The Champers Test Ride: 2014 Yamaha Super Tenere ES

By Paul Fenn

Contributing Editor

Whether to comply with an increasingly adventurous public demand or just to show off new engineering prowess, the rethought, refined and allegedly re-grunted 2014 Super Tenere ES, Yamaha’s 1199cc ADV mother ship has loads to declare.

Shredding my inhibitions

Let’s first just get this out of the way: I love so much and dislike so little about this machine. First, it is fuck-right-off fast. Yet its engine is as content idling along as it is spitting out buck-naked fury in one’s time of need. It’s an engine utterly lacking in unbecoming surprises – except maybe when you open the throttle all the way in first gear; the inaugural time I did this, having already fully released the clutch, I was provided an acute awareness of my head’s inertial tendencies, assumed hand strength and general level of wakefulness, while gleefully soaking up the primal sensations that come with one’s back tire spinning angrily over dry, clean macadam.

Eschewing the wheelie

I didn’t manage to raise the front tire skyward, nor did I try (all that hard), for I am a family man of unexceptional two-wheel talent and did not wish to smite my head and body upon the hardened surfaces of Northern Ontario, where most of the testing occurred.

Oooh baby I love your ways

The Super Tenere ES I was loaned for three days by Yamaha had a serious case of multiple personality disorder. And I liked every one of them. Care to ooze quietly along a busy high street? Done without protest. Need quick refuge from a bitter tangle of caged assholes? Piece o’ cake. Like to wind it out on a long straightaway and witness bugs silently painting themselves onto your windshield – really feel your nose hairs flapping? Fill your boots. Want to come around a sweeping gravel bend and lay down a snarler of a 200-foot divot. Say no more. The Super Tenere is compliant with all tendencies – milquetoast to outlaw.

Speaking of tendencies

The Super Tenere ES remained reassuringly grounded and confident over everything I rode it on, namely: Toronto’s post-apocalyptic roads (Dufferin, Eglinton ); rutty old pavement that normally throws me off balance while at low speeds (Bloor St W); maniac-infused highways (the 401 & 404); twisty country tar (around Haliburton); and both straight and bendy gravel roads. Without reservation, I declare the bike made me a more-self-assured rider (excluding the few mudholes I drove it into on a forested ATV track, where things got squirrelly – but then it was shod in 90/10 Battle Wings, so all is forgiven).

Parallel V-twin

The Super Tenere’s engine sounds, idles and initially accelerates like a big V-twin – that chukka-chukka-chukka vibe. You’d swear it is a V-twin till you squat down for a peek at its exposed undercarriage and see that it is unmistakably a parallel twin. Why is it so different to, say, the smooth running idle of my BMW F800GS’s parallel twin? Well, it's the 270-degree crankshaft, which has an uneven firing order (270 & 450 degrees) and thus, claims Yamaha, the bike offers superior traction and throttle control. Hard to argue with any of that.

There were some moments

On my initial sit-down, starting it up and hearing the engine at idle, I had no idea what kind of fun or trouble might be bottled up below me. It all sounded so contained, constrained. Heading out of the Yamaha driveway into my first corner, I leaned in as I would on my GS and the bike kept going straight – until I remembered to countersteer just before arriving at harm’s gate. It was a shock, but I’m adaptable and got used to that characteristic in minutes. In the end, nothing about the Super Tenere would resemble the BMW experience to which I’ve become accustomed.

Very little to bitch about

The hyper-adjustable front & rear suspension setup is fabulous; even the Soft setting felt quite game and sporty. The engine’s power and torque curves are close to perfect; sudden throttle twists from very low revs did not snap my head off, but I soon learned to keep revs higher than I’m used to on the GS in order to facilitate fast getaways. The engine and six-speed transmission allowed ultra-quick, un-clunky shifts that always took me there post haste.

__Well shafted __

The shaft drive was a little bit clunky at low speeds, but some subtler throttle work seemed mostly to sort that out. The fact of no chain maintenance is extremely uplifting. Although I suppose one would spend less time looking for things amiss when down there doing your regular chain care.

Seeing and being seen well

The stock lighting arrangement delivers fine visibility for, and of, the rider, with always-lit front turn signals offering six individual bits of light to alert life forms ahead, whether on low or high beam. The taillight is split into two separate blocks of candlepower-billowing red LED.

Seat of pants in good order

Seating position is nice and upright. I could choose between a yogically correct arched spine or slouch it on right down into a me-so-bad Harley stance. The seat gave me about 1.5 hours’ riding time before I remembered I had a rear end. That makes it twice as comfy as my stock GS seat, which has been compared to a cinderblock with a layer of Saran Wrap around it. Flat-footing my 32-inch-long legs was notably easier than on my GS, and I never checked which of two available height settings I had it on.

Respectable windage

The adjustable windscreen, which I kept at full height, managed the highway air admirably well, up to 160kph, although not to the point of zero turbulence. At six feet, with the abovementioned 32-inch inseam, I am all trunk, and therefore did receive some head buffeting, but not to the point of irritation – nor was my helmet visor wearing many creatures at the end of a day’s countryside ride.

Philosophy declared

I have to confess to an old-school mentality about gadgets. To me, the move to electronic suspension, linked braking control, throttle modes and all the rest is just a bit of bread and circus to pump up the final invoice. I’d not normally spring for fully loaded. But there was a certain utility to some of the electronics here. The unified brakes, I’ll admit, were pretty good. The ABS worked well on smooth or choppy pavement, gravel and dirt – no surprise 80% reduction in stopping power just when you need it most, as is the case with my GS and its vintage 2009 ABS setup. But I could not work out how to turn the ABS off and thus did not enjoy a single rear-brake skid all weekend. Hey Yamaha, give the beast an ABS on/off switch – a man’s gotta slide.

Traction control off

Early into the test ride, I got in the habit of turning off the traction control; it seemed unneeded. Then again, it might come in handy in slippy offroad moments, especially for a newbie trying to wrestle the beast through dangers.

Sporting wood

As for the two driving modes, Touring or Sport, I tried both, then just left it in Sport – which lived up to the word. I mean, it’s not like we’re ponying around with 200hp here. Speaking of which, what is the horsepower of a Super Tenere ES? Yamaha’s peeps told me they don't publish it. Asked why, they grinned sheepishly and politely changed the subject. Having ridden a few 1200GSs myself, I would say this bike has nothing to feel shy about when it comes to this most personal and revealing of measurements. More recent research put it in the 108hp range, with 84.2 ft-lbs of torque @6,000rpm (not sure if that’s at the rear wheel though). Admittedly, this does not compare well to, say, a KTM 1190 Adventure’s140 horses, alas, those bikes are intended for deranged people (yes, we’re trying to get one to review).

One final, most impressive, detail

I detected no engine heat. Ever, at all, on any part of me. That alone is an engineering marvel. That alone makes this bike downright superb – especially for the offroader who likes to break a sweat.

The Lowdown

Loves

Power. Plenty of it, all the time. Even more wouldn’t hurt though, would it?

Brakes. Excellent, effortless to apply, and no nasty surprises. But the bike needs an easy-access ABS switch.

Lights. Outstanding. They even light up far-ahead signage in broad daylight.

Handling. Solid, reassuring and predictable, once you take a moment to get used to its unique turning characteristics.

Cruise control. Purrfect. Speed is locked in, up and downhill. Set it and forget it.

Feel. Not only not at all topheavy, but very lithe and easygoing to ride in any mode from cruising to racing. The only time I noticed its 584 wet pounds was turning around in a mudpuddle after realizing I’d bitten off more trail than I could chew with Battle Wings. It was hard to rock and roll it backward, but I managed.

Heat. There is none, but from the sun and thee.

Likes

Seat. Pretty damn good; maybe not the best on earth for a long trip. But what seat is?

Wheels. Good-looking, burly DID rims should hold up well through rocky, rooty terrain. Would like to ride this bike equipped with knobbies on some trails though, to really know it.

Shaft-drive. Though mine had low-speed slop, it became smooth and refined once you hit second and beyond, and like any good shaft drive it requires zero owner attention.

Screen. Mine was adjusted to full height. At 6 ft with a 32-inch inseam, I found the buffeting tolerable; wind noise was minimal enough to forego earplugs up to around 100 km/h.

Pillion seat. Pillion kept her peace.

Could be better

Exhaust note. Perfect for the low profiler with twitchy neighbours. Perhaps too modest for the urban rider who likes to let the car-texters, blindspot non-checkers and ear-bud rights activists know he/she exists.

Throttle. It can be jumpy over distressed terrain, washboard, etc., but I learned how to calm it by steadying my palm on the bush guard and throttle simultaneously. The throttle tube itself jiggled around somewhat annoyingly.

Gear display. This was the only real confounding thing: Why not show me what gear I’m in at all times, though neutral always showed, instead of only after I’ve let the clutch out fully?

Shifter. I like to rock my foot on the peg to shift up and down. This bike required me to lift my lazy leg to downshift.

Touring mode. Might be useful in deep, slow mud when weary of over-gunning, but otherwise a buzzkill.

Beer tap. It worked fine, but the beer tended to warm up by around 3pm. (Sadly, there’s no beer tap. Maybe next year.)

Many thanks to Yamaha for providing the Super Tenere ES to ESR. Please note that the company neither reviewed nor approved this article.