What do we now think of the bike
- Thread starter Swagger
- Start date
tgessner
New Member
I have a bit of a weak spot for underdogs. Maybe this is the reason why, being a German and living in the BMW hometown of Munich, I decided against a GS last year and bought a new 2014 XT1200ZE.
Ironically, I did not have any real opportunities for my typical motorcycle trips to the Alps since I bought the new bike. Instead of two or three day trips to the Dolomites, the Tenere saw duty as a commuter bike, taking me to the office and back, and maybe the occasional Sunday afternoon ride. While the bike did all that ok, I felt the Tenere lacked some of the excitement my other rides could give me on these shorter trips. Consequently, I put it up for sale a few weeks ago in the German equivalent of Craig's list.
Last weekend came as one of the first this year without any family or social obligations, so I decided to make use of the reasonable good weather forecast and do my end-of-season tour to Italy. The plan was to leave Friday evening, spend the night in a hotel in Bressanone, start Saturday early and ride the full day in the Italian Alps and return Saturday night to be able to spend Sunday with the Mem-Sahib.
Summer has passed in Europe and evenings in late September are chilly, so I decided to take the Tenere. It might be the last ride with the bike before selling it anyway, so a good-bye ride at the end of the season seemed a good thing. Admittedly, the Tenere's fairing and heated grips weighed in into this decision as well.
Leaving Munich towards the Italian mountains, one of the fastest ways is to take to Autobahn for about 90kms to Garmisch and then take some Austrian country roads towards Italy. On the Autobahn, I appreciated the tall windscreen and the cruise control, then the good lights and 300kms later the comfortable riding position. Arriving at the hotel late in the evening, I felt the first doubts creeeping into my mind whether selling the bike was really the right thing to do.
But getting to the passes is one thing, riding them is another. In the past, I often had bikes that were bad getting there but great fun once I was there. I thought that with the Tenere, it must just be the other way around.
Enter Saturday. Waking up in the middle of biker's heaven (aka Dolomites) under an unreal blue Italian sky, I quickly sipped my cappucino and hurried to get back on the bike. My expectations were somewhat conservative as far as the fun was concerned I would have with the Yamaha. It is a heavy bike, a good - no, as I learned the day before: a very good - tourer, but here, on these passes, I am convinced it will not perform as well as it did yesterday.
Three passes later (Mendola, Palade, Giovo), things look different for me (and for a few BMWs, V-Stroms, and a group of Tuonos - but I will spare you more bragging).
The mountain passes are quite unforgiving when it comes to bad or over-eager riding. Crosses at the side of the roads are sober witnesses of that fact. There is little room for error, as is always when you are in the middle of an adventure. As a rider, you have to perfom 100 percent, and so has your bike. I bike that is entertaining on a boring road might just ask for too much attention that is better spent for the demanding roads.
And it was here where the Tenere really exposed ist true character to me: What had felt boring on my daily commute, turned into precise, predictable and reliable performance in the Alps.
Here, 2000 meters high up in the mountains, the Tenere has tought me a lesson: The ride is the adventure, not the bike.
I arrived home safely Saturday evening, having zoomed through the last Autobahn kilometers back to Munich at 200km/h sitting upright and relaxed behind the windscreen. After a quick shower, I was ready for an evening downtown with the best wife of all, who, as always, listened patiently and understanding (if mildly bored) to my latest riding stories over steaks and wine.
And a 2014 Yamaha XT1200ZE dissapeared on the selling ads on Sunday morning.
Ironically, I did not have any real opportunities for my typical motorcycle trips to the Alps since I bought the new bike. Instead of two or three day trips to the Dolomites, the Tenere saw duty as a commuter bike, taking me to the office and back, and maybe the occasional Sunday afternoon ride. While the bike did all that ok, I felt the Tenere lacked some of the excitement my other rides could give me on these shorter trips. Consequently, I put it up for sale a few weeks ago in the German equivalent of Craig's list.
Last weekend came as one of the first this year without any family or social obligations, so I decided to make use of the reasonable good weather forecast and do my end-of-season tour to Italy. The plan was to leave Friday evening, spend the night in a hotel in Bressanone, start Saturday early and ride the full day in the Italian Alps and return Saturday night to be able to spend Sunday with the Mem-Sahib.
Summer has passed in Europe and evenings in late September are chilly, so I decided to take the Tenere. It might be the last ride with the bike before selling it anyway, so a good-bye ride at the end of the season seemed a good thing. Admittedly, the Tenere's fairing and heated grips weighed in into this decision as well.
Leaving Munich towards the Italian mountains, one of the fastest ways is to take to Autobahn for about 90kms to Garmisch and then take some Austrian country roads towards Italy. On the Autobahn, I appreciated the tall windscreen and the cruise control, then the good lights and 300kms later the comfortable riding position. Arriving at the hotel late in the evening, I felt the first doubts creeeping into my mind whether selling the bike was really the right thing to do.
But getting to the passes is one thing, riding them is another. In the past, I often had bikes that were bad getting there but great fun once I was there. I thought that with the Tenere, it must just be the other way around.
Enter Saturday. Waking up in the middle of biker's heaven (aka Dolomites) under an unreal blue Italian sky, I quickly sipped my cappucino and hurried to get back on the bike. My expectations were somewhat conservative as far as the fun was concerned I would have with the Yamaha. It is a heavy bike, a good - no, as I learned the day before: a very good - tourer, but here, on these passes, I am convinced it will not perform as well as it did yesterday.
Three passes later (Mendola, Palade, Giovo), things look different for me (and for a few BMWs, V-Stroms, and a group of Tuonos - but I will spare you more bragging).
The mountain passes are quite unforgiving when it comes to bad or over-eager riding. Crosses at the side of the roads are sober witnesses of that fact. There is little room for error, as is always when you are in the middle of an adventure. As a rider, you have to perfom 100 percent, and so has your bike. I bike that is entertaining on a boring road might just ask for too much attention that is better spent for the demanding roads.
And it was here where the Tenere really exposed ist true character to me: What had felt boring on my daily commute, turned into precise, predictable and reliable performance in the Alps.
Here, 2000 meters high up in the mountains, the Tenere has tought me a lesson: The ride is the adventure, not the bike.
I arrived home safely Saturday evening, having zoomed through the last Autobahn kilometers back to Munich at 200km/h sitting upright and relaxed behind the windscreen. After a quick shower, I was ready for an evening downtown with the best wife of all, who, as always, listened patiently and understanding (if mildly bored) to my latest riding stories over steaks and wine.
And a 2014 Yamaha XT1200ZE dissapeared on the selling ads on Sunday morning.
Dogdaze
Well-Known Member
I agree with tgessner, I too did a couple of short 'crappy' rides during the week and was just not happy with the bike, this morning I went out for a jaunt through some really nice roads and apart for the last 40 mins (too much traffic and lights), which was around Lake Zurich it was brilliant, especially with the heated gloves.
A different thread asks why Yamaha did not offer a bike to a magazine for articles comparing it to other bikes. Your post and all the similar ones are great examples about why Yamaha doesn't. Rather than invite criticism, the company lets us owners sell others.
Thanks!
Thanks!
mrpete64
Member
I have owned a lot of different bikes since 1962. I now have a 2014ES. I drive a lot around the U.S. and find this bike to be very capable. If you just commute to work and back this is probably not the best bike to own. You might want something smaller. If you get "out of town" and find some nice roads, plenty of curves, and want a nice upright riding position I find this bike to be...wonderful. If you want to go "like a bat out of hell" buy the Ducati adventure bike. Personally, I like to see where I am going and enjoy the ride. I have read about every criticism of this bike. If it had 140+ horse power I would assume it would be written up one of the best bikes ever built.
All I can say, from a personal perspective, is that the cruise, heated grips, and electronic suspension is VERY nice. I have done 15? gas mileage checks using non ethanol gas and have always gotten 50+ miles per gallon. This riding included interstates, twisty two lane roads, etc.
Overall, for the money, I am impressed with this bike. The additional four year warranty for less than two hundred dollars makes this bike, for me, a no brainer!
This is coming from a person who once said I would never own this bike. I am glad that I test drove it.
Mr. Pete------>
aging hippie
All I can say, from a personal perspective, is that the cruise, heated grips, and electronic suspension is VERY nice. I have done 15? gas mileage checks using non ethanol gas and have always gotten 50+ miles per gallon. This riding included interstates, twisty two lane roads, etc.
Overall, for the money, I am impressed with this bike. The additional four year warranty for less than two hundred dollars makes this bike, for me, a no brainer!
This is coming from a person who once said I would never own this bike. I am glad that I test drove it.
Mr. Pete------>
aging hippie
groundhog
New Member
Great post tgessner ::008:: You pulled back from the brink just in time !! It took me a while to adapt to the S10 after years of riding in line fours. I kept reading on here that the more you ride it the more you like it and how true I have found that to be. I just never want to get off it now !!
VRODE
Easy Does It
tgeener, great post and thanks. I will be getting one in the spring and your comments get right to the heart of what I'm looking for.tgessner said:
Tombraider2
2014 Team Blue
ECU remapped and dyno tuned, Can't see me having any other machine for what I do with it. And just to ride to work is a Blast.
draig126
Member
Awesome story tgessner, I’m glad you’re finding the bike to be a great ride. I too put most of miles going to and from work but I have been making the time to go on short weekend trips of two or three hours. I’m much newer to the bike (just got it last month) however the more I ride it on the weekends the more I find that it is a great handling motorcycle. Today was no different as I put about 150 miles on it through some of my favorite routes. Today I was experimenting with how she handles with foot peg pressure and she did not disappoint!
Looking forward to much longer trips next year.
Looking forward to much longer trips next year.
RhodeTrip
Member
So I went from a 900lb+ bagger to the S10; I started out over steering because this bike is so much easier to initiate a turn. The riding position is radically different but am getting used to it. The bike delivers power so much smoother that I have to really watch my speed. I like the S10 more every time I ride it, loosing the 200+ pounds has been great.
Jim
Jim
barkingllizard
Well-Known Member
+1rushfan said:
Super tenere is just okay imo. It does handle somewhat well if you upgrade suspension and has a good balance if its not too loaded. Makes good power with ecu update. At this point its probably the best your money can buy out of the pool of marginal bikes on the market today in big size dual sport with a drive shaft. I owned 2 of them. I don't want to buy the best of marginal bikes anymore. I want to buy what I believe to be the best or none at all and I have high standards.
Clutch basket problems from factory, springs fail and nearly destroy the engine (12,13 models with springs)
Stalling in motion from factory
Unbalanced throttle bodies from factory
Lack of lube in bearings from factory - steering head, swing arm, etc
Shifter pivot dirty/unlubed from factory
No responsibility and accountability for authorized dealers - all brands
Poor customer support - most brands
Clutch basket problems from factory, springs fail and nearly destroy the engine (12,13 models with springs)
Stalling in motion from factory
Unbalanced throttle bodies from factory
Lack of lube in bearings from factory - steering head, swing arm, etc
Shifter pivot dirty/unlubed from factory
No responsibility and accountability for authorized dealers - all brands
Poor customer support - most brands
eemsreno
Well-Known Member
Founding Member
2011 Site Supporter
2012 Site Supporter
2013 Site Supporter
2014 Site Supporter
At my job I have ridden more bikes than most guys ever get to.
With over 120,000 miles on my Tenere I still can't get enough of riding it.
With temps in the 30s*F I still get out early and go for a ride before work.
I think it still gets better every time I ride it.
When I test ride cruisers anymore I just feel sorry for the guy that owns it, He has know idea what he is missing.
There is no other bike that I have ridden or owned that I just can't wait to ride it again as soon as I get off of it.
I just can't foresee any other bike in the future ever being so fun to ride.
I think I'll be riding my Tenere until I can't ride anymore.
I sure don't see this bike ever wearing out just from mileage, It isn't showing any sigh of ever being unreliable to take on any trip I can put it through.
I feel perfect about putting my wife on the back and taking her as far as I can get her to go, [away from the granddaughters is getting harder to get her to go]
To me this bike has lost none of its value in the four years that I have had the pleasure of riding it.
My wife tells me to get rid of the Wee [I ride it to work a lot] and get a new Tenere and just use my 2012 to ride to work. That sounds good but it just doesn't feel right to demote my perfectly good Tenere to only riding to work. I feel like it still has a life time of big trips it needs to do.
I have ridden the new Teneres and I know how nice they are. But my bike is really nice too.
I have electronic cruise on mine but it is so smooth and nice that some times I can ride for thousands of miles on a trip and not even use it. On the last 11,000 mile trip to Alaska, I probable used the Cruise for a couple hundred miles at the most. That would have been just so I could eat and drink while riding.
Some day Yamaha USA will find out what they have and start promoting them, and making Gear to support it.
See you all on the road next summer.
Steve
With over 120,000 miles on my Tenere I still can't get enough of riding it.
With temps in the 30s*F I still get out early and go for a ride before work.
I think it still gets better every time I ride it.
When I test ride cruisers anymore I just feel sorry for the guy that owns it, He has know idea what he is missing.
There is no other bike that I have ridden or owned that I just can't wait to ride it again as soon as I get off of it.
I just can't foresee any other bike in the future ever being so fun to ride.
I think I'll be riding my Tenere until I can't ride anymore.
I sure don't see this bike ever wearing out just from mileage, It isn't showing any sigh of ever being unreliable to take on any trip I can put it through.
I feel perfect about putting my wife on the back and taking her as far as I can get her to go, [away from the granddaughters is getting harder to get her to go]
To me this bike has lost none of its value in the four years that I have had the pleasure of riding it.
My wife tells me to get rid of the Wee [I ride it to work a lot] and get a new Tenere and just use my 2012 to ride to work. That sounds good but it just doesn't feel right to demote my perfectly good Tenere to only riding to work. I feel like it still has a life time of big trips it needs to do.
I have ridden the new Teneres and I know how nice they are. But my bike is really nice too.
I have electronic cruise on mine but it is so smooth and nice that some times I can ride for thousands of miles on a trip and not even use it. On the last 11,000 mile trip to Alaska, I probable used the Cruise for a couple hundred miles at the most. That would have been just so I could eat and drink while riding.
Some day Yamaha USA will find out what they have and start promoting them, and making Gear to support it.
See you all on the road next summer.
Steve
CentralCal
Member
::012:: ::026::eemsreno said:
Guess I'm fortunate to have a company truck so all my miles are for fun. But some days I would like to come out of work and get to ride the bike home....
barkingllizard
Well-Known Member
432Hz,
.....
