Dirt_Dad
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Founding Member
2011 Site Supporter
2013 Site Supporter
2014 Site Supporter
It gets much, much better than when it was new. Getting a second Tenere has given me a whole new perspective on the difference between a new bike vs a fully broken-in bike.
Like many others I took delivery of my first Tenere last August after riding a less capable bike. I loved my old V-Strom DL1000, but it's no comparison to the Tenere. The Tenere was a big step up and immediately felt better. While putting over 9K miles on the bike I knew it got better with the miles, but I also knew I was getting better on the bike as the miles built up. Hard to know what was improved due to my increased familiarity with the bike vs the bike smoothing out over time. Both happen gradually and my memory is unreliable at best.
Acquiring a second Tenere and setting up the ergonomics to be identical to the last one allowed me to take my current skills and move them to a new bike. The bike immediately felt familiar, but also very different. Not surprisingly the suspension was very stiff even though it was set exactly the same as the original bike. Obviously that is one of the main things that needs to break-in. I also attributed the different feel to the requirement to short shift a new engine as per the book. I was on a familiar bike, on familiar roads, but could not ride at a familiar RPM. It was a bit awkward, but understandable.
The bike started to feel like "my" bike at around 800 miles. It was getting loosened up and generally feeling better. Now that I have 1100 miles on the bike all engine restrictions are gone and I can ride it normally. The bike is feeling better but still not right.
Two days ago I jumped on my original Tenere. It's been changed a lot to fit my wife. The seat is shorter which cramps my legs a bit, the suspension is lowered, and the handlebars in a different position. Even with all those changes, once rolling the bike felt so much better than the new one. The engine is significantly more lively. Hammer the throttle at 5K RPM and you get a grin inducing, arm stretching boost. Do the same on the new Tenere at 5K and it's a nice, somewhat ho-hum acceleration. The original Tenere just glides on the suspension compared to the jarring new one. Overall the ride on the 9,700 mile Tenere is much more enjoyable than the 1100 mile Tenere.
I think I have a better understanding of all the magazine articles that were not glowing about the Tenere. If they were riding one with less than a few thousand miles they were not experiencing the greatness of this bike. I find the difference between the two bikes to be night and day. If there is anyone that bought a Tenere and is not fully sold on it, keep riding... it gets significantly better as you rack up the miles. I look forward to getting this one fully broken-in.
Like many others I took delivery of my first Tenere last August after riding a less capable bike. I loved my old V-Strom DL1000, but it's no comparison to the Tenere. The Tenere was a big step up and immediately felt better. While putting over 9K miles on the bike I knew it got better with the miles, but I also knew I was getting better on the bike as the miles built up. Hard to know what was improved due to my increased familiarity with the bike vs the bike smoothing out over time. Both happen gradually and my memory is unreliable at best.
Acquiring a second Tenere and setting up the ergonomics to be identical to the last one allowed me to take my current skills and move them to a new bike. The bike immediately felt familiar, but also very different. Not surprisingly the suspension was very stiff even though it was set exactly the same as the original bike. Obviously that is one of the main things that needs to break-in. I also attributed the different feel to the requirement to short shift a new engine as per the book. I was on a familiar bike, on familiar roads, but could not ride at a familiar RPM. It was a bit awkward, but understandable.
The bike started to feel like "my" bike at around 800 miles. It was getting loosened up and generally feeling better. Now that I have 1100 miles on the bike all engine restrictions are gone and I can ride it normally. The bike is feeling better but still not right.
Two days ago I jumped on my original Tenere. It's been changed a lot to fit my wife. The seat is shorter which cramps my legs a bit, the suspension is lowered, and the handlebars in a different position. Even with all those changes, once rolling the bike felt so much better than the new one. The engine is significantly more lively. Hammer the throttle at 5K RPM and you get a grin inducing, arm stretching boost. Do the same on the new Tenere at 5K and it's a nice, somewhat ho-hum acceleration. The original Tenere just glides on the suspension compared to the jarring new one. Overall the ride on the 9,700 mile Tenere is much more enjoyable than the 1100 mile Tenere.
I think I have a better understanding of all the magazine articles that were not glowing about the Tenere. If they were riding one with less than a few thousand miles they were not experiencing the greatness of this bike. I find the difference between the two bikes to be night and day. If there is anyone that bought a Tenere and is not fully sold on it, keep riding... it gets significantly better as you rack up the miles. I look forward to getting this one fully broken-in.
