please help an overwhelmed n00b

[default]

been sitting here reading a ton about the bike I got today, but I dont think Ive learned anything yet...just getting more confused.



I have a few questions that are dumb, but I need yalls help


When I had a KLR, there were certain "must do" things, like the doohickey and others. Also when you looked into farkles, there were usually pretty clear "guides" on what to get with minor variations.


This bike is a whole new beast to me. I cant even figure out what headlight bulb it has.

Is there a place for good accessories? Im looking for: aux lights (LED), fork guards, switch panels, and probably more. Really looking for "must have" items.

Also, why do I feel like my shock is resprung? seems like everyone I see has a yellow spring, mines red?


Thanks guys, I feel like a maroon. ::010::

 

[snakebitten]

Welcome.

And breath.......in and out....relax. YOU are fixing to have a wonderful time, and you have YEARS to accomplish it.

First, the spring color is not an issue. Different colored bikes have different colored springs. I know, seems weird, but it is merely a color scheme decision by Mother Yamaha.
The 2012 PDP first delivered Super Teneres to America had the same colors.

Ok, my advice for finding out all the info a "newbie" might want is to learn to use Bing or Google to really dissect this forum. (There are YEARS of data here)

In the search field on Bing (or google) type your question (phrase) and then add this to the end of the phrase: site:yamahasupertenere.com

For example: accessory list site:yamahasupertenere.com

The third hit is a really nice thread started years ago. Lots of info. ( http://www.yamahasupertenere.com/index.php?topic=1326.0 )

However, there is just no shortcut to reading and reading and reading
And, of course, ASKING

Caution though, it is likely that questions you have asked have been asked before. Not a problem as long as it seems like you have made an effort to glean first.
Most folks here are very tolerant of the newbie. It's the nature of this forum.

Good luck. And I'm sure lots of folks will chime in with further advice.

 

[shredmeister]

Snakebitten always has excellent replies and advice. Here's mine...ride it and enjoy it, the rest will come. I have a little over 1000 miles on my 2014 non ES I bought last October with factory luggage. I've only added winglets and am about to do the seat mode I found here. Probably a taller windshield next. The more I ride this bike the more I like it. Hope the same for you.

 

[Bigbore4]

Just ride it. Nothing to worry about. Spend off time reading and the nuggets will pop out.

 

[tomatocity]

been sitting here reading a ton about the bike I got today, but I dont think Ive learned anything yet...just getting more confused.



I have a few questions that are dumb, but I need yalls help


When I had a KLR, there were certain "must do" things, like the doohickey and others. Also when you looked into farkles, there were usually pretty clear "guides" on what to get with minor variations.


This bike is a whole new beast to me. I cant even figure out what headlight bulb it has.

Is there a place for good accessories? Im looking for: aux lights (LED), fork guards, switch panels, and probably more. Really looking for "must have" items.

Also, why do I feel like my shock is resprung? seems like everyone I see has a yellow spring, mines red?


Thanks guys, I feel like a maroon. ::010::

Hello Default and welcome to a Yamaha Super Tenere.

- there are no dumb questions though I sense you are confused and have many questions. Owning a KLR can create this frame of mind.

- the SEARCH function is your FRIEND.

- spending the money on a Service Manual is worth your time.

- if your red spring has 'Eibach' on it then, yes, the PO has replaced the stock spring. Probably a heavier spring since the stock spring is somewhat light.

- the Tenere cranks slow but fires up nicely. Yes slower than the KLR.

- Comfort related: riders seat, handlebars, handlebar height, heated grips, windshield...

- Mechanical: Shifter Shaft (lubrication), Cam Chain Tensioner (failure), Clutch Basket (vibration), Rear Rack (weak),...

- Accessories: Engine guards, Skidplate, Lighting, Luggage, Fuse Panel (Eastern Beaver PC8), Horn, Seat(s), Muffler, Windshield Bracket, GPS Mount, Smartphone Mount, Heated Grips, Hugger, Fenda Extenda, Fork Seal Guards, Strobing Taillight,...

The Super Tenere is much like the KLR. With the KLR I always wanted 6th gear. With the Tenere I look for 7th gear. The Tenere is Fast, has excellent Brakes, and Traction Control. I don't care for the stock headlights though the bulbs can be upgraded. The Tenere will make you think the KLR is light and low. The Tenere handles windy conditions better than the KLR though it still is a tall and wide dual sport. Gas mileage is approximately 43 mpg / 225 miles per tank is safe. Tires and Oil are the same old story, what you like is the best. And the list goes on and on.

Hopefully others will join in with their thoughts and preferences. I have confidence you will enjoy the Tenere more than you enjoyed the KLR.

Number One Benefit: This is the Smartest and Nicest (not me) forum you will ever be part of.

 

[default]

currently it seems i need to replace the cct.

what are non es models? ive been trying to discern that.... edit, figured it out.

 

[Bigbore4]

If your bike is a 14 or newer it has the updated CCT. If not, you don't need to worry right away, unlesss you have a high mile bike. And if you do, it should warn you, most of them have been noisy and you can hear them rattling on start-up.

Go for a putt, enjoy a great bike, then plan farkles and mods over a cold one.

 

[jbjke]

Welcome and you sound exactly like me when I started. I didn't even feel like I could ask questions on here at first but googled this and that and started gleaning all the wisdom this site has. There are some great people on here behind there "handle" and look forward to meeting a few someday. I'm even planning to ride out to the Romney event in West Virginia coming up May 1st. If you could take time off for that, you could see first hand all the do's and dont's for the Tenere. One of the Tenere's that should be there is in my neck of the wood's and he'll have over 96,000 on his. So believe these guys when they say "just ride it, the rest will come in time". Come to the event and you'll get to see all the neat little things adv riders have spent there time and money modifying. In the meantime do the search engines and look for this site name or add it in your search.

Glad you made the switch, you'll enjoy it much much more.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[shrekonwheels]

Ahh, the venerable KLR, the beast that needed attention, that is not the Tenere. You now have a machine which was made to, just ride

The only absolute thing you should do is get Engine Guards, other than that everything else is just personal preference

 

[fredz43]

Welcome to the forum and I hope that you enjoy your Tenere as much as the rest of us do. As far as spring colors, it sounds like you may have a black 2012 as they had a red shock spring while the blue 2012's had a yellow spring. Not sure about the other years without looking.

 

[default]

If your bike is a 14 or newer it has the updated CCT. If not, you don't need to worry right away, unlesss you have a high mile bike. And if you do, it should warn you, most of them have been noisy and you can hear them rattling on start-up.

Go for a putt, enjoy a great bike, then plan farkles and mods over a cold one.

its got 28k, and is a '12. it "rattles" about 3 times when started, then stops.

 

[trikepilot]

Dont sweat ll the farkles - they will come with time. Just go out and ride your new Tenere and enjoy.

I too came from a KLR. The Tenere is exponentially more and better than the KLR. I even believe that despite its increased weight, the Tenere is twice the offroad machine that that KLR ever dreamed of being.

DO NOT use mileage as your key for CCT attention. If it is rattling on startup - then start doing your homework now on what repair your want to do (14 CCT vs manual) and then do it before the rattle gets worse and your lose the timing chain and eat some valves. Plenty of threads here at the forum detailing the S&S of the CCT failure.

But now just go ride and savor your new bike.

 

[Checkswrecks]

...just getting more confused.

This bike is a whole new beast to me. I cant even figure out what headlight bulb it has.

Is there a place for good accessories? Im looking for: aux lights (LED), fork guards, switch panels, and probably more. Really looking for "must have" items.

Also, why do I feel like my shock is resprung? seems like everyone I see has a yellow spring, mines red?

Post-purchase doubts?

Somehow I missed your questions in this post. I have the exact same bike, right down to the red spring.


It looks like your previous owner set yours up with everything essential and since he was a service manager, I'm willing to bet that it already had the unseen recall done for the headlight wire harness. Any Yamaha dealer can tell with your VIN. The cam chain tensioner may need to be replaced if the rattling continues for more than a couple of seconds, but at this point it's not going to grenade on you. Ride until there is something you want to get because YOU want it.


The fan on the left needs protection and you already have what look to be the SW-Motech bars. Mine has fallen over on both sides more than once and a little gloss black Rustoleum takes care of any scratches. A couple guys have bent a bar and we found with SW-Motech bars on the VStrom that they can be bought individually.


The only other essential is the skid plate to protect the oil sump and you already have that, too. Are you detecting a theme yet?


If and when you find lights that you like or any other electrical accessories, the right set of side panels can be slid out with the crash bar remaining in place. Not essential, but sooner or later you will notice that a bunch of us have added a light bar under the headlight and a relay so it just comes on with the high beams.
Spotlight: http://www.rigidindustries.com/led-lighting/90971
or
(Better) Combo: http://www.rigidindustries.com/led-lighting/90661


If the previous owner did not already install one, there is room beneath the upper right panel for a power distribution block, either purchased or self-made. Lots of threads about those. The alternator can drive two sets of heated clothes with ease, so you can add pretty much whatever you want with no worries. A member here on the forum is making nice switch panels and there are plenty of ways to add your own. Seems to me that somebody even posted a pattern.


At this point check out how well the ABS works and try riding it with the traction control in the different settings. With all the sand getting on the roads in your area, you'll probably come to appreciate both.

 

[EricV]

its got 28k, and is a '12. it "rattles" about 3 times when started, then stops.

Don't worry about it until the 52k valve adjustment/check, then have it replaced at that time. It's very unlikely you will experience a failure, (this coming from someone that HAS experienced the CCT failure), so just ride the bike. If you notice the rattle getting louder, and it will, well before it fails, then take it in to the dealer and have them listen to it. If the previous owner had the YES warranty, make sure to transfer it over to your name. Even some bikes out of warranty have had the CCT replaced under warranty if it got noisy early. Note that some rattle is perfectly normal for a '12. Mine rattled from day one. It got noticeably louder for a couple of weeks before it failed. And that was during a trip were I was riding 250-450 miles every day. So we are talking about you having maybe 3-4000 miles of warning.

IF you believe it's gotten louder, DO NOT CHANGE THE OIL BEFORE TAKING IT TO THE DEALER! This is important. At least two failures occurred immediately upon start up after an oil change. I believe this is due to the slightly longer period before oil pressure builds after an oil change. Normally the oil pressure to the CCT will keep it quiet even when it's going bad, you'll just notice that longer/louder rattle upon start up, especially cold starts. FWIW, my failure occurred at 82k. There have been failures at just over 50k too, but bottom line, if you're thinking the rattle got or is getting louder, don't change the oil and take it to the dealer for them to listen to. It's really not that common a failure. Maybe 6 on this forum. At least one was owner induced during a valve adj. done by the owner. (maybe two of those now, but not really CCT failures, per say, just assembly errors).

I like www.LEDRider.com for LED aux lights. He's a rider and a good person. I do call him a friend and have known him for years before the business too, but he offers good products at good prices and has excellent customer service.

There aren't really any KLR type must fix issues with the Super Ten. Ride the bike, you'll notice things that you want, or not. Address those. Forget about what other people have done until you find something you personally want to change or add, then search and see what others have done along those lines.

Have fun and ride often!!

 

[default]

Post-purchase doubts?

Somehow I missed your questions in this post. I have the exact same bike, right down to the red spring.


It looks like your previous owner set yours up with everything essential and since he was a service manager, I'm willing to bet that it already had the unseen recall done for the headlight wire harness. Any Yamaha dealer can tell with your VIN. The cam chain tensioner may need to be replaced if the rattling continues for more than a couple of seconds, but at this point it's not going to grenade on you. Ride until there is something you want to get because YOU want it.


The fan on the left needs protection and you already have what look to be the SW-Motech bars. Mine has fallen over on both sides more than once and a little gloss black Rustoleum takes care of any scratches. A couple guys have bent a bar and we found with SW-Motech bars on the VStrom that they can be bought individually.


The only other essential is the skid plate to protect the oil sump and you already have that, too. Are you detecting a theme yet?


If and when you find lights that you like or any other electrical accessories, the right set of side panels can be slid out with the crash bar remaining in place. Not essential, but sooner or later you will notice that a bunch of us have added a light bar under the headlight and a relay so it just comes on with the high beams.
Spotlight: http://www.rigidindustries.com/led-lighting/90971
or
(Better) Combo: http://www.rigidindustries.com/led-lighting/90661


If the previous owner did not already install one, there is room beneath the upper right panel for a power distribution block, either purchased or self-made. Lots of threads about those. The alternator can drive two sets of heated clothes with ease, so you can add pretty much whatever you want with no worries. A member here on the forum is making nice switch panels and there are plenty of ways to add your own. Seems to me that somebody even posted a pattern.


At this point check out how well the ABS works and try riding it with the traction control in the different settings. With all the sand getting on the roads in your area, you'll probably come to appreciate both.

i have to thank you for this post, it is extremely helpful and I feel a little better about the cct. Everyone who replied deserves thanks as well.

no, no post purchase doubts (unless it does grenade on me....lol). I liked my KLR a lot, and spent a TON on it to upgrade everything until the motor shit the bed. I easily spent triple on farkles than what i paid for the bike.

This thing tho, aside from a few small niggles here and there I LOVE it.

About that side panel, i have the alt rider bars and I saw a video where a guy (dave i think) mentioned you could get the panel out from behind them, but I tried to yesterday and it wouldnt come out without flexing a bunch or sliding hard across the paint. not my idea of a good time. I do like those 1/4 turn fasteners tho, albeit they look like someone tried to hammer screws into concrete...


With the lights, Ive used these before but im starting to question this product. As in, how is this as bright or brighter than the rigid light? like i said, I used just one of these as a sole headlight on a harley and it was insane, but i dunno. Im a one and done kinda guy.

http://stores.advmonster.com/model-60-led-off-road-flood-light/

 

[Dirt_Dad]

Welcome. Lot's of good advice already.

I'll just say ride the bike. Enjoy the bike. Let the bike tell you what you need. You'll hear it speaking to you when the time is right. Until then ... enjoy.

 

[Will Rotten]

Welcome. I've been here a year and a half and have no idea what I'm doing. You're ahead of me on this, as you chose the bike. I inherited mine from my father, and LOVE IT! It came with OME crash bars, engine guard, and panniers. 6 months ago I found a set of OME heated grips in his shop. Mostly I have just rode it until just recently. I have began to add things after reading more information than I can imagine. I have a horrible tendency to forget where I found what so I bookmark pages and have many windows open on my desktop as I type this. Waiting on parts and don't want to have to find the "how to" pics again.

Everyone here has been so nice, helpful and fun. In the day I drive out and get lost on the bike and in the evening I poke around on here and get lost again.
I enjoy getting lost.

Oh, and once you find what you want, keep your eyes pealed in the "for sale" thread. I just grabbed something there that I wanted and saved a bit of coin too.

 

[Checkswrecks]

About that side panel, i have the alt rider bars and I saw a video where a guy (dave i think) mentioned you could get the panel out from behind them, but I tried to yesterday and it wouldnt come out without flexing a bunch or sliding hard across the paint. not my idea of a good time. I do like those 1/4 turn fasteners tho, albeit they look like someone tried to hammer screws into concrete...

With the lights, Ive used these before but im starting to question this product. As in, how is this as bright or brighter than the rigid light? like i said, I used just one of these as a sole headlight on a harley and it was insane, but i dunno. Im a one and done kinda guy.

http://stores.advmonster.com/model-60-led-off-road-flood-light/

I said that you could get the panel out, I didn't say it would would come without a bit of jiggling around. A trick to prevent messing up paint is to simply temporarily put a couple strips of black electrical tape or blue painters tape on the panel to protect it.


There are lots of options on lights and your link looks like it ought to do. Just be aware that when the front suspension comes all the way up that light may get crushed if mounted beneath the headlight. Lots of folks use the crash bars.


I saw the video you posted about the start up rattle and I'd think about replacing the CCT before too long.

 

[default]

I said that you could get the panel out, I didn't say it would would come without a bit of jiggling around. A trick to prevent messing up paint is to simply temporarily put a couple strips of black electrical tape or blue painters tape on the panel to protect it.


There are lots of options on lights and your link looks like it ought to do. Just be aware that when the front suspension comes all the way up that light may get crushed if mounted beneath the headlight. Lots of folks use the crash bars.


I saw the video you posted about the start up rattle and I'd think about replacing the CCT before too long.

after lots of searching, is there a "how to" post? i found one for the clutch basket.

 

[XtreemLee]

After about a year of riding your transmission might feel like it's failing, it's likely the shifter pivot that needs cleaning and greasing. ::002::