Driving report: Yamaha XT 1200 Z Super Tenere

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Driving report: Yamaha XT 1200 Z Super Tenere
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Driving report: Yamaha XT 1200 Z Super Tenere

Driving report: Yamaha XT 1200 Z Super Tenere

Driving report: Yamaha XT 1200 Z Super Tenere

Driving report: Yamaha XT 1200 Z Super Tenere

23 photos

Driving report: Yamaha XT 1200 Z Super Tenere
Yamaha

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The wheel speed sensors for ABS and traction control receive their signals from radially mounted rings.

Driving report: Yamaha XT 1200 Z Super Tenere
Yamaha

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In the cockpit of the Super Tenere, numerous indicator lights and displays are gathered in a very small space.

Driving report: Yamaha XT 1200 Z Super Tenere
Yamaha

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The stainless steel exhaust manifolds open into a large oval silencer made of plain steel with an aluminum cap.

Driving report: Yamaha XT 1200 Z Super Tenere
Yamaha

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The exhaust gases are blown down to prevent the case from sooting.

Driving report: Yamaha XT 1200 Z Super Tenere
Yamaha

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The battery, important electronic components and on-board tools can be found under the right-hand side panel.

Driving report: Yamaha XT 1200 Z Super Tenere
Yamaha

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Air baffles concentrate the oncoming wind in the middle before it flows through the radiator on the left.

Driving report: Yamaha XT 1200 Z Super Tenere
Yamaha

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Blue has been the traditional Tenere color since the rally machines sponsored by Gauloises, and metallic silver is also available.

Driving report: Yamaha XT 1200 Z Super Tenere
Yamaha

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Long swing arm, compact rear axle drive. The cardan drive comes
without torque support.

Driving report: Yamaha XT 1200 Z Super Tenere
Yamaha

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The travel enduro is powered by a two-cylinder in-line engine with 110 hp.

Driving report: Yamaha XT 1200 Z Super Tenere
Yamaha

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The Super Tenere is equipped with a case system, engine protection and protective goggles for the headlight lenses.

Driving report: Yamaha XT 1200 Z Super Tenere
Yamaha

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… compression and rebound are also adjustable.

Driving report: Yamaha XT 1200 Z Super Tenere
Yamaha

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The height of the windshield is adjustable, a higher window is available at an additional cost.

Driving report: Yamaha XT 1200 Z Super Tenere
Yamaha

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The Super Tenere should weigh 261 kilograms when ready to drive.

Driving report: Yamaha XT 1200 Z Super Tenere
Yamaha

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The Yamaha Super Tenere makes its debut as a special model "First edition".

Driving report: Yamaha XT 1200 Z Super Tenere
Yamaha

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… are part of the special model "First edition".

Driving report: Yamaha XT 1200 Z Super Tenere
Yamaha

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The price: 14,750 euros plus additional costs.

Driving report: Yamaha XT 1200 Z Super Tenere
Yamaha

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Motor protection and …

Driving report: Yamaha XT 1200 Z Super Tenere
Yamaha

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The exhaust runs from the right through the swing arm up to the left.

Driving report: Yamaha XT 1200 Z Super Tenere
Yamaha

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The concept is the same as that of the TDM 900 engine, but the 1200 has been completely redesigned.

Driving report: Yamaha XT 1200 Z Super Tenere
Yamaha

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… the case system …

Driving report: Yamaha XT 1200 Z Super Tenere
Yamaha

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The spring preload can be varied using the handwheel …

Driving report: Yamaha XT 1200 Z Super Tenere
Yamaha

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The Super Tenere rolls on elastic wire-spoke wheels with tubeless tires. Wave brake discs save weight.

Driving report: Yamaha XT 1200 Z Super Tenere
Yamaha

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Pipes, cast and sheet metal parts made of steel were welded to form a purely functional frame.

Driving report: Yamaha Super Tenere

The new Yamaha XT 1200 Z Super Tenere

The deserts have become unsafe, the Dakar no longer takes place in Africa. But a myth has risen again: the legendary Yamaha Super Tenere.

Super Tenere – this name aroused associations, meant desert, Africa, adventure. He stood for six victories for Stephane Peterhansel in the Paris-Dakar rally. But above all for the domesticated offshoot of his two-cylinder rally machine, the Yamaha Super Tenere. But the memories are fading. The desert ride is now taking place in South America, the Frenchman has long since switched to cars and the travel enduro has become part of the model’s history. At the end of 1996, Yamaha took the 750 out of its range.

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Driving report: Yamaha XT 1200 Z Super Tenere

Driving report: Yamaha Super Tenere
The new Yamaha XT 1200 Z Super Tenere

With this engine, Yamaha moved away from the long-standing trademark, the five-valve cylinder head, with another model. The two overhead camshafts only actuate four valves per cylinder.

Important technical fundamental decisions, which nevertheless have a hard time moving into consciousness against the grandiose backdrop of the western Pyrenees and especially against its hundreds of smallest, narrowest and most winding streets. Course on Pau, Lourdes and Pamplona, ​​course on curves, curves, curves!


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The 1200 twin hangs on the gas as soft as butter.

And already with the throttle between the first turns, it is noticeable how smoothly the two-cylinder starts. If you want to, you can let the fat twin off the leash under 2000 revolutions. It is amazing how this unit manages to pull up from such low revs without chopping or jerking. This character may arise partly from the aforementioned irregular firing order and the record-breaking stroke of 79.5 millimeters, but partly from the generous use of the centrifugal masses of the crankshaft and the two balance shafts. Because the brisk increase in speed and lively thrust are not the thing of the 110 hp Yamaha twin. Harmony is his credo. Like a paternoster, the power curve works its way up to the rev limiter at 7800 rpm. Reliable, incessant, without surprises.

This can be perceived as having little experience – or as stress-free. The product planners of the Super Tenere obviously wrote down precisely the latter aspect on their notepad: STRESS-FREE. This requirement shapes the character of the Yamaha in every situation. Switch? Stress-free. The six-speed gearbox is currently one of the lightest and most precise shiftable motorcycle gearboxes. Sitting position? Stress-free. Everything fits. Not even the lack of adjustment of the handlebar is missed. The open knee angle and above all a first-class padded and shaped seat cushion are completely convincing. In addition, the seat height can be reduced from 870 to 845 millimeters by simply repositioning a plastic template. With short legs, there is also a 35 millimeter padded version from the original accessories range.

Still no straight line far and wide. Open the gas, close the gas, turn in, fold down. Incessantly. Not always fun with modern machines. But the alliance of ride-by-wire and lean engine tuning, which is so often unholy at the apex of the bend, does not challenge the Yamaha. The Tenere picks up the gas gently and is easy to control, pulling like a line out of the turns. It actually encourages the pilot to spice up the good-natured performance with the sport mode (standard: touring), which is a tad more aggressive. Especially since the tires intervene supportively. The narrow dimensions of the Bridgestone Battle Wing 501/502 with 150/70 R 17 at the rear and 110/80 R 19 at the front give the Yamaha a good dose of maneuverability with plenty of grip and minimal tilt when braking in an inclined position.


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The perfect wave? No trampling, no hitting, no maintenance – the non-reactive cardan drive.

You should too. With a full tank of 261 kilograms specified by the factory, the Super Tenere waves through the curves with a clearly noticeable layer of fat on the ribs. For comparison: The MOTORRAD scale on the BMW R 1200 GS shows 246, and on the Ducati Multistrada it is only 234 kilograms. A small consolation: With a tank capacity of 23 liters, the Yamaha bunkers three liters more fuel than the competition.

We’re going up, it’s getting cool. Even the road seems to be contracting, getting narrower and more bumpy. Weight can also be a benefit. The appealing upside-down fork and the comfortably tuned shock absorber absorb the short, hard waves like a sponge. This term comes to mind again: stress-free.

While we’re at it. The chain maintenance issue has also been dealt with. Better still: the cardan drive, which does not require any torque support, only stands out for one thing: its inconspicuousness. No clacking when the load changes, no reactions when accelerating – blind tasters would expect a chain drive. Top.

Not too euphoric. Gas off, the French-Spanish border. No customs officer far and wide. All right, gas. It goes down into the valley. It is still bumpy, and small rivulets of gravel and sand occasionally wash across the road. Watch out. Okay, ABS is on board anyway, as is a composite brake. Most of the time there is no sign of either. Outside the control range – i.e. in 99 percent of all delays – one finger on the hand lever is sufficient. It operates the front and rear brakes at the same time, braking the Tenere with ease. However, when things get tight, parforce braking requires the power of the whole hand. On the other hand, the ABS regulates pleasantly late, showing its commitment in the pulsating hand lever just before it comes to a standstill. By the way: stepping on the foot brake lever only delays the rear brake, thus preventing any influence on the front section when braking adaptively in the tight bends.

A gravel road turns, no prohibition sign. The traction control remains inconspicuous on asphalt, even in the more sensitive of the two levels only intervenes in the case of hard acceleration over said rivulets – as is otherwise the case. And now? On the smooth off-road track, level 1 is enough without any problems, level 2 allows already daring drifts to completely switch off the slip control, which is superfluous with this sporty, liberal regulation. Especially since it is surprising how nimble the big enduro can be beaten through the terrain in view of its pounds and dimensions, despite the soft suspension only cuts through on wild edges. No more, the road crosses. The asphalt has us again. It leads straight to Pamplona.

Time to calculate. The so-called First Edition of the Super Tenere der Moderne (with side cases and aluminum engine protection) costs 14,750 euros and is in the middle between a similarly equipped Honda Varadero (13,200 euros) and a BMW R 1200 GS (16,400 euros). And the Super Tenere cannot and does not want to be either a piece of sports equipment or an adventure bike. It is first and foremost one thing: a touring machine – and definitely a stress-free one.

Technical specifications


Manufacturer

Hidden: The one-piece radiator (left), battery, electronics and tools (right) are located behind the panel. Tubeless tires despite spokes.

Engine:
Water-cooled two-cylinder four-stroke in-line engine, two balance shafts, two overhead, chain-driven camshafts, four valves per cylinder, bucket tappets, dry sump lubrication, regulated catalytic converter, alternator, 12 V battery, hydraulically operated multi-plate oil bath clutch, six-speed gearbox, cardan.
Bore x stroke 98.0 x 79.5 mm
Displacement 1199 cc
rated capacity 80.9 kW (110 hp) at 7250 rpm
Max. Torque 114 Nm at 6000 rpm

Landing gear:
Bridge frame made of steel, upside-down fork, Ø 43 mm, adjustable spring base, rebound and compression damping, two-arm swing arm made of aluminum, central spring strut with lever system, adjustable spring base, rebound and compression damping, double disc brake at the front, Ø 310 mm, four-piston fixed calipers, disc brake rear, Ø 282 mm, two-piston fixed calliper, compound brake, ABS, electronic slip control.
Spoked wheels with aluminum rims 2.50 x 19; 4.00 x 17
110/80 R 19 tires; 150/70 R 17

Mass and weight:
Wheelbase 1540 mm, steering head angle 62.0 degrees, caster 125 mm, spring travel f / r 190/190 mm, seat height 845-870 mm, tank capacity 23.0 liters.
guarantee two years
Colours Blue, silver
price 14750 euros

Noticed

positive

  • First class seating comfort
  • Engine extremely elastic
  • Very comfortable suspension
  • Large range with a 23 liter tank
  • Cardan drive maintenance-free and reaction-free

negative

  • Weight was handsome
  • Handling a bit sluggish
  • Wind protection could be more effective
  • Rust-prone steel silencer

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