ES or non-ES

[RhodeTrip]

My local dealer has a used 2013 that they will let me demo; if the weather is good, I doing that on Saturday. If I decide to move forward, my dilemma will be go for the 2015 with ES or the 2014 without. I don't plan to ride trails just an occasional dirt road, 2 trips a year with 2-5 days of 9hrs in the saddle. I expect that I will adjust the suspension and be done with it; for those with similar riding habits, is the ES worth having and will I actually use it once I have it?

Thanks,
Jim

 

[Karl]

I was not fussed which one I got, but was tending towards the non ES, I ended up with the ES chasing the color I wanted and I am very happy with it. It worries me a bit in the long term, as I tend to keep my bikes for a lot of km. I am sure I will overcome that when it happens.

K

 

[Brick]

Sold my none ES to get the ES. Love it. You also get cruise control. Which is something I didn't think made a difference but damn I really like the CC. Also being able to make adjustments on the fly has been very useful for me.
YMMV

 

[Tupperware]

Sold my none ES to get the ES. Love it. You also get cruise control. Which is something I didn't think made a difference but damn I really like the CC. Also being able to make adjustments on the fly has been very useful for me.
YMMV

Cruise Control is standard, either model, beginning with 2014. ES adds only heated grips to go with the Electronic Suspension.

 

[caillou]

Some people had the same question about ABS years ago...
IMO, go with ES.
It may also make it easier to resell in a few years.

 

[Checkswrecks]

Welcome aboard with your first post!
The first thing I'll offer is that if you are test riding the 2013 Generation 1 bike, there are a number of changes in the 2014 Generation 2 bike. Almost all of the changes are great and the Gen2 is a definite collection of improvements. Just be aware that there are some subtle surprises, such as a slight change in where the handgrips are.

I had a 2012 and just picked up a 2014 non-ES. I've ridden ES systems on BMW and Aprilia bikes so do have some experience with the system. I'm probably lazy, in that I found that once I get the suspension where I want it, I would seldom change it. The ES would nice, especially if you regularly change from 1-up to 2-up, ride alone, and then carry bags or take them off. Most of my miles are just me commuting, my passenger doesn't weigh much when we go out, and it's not hard to change the settings when I carry the side boxes loaded down. For me the non-ES works great and when it's worn I'll just mount a set of Ohlins for less than the ES will probably cost to fix.

 

[TimLaw]

I chose the non ES 14. In hindsight, it's only a $500 difference. If you want to upgrade to the plug and play heated grips, It will run 3 bills alone.

 

[tomatocity]

Welcome to Yamaha Super Tenere.com RhodeTrip.

I bought one of the original 2012 Super Tenere's and enjoyed 52,200 happy miles before the engine broke under warranty. During those miles I poured $2,500 into suspension and many more dollars to make it the way I wanted. After the engine was rebuilt the dealership offered me a very good deal on a 2015 ES. I had my concerns with the suspension but could not resist the offer.

I am like you and rarely ride off-road but I do like riding back roads that are often rough. The new ES suspension eats up the rough roads and makes smooth roads even smoother.

I do not regret purchasing the ES though would have regretted purchasing the Standard.

If you use the search function you will find threads will all the differences between ES and non-ES and there are many.

Google search 2015 Yamaha Super Tenere ES vs non-ES
https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=2015+Yamaha+Super+Tenere+ES+vs+non-ES

 

[mrpete64]

I have a 2014ES. I love this bike. The cruise is worth the difference to me. You cannot beat factory heated grips. I had four or five BMW's with these features. The Tenere works flawless. As I had noted elsewhere on this site...if this bike had 130 horse power it would have been rated the "best" in class...since hp is really what reviewers love the most.
I would, personally, pay the additional dollars and buy the ES. I do not think you will regret it the first time you hit the cruise button and just "go down the highway feeling glad."
Mr. Pete--------->
aging hippie

 

[scott123007]

I have a 2014ES. I love this bike. The cruise is worth the difference to me. You cannot beat factory heated grips. I had four or five BMW's with these features. The Tenere works flawless. As I had noted elsewhere on this site...if this bike had 130 horse power it would have been rated the "best" in class...since hp is really what reviewers love the most.
I would, personally, pay the additional dollars and buy the ES. I do not think you will regret it the first time you hit the cruise button and just "go down the highway feeling glad."
Mr. Pete--------->
aging hippie

Since you don't apparently read previous posts before posting yourself, I'll repeat post #3. Non ES have cruise too. They just don't have heated grips. ::002::

 

[caillou]

Correct, but in North America only (and this is probably where confusion comes from). In other countries, especially in Europe, ES and Standard have many more differences, but in USA/Canada, only difference is electronic suspension and heated grips.

 

[Dogdaze]

Correct, but in North America only (and this is probably where confusion comes from). In other countries, especially in Europe, ES and Standard have many more differences, but in USA/Canada, only difference is electronic suspension and heated grips.

Just another case of how the Europeans get the short end of the stick. No center stand, rear rack, passenger grab rails, thinner passenger seat (less padding, I reckon if they could get away with it they would sell the non-ES without a passenger seat and make it a 'solo' model).

 

[camardelle]

Correct, but in North America only (and this is probably where confusion comes from). In other countries, especially in Europe, ES and Standard have many more differences, but in USA/Canada, only difference is electronic suspension and heated grips.

Does anyone know why this is? It'd seem like it would increase manufacturing costs to effectively make a different model for the European market. Why does Yamaha do this?

 

[Donk]

First as Checkswrecks said test riding a 13 is not going to give you a fair representation of the newer models. When I was shopping the dealer was kind enough to let me drive a '13 and '14 back to back. The difference was huge and my mind instantly made up. As far as ES vs non ES I went for the ES mostly because I would have added heated grips so the cost difference wasn't that big. Best move I ever made. I don't mess with suspension set up much but if you happen to come to a washboard section of road its great to be able to switch settings with a push of the button on the fly. Even better is going back to your normal settings when the road smooths out. I'm really glad I went with the ES.

 

[Scouse]

I went with non ES. It's one less complicated piece of kit to be concerned about. I usually ride solo and rarely go off tarmac. I've set the suspension to suit me, I've never had cause to change it except the one time my wife came out for a day, and the couple of times when fully loaded on long distance trips. It only tales a few seconds to wind up the rear spring preload.

 

[trainman]

there are some comments on here about the standard bike rear suspension being overloaded by riding with heavy loads, some have fitted uprated shocks or spring - if you ride solo probably not an issue

no such issue on my ES, loaded up the top pre load setting works fine

 

[caillou]

Just another case of how the Europeans get the short end of the stick. No center stand, rear rack, passenger grab rails, thinner passenger seat (less padding, I reckon if they could get away with it they would sell the non-ES without a passenger seat and make it a 'solo' model).

On the other hand, your oil change is every 10KKm while our is requested every 6 KKm...

 

[vapexpr]

I ride half the time solo and the other half 2-up. Its nice to electronically adjust the preload. Each preload setting has unique operator set damping adjustments that can be selected on the fly making transitions from highway to twistys or on road to off-road without stopping. However, if you're a "set it and forget it" guy then either one will work well for you.

Sent from my LG-V495 using Tapatalk

 

[Goldwing]

I bought an ES and only ride on the road.............

 

[MrVvrroomm]

I have '14 ES, my wife has '15 non-ES.

Hers rides significantly rougher/harsher than mine does. This is with her preload minimum, mine at 1 helmet & bags, normal, +1 damping.

If I would have known this to be true before purchase she would have ES. It's actually a no-brainer decision.