Any "cons" to S10 ownership?

[oldbear]

Hey all, I am VERY attracted to the S10. I'm currently on a great 1050 Tiger with low miles and many farkles,but really like the big Yamahal. (Shaft drive, ABS, Traction control, LONG valve change intervals, etc...) Also, in my brief acquaintance with one it "seems" comfortable. I normally take off to ride and will go 150-200 miles at a time (I'm an old ATTGAT guy and when I suit up I want to ride) I'm also 63, bad hip and generally not getting younger, so comfort is a REAL issue. So what, if any, are the downsides? PLease give honest complaints if you have 'em. I want to make a wise choice and want this to be a "long term" bike. (I really like the new Moto Guzzi's, but between a lack of dealers, questionable quality (historically) and a complete lack of dealers, PLUS very short service intervals, I can not go that route :) Thanks All!

 

[True Grip]

Oldbear the only con I can think of is picking it up. All bikes in this class will be pretty much the same. I've dropped mine a few times and when it's loaded it's a gut buster for me. I always been able to lift it without unloading it. A friend and I both dropped ours going up the west side of Ophir pass and it took both of us and a helper to lift them. The elevation was killing us. You will never notice the weight if you don't have to pick it up. Very comfortable and stable and will surprise you how agile. I bought mine as a long term keeper and am well satisfied.

 

[arjayes]

Based on the info you provided I recommend sticking with the Tiger. It's ~125 lbs lighter than the Tenere, has ~20 more hp, and has that sweet triple motor. The Tenere is a fantastic bike, but it weighs 575 lbs, has only 90 hp, and it's a twin. It's not a dog by any means, but the Tiger is much sportier. I bought the Tenere as a long-distance tourer that can go off road, but I would never do any serious off-road stuff with it because of what Twin Rider said - picking it up is a bitch! I bought a 260 lb KTM for that kind of stuff.

That said, if money is no object then go for it. But if money is truly no object then I'd buy the Tenere and keep the Tiger!

 

[squarebore]

Re: Any "cons" to S10 ownership?

Sounds like I'm the same height as you and if I had to pick an issue it would be getting on and off. Especially when the panniers are fitted. All is ok when on the centre stand but sometimes getting off on the side stand is difficult because of the seat height and width. The panniers also get in the road so I ride without them whenever I can.

 

[MojoToot]

I'm almost 65. No bad hips but for some reason, I'm not getting any younger, either.
I picked up a 2012 leftover last year. I had the Gen II ecu flash which made the bike vastly improved for performance. I can't find any faults with it so far. I really enjoy it on road and on dirt/gravel roads...even some muddy pot-holed stuff is fun. I wouldn't do anything like single track or hill climbs. I did not put any aftermarket protection on mine, too keep me from being too tempted to get crazy & also to keep the weight down. The bike feels light to me because one of my other bikes is an 800 lb Triumph Rocket 3. I like the Rocket for 2-up highway trips but if I had to get down to one bike, I'd keep the Tenere....it's a very versatile machine!

PS: I'm 5' 10" 168lb, if that helps.

 

[coastie]

There are none! Just get it. After purchase and a 1000 or so miles, you will really hate winter! You won't want to put it away.

 

[TXTenere]

Re: Any "cons" to S10 ownership?

sometimes getting off on the side stand is difficult because of the seat height and width.

I wonder if this is an issue that could be solved with a different technique? I have never had an issue bringing the S10 off the side stand, but use a technique I was taught some years ago ...

Sit on the bike, and tuck the lower left leg against the front bodywork as much as possible, leaving your left foot on the ground. Using your left leg, make a lifting motion against the bodywork. The bike should pop right up. Works great all of the time, but especially so when the side stand pavement is lower than the pavement on the right side of the bike, so it's leaned way over.

 

[mcbrien]

I dunno , I just passed the 25000 mile mark and all is well.
I bought a lot of farkles but since the new one has less ground
clearance I'll be keeping mine forever . Yea forever , I still have
and ride my 86 srx 600. I've heard that the Triumph is more top
heavy than the tenere.

 

[Checkswrecks]

Welcome aboard OldBear,


The Tenere eats 200-300 mile days and a lot of us do them on weekends. It's a bike that almost never breaks. It doesn't have 130 hp, but you sound like the kind of guy who wouldn't mind, since you are also looking at Guzzies.


If you are on a 1050 Tiger, you are probably not doing much off road. There are a BUNCH of guys here in our age group and surprisingly older, and an even bigger bunch who never ride the bike off road. How you fit the bike is obviously an individual thing, so I'd take all those comments with a big grain of salt. You are just going to have to sit on it at a dealer and see how well you get it on and off the stand. As for picking one up, do you need to pick up your Tiger often? My guess is at our age and experience it is darned rare.


The only potential con that I could think of for you is a personal style one. When the bike has hard boxes on, you either learn to stand on a peg to swing a leg over, or kick your leg over the seat.

 

[squarebore]

Re: Any "cons" to S10 ownership?

I wonder if this is an issue that could be solved with a different technique? I have never had an issue bringing the S10 off the side stand, but use a technique I was taught some years ago ...

Sit on the bike, and tuck the lower left leg against the front bodywork as much as possible, leaving your left foot on the ground. Using your left leg, make a lifting motion against the bodywork. The bike should pop right up. Works great all of the time, but especially so when the side stand pavement is lower than the pavement on the right side of the bike, so it's leaned way over.

Thanks but I meant actually getting off the bike myself. When I park it on the side stand then have to get off by lifting my leg over the seat. Ok with no panniers and nothing on the rear seat but loaded it is an issue. I admit it is probably just me. I end up standing on the pegs and getting off like a horse.

 

[EricV]

One down side is that it will tempt you to go down roads you would not have considered on the Tiger. Especially if you try some 50/50 tires.

 

[True Grip]

Oldbear you mentioned some of the positives(shaft drive,ABS,TC, long valve service, comfort, reliability, dealer network) those right there would put in ahead of the tiger for me. The parallel twin will be different than the triple. I've only ridden singles and fours but love the grunt this twin has. Some guys have been sensitive to vibes but my bike loosened up and smoothed up over time. The motors do feel tight new but just need some miles. It's been an awesome bike just great to do big miles on slab or any back road you can find. Like Eric eluded to it opens up some great place to see.

 

[RockyDS]

Hey all, I am VERY attracted to the S10. I'm currently on a great 1050 Tiger with low miles and many farkles,but really like the big Yamahal. (Shaft drive, ABS, Traction control, LONG valve change intervals, etc...) Also, in my brief acquaintance with one it "seems" comfortable. I normally take off to ride and will go 150-200 miles at a time (I'm an old ATTGAT guy and when I suit up I want to ride) I'm also 63, bad hip and generally not getting younger, so comfort is a REAL issue. So what, if any, are the downsides? PLease give honest complaints if you have 'em. I want to make a wise choice and want this to be a "long term" bike. (I really like the new Moto Guzzi's, but between a lack of dealers, questionable quality (historically) and a complete lack of dealers, PLUS very short service intervals, I can not go that route :) Thanks All!

Downsides are not much of an issues for many folk on this site.

I fitted Shock Sox and fork guards from RideOnAdv after blowing my fork seals in the Yukon. I replaced my front wheel bearings earlier than I expected - 20,000 kms. My wife and I use AirHawk seat pads for long trips but I fitted the Seat Concepts kit over the winter. I also fitted an Excel throttle control but the new bikes have cruise control now.

I'm only three years younger than you but have covered many miles/kms without any problems, although it's never going to be as comfortable as one of those motorized armchairs out there. It's a very good all round adventure bike and plenty of folk believe it's the best of the big dual sport bikes when you leave the asphalt.

I don't think it's hard bike to pick up having picked mine up loaded fours times in a day in the BC mountains, but that's down to a number of factors not really related to the bike such as rider size, strength and technique. It does have a relatively low centre of gravity compared to other big adventure bikes.

http://dualsportblog.wordpress.com/.

 

[adventurelounger]

Re: Any "cons" to S10 ownership?

Funny you should ask. Not sure if you saw my blog post I shared in another thread about deciding on a SuperT...the entry is called Horse Trading: http://wp.me/p3QZZ5-bh

I find it a MUCH easier bike to mount/dismount than my former BMW F800GS. I'm 6'1, and I get off and on with total ease. See my blog for a description about getting off the F8...that was an adventure.

As to my new 2013 ST, the only "cons" I've experience so far (and total flyshit) have been.

1) the absence of a gear indicator (I was used to it)
2) No hazard/warning lights (on my BMW, you could press both turn indicators at once to activate "hazards")
3) Very mild helmet buffeting at highway speeds, apparently easily remedied with a small windshield mod.

Otherwise, it's pure genius, and an incredibly comfortable, stable and joyful ride. I'm in love.

 

[tHeMoLLuSK]

I discovered one today. At 5'7" and 160lbs it is almost impossible for me to pick this bike back up when in the sand.

 

[Travex]

Your wrenches are gonna get a little rusty, starbucks will miss you, and you'll get wrinkles around your smile.

The only comfort issue I've experienced has been an ache between the shoulder blades, but as you're taller than me that's probably not a consideration. Inexpensive bar risers are the absolute fix if it is.

It's better to live the adventure on a Super Tenere rather than pose for it on another.

 

[Don in Lodi]

Down side? Hmmm, your yard work Honey Do list is going to totally explode. ::26::

 

[oldbear]

Thanks guys! This is the type of info I was looking for. I'll not be doing any "serious" off road stuff on the S10 if I go that route, just a little two track and some gravel roads. (For serious off road I'd I do like to travel a decent amount and comfort is important. I have to mount the Tiger by standing on the footpeg, (hip issue) so that's no big deal. As for speed, I grew up riding when a 60 horse bike was a "hot" machine. (Back in '72 I bought a new H2 Kawasaki triple 'cause it was advertised as "the fastest accelerating motorcycle in the world") Anyway, anything with over 100 horses is plenty for this old man. My Tiger's a sweet ride and as someone mentioned, that triple is a fantastic motor. I just like to "ride more and fiddle less"...I'm going to be checking the S10 pretty hard.....Thanks again!

 

[Rasher]

Can't think of any downsides to mine.

The low down power is much stronger than my mates 1200 Tiger, the lack of top end never bothers me it is plenty fast enough up to 100mph, I have no off-road skills and find the bike fine for gravel and dirt tracks.

It is a real nice bike to get along with, the ECU flash does make it even better and easier to ride, but out of the crate it has to be one of the easiest big bikes to ride, as others have mentioned the only potential downside would be hauling it back up if you did drop it.

 

[creggur]

Re: Any "cons" to S10 ownership?

This past weekend: Saturday - 325 miles. Sunday - 375 miles. Monday - 175 miles.

Rode up to see the folks Saturday, back home Sunday, and Monday was just because I NEVER get to ride three days in a row. 18,000 miles on the clock Saturday before I left out, you know what my pre-ride was? Made sure there wasn't a puddle of oil under the bike (check - the oil's still in the engine), checked the tire pressures, walked around while it was warming up to make sure all the lights were shining. Then I took off...

To date all I've done is fluid changes and had one headlamp sub harness replaced under warranty...this is the most trouble-free ownership experience I've had in 35 years of riding...hard to put a price on ZERO downtime..