With all these publicity, i decide to have a test ride of the super tenere with my local Yamaha dealer.

I have been a little reluctant to it for a month - i did not want to end up with a situation where i like it so much that i have to have one straight away - wife and wallet would kill me for that. i talked myself into it at the end on the basis of a scientific research on my future strom replacement!

The test route was about 15km long consist on main road and country winding bumpy roads (35%). i asked if we could take it to some good gravel roads - well u could guess what the answer was

First thing i notice is the power and loads of it - i forgot how powerful a litre bike (well 1200 in ST's case) felt like - the power would be perfect when my wife gets on the back- Wee was good when riding solo, but 2 up, i always wanted more;

Second thing is how light the bike feels - it feels like my old 954 fireblade - light an nimble on the road; none of the top heavy feeling of Wee, which i actually grown to love - Riding Wee agressively requires decisive action (not muscles but just firm activation) - Tenere, by comparison, feel like over-assited power steering. The 240kg of weight disappeared!


thirdlly, the seating position is definitely dirt bike like (not that i have ridden a lot of dirt bike) - While the seats are thick and paddy, my body tilt is sliding me into the tank - the metal between your legs are slim though - perfect for gripping with your legs, easy and natual - Wee strom seem to feel very wide in that respect. I have long body and short arms, which make finding a relaxed riding position hard on most bikes - Tenere was great in that regard- the handle bar is only a short reach away - I rode standing up for a little - it was natual and comfortable straight away - no adjustment or barback necessary with Tenere.

Forth - the brake has a very powerful feel - sports bike like - almost as powerful as my old 04 Fireblade - Yet the progression is great (not super sensetive like some) - two fingers are all that needed for the road - i suspect, you only need one on dirt! However i dont think it was that much better my Strom' brake with EBC HH pads

Fifth: My test bike EFI off-on throttle is like a switch on S mode and abrupt on T mode -

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Handling and traction:

For some reasons, i felt a sense of "remoteness" when riding the Tenere - perhaps i was used to how the strom felt - the intiminator setup i had with my Wee Strom makes me feel most small bumps and road imperfections- The "remoteness" cause me to be timid in tipping the bike into corner as i never feel i know what the tyres were doing. - Towards the end i was a little more trusting of the bike and was able to go little more aggressively. The Tenere behave wonderfully when i had a couple gravel patches on a couple corners.

However the plushness on small road imperfections disappear when i hit a few potholes and more square edge bumps - it felt like there was a bit too much rebound damping - i am sure playing with the adjustments would reduce it - but i felt being jolt out of the seat when i hit them.

Otherwise the super tenere feel neutual going around corners - no inherent understeer or oversteer i could detect with my not so aggressive test ride.

Compare to my strom's iniminator setup, there's a fair bit of brake dive - but controlled unlike the stock strom's behaviour.

My strom with ELKA shock and intiminator setup causes me to feel all the small road imperfections but was otherwise compliant when going over square edge bumps and potholes - In contrast and in summary Super Tenere feel like riding in a computer game - a little disconnected, until you hit a reasonable size potholes or bump- it reminds you of reality by giving you a good jolt.

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final thoughts:

Tenere feel very light - it feels more like a 600cc street-fighter with a dirt bike ergonomics.

As a road tourer, i dont think it's that much better than an ABS Wee with good suspension mod - the two bike rides differently- but i cant say there's a clear advantage with super tenere- (of course extra power is nice and so is a better look)

For the 300 metres of gravel patches i went through i could see why this bike is such a hit - its lightness and mass centralisation is so apparent - it feels more a 250cc road bike - unlike the top heavy wee strom.

Since i ride mostly sealed roads, off roading riding is more gravel than true-off road, - the advantage to me would be minimal if any - i do not feel the need to change even if i discount the cost factor - if i ride more off road - the bike holds a lot more potentials

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Finally a bike like Strom i could have as a concubine and my wife doesnt object!

Ace, I have kept away from a test ride for the same reason. I now have my Wee, and at half the price of a Tenere, I think I have a bargain.

I too only ride tar, and some back roads, and am finding the Wee a great bike so far.
The Tenere to me looked interesting, especially coming from BMW shaft drive bikes, but at $20,000, not on my list now.

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2010 DL650 in Black

Basically ditto.
But I don't find the Wee top heavy

Maybe I should ride the Tenere just to see what the difference is with the weight bias

I love my Wee so I can't see me changing it over for something else.

__________________
Ock. in Oz
Australia, NSW, Windsor
ockerstrom@rocketmail.com

Member of The McGrath's Hill Mob.

Shiro Nakama Ju San

White '09 V-Strom DL650ABS, Blue '87 Kawasaki KLR650 [Sold]
Green '94 Kawasaki KLE500

"Normal" is only a cycle on the washing machine.....

If you wait, all that happens is that you get older.

Now thats a pretty good comparo Ace, it answers some of what i wanted to know. I have intiminators that I installed myself and I find smaller bumps etc. to now be an improvement from stock.I've gone from 15 wt oil and loosened shims to now having a shandy of about 6-7wt oil and tightened up or closer together shims. This last combo is the better of the two but I think I can do better with more experimenting. BTW. I'm 80 kilos and the springs are stock.
Your comparo was good, better than some in the mags,even if your ride was short. Thanks.


P.S. I think my Wee is a good bike but I'm not blind to its shortcomings but at $10 grand its value for money, it's a keeper.

Good comparison, I've been curious about the yammie.

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'09 Wee
GL1500 Goldwing

Not sure what u meant by "loosened" or "tighter" shims- they all supposed to be tight - maybe u mean more or less shims?

Ockerstrom: Wee is a bit top heavy (and i am not refering to the rider either) - in comparison ST feels light, very light knowing how much it tips the scale- even as i was coming to a full stop, i could not feel the weight. Even if u dont feel the weight of strom - u would certainly feel it as u get below 20km/hr - i could not feel that with the Tenere. i am most impressed with what they did to hide the weight.

Another thing i forgot to mention is that i am only 175cm tall with short inseam ( my wife has more proportional limbs and her inseam is the same as mine, even though she's 169cm tall), i have no problem putting my feet down at traffic light - something i had to super-careful when i first had my stock height DL650. That was interesting as the spec says 860cm at lower height and 890cm at normal height for tenere and 820cm for Wee strom- I attribute my easy "putting feet down at traffic light" to narrower middle of the bike and lower bike COG.

The "remoteness / disconnected" feeling of Tenere was not immediately at home with me after riding the vstrom - dont think its necessary a fault - just different from my strom - if i had more time to get used to and trust the bike, i would be able to explore its potential a little better.

To me, on sealed roads, first impression is still that the DL650 is a easy to ride and easy to explore its potential from the first corner when i test rode it 2years ago (all stock, no mods), whereas the Tenere does it without fuss, but exploring its limit takes a bit more to get used to and trusting it.

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Finally a bike like Strom i could have as a concubine and my wife doesnt object!

I don't seem to find many bikes "top heavy" so maybe I just compensate with my riding style somehow

I better go try the Tenere just for a comparo [and for the "free ride" on a different bike ].

It would be hard to top a Wee as far as I'm concerned though

__________________
Ock. in Oz
Australia, NSW, Windsor
ockerstrom@rocketmail.com

Member of The McGrath's Hill Mob.

Shiro Nakama Ju San

White '09 V-Strom DL650ABS, Blue '87 Kawasaki KLR650 [Sold]
Green '94 Kawasaki KLE500

"Normal" is only a cycle on the washing machine.....

If you wait, all that happens is that you get older.

i'm testing a tenere and a multistrada tomorrow at newcastle will let you all know if they are as good as my dlk .....they have some stiff competition even thou my dlk is being repaired it is still the best allrounder there is for the money no dought....

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k2 litre
laser pipes,rack and bag,heated grips,
gsxr750 calipers,billet levers,billet mirrors,billet risers,
billet rego holder,tank protector,autocom,
custom rear rack,alloy rad and cooler guards,
mcs steering damper with custom mount,super brace,
tinted indicators,fettelled suspension and .95 springs , soupy's raising links,sheep skin,
k&n filter,tank bag,12v outlet,pick up spools,
cruise control and 80 odd stainless bolts

Thanks for the comparison. Better insights than some of the promotional articles in the mags.

So how did the test riding go DL1BusaO-??
I know it's Twelve months later but you said you would let us know .... ??
So do tell us please.
I am trying to make a decision and need all the help I can get thank you.
Also if anybody has more input I'd be ready to listen.
Thanks in advance.
-DT

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If the meek inherent the earth who is going to drive the drag boats-?