Rented a GS in Osorno and tomorrow we hit Tierra del Fuego. Figured I'd post a comparison because I feel like I can give one now.
We are 2 up on a rented water cooled Gs and I own a 2012 super tenere.
The motor- this thing hauls ass, but it's got a lot less torque off idle and below 3500 or so than the tenere. This has turned out to be pretty annoying. Top speed is at least 25 mph faster than the tenere. In my opinion, first is too tall and 6th is too low. This thing burns a hell of a lot of fuel at American interstate speed. Way more than the tenere. I thought the tenere made horrible noises...
Wind with a stock windscreen is wonderfully stable but a lot more of it.
Brakes are downright awesome.
Electronics suck. The abs and the traction control are horribly obtrusive and downright dangerous off the asphalt. It's no wonder all the euro reviews of the tenere mention the lack of an abs switch. If you've only ridden bmw abs you'd want a switch for sure! This bike is a year old I guess. Most of the switches on the bars stick and are finicky.
The seats are miserable. Mine is too wide in the front and way too soft. 2 hours is all I can stand. My wife's slopes forward and she constantly has to stand up and slide back.
There's a lot less room room in the cockpit on this bike than the tenere. My nuts have felt enough gas tank to make me never want one of these bikes.
The esa is good. I like it. On the suspension, the rear is quite good. The front is weird. I've lost the front end 1000 times on the gravel and it always seems abrupt but I've always been able to gather it up. Knock on wood. On asphalt the front lacks feel and is scary to me. I'm pretty comfortable off-road on this thing. Way more so than on road.
I've had something happen on this bike that has never happened to me before. It's happened 4 times on this trip and made me wish for my other boots. I've been hit in the inside of my foot with rocks hard enough to just about make me pull over to assess the carnage.
I noted that when you pull the clutch in and coast, this thing slows rapidly. That can't be good for fuel mileage. Maybe something is wrong?
I also noted that the stability on the gravel is much better with the revs up. Typical, but exacerbated.
The handlebars are perfect for me. I'm 6'1".
The mirrors are buzz free but too small and a significant blind spot exists.
To get it on the center stand is pretty easy but it's overly difficult to get it off the stand. In fact, my wife has taken to pushing me. I noted that the front end is very light on the center stand compared to the tenere which certainly contributes to this.
The exhaust note is enticing until you find yourself on a long downhill with the revs up. It makes a noise like rolling the back window down in a car and that ear splitting harmonic thing happens. It's so bad I had to shift gears to make it stop.
On the fueling- they've done a good job smoothing bad shifting and stuff. Maybe too good. I feel weird interaction even in the dynamic mode.
Finding neutral sucks. Turns out the best way is to just climb a hill and shift from first to second. You'll find neutral real quick! Also found a false neutral today on a 6 to 5 downshift. That was bizarre.
All in all, it's a good bike and it's getting the job done but we really miss our Yamaha.
On a side note, the dealership we rented from in Osorno just picked up Yamaha and they are building a new building for it. Right there in their bmw showroom was a brand new super tenere. Seen quite a few of them down here too. Maybe next time I can rent what I want.
We are 2 up on a rented water cooled Gs and I own a 2012 super tenere.
The motor- this thing hauls ass, but it's got a lot less torque off idle and below 3500 or so than the tenere. This has turned out to be pretty annoying. Top speed is at least 25 mph faster than the tenere. In my opinion, first is too tall and 6th is too low. This thing burns a hell of a lot of fuel at American interstate speed. Way more than the tenere. I thought the tenere made horrible noises...
Wind with a stock windscreen is wonderfully stable but a lot more of it.
Brakes are downright awesome.
Electronics suck. The abs and the traction control are horribly obtrusive and downright dangerous off the asphalt. It's no wonder all the euro reviews of the tenere mention the lack of an abs switch. If you've only ridden bmw abs you'd want a switch for sure! This bike is a year old I guess. Most of the switches on the bars stick and are finicky.
The seats are miserable. Mine is too wide in the front and way too soft. 2 hours is all I can stand. My wife's slopes forward and she constantly has to stand up and slide back.
There's a lot less room room in the cockpit on this bike than the tenere. My nuts have felt enough gas tank to make me never want one of these bikes.
The esa is good. I like it. On the suspension, the rear is quite good. The front is weird. I've lost the front end 1000 times on the gravel and it always seems abrupt but I've always been able to gather it up. Knock on wood. On asphalt the front lacks feel and is scary to me. I'm pretty comfortable off-road on this thing. Way more so than on road.
I've had something happen on this bike that has never happened to me before. It's happened 4 times on this trip and made me wish for my other boots. I've been hit in the inside of my foot with rocks hard enough to just about make me pull over to assess the carnage.
I noted that when you pull the clutch in and coast, this thing slows rapidly. That can't be good for fuel mileage. Maybe something is wrong?
I also noted that the stability on the gravel is much better with the revs up. Typical, but exacerbated.
The handlebars are perfect for me. I'm 6'1".
The mirrors are buzz free but too small and a significant blind spot exists.
To get it on the center stand is pretty easy but it's overly difficult to get it off the stand. In fact, my wife has taken to pushing me. I noted that the front end is very light on the center stand compared to the tenere which certainly contributes to this.
The exhaust note is enticing until you find yourself on a long downhill with the revs up. It makes a noise like rolling the back window down in a car and that ear splitting harmonic thing happens. It's so bad I had to shift gears to make it stop.
On the fueling- they've done a good job smoothing bad shifting and stuff. Maybe too good. I feel weird interaction even in the dynamic mode.
Finding neutral sucks. Turns out the best way is to just climb a hill and shift from first to second. You'll find neutral real quick! Also found a false neutral today on a 6 to 5 downshift. That was bizarre.
All in all, it's a good bike and it's getting the job done but we really miss our Yamaha.
On a side note, the dealership we rented from in Osorno just picked up Yamaha and they are building a new building for it. Right there in their bmw showroom was a brand new super tenere. Seen quite a few of them down here too. Maybe next time I can rent what I want.
