to get a little more detail on your opinions coming from such a high horsepower ADV bike to the S10 and being quite happy with the significantly less HP. Thx

 

[LJM]

To hijack your thread a bit, I was intrigued about your comments regarding your old bike. I'd be curious to get a little more detail on your opinions coming from such a high horsepower ADV bike to the S10 and being quite happy with the significantly less HP. Thx

The problem (for me) with the Duc is that the motor is a de-tuned to 1198 race motor which is a short stroke desmo that was built for road racing. Great for 3rd gear 80 mph power wheelies or flat out ripping up twisty roads or a track day. But unless your in the fat part of the power band which starts around 6k rpms the bike is flat out boring. I did not enjoy riding that bike unless I was breaking several laws. I tried riding it off road once and came away in one piece but never tried it again. It had a button that would limit the throttle postiion and cut power to 100 hp down from 150hp that made the engine character even more boring and took away 3rd gear power wheelies i only used that button once or twice. The Multistrada is a sport bike ADV disguise. I come from an armature racing background off road, MX & road racing. I bought the Duc for everyday "sane" riding and IMO the Yamaha beats it hands down.

 

[oldbear]

Congrats on the new S10. I've owned some pretty fast bikes over the years, including Duc's, FJR, Tiger 1050, etc, but I always get a kick when I hear folks complain about the S10 being "underpowered". Obviously these guys never rode "back in the day" when the HOT bikes were putting out<60 horsepower. I remember when the Bonnieville and the XLCH (Competition Hot ::015: were THE fast rides. When the 750 Honda and Kawasaki H1's and H2's came out...Wow. Nobody complained of being "underpowered" then on any of those. I distinctly remember my new 1972 H2 triple with 74 horsepower (the one Kaw advertised as "the fastest accelerating motorcycle in the World". Now my "slow" S10 will turn a faster quarter mile, is far more comfortable, economical, reliable and probably faster top end. Yet the Mark 1 Type 0 Homo Sapiens hasn't changed any over the years. Oh well....time goes by... Enjoy your ride! ::021::

 

[snakebitten]

Well said oldbear!

 

[Yamaray]

Well said oldbear!

::026::

 

[scott123007]

Congrats on the new S10. I've owned some pretty fast bikes over the years, including Duc's, FJR, Tiger 1050, etc, but I always get a kick when I hear folks complain about the S10 being "underpowered". Obviously these guys never rode "back in the day" when the HOT bikes were putting out<60 horsepower. I remember when the Bonnieville and the XLCH (Competition Hot ::015: were THE fast rides. When the 750 Honda and Kawasaki H1's and H2's came out...Wow. Nobody complained of being "underpowered" then on any of those. I distinctly remember my new 1972 H2 triple with 74 horsepower (the one Kaw advertised as "the fastest accelerating motorcycle in the World". Now my "slow" S10 will turn a faster quarter mile, is far more comfortable, economical, reliable and probably faster top end. Yet the Mark 1 Type 0 Homo Sapiens hasn't changed any over the years. Oh well....time goes by... Enjoy your ride! ::021::

Those bikes were the power leaders of the day, so they were the HOT bikes and there was nothing faster to compare to. If you changed with the times instead of harkening back to the late '60's or early '70's, and then fast forwarded to today, you would realize that a FAST bike today has in excess of 170 hp at the rear wheel and weighs under 450 lbs ready to ride. Riders that have those type of machines are generally the ones disappointed with the sedate output of the Tenere compared to its competition.

 

[LJM]

Those bikes were the power leaders of the day, so they were the HOT bikes and there was nothing faster to compare to. If you changed with the times instead of harkening back to the late '60's or early '70's, and then fast forwarded to today, you would realize that a FAST bike today has in excess of 170 hp at the rear wheel and weighs under 450 lbs ready to ride. Riders that have those type of machines are generally the ones disappointed with the sedate output of the Tenere compared to its competition.

Well not exactly, when speaking of off-machines the fastest riders in the world want less power 150hp off road just dosnt work real well and in fact it will slow most mortal men down. The ADV bikes are a compromise we want road comfort and long range capability which translates into weight & HP also along with that is some off road riding which transfers to less weight & less HP. Yamaha built the ST as more of a road going bike but still OK for some off road adventure and putting more HP in that motor would not help the bike in any condition. So having high Hp at rear wheel or not having it has nothing to do with harking back to the old days. What has happened is technology has out preformed man kind. The absolute fastest throttle jockey in the world can not handle the HP numbers that motorcycle engines are now capable of. That is the reason for all the electronic aids a pro rider needs to get there bike around a race track safely. Even going back to the good ole days of maybe 2006 or 2007 the riders and organizers of the Dakar wanted to limit high HP bikes for safety reasons and ended up limiting the race to 450cc motors probably putting out a whopping 60 hp at the crank. There was a National enduro last year & the pro class was won by a guy on KTM 150cc bike probably 50% less hp then any other pro bike out there. With all that said I love high HP bikes, technology & going fast. I didn't buy the Yamaha for any of these reasons. I won't be off road racing the ST and the "sedate" motor seems like a perfect fit for an ADV bike.

 

[snakebitten]

Another great post. Well thought out.

This thread is as good as any at discussing the mission statement that seems to define the S10.

 

[jimmy z]

LJM im with you on the multistrada. Below 4,000 r.p.m. that engine is flat.ABOVE 4,00R.P.M. it hits pretty hard.That in itself makes for a poor adventure bike engine IMO. Jim

 

[LJM]

LJM im with you on the multistrada. Below 4,000 r.p.m. that engine is flat.ABOVE 4,00R.P.M. it hits pretty hard.That in itself makes for a poor adventure bike engine IMO. Jim

You summed it up perfectly with a lot less language !

 

[motoguy]

Makes me think back to Fast Fredie, the only one who could handle the Honda 2 stroke 500 triple. Other's tried but failed miserably and said the bike was "un drivable ". The only man to win 3 champions in one season if I remember correctly. sorry, back to the subject.

 

[oldbear]

I guess my real point is that very darn few people of any ilk are CAPABLE of really using a 150 hp motorcycle anywhere. (Let the flames begin I guess). Let's be brutally honest here. It would be hard to actually ride an S10 at 7/10 consistently while on the road. Doing so, if you could stay on the road, would quickly get you a trip to the pokey and cause a loss of your license. A really "fast bike", maybe 3/10's. If you want to ride 9/10 or better on the street, you'd better be looking at a 250 ninja or similar. Yeah, I know hammering a high horsepower bike in a straight line is a rush, but when the road gets twisty or John Law is around, well, it ain't gonna happen. Ride the bike YOU enjoy, and if you think ya gotta have 170+ horsepower that's ok, just don't try to convince anyone who's been around longer than yesterday that you "need" that kind of power to have a quick ride on the street. Yesterday coming home on !-65 @ about 78 mph (per gps) a dude on a R1 went past at warp factor 2.....about four miles later I passed him and the trooper he was having a chat with O O O and kept on keeping on. I suspect my R1 riding friend will be traveling a little slower today, regardless of how fast his bike is ::013::. Whatever you ride, ride safe. You only go around once, so ride so that you can enjoy it for a long time! FWIW, track days on a light fast bike are a hoot and if you REALLY want to go fast that's the place!

 

[Spaggy]

Plenty of power for me. I find that I rarely even use sport mode. Really handles nice in the gravel too.

 

[motoguy]

I ride a lot of gravel and forestry roads. Pick a direction and go so to speak. 75% of the time 2 up. I have never been in a situation where I needed more power. Although my son has called me "grandma tenere" at times. With a bad back, I'd rather not be picking up the bike. But there are times when we say to ourselves "That was stupid...." .

 

[bmac]

I guess my real point is that very darn few people of any ilk are CAPABLE of really using a 150 hp motorcycle anywhere. (Let the flames begin I guess). Let's be brutally honest here. It would be hard to actually ride an S10 at 7/10 consistently while on the road.

This is the reality that a lot of folks don't recognize. On the street, even at substantially above legal speeds a good rider on a 650 twin can keep up with virtually anything.

With that said, the allure of a 160hp 450 pound bike is quite compelling even if you can only use full power for 2 to 3 seconds at a time.