Scott Williams
Member
Hi Guys,
this is Scott from Roatan, Honduras. The new bike came in about 2 months ago. here is how I outfitted it. Pelican im2075 carry box, Raid toolbox, Holan headlight guard, wind deflectors, Shorai LFX18A1-BS12 battery, Yamaha side cases + inner bags, Cher-Dan backrest, Tooltube, oil filter wrench to protect oil filter(painted black), SW Motech crash bars and DSB highway pegs.
Comments after 1500 break-in miles: Windshield has 4 EZ to adjust positions. I prefer it all the way up. I am 6'2"/180#/35" inseam. The seat has 2 quick-adjust heights. I keep it lower because I get more support at a stoplight with 2-up. We seem okay with seat comfort for 2-3 hours at a time. To lessen buttache I can either stand briefly or slide rearward and put my feet on the highway pegs. I am fine with the new dashboard. All data is right up front and clear. The gear indicator shows the proper number about one second after you release the clutch. With clutch pulled in, it shows just a dash (-), as reported here. This part-time system is NOT what I was expecting from Yamaha. Am rather disappointed. Maybe it helps discern between 5th and 6th gears. I still count. My wife loves the backrest. The waterproof and lockable Pelican box (Amazon) is perfect for our raingear. The Raid toolbox houses a Dynaplug Ultralite tire plug kit, a Slime Powersport 12V inflator, a small can of Slime and various other tools I hope I never need to use. The wind deflectors work well....no complaints. Here in the heat we like wind in our faces. Shorai battery really cranks and saves 5 lbs. Everything we carry into a hotel or B&B is in the Yamaha inner bags. Period. Nada mas. Wife claimed the larger one, as you might expect. Passenger grab rails and centerstand are on order.
I bought this bike after quite a bit of research. Living in Central America, a strong dealer network is imperative. That pretty much rules out everyone else. Plus, Yamaha has a strong reputation for quality. Honduras places 5 in. high speed bumps all over the country, except for their CA 5 main highway from the capital down to the coast. They also have a s**tload of potholes on secondary paved roads. My other bike, a Yamaha Majesty 400 maxi-scooter rides 2-up pretty much anywhere here in comfort at 60-70 mph all day, but the ground clearance and 13 in. wheels were not suitable. Anyway, I still have it. Before that, I had a Honda Valkyrie 1522. A 6 carb, 6 exhaust (custom), hot cam, chrome and black hot rod that did the 1/4 mile in 12.6/107. Sure, it wasn't the fastest out there, but for cruising 2-up in NC, WA, OR and MT, it was perfect in most every way. That flat 6 cyl. mill would roll-on smoothly in top gear from 10 MPH on up without a twitch. She ate Harleys for lunch. Sold it before we moved down here to concentrate on fishing.
Overall, I now have to get used to feathering the throttle again (the Majesty is automatic). I find I have to shift more on the S10 than on the Valkyrie (2-up). There is a NICE difference between Tour and Sport mode, believe me. Heck, I almost lifted the front wheel on a 2-3 shift when I tried Sport. However, for most of my 2-up riding, Tour fits the bill nicely. As for traction control, I mostly ride pavement, so T1 is my choice. The S10's center of gravity is not as low as the Majesty or the Valkyrie, but that is an expected tradeoff for the higher clearance. The manual suspension is just fine. The dealer set it right in the middle and we can feel the travel as it cushions our ride. There is more gear whine than the Valkyrie. The 2 cyl. motor seems to chug or tractor (yes, I've owned a tractor) at lower speeds, so it requires more shifting than the Valkyrie.......although I believe the horsepower is nearly equal between the two. I am certainly NOT unhappy. Just stating what I see. The S10 is about 1 sec. faster thru the 1/4 mile than the Valkyrie. Now here's something to wet your whistle: there is NO hesitaqncy when I advance the throttle in either Tour or Sport mode. I believe Yamaha traded a corrected ECU for that idiotic ECON symbol that appears when you are "riding sensibly", as will please all the tree huggers out there. Yes, I tried to make it hesitate, but it would not. To be safe though, I only wash the bike at the dealership over on the mainland. We simply ferry over, grab the bike and go. Just $100/year to store it. The new S10 rolls-on smoothly in any gear, provided you are not lugging it. In addition to the hard-start issue, that's one of the main reasons I waited for the 2014. As a practical matter, I try not to buy Gen-1 of anything, The S10 seems to be a perfect combination of factors that make it perfect for travelling below the border. We mostly go to B&B's in the lake and mountain region of Honduras. In a month or so, we join a group of 100 or so riders on a trip down to Costa Rica. Tiger Explorers, 1050's 800XC's BMW's, Harleys, Ducatis, but just 1 other S10. At least the S10's don't have to live within 50 miles of the dealer!
The Super Tenere answers the call perfectly for touring in this environment, with the occasional dirt/gravel road...loosely packed, I might add. However, if I still lived in the US, I'd prefer the Valkyrie. At age 72, I am beyond my hard-riding days and think more about comfort and safety. Especially 2-up. Oh, I almost forgot (wink) to mention the best thing on the new model. Both of my hands get numb at times, and the Cruise Control is a God-send. I thank Yamaha for including it on the 2014.
I want to post photos of my bike, but won't do so in this post. Maybe tomorrow. I'm afraid that I'll somehow screw it up and lose all the text I've just typed. Thank you all for posting those informative threads. It helped me immensely. Glad to answer any questions.
Scott Williams, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras
this is Scott from Roatan, Honduras. The new bike came in about 2 months ago. here is how I outfitted it. Pelican im2075 carry box, Raid toolbox, Holan headlight guard, wind deflectors, Shorai LFX18A1-BS12 battery, Yamaha side cases + inner bags, Cher-Dan backrest, Tooltube, oil filter wrench to protect oil filter(painted black), SW Motech crash bars and DSB highway pegs.
Comments after 1500 break-in miles: Windshield has 4 EZ to adjust positions. I prefer it all the way up. I am 6'2"/180#/35" inseam. The seat has 2 quick-adjust heights. I keep it lower because I get more support at a stoplight with 2-up. We seem okay with seat comfort for 2-3 hours at a time. To lessen buttache I can either stand briefly or slide rearward and put my feet on the highway pegs. I am fine with the new dashboard. All data is right up front and clear. The gear indicator shows the proper number about one second after you release the clutch. With clutch pulled in, it shows just a dash (-), as reported here. This part-time system is NOT what I was expecting from Yamaha. Am rather disappointed. Maybe it helps discern between 5th and 6th gears. I still count. My wife loves the backrest. The waterproof and lockable Pelican box (Amazon) is perfect for our raingear. The Raid toolbox houses a Dynaplug Ultralite tire plug kit, a Slime Powersport 12V inflator, a small can of Slime and various other tools I hope I never need to use. The wind deflectors work well....no complaints. Here in the heat we like wind in our faces. Shorai battery really cranks and saves 5 lbs. Everything we carry into a hotel or B&B is in the Yamaha inner bags. Period. Nada mas. Wife claimed the larger one, as you might expect. Passenger grab rails and centerstand are on order.
I bought this bike after quite a bit of research. Living in Central America, a strong dealer network is imperative. That pretty much rules out everyone else. Plus, Yamaha has a strong reputation for quality. Honduras places 5 in. high speed bumps all over the country, except for their CA 5 main highway from the capital down to the coast. They also have a s**tload of potholes on secondary paved roads. My other bike, a Yamaha Majesty 400 maxi-scooter rides 2-up pretty much anywhere here in comfort at 60-70 mph all day, but the ground clearance and 13 in. wheels were not suitable. Anyway, I still have it. Before that, I had a Honda Valkyrie 1522. A 6 carb, 6 exhaust (custom), hot cam, chrome and black hot rod that did the 1/4 mile in 12.6/107. Sure, it wasn't the fastest out there, but for cruising 2-up in NC, WA, OR and MT, it was perfect in most every way. That flat 6 cyl. mill would roll-on smoothly in top gear from 10 MPH on up without a twitch. She ate Harleys for lunch. Sold it before we moved down here to concentrate on fishing.
Overall, I now have to get used to feathering the throttle again (the Majesty is automatic). I find I have to shift more on the S10 than on the Valkyrie (2-up). There is a NICE difference between Tour and Sport mode, believe me. Heck, I almost lifted the front wheel on a 2-3 shift when I tried Sport. However, for most of my 2-up riding, Tour fits the bill nicely. As for traction control, I mostly ride pavement, so T1 is my choice. The S10's center of gravity is not as low as the Majesty or the Valkyrie, but that is an expected tradeoff for the higher clearance. The manual suspension is just fine. The dealer set it right in the middle and we can feel the travel as it cushions our ride. There is more gear whine than the Valkyrie. The 2 cyl. motor seems to chug or tractor (yes, I've owned a tractor) at lower speeds, so it requires more shifting than the Valkyrie.......although I believe the horsepower is nearly equal between the two. I am certainly NOT unhappy. Just stating what I see. The S10 is about 1 sec. faster thru the 1/4 mile than the Valkyrie. Now here's something to wet your whistle: there is NO hesitaqncy when I advance the throttle in either Tour or Sport mode. I believe Yamaha traded a corrected ECU for that idiotic ECON symbol that appears when you are "riding sensibly", as will please all the tree huggers out there. Yes, I tried to make it hesitate, but it would not. To be safe though, I only wash the bike at the dealership over on the mainland. We simply ferry over, grab the bike and go. Just $100/year to store it. The new S10 rolls-on smoothly in any gear, provided you are not lugging it. In addition to the hard-start issue, that's one of the main reasons I waited for the 2014. As a practical matter, I try not to buy Gen-1 of anything, The S10 seems to be a perfect combination of factors that make it perfect for travelling below the border. We mostly go to B&B's in the lake and mountain region of Honduras. In a month or so, we join a group of 100 or so riders on a trip down to Costa Rica. Tiger Explorers, 1050's 800XC's BMW's, Harleys, Ducatis, but just 1 other S10. At least the S10's don't have to live within 50 miles of the dealer!
The Super Tenere answers the call perfectly for touring in this environment, with the occasional dirt/gravel road...loosely packed, I might add. However, if I still lived in the US, I'd prefer the Valkyrie. At age 72, I am beyond my hard-riding days and think more about comfort and safety. Especially 2-up. Oh, I almost forgot (wink) to mention the best thing on the new model. Both of my hands get numb at times, and the Cruise Control is a God-send. I thank Yamaha for including it on the 2014.
I want to post photos of my bike, but won't do so in this post. Maybe tomorrow. I'm afraid that I'll somehow screw it up and lose all the text I've just typed. Thank you all for posting those informative threads. It helped me immensely. Glad to answer any questions.
Scott Williams, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras
