Let’s start by saying, without the Super Tenere, S10 for short, that I would have never discovered that I can do both of my favorite things. Go off-grid and ride motorcycles. As it turns out, riding in the dirt is significantly more entertaining to me than pushing yourself on the pavement. Something I never felt comfortable with when I had the Yamaha FZ6. I have quite a history of off-roading Jeeps, so adventure riding has been a great fit. The injuries tend to be a lot more mild too than road riding. Except that low-side while riding street tires through deep mud at Roll the Bones 8 a month ago. The knot on my shin is a constant reminder that I should wear proper pants and get some nobbies.
The S10 has rider comfort. Kristen and I rode it down to Fredericksburg, TX and back. Over 700 miles. The touring through the Texas wine country should be on every rider’s radar if it is not already. Our favorite morning was the ride from our AirBnb north to Enchanted Rock. A thirty minute ride, nice and early because the park closes when they run out of parking. We were met with this light fog, slightly overcast and cool empty roads. The journey up through the hills was just incredible. I love that feeling you get when you pull up to a place and are the only one on a bike, people just want to know about your adventure. Meeting strangers is one of my favorite experiences, I suck at it and only want to get better initiating those conversations.
Rider comfort like I said, is good on the S10. If you want to keep the wind off the beak of your helmet you will need a larger windshield. I never thought I would need cruise control, and then I did a long trip. The ‘14+ S10’s come with it standard I believe. The stock driver seat leans forward slightly in the higher and lower position settings, which is tiresome after an hour of riding. Wind protection on a scale from 1 to 10, ten being the best is about 5 (stock setup). With a new windshield the best you are going to get is a six or seven. I ran a nice Givi for a while until I broke it on the trail. There are other additions you can do for better protection, but be mindful, a good drop in the dirt could break it. The double edged sword again is the bolted windshield. On the trail you are going to want the airflow, whereas on the road you aren’t. Especially summer riding in Texas. The dust combined with heat and sweat will “season” every inch of you. The only relief you are going to get is that breeze and some shade when you pull over for a break. Again the ’14+ S10’s have a means for adjusting windshield height on the fly.
Weight. This is one of those topics everyone has an opinion about. The BMW carries the weight low! The S10 and the Tiger carry it high! It’s true. In the end though the rider learns to deal with it, I honestly rank the weight characteristics of a bike lower on the list than wind protection. Why? At Roll the Bones 8, I rode my S10 just as hard as a R1200 GS, Tiger and KTM 1190. On stock tires no less. Managing the weight of your bike is just the product of confidence and experience. I know the S10, and ride it everyday, therefore I am comfortable throwing it around and even dropping it. In the dirt I found that the S10 has to be ridden in sport mode. The throttle mapping in touring mode is just not snappy enough for getting through turns and out of soft situations. I opted for the second traction control setting (TC2) and sometimes even turning it off. Though power cycling the bike resets all the traction control settings. You don’t think that would be an issue, but then you forget to set something back to how you had it after taking a break on the trail and the next leg of riding is now more difficult. Where the weight starts to show is on the rocks when you go slow. Again, this is mostly a problem with confidence. Once you run a line a few times, and remember to switch the S10 into sport mode, it’s not nearly as bad.
Coming back from the Fredericksburg trip, Kristen and I had added six bottles of wine on top of our other gear. Well we actually had the wine secured in the panniers down low since they were heavy. Coming through a town, across this massively wide roadway comes this scared, and utterly massive Rottweiler. The owner had just let the dog out of a vehicle and I suppose it was just confused. It stopped directly in front of us in the road like a blinded deer. Traveling at 50mph, I grabbed a handful of brakes and stomped the brake. Gradually, because I am a seasoned rider 😅 stopping only feet from this poor pup. The owner ran out and led his small horse off the road. Don’t worry, the wine was safe. It goes to show though, that the S10 has weight, like all the other large adventure bikes, and is well equipped to stop that mass.
Having put 8,000mi on the Yamaha Super Tenere, I would have to say where it is really falls short is the suspension. The stock suspension, though configurable is never going to make you happy. Just leave it at stock settings and live with it, or upgrade it. Just don’t spend too much time upgrading your bike, make sure you ride it more than you work on it. Looking back I wasted too much time trying to configure it. Off-road the suspension is nice and firm and gets over deep ruts and potholes well, I never recall having a complaint with it in the dirt. On road however, you just do not feel the road all that well. From diving the front into a full stop, to going over the breaks in the road before crossing a large bridge, the setup has too much snap and not enough progressive feedback.
That being said, everything else about the S10 is awesome. Working on it is incredible. The panels on both sides just unbolt revealing the majority of electrical and cooling components you could possibly need to work on. Oil changes are a snap. Flushing brakes, swapping for a new battery, clutch flushing, changing final drive oil, even adding electrical accessories is easy peasy. You will not be disappointed by the engine on the S10 either. I joke, but only partially when I say it might be a tractor motor. It just chugs along, with a great amount of torque. Starts every time and pulls two up carrying six bottles of wine. Some reviewers say the engine is “uninspiring”, I think that means they can’t get it to wheelie. I never had a problem, but I also know the bike better than they do and actually lived with it for an entire year. That engine works, and it works great.
Lastly, the OEM saddlebags. The community will tell you they suck. I will tell you that they are great if you can find them used! I used them everyday commuting with a laptop, and other work related item for a year. I grabbed groceries on the way home every week. Even after getting rear ended by a sixteen year old uninsured asshole, the contents of your projected panniers will still be good. I had my laptop in a padded sleeve.
If you are in the market for a bike, ask yourself, “Will this be my first time off-roading?”, “Do I plan on touring a bit?”, “Will I use it for commuting?”. If you answer yes to all of these I would go as far as saying get the ‘13 S10. If you plan on doing more touring, get that cruise control with the ‘14+ Tenere. For the price point, you can’t beat this bike. Also, don’t get caught up making a decision. I had the bike for an entire year and just sold it this past November. When you outgrow a bike, maybe it’s time for something different. I have found over years of riding that the features of the bike do not define the journey. If anything, less features will show you just how resilient you really are.
Yes, I often judge people in enclosed vehicles.
Oh yeah. Heated grips. You need those. I put them on the ’13 for about $90.
