I may be crazy but I traded my Tenere for a new BMW R1200RT

[Donk]

Kenbike I'm only 170lbs and the GS seat was too soft for me too! Interesting what you say about the BMW motor. Coming off the Triumph Explorer I felt like I was whipping the GS to make it go. It would go but the motor never felt willing to me. My '14 S10, while still in break in period, winds up pretty good in S mode and feels happy doing it. I haven't taken it far up the revs yet but the motor developes rpm faster and easier than the BMW, IMO. I realize at some point its game over for the S10, it runs out of rpm and the BMW keeps going. At that point I can always get back on the Explorer!

 

[kenbike]

I still feel the GSA makes much more power at lower RPM's and pulls much harder than my Tenere. The Yamaha had 96 hp at the rear wheel on dyno. Most test on the BMW get around 115 rear wheel so the extra 20 hp and maybe 20 lbs less weight when not topped off of fuel really make a difference. Some is in the gearing but I feel my GSA would smoke my Tenere 0 to 1000 mph.
I can run the same roads as the Yamaha and keep the bike in 3rd gear on a set of corners and it pulls very well on exit, on the Yamaha I dropped down to second. Part of the feel is the higher red line.
Get a test ride and decide for your self on the motors.

 

[rainiejg]

Just my 2c.Before I had my 2011 st ecu reflashed I could barely stay with a 2009 BMW GS1200 on pull away.After a reflash(removed restriction in lower gears) a total different story.Every gear I accellarated out from under him to about 160 km/hr.Its a given that the BMW has a higher top end of about 240 km/hr(So they say..) and the st about 215 km/hr.The st is geared and tuned for low down torque.As for handling the st gets my vote due to lower centre of gravity.Not taking anything away from the BMW .Different strokes for different oakes.

 

[Donk]

Kenbike, I hope you meant 100mph or both bikes may blow up trying!! Seems we are both happy with our new rides and that's all that counts.

 

[twinrider]

I still feel the GSA makes much more power at lower RPM's and pulls much harder than my Tenere. The Yamaha had 96 hp at the rear wheel on dyno. Most test on the BMW get around 115 rear wheel so the extra 20 hp and maybe 20 lbs less weight when not topped off of fuel really make a difference. Some is in the gearing but I feel my GSA would smoke my Tenere 0 to 1000 mph.
I can run the same roads as the Yamaha and keep the bike in 3rd gear on a set of corners and it pulls very well on exit, on the Yamaha I dropped down to second. Part of the feel is the higher red line.
Get a test ride and decide for your self on the motors.

If your S10 is stock and dynoed at 96 you must have a very special Tenere or the dyno is very optimistic. Most dyno at around 90-92. I have an ECUnleashed flash, an Akra slipon, Arrow headers and a PCV with a good map. My bike dynoes close to 100. Compared dyno sheets with my buddy's LC GS (taken on the same dyno and they are pretty much even for torque and power till 6,000 rpm, whereupon his takes off to its 116hp peak.

So definitely the BMW will beat a tuned S10 in a straight line drag race, but throw some twisties in there and it will be pretty even. I usually don't need to exceed 4,000 rpm to make rapid progress on back roads, much less 6,000 rpm.

 

[Scoobynut]

If I recall correctly, Cycle World dynoed the 2012 ST at right around 90-91 hp; in this month's Rider magazine the 2014 ES they tested dynoed at 97.4 hp. The type of dyno they used or test conditions weren't mentioned. In any case, it seems like the 2014s got more than a 2hp bump as Yamaha is claiming. I'm gong to speculate -- speculate only mind you --that the 2014s may be pulling close to what Gen1 flashed bikes are obtaining, if twinrider's 'close to 100' figure is a benchmark. I did find that riding in the Black Hills this past weekend, 'S' mode was just too twitchy/snatchy for smooth riding in the twisties, so kept it in 'T' for most of the weekend. S is still fine for straight line roads however without a lot of on/off throttle transitions. Oh, and disregard my avatar, I have a '14 now.

 

[kenbike]

My old Tenere had a PCV, full headers, slip on, and opened up air box with a dyno tune from Ken Wheeler in Robbinsville, NC.
So 96 hp on his Eddy current dyno was probably reflects5-8percent lower numbers than most Dyno-jet braking style dynos.
It was fast in the 30 to 70 mph range, but ran out of power above that.

 

[fredz43]

If I recall correctly, Cycle World dynoed the 2012 ST at right around 90-91 hp; in this month's Rider magazine the 2014 ES they tested dynoed at 97.4 hp. The type of dyno they used or test conditions weren't mentioned. In any case, it seems like the 2014s got more than a 2hp bump as Yamaha is claiming. I'm gong to speculate -- speculate only mind you --that the 2014s may be pulling close to what Gen1 flashed bikes are obtaining, if twinrider's 'close to 100' figure is a benchmark. I did find that riding in the Black Hills this past weekend, 'S' mode was just too twitchy/snatchy for smooth riding in the twisties, so kept it in 'T' for most of the weekend. S is still fine for straight line roads however without a lot of on/off throttle transitions. Oh, and disregard my avatar, I have a '14 now.

I saw that in Rider. The latest Motorcyclist tested the 14 at 95 HP, so it appears that Yamaha did make some improvements with regards to HP.

 

[markjenn]

Cycle World's dyno is notoriously pessimistic (or most others are optimistic depending on how you want to look at it). If Yamaha had made more gains that 2-hp, I'd think they'd be crowing about it. And there is no groundswell of reports that the 2014 is significantly faster.

- Mark

 

[Scoobynut]

Cycle World's dyno is notoriously pessimistic (or most others are optimistic depending on how you want to look at it). If Yamaha had made more gains that 2-hp, I'd think they'd be crowing about it. And there is no groundswell of reports that the 2014 is significantly faster.

- Mark

I went back and located Rider's dyno results for the 2012 -- 95.1 hp; so assuming the dyno Rider uses is the same and conditions were similar, the 97.4 hp of the 2014 is 2.3 hp more than the 2012, so Yamaha's hp claim is inline with that.

 

[Big Blu]

Many variables come into play with a dyno, mfg, model, tire type, tire condition, weather conditions, etc....

The small difference in hp could simply be "margin of error" results.

Paul

 

[Big Blu]

Many variables come into play with a dyno, mfg, model, tire type, tire condition, weather conditions, etc....

The small difference in hp could simply be "margin of error" results.

Paul

 

[Donk]

Before buying my '14 the dealer let me ride a '12 and '14 back to back. The difference was night and day.

 

[TimLaw]

BMWs are great bikes....but they are not consistent. One owner can go 60k miles without a problem while another is plagued with issues from day one. BMW charges WAY too much money for products and service. Service in my neck of the woods is a 6 week wait!....even if it's under warranty. The Germans are some really outstanding craftsman when it comes to bikes, but the term "Over Engineered" is very true.

Basically I have decided to go with the Tenere because I would rather have the bike on the road instead of the shop, and when I do buy something for it, I don't want to fill I've been taken.

 

[EricV]

@TimLaw - Check the dates of the last post before adding your comments. This one is somewhat of a dead thread after a few months of no posts.

 

[Checkswrecks]

Between the lines I think Tim is trying to say that he looked at the Beemers and why he chose the Tenere.
7 posts? Welcome to the group.

 

[realshelby]

Since no one seems to have posted any pictures, I will post some of my new '14 RT. I traded my '04 for it.

Do NOT compare this to any boxer engine before it! I looked at the FJR, Truimph, and strongly considered a GS. This bike feels 200 lbs lighter than the old one. The old RT was the most reliable bike I have owned, never left me stranded. As for maintenance, it is much easier than my V Stroms. 600 mile service, 6000 mile oil change, 12000 mile oil change, final drive oil, and check the valves. This means check, and likely won't mean adjust. Probably take 10 minutes per cylinder since the valve cover is all that has to be removed! Maintenance costs are far less on this RT than on comparable Japanese and European bikes if done at the dealer and much easier to do at home as well. Yes, BMW has had some issues but it now seems they have their act better. Time will tell. I don't think the V Stroms will get much riding for a long time!

 

[EricV]

Yes, BMW has had some issues but it now seems they have their act better. Time will tell.

Time's up. Nope. A good friend bought a WC GS. It's already been back to the dealer for 3 recalls and has come home from a trip on a trailer due to FD failure.

I hope you enjoy your BMW, they make a fun, feature rich bike, but not a well built or reliable one. And the maintenance costs for those not doing their own work is ridiculous.

 

[kenbike]

Just posting a update on the GSA, just rolled 5000 miles and so far so good! Bike bike is running great and still stock except for higher wind screen and Sargent seat. Getting 42 mpg and have had zero issues. The engine still impress me and its performance just reenforces Yamaha needs to get the S10 into the 120 rear wheel HP range.
I don't think I will ever buy a bike with out electronic cruise control that will be used for touring it really makes trip down the interstate much less tiring.
Very happy I made the switch.

 

[bmac]

Just posting a update on the GSA, just rolled 5000 miles and so far so good! Bike bike is running great and still stock except for higher wind screen and Sargent seat. Getting 42 mpg and have had zero issues. The engine still impress me and its performance just reenforces Yamaha needs to get the S10 into the 120 rear wheel HP range.
I don't think I will ever buy a bike with out electronic cruise control that will be used for touring it really makes trip down the interstate much less tiring.
Very happy I made the switch.

I had a chance to test ride a 20141200RT before I traded my 12 for a 14ES. I was not overly impressed with the engine and it was not nearly as smooth as I thought it would be. Overall, the bike was ok but was not nearly as good as I expected it to be. For what it costs it should be a lot better and the quality needs to step up more than a few notches. Glad you are not having problems but far too many are. I have been reading about final drive failures for what seems like forever. These types of failures over a number of years and the frequency in which they occur is inexcusable. A lot of previous owners have jumped ship for this reason alone.

I find the 14ES to be a much better bike than the RT I test rode. The only edge I give to the BMW is a slight edge in power but it did not feel that significant. The RT produced far more vibration than the 2014 S10 although not quite as much as my 2012 S10.

I agree with you on the cruise and the new S10 is averaging over 52mpg while my 2012 was closer to 46mpg. In my opinion, the Yamaha is the much better bike.