Super Tenere Launch Report Droomers Yamaha Feature

Super Tenere Launch 

Report 

Droomers Yamaha 

Feature 

1st Recce for 2010

Industry News 

Gear Review 

Dealership Feature 

Cape Adventure Bike Challen 

Super Tenere Launch Report 

2 Adventure Magazine

Contents 

ge Recce 

Adventure Magazine 

3

Issue 4t33n 

What a month we had. The Super Tenere has 

just had its official launch in Swaziland and 

the Cape Adventure Bike Challenge had its 1st 

recce for 2010 in the Rooiberge outside Van 

Wyksdorp. 

The launch looked like it ran smoothly and 

some of the journos who attended are saying 

that its just the best adventure bike currently 

available. Bold statement I think. Ill keep the 

big three shootout a little under the table 

then. 

4 Adventure Magazine 

We head on down to Droomers Yamaha in 

Belville to check what they offer the market. 

We would also like to welcome a new 

Advertiser - Leatt Brace, Have you got 

yours yet? 

I would like you guys to support our 

advertisers because without them, we wont 

be here. 

Till next month! 

Please submit your stories to 

info@adventuremagazine.co.za

Leatt ® 145-10 

2010 Dakar Bike Champion: 

Cyril Despres 

Approved 

Personal Protective Equipment directive 89/686/eec 

(021) 557 7257 | www.leatt-brace.com 

A portion of the sale of every Leatt-Brace® worldwide 

is donated to the Wings for Life Spinal Cord Research 

Foundation. www.wingsforlife.com 

The GPX Club II. The Award Winning 

Original just got better. 


yellow/grey 

red/black 

white/black 

blue/white 

© Leatt Corporation 2010 

145-10 Adventure Mag Ad.indd 1 6/2/10 2:44:26 PM 

5

Featured Gear 

Bmw Enduro GS 3 


R3950-00 

Available at Hamman Motorrad 

www.hammanracing.co.za


7




For more information and sales visit www.hexdiagnostics.co.za or call +27 21 880 1433 


Droomers Yamaha Belville 



11

New Rides 



Droomers Yamaha has been around 

for ages. I remember as a kid, I used 

to run in there and go and look at the 

Yamaha Blasters and Banshee’s. Man 

did things change in the last 15 years 

or so. 

They recently relocated their accessory 

and gear shop to the second 

floor and what a nice store it is. They 

carry most of the gear you could 

ever want and need. From Hydration 

packs to helmets and even socks 

chances are if you need it, they will 

have a product for you. Yamaha has 

really made an impact on the adventure 

market in the last 2 years and 

it shows. Yamaha just launched its 

Super Tenere and I’m sure it won’t be 

long until they have a ride able demo 

available. 

Droomers caters mostly to the road 

and adventure market, but they also 

have a decent marine range with jetski’s 

and power boats. Their workshop 

is obviously also kitted out to serve 

both sides of the industry. 

Why not drop in and check it out for 

yourself. David and his team can’t wait 

to meet you. 

13

New Rides 



15

New Rides 

Super Tenere Launch 

By Dualsportafrica.com 



17

New Rides 

The Route: Swaziland 

To be fair to a motorcycle of this stature, a 

route was created to put the big girl through 

her paces without being too difficult for the 

group of 20 plus media journalists. 

Starting in Ermelo, Mpumalanga, NE South 

Africa, we headed East along gravel service 

roads adjacent to the railway line running out 

of town. The road was laden with loose quarry 

stone, thick powdery dust and deep concrete 

storm water culverts, which, if you weren’t 

paying attention had a tendency to drop you 

in and then rocket you skyward out the other 

side! 

Into Swaziland, the gravel roads were in good 

condition in some places, but descending 

down the valley to our overnight stop, we encountered 

steep and very loose gravel, tight 

corners and cattle - the Super Ténéré got it a 

chance to show us how well the Unified Braking 

System and Traction Control really work. 

On the second day we made our way North 

out of Swaziland and into the lush forests of 

Mpumalanga in the Barberton region. A well 

placed water truck wetting the dusty roads 

gave me the opportunity to push the traction 

control to the max in the slippery wet clay. 

Along the various tarred sections of the 

680km, we were able to open up the 1199cc 

V-Twin motor and experience the delight of 


rapid acceleration in “Sport Mode” and the 

smooth top end of around 219km per hour. 

A special thanks to Adrian Bac (Red Cherry 

Advertising) and Jan Du Toit (Country Trax) 

for creating this fantastic route. 

Traction Control 

The REVOLUTION has begun..... the days of 

having to switch off the traction control and 

ABS systems when you hit the dirt are officially 

over. The XT1200Z Super Ténéré has 

the most advanced technology available on 

a commercial Dualsport motorcycle today. 

The True Test: Imagine freshly wet hard 

packed clay roads - as slippery as it gets. 

We passed a water truck along the way, 

wetting the forest roads - needless to say I 

have never ridden in such slippery conditions. 

The traction control has two settings - Default 

Mode 1 (Most traction) Mode 2 (Moderate 

traction but a little bit of wheel spin) and 

OFF Mode. 

With the Traction Control set on Default 

Mode 1 (Most Traction), it was nearly impossible 

to get the rear wheel to spin even in 

the wet clay. The acceleration is smooth and 

there is no engine spluttering. It feels like 

the clutch is slipping as the bike accelerates 

smoothly forward. 

With the Traction Control set on Mode 2 

(Moderate Traction) the back-end was a 

little loose, but the bike behaved incredibly


19


well on the slippery surface and always still 

accelerated with very slight wiggling. 

With the Traction Control switched to OFF 

MODE - the bike began to behave like its other 

1200cc and 990cc competitors would on an 

ice rink - almost putting me down in the mud. 

There is no doubt some riders will prefer to 

ride with the bike in OFF MODE all the time, 

allowing for drifting and wheel spinning, but 

if you need to get the bike under control 

in adverse conditions, or you are a novice 

Dualsport Rider, the technology won’t let you 

down - or put you down. 

What does Yamaha D-Mode do? - (Drive- 

Mode) 

The NON technical explanation is that it gives 

the rider a choice to manage the (Engine 

Mapping) power output in accordance to the 

terrain being ridden. 

Example: 

On the XT1200Z Super Ténéré, the Sport Mode 

will give you quicker acceleration on the tar, 

but maybe too powerful for a technical rocky 

river crossing. The fuel consumption is also 

greater in S-Mode. 

Touring Mode will be noticeable more docile, 

but will be better to handle in loose sections 

and wet conditions - fuel consumption is 

improved in T Mode and you will lose a bit of 

top end as well. 

So for road riding, short day rides where fuel 

economy is not an issue you would want to 

use S mode and Traction Control mode 1 or 

Mode 2. 

For Gravel sections and tricky loose or rocky 

sections you would want to use T Mode and 

Traction Control Mode 1 

If you are more experienced and like to ride 

like a hooligan, then switch the Traction 

Control ,to Mode 2 or OFF Mode and the power 

to S Mode - for a more, OLD SCHOOL type of 

riding. 

Seat Height and Comfort: 

With Adjustable 845-870 mm – which is even 

lower than the XT660Z Ténéré, allowing for a 

much wider range of riders - Yamaha hit the 

nail on the head with this important feature. It 

keeps the centre of gravity lower as well. The 

broad seat is superbly comfortable and has 

a stippled texture for bum grip so you don’t 

slide around. 

Wind Protection: 

The standard wind shield is more than adequate 

due to the fact that it can be adjusted 

to two positions and the added low seat 

position. Higher screens are available if you 

are an exceptionally tall rider. 

Fuel Economy: 

Depending on the mode you’re riding in, Sport 

Mode or Touring Mode - your economy will 

range between 18km and 21km per litre. If you 

prefer to ride with traction control in OFF 

Mode and D-Mode set to Sport - then in loose 

conditions with the rear wheel spinning you 

can expect as low as 16km per litre. The top 

left reading on the dashboard will indicate 

litres per hundred kilometres. 


21



23

Off Road Handling: 

At no stage during the nearly 700km trip 

did I feel the bike was anything heavier than 

Here is a bold statement - “The XT1200Z 180km. As previously mentioned, it feels very 

Super Ténéré has off road handling that is, much like a XT660Z in the dirt, obviously with 

without a doubt, ahead of any of its competi- more grunt. On tar the Super Ténéré feels 

tion - 800cc, 990cc and 1200cc alike - The like a big sport bike, but not a heavy one 

Super Ténéré wins hands down.” 

that’s for sure. The side mounted radiator is 

Changing the combinations of D-Mode in equally balanced out with the bike battery and 

T-Touring and S-Sport mode and the TCS electronics on the opposite side. 

mode between Mode 1, Mode 2 and OFF Mode You can put the bike down on its side and 

gives the rider the choice of just how much 

power, how much wheel spin and how much 

easily pick it up on your own. 

fun you want to have. Throw in fully adjustable UBS - Unified Braking System - (ABS Type) 

rebound and damping front and rear suspen- Gone are the days of switching off the ABS... 

sion - and you got an unbeatable Dualsport This is the second and most noticeable part 

motorcycle for experts and beginners! of the riding revolution. Until now if you have 

It feels very much like its younger sister been riding 800cc, 990cc or 1200cc dual 

the XT660Z Ténéré - agile, light, incredible sport motorcycles, you’re probably used to 

suspension and very confidence inspiring. stopping as you hit the gravel, switching off 

the ABS and then proceeding with caution, 

On Road Handling: 

especially on steep loose gravel sections, 

The ability to vary the Fuel Mapping with right? 

YCC-T- Yamaha Chip-Controlled Throttle One would think that a bike weighing 261kg 

system - allows for smooth, gutsy sport and having 81kw would be a bitch to handle 

handling and instant response acceleration, in the rough but Yamaha has changed the 

like you would expect from a Sport bike. The course of riding history with the XT1200Z 

low centre of gravity permits riders to throw Super Ténéré. 

the bike around as if on a race track. With The UBS works off road and on road - pe- 

the standard fitted dual sport tyres you can riod!!! -subject closedexpect 

super smooth handling well in excess According to the load and the speed you’re 

of 200km/hour. The max speed attained by travelling, the rotation speed sensors in the 

me personally was 219km/hour on a flat tar front and rear wheels on the Super Ténéré 

road. 

will intelligently utilise the braking to ensure 

safe stopping on ALL surfaces. 

Bike Weight - can you feel its weight? (261kg 

wet) 


When the ABS computer detects a wheel

locking tendency, it sends signals to an 

infinitely variable hydraulic pressure unit 

that modulates braking pressure smoothly to 

avoid wheel lock-up. In this way, it often takes 

action before a slide even begins, to deliver 

smooth, controlled, confident stopping power. 

If you grab a hand full of front brake in the 

loose gravel or wet, the rear is activated 

first and then the front, unifying both wheels 

together. 

If you stand on the rear brake first, then its 

activated independently and will even allow 

a little slide - but still stop you rapidly even 

on steep loose gravel. So you NEVER get that 

“Run Away Train” feeling. 

Of course some riders are going to moan 

about the lack of an OFF SWITCH for the UBS, 

but once you’ve ridden with it, there is no 

reason to want to switch it off - maybe that’s 

why Yamaha allowed a little slide, just to 

please the hard core riders :) 


25



27

This year’s first recce takes 

place on the Rooiberge outside 

Van Wyksdorp located in the 

Klein Karoo on a game farm 

called Rooiberg. 

When we were asked by the 

organisers (Motorrad Adventures) 

to join them on a recce 

out in the field we jumped at it. 

Not knowing what to expect, we 

were quickly put to ease. We 

were assured to not worry about 

a thing and that’s exactly what 

happened. We left Worcester on 

Friday morning, making our way 

through Barrydale and heading 

towards Van Wyksdorp via the 

R62. We turned right onto the 

gravel road and reached Rooiberg 

Lodge after about 90km 

or so. We were greeted by the 

hosts and quickly showed our 

chalets. Heading off to supper 

where we were served some 

lovely curry and minus some 

onions for a few of our companions. 

Saturday morning, we were 

quickly recruited to go and sample 

the red route. Things started 

really slow with me hopping on 

the KTM990, but soon found 

out that the Pirelli Scorpion rear 

just did not have enough grip 


to tractor up the mountain. I 

headed back down again and 

hopped on my back up Yamaha 

WR450- really, the best tool for 

the job. Boris on the BMW GS 

Adventure in front of me coped 

really well with the terrain and 

showed some great skill negotiating 

the rocks and boulders. 

I caught up to the group 

quickly and we started following 

the 35km mountain trail. 

There sure are some great 

views up here, I though as I 

just casually followed the trail. 

This is definitely a great route 

for the guys who want a little 

more of a challenge than just a 

dirt road with a few interesting 

bits. Little did I know that few 

kilometres down the line things 

were going to get really interesting. 

With Chris Hamman out in 

front and Boris having dropped 

the GS Adventure a couple of 

times, I could see, this is no 

Mickey Mouse trail. We headed 

down the down slope of the 

mountain. At first it started 

out a zigzag, nice and slow 

but then it got a little more 

interesting with some more 

challenging bits. Nevertheless, 

if you possess the skills


29

and know you and your bikes 

capabilities, you will seriously 

love this trail. After we came 

down the mountain, we turned 

into what I’d like to call a little 

bit of bundu-bashing with some 

awesome mini obstacles. We 

rode through some interesting 

river beds which will probably be 

even better after the winter. 

We headed back after I found 

myself in a thorn bush, whining 

like girl, according to our pack 

leader. I must say, I would have 

probably still been there if Hennie 

did not help me up out from 

underneath the bike. A couple 

of moments later, he too found 

himself in a thorn bush with 

some thorns staying behind. 

Heal soon mate! 

Our Steaks and Boerewors supper 

was out of this world, with 

some awesome Irish coffee’s 

making our tummies warm and 

eventually putting us to bed. 

This year’s CABC really should 

not be missed by anyone. The 

Green and Orange route will be 

very scenic and well organised. 

For more info and even more 

pictures, check out www.cabc. 

co.za 



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Super Tenere Launch Report Droomers Yamaha Feature

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