Trail – Test XT1200ZE Super Tenere: Yamaha on the right track! – MNC technical update on the XT1200ZE Super T

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XT1200ZE Super Tenere test: Yamaha on the right track !

Trail - Test XT1200ZE Super Tenere: Yamaha on the right track! - MNC technical update on the XT1200ZE Super T

Improving a well-born motorcycle is not easy: too many modifications, and its fine balance is sometimes upset. Not enough, and the evolution is not progressing … But with its new XT1200ZE Super Tenere 2014, Yamaha is doing brilliantly.. Test.

MNC technical update on the XT1200ZE Super T

At the mechanical level, the Super Tenere does not undergo any major transformation: the engine remains faithful to its in-line twin-cylinder type architecture set at 270 °, with double overhead camshaft to actuate its eight valves..

Engine: great evolutions

It is cooled by a liquid circuit and two radiators, placed on each side of the block to contain its total length. Typed "super square" (98mm bore and 79.5mm stroke), this enduring engine is compressed to 11: 1. It is mated to a six-speed gearbox itself connected to a multi-plate clutch in an oil bath whose smoothness was improved in 2014 via a new shock absorber..

The final transmission is done by shaft and cardan, an almost obligatory characteristic in the category. This gimbal also introduces a more progressive shock absorber on this 2014 vintage, in order to improve the transparency of the transmission and fight against "lift" phenomena..

The power goes from 110 to 112 hp at identical speed (7250 rpm) thanks to the enlargement of the intake and exhaust ports as well as the use of lighter camshafts. The new segments used in 2014 also participate in this small improvement, which does not extend to the torque: the maximum value remains 117 Nm at 6000 rpm as in 2013.

Finally, the exhaust system has been optimized for both mechanical and sound enjoyment. Latest modifications: the two maps involved in the behavior of the injection have been completely re-configured. The "T" (Touring) mode is smoother and smoother than on the previous model, while the "S" (Sport) mapping offers a significantly sharper response to the slightest rotation of the electronic ride-by-wire accelerator.

Cycle part: versatility via electronics

The steel tube beam frame retains the same geometric values ​​as when it was released in 2010: 1540 mm of wheelbase, 28 ° of frame angle and 126 mm of frame. The same goes for the braking system, consisting of a 310 mm double petal disc bitten by 4-piston calipers at the front and a single 282 mm disc clamped by a 2-piston caliper at the rear.

To promote maneuverability, the width of the tires mounted on the spoked rims is contained (110 mm at the front and 150 mm at the rear), while the larger diameter of the front wheel is appreciated without asphalt (19 against 17 inches at the back). To reduce vibrations, the upper triple clamp and the saddles of the new tapered aluminum handlebar have been redesigned.

The most important modification released on this "ZE" version is the use of piloted suspensions. Identical in substance and in form to the device discovered on the, this system allows the adjustment of the 43 mm inverted fork and of the mono-shock absorber via small stepper motors controlled from the handlebars..

Using a specific menu in the instrumentation – and when stationary only -, it is first of all possible to set the preload of the rear spring in four positions: "pilot alone", "pilot alone with luggage", "pilot + passenger" or "pilot + passenger + luggage".

The mechanism then proposes to intervene on the rebound and compression in order to choose – when stationary or while driving – between "soft", "standard" or "hard" damping. Note that the system does not change the settings automatically and in real time, as do the so-called "semi-active" devices installed on the new BMW R1200GS, R1200RT and S1000RR HP4, the Ducati Multistrada 1200 or even the Aprilia Caponord 1200.

On the other hand, the Yamaha offers a subtlety of size: for these three modes, it is possible to fine-tune the factory setting on a hardness scale ranging from -3 to +3. With a flick on the left stalk (stationary only), the driver can add or remove some "clicks" on the trigger and preload. In total, the system offers no less than 84 possible combinations !

Very efficient, these piloted suspensions fish only by moderately simple navigation through their menus, a feeling reinforced by the enormous choice offered. What is more, certain combinations "cross": MNC for example detected no difference in behavior between the "Standard" mode set to the lowest (-3) and the "Soft" mode set to the highest (+3).

Finally, these electronic "chips" participate – with the installation of an adjustable windshield, among others – in the overweight of the XT1200ZE Super Tenere: the Yamaha is announced at 265 kg all full, or 4 more than the 2013 model in standard version.

Electronics, piloting aids

Like the previous vintage, the 2014 Super Tenere has anti-skid protection. This Traction Control System (TCS) acts on the ignition advance and / or injection in the event of a difference between the speed of rotation of the front and rear wheel.

It can be configured in two more or less interventionist positions (1 and 2) or can be disconnected, via a push button installed on the left of the instrumentation. A cruise control is now part of the standard equipment. Activated via the left stalk switch, this system operates in 3rd, 4th and 5th gears, between 50 and 180 km / h.

By pressing the "+" or "-" buttons, the speed can be set in steps of 2 km / h. Like most devices of this type, it is enough to touch the brakes or the accelerator to deactivate it. Note that triggering the TCS also disengages it.

The Yamaha maxi-trail has also been equipped since its release in 2010 with two injection maps selectable on the handlebars. The "T" mode (Touring), where the power distribution is more progressive, and the "S" mode (Sport) with which the engine character is (clearly!) More sporty.

The choice between the two is made using the "Mode" control located on the right, under the starter / ignition switch. Finally, the bike receives as standard an ABS coupled from the rear to the front called "UBS", which is unfortunately not disengageable. Too bad for excursions off asphalt, where it will not be possible to sit or rotate the motorcycle with the only rear brake…

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