Why is the S10 not included in comparison reviews?

[hawk281]

The magazines can express thier opinion about which bike is best, but it is up to the rider. I have over 50 years in the saddle and Ill make up my own mind as to what fits and works best for me. I LIKE the S-10 and I smile every time I ride it, short distance or long. So the mags can say whats the lastest and greatest, Ill stick to what I like. ::021::

 

[Ron Earp]

SuperT is alright with me. It is much like an old mount I had, the TDM 850. When that bike was out and about it wouldn't win any competitions. But, it did everything competently, never let me down, and at the riding stop in a sea of BMW's and Jap sportbikes (this was the 90s) it was quite unique.

 

[Balmorerider]

Indeed it does but it completely missed the point of the S10. I like Rider Magazine and have subscribed for years but that review was a bunch of crap!

1.) the suspension is not good enough for the road???

2.) the engine runs a bit "rough"??

3.) the seat has a contour that causes discomfort??

Give me a break. That's complete nonsense!

Chris

quote author=ride1st link=topic=20423.msg295105#msg295105 date=1473203511]
Rider magazine October 2016 issue has the Tenere in a 3 way comparison with the Triumph explorer and Honda VFR1200X
[/quote]

 

[Checkswrecks]

I'm actually not going to argue too much with the article.


1) Suspension - If you set the sag for different weights you'll find the rear spring (so the implication of having a matching shock) is designed for riders of around 190-ish lbs max. There are a number of threads here in the forum about guys changing theirs out.


2) It's a twin with 600 cc pistons, so yes, it has a rumble. Especially if you are some writer who regularly rides 4 cylinder bikes.


3) The $2 Home Depot seat bumper mod has fixed the seat slope since the first 2012s were delivered. No surprise.

 

[Ron Earp]

They tested a four year old bike?

 

[VRODE]

I read multiple reviews on almost every Dual Sport made. Several times.
Than I checked out forums for models I had narrowed it down to. Read between the lines and filter out the bullshit and you can get a feel for what the bike can or cannot do and it's potential problems.
So ultimately, you bastards are to blame for me buying and enjoying my S10. I hope you're happy. (I am)

 

[corndog]

I bought my first 2013 and then second 2015 Super Tenere for only 3 reasons.

1) It was a Yamaha.
2) Yamaha understands basic engineering (I am one for whats that is worth) enough to use a two sided swingarm.
3) Said two sided swing-arm has a shaft drive inside it.

It was not styling. It was not weight. It was not horsepower. I only bought the second one because I totaled the first one. The decision has turned out to be a good one for me. I put almost 40,000 miles on my 13 in 2 years without a hiccup. The rear drive did not explode like some B bikes. The air filter filtered unlike some K bikes. The motor has not blown up like some T bikes.

I do not buy bikes based on biased reviews of moto-journalist fanboyz, I read the forums for issues, I look at them with a scientific eye, I test ride what I can.....and I buy what is best for the long haul because I ride 20,000 miles a year. The lowly and under appreciated VStrom was my last ride and it took me 100,000 smiling miles with no issues either.

 

[Ron Earp]

Vstrom is alright. Don't think any B or K bikes will pull off 100k without what most non-fanboi riders would consider a catestrophic failure.

 

[Checkswrecks]

Vstrom is alright. Don't think any B or K bikes will pull off 100k without what most non-fanboi riders would consider a catestrophic failure.

I disagree, as I know some BMW and Harley owners who've done huge miles with no issues. I think the odds of being able to do so is much less though.

 

[limey]

I disagree, as I know some BMW and Harley owners who've done huge miles with no issues. I think the odds of being able to do so is much less though.

The wife's 2000 Heritage was at 196,000 km (120,000 miles) when she was T-Boned and the only thing that was replaced was the cams. But my 2004 Roadglide cam chain tensioner went at 40,000km and needed a rebuild .

 

[corndog]

Sure, some B, HD, T and K bikes might obtain high mileage but that is unusual. So many Y, S and H bikes do it as to be almost routine. There are always deviations from statistical averages, but the bell curve says you have a better chance buying a Tenere or a Vstrom, changing the oil and riding the beast till you get tired of it, not till it has an expensive mechanical issue.

My 2001 HD Road King coughed up a cam chain tensioner shoe at 25,000 miles, had I not found it first it would have taken out the oil pump and blown up the engine. It was still a bunch of money to replace the chains, bearings and timing tensioner shoes. Then a year later the same bike had a ring stick in the grove of a piston due to excess cylinder heat (my opinion) and I had to top end the machine to the tune of almost a $1000 with me doing most of the labor.

Two of my four BMW buddies have done the ABS brake failure on one GS and the final drive on both. ::021::

 

[Ron Earp]

I disagree, as I know some BMW and Harley owners who've done huge miles with no issues. I think the odds of being able to do so is much less though.

I know a few HD owners who have done a lot of miles with no issues. I ran one Buell for 51k and nothing but oil. My Triumph was not so lucky.

 

[stomp347]

My Harley stranded me 3 times. Almost torched it the last time.

 

[RCinNC]

Sure, some B, HD, T and K bikes might obtain high mileage but that is unusual. So many Y, S and H bikes do it as to be almost routine. There are always deviations from statistical averages, but the bell curve says you have a better chance buying a Tenere or a Vstrom, changing the oil and riding the beast till you get tired of it, not till it has an expensive mechanical issue.

My 2001 HD Road King coughed up a cam chain tensioner shoe at 25,000 miles, had I not found it first it would have taken out the oil pump and blown up the engine. It was still a bunch of money to replace the chains, bearings and timing tensioner shoes. Then a year later the same bike had a ring stick in the grove of a piston due to excess cylinder heat (my opinion) and I had to top end the machine to the tune of almost a $1000 with me doing most of the labor.

Two of my four BMW buddies have done the ABS brake failure on one GS and the final drive on both. ::021::

I had a 2004 Road King a while back. I remember reading on an HD forum about issues with the Delrin shoes on the cam chain tensioner disintegrating. Harley didn't acknowledge that it was a problem (and in fact it wasn't included as a maintenance item on their service schedule), but they did make a hydraulic cam chain tensioner upgrade to alleviate the problem. Thankfully I had read that forum and had mine checked, because one of the Delrin shoes was disintegrating and was nearly metal on metal with the cam chain. I caught it in time, had the upgrade installed, and in 55,000 miles of riding, that was the only issue I ever had with my Harley. As far as I know, it's still on the road.

It's fun to talk smack about Harleys, but mine was as reliable and trouble free as the V-strom I owned after it, and the Super Tenere I've owned since the V-strom. I think a lot of Harley failures can be attributed to aftermarket engine mods made by guys trying to get an air cooled V-twin to do things that they really aren't designed to do. Most bikes seem to have some unique design flaw that causes people problems. With the V-strom it was fried stators. With BMWs it was the final drive issue, or fuel strips. Older S10's had issues with the cam chain tensioners. I wouldn't have hesitated to jump on my RK and cross the country any more than I would on my Yamaha, or my Suzuki.