Colorado newbie

Rdooley79

New Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2019
Messages
10
Location
Colorado (northern front range)
Hey everyone,

I just picked up a lovely 2012 Super Tenere. It's got 14k miles and some nice upgrades from the previous owner. I wanted it up to commute as well as take it camping or put it on a rack on my motorhome. I really like the safety features of the bike and how solid it feels on the road. It fits me better than the 1200GS's and was MUCH less money.

So far I'm very happy with the bike. Picked it up for a good deal because it has a leaking front fork, some of the owner added farkle lights dont work. It needs an oil change and a bath. I can fix all of those things no problem. So glad it's a Yamaha because parts seem to be reasonably priced, at least for front fork seals/bushings/rings/oil/tools.

What else should I be looking at for a 14k bike that has unknown maintenance history?

Check out the bike!
Rhett

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STenitus

Active Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2015
Messages
448
Location
Alabama
Welcome to the Forum and congrats, she's a beauty!!!

Try just a quick cleaning on the leaking fork seal. That worked on my 2013 (knock on wood). I used the Seal Mate cleaning tool. Fork seal failures aren't totally uncommon on the Gen 1 but cleaning is often successful and servicing isn't terrible. You can find servicing info here and on YouTube.

Changing the engine oil and filter is an excellent idea, especially if the oil looks cooked. From there your brake, clutch, coolant and rear diff may all need a little TLC. Visual inspections can aid your decision making. The bike is well farkled so hopefully it's also been well serviced!
 
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AVGeek

Well-Known Member
Founding Member
2014 Site Supporter
Joined
Sep 5, 2010
Messages
2,780
Location
Boulder City, NV 89005
A 2012 with only 14K miles is barely broken in! Like STenitus said, I'd change all of the fluids so you have a baseline to work from. It isn't due for the first valve check yet, but keep an ear on the CCT. There are several threads here about what to listen for, and they are usually good until the second valve check at 52K. Several members here (myself included) swapped the 2012 clutch basket for the 2014+ version, as it smoothed out some vibrations around the 3K RPM mark. There was also a wiring harness and fuel tank O-ring recall, you can check your VIN with the NHTSA to see if yours was done.

Other than that, maintain and ride it!
 

Sierra1

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 7, 2016
Messages
14,812
Location
Joshua TX
Welcome from Texas. Visited Colorado Springs, and Pike's Peak just this last week. Gorgeous, but a little hard to breathe.
 

escapefjrtist

Searching for Dry Roads
Joined
Sep 5, 2010
Messages
1,418
Location
Snohomish WA
Welcome from metro Seattle and congrats on the new [to you] '12!

What to look for is covered...now just ride and enjoy it!

~G
 

Mak10

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 20, 2018
Messages
2,567
Location
SE Idaho
Welcome to the forum. Lots of info here, and a great bunch of guys. Enjoy your new bike.
 

Rdooley79

New Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2019
Messages
10
Location
Colorado (northern front range)
Thanks guys!

Just spent the morning in the barn with coffee in one hand and a rag in the other. I wanted to get a good pre-flight done on the bike before I put any more miles on it.

Tried cleaning the fork seal with a home made tool and it seemed to help. Wasn’t as bad after taking a ride today. Sooo... Ordered a few things, she needs some love.
fork seal cleaning tool(Risk Racing Seal Dr.)
filter (K&N)
oil (Mobile1 4T synthetic)
Shock Sox

Another thing I noticed is the antifreeze bottle was empty. Is that right? I’m worried because there is evidence that the lower seal where the bolt on fitting that the coolant hose connects to has leaked at The bottom and has ran down the engine. Has anyone else seen this? what coolant is used in these from the factory?

The bike didn’t come with an owners manual so... guess I need to get a copy somewhere.

Learning a lot about the Super Tenere.

Thanks
 
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