semperfidher said:
So those of you who had this on your '12-13's never had any issues with failures/reliability?
Not a thing wrong with waiting until something needs fixing or bothers you. I'm generally that way too. I have 82k on my Super Ten and the clutch vibes were fine when new, but over time and miles slowly got to the point where I started noticing more vibes in the bars, mirrors, foot pegs, etc. It got to the point where it
was bothering me, and I had a month long trip coming up, so I sent my clutch basket out to be re-worked. That was pretty darn good at first, but after a few thousand miles it got worse again, so I pulled it out and sent it back to the same fellow. The second version was noticeably better and stayed that way for the duration of my trip, which I greatly appreciated.
Some folks will never be bothered by the vibes that are centered around 3200 rpm. Others will notice it strait off. Each bike is a little different, and each owner is a little different on how we perceive things and what bothers us. Generally, as has been said, the Super Tenere will get smoother over the first 5-6k miles. I'd be tempted to say wait until after that point before making any changes, even if it bothers you from new. There has only been one failure on the clutch basket, which was completely oddball and unrelated to the vibration issue. That's part of the issue with attempting to get a warranty replacement on the clutch basket, they don't typically fail, and wear is not covered. The other, as mentioned by others, is that currently the '14 clutch basket is not a superseded item, but a new part for '14 bikes. The cam/timing chain tensioner is a superseded part number, putting it in a different class.
For the new owners, do be aware that the cam/timing chain tensioner, (CCT), is not solely spring tension, but also has oil pressure to it, so unlike older designs, it does not rattle at idle when going bad. It only rattles on start up, mostly cold start up. This makes it somewhat more difficult to quantify when it's "going bad" and just how bad it is. Many bikes had that rattle when new, others did not, but some rattle on start up is not in and of itself an indicator that the CCT needs immediate replacement. Most will do just fine to at least 52k when the second valve inspection/adjustment is due. I would strongly suggest anyone doing that service go ahead and replace the CCT then, as a preventative measure. Even if it's on your dime. To the best of my knowledge, no one had had an issue under 50k miles, (as far as failure of the CCT goes).