Dirt ad Trail Online Nov 2020

The Yamaha 1200 Super Tenere
Big, bold go anywhere. Of all the bikes in
this lineup, this bike really does feel like the
school bully. It is large with a huge presence
– and there is a sense if indestructability
when you climb aboard…
The venerable XT1200 is the largest in a
series of dual-sport Yamaha motorcycles
named after the Ténéré, a desert region in
the south central Sahara.
Over the years, Yamaha has bumped up the
horsepower year on year. MotoGP tech features
in this engine – a 1199cc liquid-cooled
parallel twin that is just as good at freeway
speeds as it is lugging rider, pillion and luggage,
or tearing along a gravel road in the
Karoo. Performance isn’t ground-breaking
but the engine is really smooth and solid. By
placing the crankshaft closer to the rider and
low in the chassis, while maintaining decent
off-road ground clearance, the crank’s gyro
effect doesn’t intrude on the bike’s steering.
Yamaha’s ECU-servo throttle-injection
system also figures.
Yamaha XTZ1200
In terms of electronic tech, the Super
Ten is still pretty old school, but this will
appeal to riders who don’t want the fuss.
It features multi-mode traction control
system and electronic throttle control
(YCC-T) with programs to support offroad
use, switchable engine mapping,
and combined brakes with ABS.
Power delivery can also be tamed
by switching to Touring mode via a
bar-mounted button. Smoother throttle
response and claimed improved fuel
economy are the result. A wet weight
figure of 261kg puts this bike bigger and
heavier than most of the opposition, but
the he truth is that the Tenere loses any
sensation of bulk when its wheels are
turning.
Yamaha have got the weight distribution
spot on and the only time weight is a
problem is pushing the bike around.
The Super Ténéré is a tall bike, but
thanks to its narrow waist it isn’t as intimidating
as you would expect.
The riding position is typical adventure
bike comfortable and thanks to a
four-position manually-adjustable screen
and brush guards as standard, weather
protection is good.
It’s a genuine all-day comfortable bike.
It has grooved footpegs that, when
seated, give you a cushy peg underfoot.
When you get into more technical
riding and you stand up, the cushioning
compresses under your weight and gives
you more sure footing on the underlying
metal pegs.
Rounding out some of the more stand-out
features, the Super Ténéré comes with
cruise control and dual cat-eye projector
headlights. Those projector headlights really
throw some light for extra brightness
during nighttime rides. It does not boast
a TFT screen, but the digital display is
simple and easy to read.
The Tenere is so stable – well everywhere.
At 160 plus it’s so comfortable rock
steady and can cut an easy swathe
through fast roads and the twisties. At
speed on the pretty crappy gravel we
rode, the bike has great manners and
tears along like a juggernaut.
Interesting fact: Yamaha’s Super Tenere
turned 10 in 2020.
Kurt Says: The Yamaha Super Tenere
is quite dated, and in need of an update,
but remains a very competent all round
motorbike, it is a solid bike, very comfortable.
On dirt it is quite competent, our dirt
route had fairly good surfaces and the
Super Tenere handled everything with
ease, the ABS system cannot be totally
disengaged, but it works phenomenally
well on dirt. I’ve ridden the Super Tenere
on much rougher terrain in previous
years, it coped well.
Donovan Says: The Super Ten was
launched in 2010, got a mild upgrade
in 2014 and here we are six years later.
Since then, fuel mapping as evolved in
such a way that motors are dumping out
bottom-end and midrange at a level that
they have no right to. TFT dashes, modern
connectivity and electronic everything
is at the forefront of adventuring.
And here we have the Super Ten, requiring
an obligatory down-change to summit
previously unregarded hills and weighing
enough to attract its own moon.
By all rights, Yamaha should simply put
it out of its misery, except for a couple of
things – it’s uncannily comfortable and it’s
been around for so long without anything
going wrong with it that we are more likely
to see the demise of celestial bodies
than behold a Super Ten going pop.
If that is what you are after in life, the
Super Ten is a no-brainer.
Debbie Says: Sadly, I did not get to ride
her.
Kyle says: Big, bold, conservative.
It’s one of those bikes that just does
everything well. To me it feels like this is
the most planted of all the bikes in the dirt
roads. Very confidence inspiring…
Glenn says: It’s a big bike and makes no
apologies for that. If I were to undertake
a long cross country trip – in terms of
reliability and sheer comfort, this would
be near the top of the pile. But…
There is no getting away from the fact
that in this company, as good as it is, the
T12 needs an upgrade. There is nothing
wrong with the bike at all, it is big and
fast and comfortable – but modern tech
has made the current crop of adventures
so light and nimble – moving them away
from the old school heavy, solid tourers.
Yamaha just gave us a T7 from the MT07
– how about a T9 from the MT09?
That would be something…
Sean says: I have always had a love
hate relationship with this bike for
some reason. When the original Tenere
launched in SA I was a bit underwhelmed
with the power, overwhelmed by the girth
and weight and I battled with the ergonomics
as well, to the point that I kind of
avoided riding the bike. A couple of years
on, and I figured to be fair I would have a
go on it again.
The power is on point and more like what
you might expect from a 1200cc parallel
twin, especially when you take it out
of ‘Granny mode’. It revs strong off the
bottom, launching you off the line with a
fair amount of gusto and pulls strongly
all the way through to a healthy top end,
not the fastest or most powerful bike of
the day, but definitely no
slouch. As far as weight
and girth are concerned,
there doesn’t seem to
be too much change
there that I could feel.
I do have a hard time
squeezing my long
legs into the sculpting
of the tank, I also
found that the distance
between the seat and
the foot pegs put me
into a strange squat/sit
position that was a bit
uncomfortable over long
distances, but the low
seat height helped over
the technical stuff for the
shorter riders with us on
the day.