Words: Matthew Shields

When it comes to the off-road, Yamaha knows what it is doing. Since the 60s they have forged their off-road success off the back of the DT-1 – arguably the first dual-purpose motorcycle. A few years on, the XT500 raised the bar off-road again and won them the first Paris-Dakar race. These two machines are the foundations of the Yamaha off-road range today. It’s competition-spec WRs and YZs are always at the pointy end of competition while the more adventure-touring side of the equation is clearly pointed down a wider path in the bush.

Ever wondered why you see round-the-world travellers riding XT660Rs across the globe or hire operators running fleets of WR250Rs in high-country. They both need comfortable, capable and reliable workhorses that do the job and have a bit of character to make the experience all the more enjoyable. At the big end of the adventure side of Yamaha’s range is the XTZ1200 Super Tenere. Released in 2010, it was Yamaha’s answer to gap in their range that was exposed by rapid growth in the dual-sport market at the time.

For those that wanted a big bike that could cut singletrail with ease, be aggressive in its power and taught in the chassis, the Super Tenere wasn’t that. This machine is a long-haul adventure tourer that will go from Sydney to London or Perth without you having to touch a thing – and go pretty good off-road, too. This E model Super Tenere makes things easier for a price premium of around $2000 over the base model you get electronically adjustable suspension. You also get the 60th Anniversary colour scheme that only the ES model carries.

Image: Alex Gobert (Foremost Media).

It’s been a few years since I have been on a Super Tenere, and the first time since the last round of updates aimed at creating a smoother and more refined engine character, and they’ve delivered. The excellent ergonomics haven’t changed – standing up on the footpegs happens easily and the proportions are well made for when you are riding like this. It is better in the saddle though as the Super Tenere is superbly comfortable and there’s little vibes thrown through any of the contact points. Pillion comfort is as good as it gets on any motorcycle and the grab rail is brilliant. Ditch the pillion and you have a big, flat rack are with plenty of tie down space.

The engine makes riding the Super Tenere effortless. The big parallel-twin effortlessly pulls the Super Tenere off the line. It’s not too light at 265kg fuelled but it has a low centre of gravity, rolls easily from side to side and it doesn’t feel overly heavy at all except when you are standing still. The 270-degree crank delivers a much more easy to moderate power delivery than other V-twins do. It pulls strong through to near on 8000rpm and there is no point taking it any higher than that. All the productivity of this engine gets it up do speed with minimal fuss.

On the open road the Super Tenere will roll along comfortably and has plenty of bite to get speed on to overtake. It’s about the 100km/h mark where the effortless touring ability of this bike really starts to come through. It’s quiet, comfortable, and still not dull like big tourers often are. The drive mode selection allows changes between an S and T setting. S gives an direct relationship between throttle and engine, while T smoothens out the power delivery through to the midrange. S can be too abrupt on the road with the chassis setting on the softer side of things, but fixing that is a button tap away.

Image: Alex Gobert (Foremost Media).

T mode gives a more gentle delivery at lower rpm and it’s a discernible difference. The traction control can be switched off and intervene two separate ways. Its middle mode is great for fast gravel roads where you don’t want it kicking in too early. The handling is set on the softer side of balanced and you feel it most when you start to push the front-end hard into corners on the road. This is where the electronic suspension helps. Rather than having to dial in a bike that can carries either a solo rider or two people with luggage, you can set the preload at both ends.

The suspension adjustment also allows you to shift your damping setting to three different bases and then gives seven options to fine tune each of those. Sounds complicated, but you quickly come to tweaking it and the differences are quite noticeable. This adjustability is ideal for big trips in the saddle. The Super Tenere handles very well for a motorcycle that travels comfortably off-road and on. It’s great on a twisty road though no match for a 17-inch wheeled adventure tourer, but you’ll get just as much of a thrill riding it and you’ll be feeling a whole lot better at the end of the day, let alone a few days riding.

The real ease of carrying stuff comes with the accessory panniers at retail price of around $1500. There’s plenty of aftermarket accessories available for the Super Ten, and it’d be hard to go past a crash bar and sump guard firstly if you were really serious about your off-road riding. At a great price considering the base-spec of this machine and quality of build, the Super Tenere is one of the best adventurer-tourers on the market. It’ll take you on your adventures and tour whenever you want to. Best of all it is just as good on the road as it is off it.

This is a very balanced package as far as adventurer tourers go and I’d find it hard to go past any machine in this class that delivers the on and off-road touring experience equally as well as the Super Tenere does.

Specifications

Capacity: 1199cc
Power: 81kW @ 7250rpm
Torque: 114Nm @ 6000rpm
Wet weight: 265kg
Seat height: 845mm
Colours: 60th Anniversary Yellow
Price: $21,999 + orc
Warranty: 24 months, unlimited distance
Detailed specs: www.yamaha-motor.com.au