Tenerester
Member
Hello everyone,
Just got myself a 2014 Tenere ES. It's only 2 weeks old but I have already run 6000 KMS on it!! How come??? Well this is the story.....
I used to ride a 2012 BMW F650GS twin (800cc) until April 2014. Thought of upgrading the bike for a planned trip to Los Angeles this July and a cross country trip in 2015. I started researching on a suitable 'Touring' bike and finally bought the supposedly'best in the market' a fully loaded 2014 BMW R1200RT Liquid Cooled. As most of you may have read, all 2014 BMW R1200RT owners received a "Do not ride" notice on June 5th and all bikes have been grounded globally since then due to an issue with the rear electronic suspension unit.
After almost one month's silence, BMW finally gave a few options to the owners which included a buy-back option. Recall repair would take 3 months at least. Given my urgency I took the buy back option and returned the RT for full cash refund. I had one week to decide on a new bike in preparation for the LA trip.
I was done with BMWs and touring bikes by then and decided to return to adventure bikes again. I had narrowed down my options to KTM 1190, Triumph Explorer, and vstrom 1000. Tenere was not in my radar as I had assumed it was too tall for my 29" inseam. But I was surprised when I tested it. Both KTM and the Vstrom were in fact had taller seats than the Tenere.
The Tenere had all I wanted including the long awaited 'peace of mind' experience. (Beamers gave me nightmares whenever I had to visit the dealer). The s10 also looked better ('mean and manly' like my wife said) and had a better finish. More importantly, it's a Yamaha. So you can't to go wrong I guess?
I bought it instantly and had 3 days to break it in, complete the first service and embark on a 9 day/5000 km journey through Pacific Coast HWY (101 and 1) all the way upto LA and then back through Eastern California, Nevada and Eastern/Northern Oregon. I didn't have any time to add any accessories other than the two OEM panniers , wind deflectors and a GPS. The bike did exceptionally well throughout the journey and absolutely had no issues at all. The power was adequate for my kind of riding and the wind/weather protection was excellent. Leaning the bike on twisties didn't feel as crisp and steady as a Beamer, but it did better when it came to tight maneuvers and rough roads.
My only gripe was the braking power. I may have been spoilt using Brembo's on Beamers, but I think the brakes are weak on the S10 even in Japanese standards. The rotors also produced a 'hiss' sound each time I hit the front brakes. Is this normal? That's what the dealer said. Are there any aftermarket brake upgrades available? Do you think steel breaded hoses would help improve braking? Appreciate your thoughts.
I think the Tenere is a keeper. I have decided to do the cross Canada trip on it next year. So its time to start the farkling. Any mandatory add ons or upgrades I should know about? Please let me know. (I will be riding 80/20 on/off road)
Thanks in advance for your support.
Just got myself a 2014 Tenere ES. It's only 2 weeks old but I have already run 6000 KMS on it!! How come??? Well this is the story.....
I used to ride a 2012 BMW F650GS twin (800cc) until April 2014. Thought of upgrading the bike for a planned trip to Los Angeles this July and a cross country trip in 2015. I started researching on a suitable 'Touring' bike and finally bought the supposedly'best in the market' a fully loaded 2014 BMW R1200RT Liquid Cooled. As most of you may have read, all 2014 BMW R1200RT owners received a "Do not ride" notice on June 5th and all bikes have been grounded globally since then due to an issue with the rear electronic suspension unit.
After almost one month's silence, BMW finally gave a few options to the owners which included a buy-back option. Recall repair would take 3 months at least. Given my urgency I took the buy back option and returned the RT for full cash refund. I had one week to decide on a new bike in preparation for the LA trip.
I was done with BMWs and touring bikes by then and decided to return to adventure bikes again. I had narrowed down my options to KTM 1190, Triumph Explorer, and vstrom 1000. Tenere was not in my radar as I had assumed it was too tall for my 29" inseam. But I was surprised when I tested it. Both KTM and the Vstrom were in fact had taller seats than the Tenere.
The Tenere had all I wanted including the long awaited 'peace of mind' experience. (Beamers gave me nightmares whenever I had to visit the dealer). The s10 also looked better ('mean and manly' like my wife said) and had a better finish. More importantly, it's a Yamaha. So you can't to go wrong I guess?
I bought it instantly and had 3 days to break it in, complete the first service and embark on a 9 day/5000 km journey through Pacific Coast HWY (101 and 1) all the way upto LA and then back through Eastern California, Nevada and Eastern/Northern Oregon. I didn't have any time to add any accessories other than the two OEM panniers , wind deflectors and a GPS. The bike did exceptionally well throughout the journey and absolutely had no issues at all. The power was adequate for my kind of riding and the wind/weather protection was excellent. Leaning the bike on twisties didn't feel as crisp and steady as a Beamer, but it did better when it came to tight maneuvers and rough roads.
My only gripe was the braking power. I may have been spoilt using Brembo's on Beamers, but I think the brakes are weak on the S10 even in Japanese standards. The rotors also produced a 'hiss' sound each time I hit the front brakes. Is this normal? That's what the dealer said. Are there any aftermarket brake upgrades available? Do you think steel breaded hoses would help improve braking? Appreciate your thoughts.
I think the Tenere is a keeper. I have decided to do the cross Canada trip on it next year. So its time to start the farkling. Any mandatory add ons or upgrades I should know about? Please let me know. (I will be riding 80/20 on/off road)
Thanks in advance for your support.
