2012 Yamaha XT1200Z - Something Different!

[Redbone]

I have always liked dirt riding and since I've sold my 4 wheeler I have been missing off road riding. I had been thinking of one day getting a second bike, a FJR 1300, that would be better than the Vmax for long trips. I know the Vmax is entirely capable of long distance trip, but it does have few problem areas to be addressed before it would match a FJR for comfort, protection and distance traveled between fuel stops.
Back to my thinking about getting back into some off road riding , adding then my thoughts of wanting to seriously tackle some long distance trips (thousands of miles, not hundreds), I had hit upon the segment of Adventure Touring bikes. I was intrigued but not too fired up about buying (and maintaining $$$) the segment leader BMW 1200 GS. There are others in the general segment of adventure touring but most of them are either too street oriented (Multistrada/ Tiger) or too dirt oriented (KTM). The Vstrom is out there but to me it seemed a little more biased towards the dirt than the GS. The GS just seemed to me like a great bike, lots of accessories available for it and a dedicated following (fanatical?:biglaugh.
This leads me to my introduction to the new Yamaha offering , the Super Tenere. The history of Yamaha in this segment is probably not well know but they dominated the 90's in the adventure touring racing circuit with the 750 super tenere. They won 7 Paris to Dakar's races in the 90's but the racing success never translated to sales. They are now, and have been for a few years in Europe, back into the adventure touring segment with a new motorcycle, the Super Tenere. It is a 1200cc parallel twin that has the BMW GS squarely in it's sights, and with the initial reaction from the A-T community it has hit it's mark. The comfort, power and weight match up favorably to the GS so the comparisons and expected discussions are making the rounds.
This has me really thinking that this would be a great bike to team with the Vmax for a set of bikes to satisfy my on and off road desires. Here is a bit of information on the bike and a video or two of it in action.

http://www.yamaha-motor.com/sport/products/modelspecs/651/0/specs.aspx

http://youtu.be/CxK677pPCcA

http://youtu.be/BGzhzQZKJX0

 

[RaWarrior]

I guess I see the appeal of the adventure bike, being able to comfortably tour on pavement but still have the confidence to venture down "the road less traveled". I can see how that would foster a sense of adventure, I can appreciate that.

But at the same time the "off road" idea seems like a tokenism. OK, it's a bit more planted on a dirt road than your average crotch rocket. But that's about it. Not like you're going to tackle hardcore quad trails with big hills and steep drops muscling some 500lb bike around when the average dirt bike weighs about 1/3 of that.

It's like the notion of taking a crossover SUV off-roading. They weren't really designed for it and aren't really good at it, just a token awd system to help push it up a snowy driveway. Nothing more.

I sat on one at the demo rides at Americade. I dunno if the seat was in the Green Giant position or what, but at 5-7 I almost dropped the bike trying to get over it. It sits very high, and the tall-ass bag on the back prevents you from just swinging your leg over it. Once I was on it, I was at extreme tippy toes, to the point I would not feel confident at all taking it on a test drive, so I didn't.

 

[KJShover]

Those look to be some nice bikes. I've been on a BMW adventure bike, talk about a nice ride. Suprisingly you can get some decent off-roading/enduro type riding with them. Just as long as you don't treat them as an enduro or dirt bike. The tires will let you down, especially in mud, They reminded me of a more agressive street tire.

They seem to be pretty popular up here. Every summer I see a bunch of them. Several from the lower 48 and others from a different country all together. Me and a friend a few years back headed up north towards Prudhoe Bay with them, I rode his son's and he took his.

Before the trip we rode them on some old logging roads, crossed some rivers and went back in to where is Moose hunting camp was. Good times and not a lick of problems with them. It was actually nice riding them instead of getting beat up by the Argo.

If Yamaha even comes close to the beemers it will be a killer ride :rofl_200:

 

[Redbone]

I agree that an A/T bike is never going to replace a true dirt bike, but a true dirt bike is very one demisional in it's use. You have to transport it to the trails that are open to ride on, whereas with a A/T bike you can ride fire roads, two tracks and then jump on the road and ride to another location.
The local riding on a A/T is only a small part, it's true allure, to me anyways, would be 3-5 day trips to ride 2 states taking in back roads, remote camping/ fishing spots, and generally enjoy backcountry areas not accessible by paved roads. Also, longer more epic trips (2-3-4 week long) to locations such as exploring along the Hudson Bay coastline, trips into the interior of Montana/ Idaho/ pretty much any Canadian Province, and trips into locations like Alaska's Denali N.P.. That is where adventure and touring meet and would need a motorcyle such as a GS or ST.
There has been a couple comparisons with the GS and it came out favorably in the dirt. The ST is a smaller, albeit heavier, easier to handle off road. http://youtu.be/I5d-nX4Q66A
A couple of pics to show size difference between the ST and the GS; note the pictures are taken with one sitting on higher ground than the other but he switches them to contrast the position.

 

[Redbone]

Here is a post on Advrider from a GS owner that has purchased a ST and reports his findings:

2010 YAMAHA SUPER TENERE XT1200Z LONG TERM REPORT
Hello everyone. I have and regularly ride a Yamaha Super Tenere, as well as a BMW R1200 GS ADV, and an R1200 GS equipped for adventure touring. I have had all of these bikes since new. Now with over 9,000 kms of saddle time on the Super Tenere it is time to make some observations and comparisons.

Fit and Finish and Controls
Yamaha is more workmanlike in its controls, levers, switch gear. Metal clutch and brake reservoirs. Not as elegant design and execution as BMW but fit for the job and suitably strong.

Engine and Gearbox
The ST engine is smooth, with an agreeable exhaust note rumble like a V twin. Excellent torque in low and mid ranges. Thinner on top. Similar horsepower feel. Gearbox smooth with no false neutrals or missed shifts. Gets even smoother over time.

Shaft Drive
The ST?s drive is double sided and robust construction. Time will tell about durability but I am very optimistic looking at its construction and distribution of the forces involved. Fluid change is very easy.
No appreciable ST drive train lash as compared to my BM?s which are more pronounced.

Clutch
Initially quite stiff but smooths out with use. Wet hydraulic clutch which is a plus when slipping the clutch off road viz. BM?s dry hydraulic unit.

Brakes
The ST?s ABS brakes are the best I have ridden. I would say about 60% better than the BM?s. Particularly braking in gravel and rock on declines. They just work and stop the bike. See no need to turn them off. They work very well as is. They are linked brakes but activating the brake pedal first will give you rear brake only for short U turns etc or if you are partial to tail braking a bit in corners. Otherwise just work the brake lever and it stops you powerfully, smoothly and without drama. Even a recent complete panic stop/swerve/avoidance manoeuvre on pavement (cut off by a vehicle) recently didn?t upset the bike. I was impressed.

Traction Control
The ST?s system is very carefully thought out. The choice of degree of control is good and there is an ?off? position. It is as brilliant as the brakes are. It begins to work immediately with no lag when needed. Also, it is not abrupt when it begins to operate, or, when it stops operating. It is seamless, unlike my experience with the BM which is slow to act, and is abrupt coming on and going off.

Choice of S or T Modes
T Mode is good for fuel economy or conditions where too much power to the wheel doesn?t help. S Mode is a treat and the bike really rocks on this setting. No complaints about power. All very usable.
Fueling has a glitch in the 3200 to 3500 range on acceleration. Hopefully a software upgrade from Yamaha will address this. It is a minor irritant.

Fuel Range
Haven?t done a detailed study but is similar to what is reported by actual owners here. Plenty of range for adventure touring. Satisfied with the balance between fuel range and weight distribution of the bike.

Ergonomics
The ST ergonomics feel comfortable at first blush. In my case I had a wrist numbness issue in the right hand which was solved by adding risers and rotating the OEM bars forward slightly to get a more natural wrist position. Careful synching and changing handguards to TT?s which clamp to the bars before the hand grips may have helped end this problem.

OEM seat is comfortable for 800 km days without need to change it unlike my BM's.

Suspension and Handling
The ST?s suspension is very high specification. Its range of adjustability is excellent front and back and better than my BM?s OEM suspensions. The feel of the riding surface is excellent through the forks and bars something I can not say of my BM?s. The ST?s suspension is up to the task of two-up heavily laden adventure touring without an early suspension upgrade. This is unlike the BMs suspensions which always felt marginal at best even when new. With the ST I am very pleased to not see excessive fork dive in heavy braking or any ?unplanted? feeling in winds or difficult conditions. Have not bottomed out the suspension on the ST which was a problem with the BM?s.

The ST handles very well. Turns slightly slower than the BM's. It is a heavy bike like the BM?s for off pavement use but it feels much lighter as it carries its weight low. The BM ADV with its large tank carries a lot of weight quite high and makes it much more of a handful heavily loaded off pavement. Clear preference for the ST as it inspires confidence readily and makes you forget you are thrashing a heavy bike.

Accessories and Equipment
The OEM accessories of Yamaha are not so well thought out. The skid plate is badly designed and not up to off road use. The OEM cases at 32liters each side are fine for light to regular use but not for extreme use. I early changed mine for TT Zega Pro cases with internal reinforcements inside the cases. Yamaha OEM headlight guard is ok but there are others out there too. Thank goodness the accessories team was different from the core design team.

Yamaha?s heated grips? Haven?t tried them yet. Ugly controller but much less so relocated from the bar to near the dash with Wasp?s mounting plate. BM?s product trumps here.

Yamaha OEM windshield falls short. I am 5?11? or so and the OEM screen gave me wind blast and bad helmet shake. So changed it to a California Scientific screen on the stock mountings and the problem went away. Adding the OEM winglets would probably improve things even farther.

I have now farkled the bike extensively but that is just personal taste.

Overall Riding Impression
I am very pleased with the Super Tenere. It is a keeper. Its service intervals are very attractive as well as service costs so far. Lends itself to a lot of DIY servicing. My treatment by the Yamaha dealer in my area in Mexico has been excellent. He has a ?can do? attitude which is very refreshing after a lot of exposure to BM?s variety in Mexico. BTW my last 8 bikes have been BM?s and I still have more BM?s than Yamahas.

I would buy the Super Tenere again in a moment and would clearly chose it above my ADV or my GS ?normal? equipped for adventure touring. It is my ride-of-choice for what I use it for. I would not hesitate to take it far off the beaten path.

Motorcycle preference is a very personal thing as is the intended use. All I am saying is this is what I have found. YRMV. In the end, buy whatever bike you like. Cheers!

__________________
'10 XT1200Z Silver and Black;'07 R1200 GS ADV; '05 R1200GS; '99 F650

 

[[email protected]]

It would be fun to own but I really don't understand ABS and traction control on something designed for off road use.:ummm:

 

[dannymax]

Very interesting bike BB, I think it just might fill the bill for you!! :clapping:

 

[Redbone]

It would be fun to own but I really don't understand ABS and traction control on something designed for off road use.:ummm:

Dirt bikes don't need really need TC or ABS, nor does it need a big/ heavy 1200cc, 2 cylinder engine, but those are some of the compromises to get a appropiate touring engine for it. I don't think the touring bike in it needs the suspension travel, open tread tires or other off road inspired equipment either. It is not meant to be a hard core dirt bike nor highway only, but when the dirt bike skids it's knobbies to a stop at the pavement edge or the touring bike edges up to a dirt roads ruts and mud they are wholly unprepared to go any further on those unfamilar surfaces.
You can turn off the traction control, and there is already a fix so you can turn off the ABS. I would install the switch to turn off the ABS but it seems a lot of the riders really like how inobtrusive the ABS is. I think they like it mostly because they are not using this bike as a hard core off road bike, but more as a bike that goes off road.

 

[dannymax]

Jeez, seems to me that ABS wouldn't be such an awful thing unless you were doing some really hardcore off-road stuff. How many times will you be taking this down a hill so steep that the bike won't be able to stop? I see this as more of a 'logging road explorer' than a trials machine.

Bet she's a torquey bugger too! unk:

 

[Redbone]

Jeez, seems to me that ABS wouldn't be such an awful thing unless you were doing some really hardcore off-road stuff. How many times will you be taking this down a hill so steep that the bike won't be able to stop? I see this as more of a 'logging road explorer' than a trials machine.

Bet she's a torquey bugger too! unk:

That's a great term Danny, "logging road explorer"! I think for the most part the riders are finding that the ST does just fine with the ABS on for most of the riding and they want the on/off switch just to appease the inner dirt rider that is in them. It make some other consessions to the "tour" aspect with the 19" front wheel, low front fender that will clog up with heavy mud/ ferns/ etc..
I'm sure there will be Super Tenere's that will be stripped down and modded for more of a dirt orientation usage. I know for me a stout skid plate and engine bars will be among the first mods I do if/ when I ever get one as the oil filter and exhaust are mighty exposed on this bike.
The torque for this bike is right around 80 ft/lbs if my memory serves me so it should have more than enough torque. Add a good exhaust, k&n, and a power commander with a good map who know how much fun one could have??

 

[Redbone]

The urban assault Super Ten! For a 575 bike it looks faily nimble.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyxbhOYlCQM&feature=youtu.be

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_dD35MIjMA&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

 

[Redbone]

Aftermarket exhaust.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mdh1ub8rUg4&feature=autoplay&list=ULvSYsBG89UH8&index=13&playnext=5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opns0h7FurI&feature=autoplay&list=ULvSYsBG89UH8&index=6&playnext=13

This bike has the mod to turn off the ABS, you'll notice he locks the rear wheel up in this video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhF9tmh96D4&feature=autoplay&list=ULvSYsBG89UH8&index=14&playnext=6

 

[mattness]

i had a vstrom 1000 that i sold recently, abs is nice on these big bikes!! you never know when youre gonna come up over a hill and then back down the hill and its covered in gravel and the rear brake just doesnt stop the bike at all >.<

i never went down on it but i had my fun off roading on it lol.

these bikes are heavy for off roading, but, if you can manage them, they CAN do it. and like you said, they can eat up miles too because of that big motor.

id love to get me an s10 someday but its not on my top 5 list atm.

and i truly believe theyve built the best ADV touring bike.

my trails here at my house are dirt bike and four wheeler trails, big branches across the trails, leaves, mud, loose dirt, sand, packed dirt, grass, ruts, hills that go straight up. it could do it all you just have to be smart. like if u go up a steep hill and dont have enough momentum and have to hit the gas.... ur gonna lose trraction and dump it

the only 2 times i ever got scared on it was, first, the cat walk. i have a section of trail thats about 3 feet wide with a 15 ft drop on either side with big rocks in the middle.... had i fallen over on that i woulda been toast lol...

and the other time was just riding around my yard, a small incline spot i rode through was wet and the whole bike went sideways, i put my foot down and turned the bars as far as they would go and it got traction right before it was about to go down. lol, all those trails and id go down in the grass!! lol

ya make sure when ur going up or down a hill, youre aiming at your exit

 

[Fire-medic]

I had a lot of fun watching the guy in the 1st video, he's got good bike skills. You can tell he is aware that tweaking the throttle a bit too-much will set that thing down-hard! But he hits the throttle leaving the black pavement stripes as the bike slews sideways. I will watch the others sometime soon. The stairway up & down was a good one.

 

[Rusty McNeil]

A/T Bikes are made for expanding your touring options, allowing you to go places you'd never take a street bike. i.e....off pavement.....I've had the Max down a few dirt and gravel roads and it's completly nerve wracking........Until I got the XR650L, not really an A/T but really a roadable, street legal, relatively heavy, 380lb dirt bike with a huge aftermarket gas tank (since sold) I had no idea of what I was missing in some of the areas of Texas that I had previously thought I had thoroughly toured. It's like starting all over again.

They are made for "Maintained" dirt roads and trails, and very competent at that..They are not made for riding ATV trails or dirt tracks etc. And will certainly not replace a dirt bike nor are they meant to...You can do it as the videos attest, but it takes tons of skill and huge brass balls compared to throwing a normal dirt bike around. Most true A/T riders won't simply because when your miles form home with what's between your legs as your only salvation they won't risk getting hurt somewhere remote with no back up...

And the ride on these things is unfreakin' believablely soft and comfotable due to the suspension travel, you can put a lot of hours down on these bikes on the highway getting to wherte you want to go....

To me the main draw is being able to go places that are beautiful but remote, but accessible only by maintained dirt and gravel roads, which describes a lot of our national and state parks.......

They are a chore for short riders, I'm 6 feet, lowered my XR 2" and still was on tip toes at rest, creating a real problem if your in a tight spot, not good enough or brave enough to "blow and go" (I was neither) and HAVE to put your feet down somewhere on an incline. You'll end up wearing the thing...

 

[gamorg02]

it really does look pretty nimble, and the first video guy had some good control and showing off how nimble the bike was, but can i just say he was a being a fucking prick on the road. he may have been in control but theres no way that passing cars, bicycles n shit would know that.