In 2014 the bike was given a serious facelift and a second, more expensive model, the XT 1200 ZE was introduced on the local scene. At R184,900 it’s exactly R20,000 more pricy than the base model, and for your extra money you get electronically adjustable suspension with a total of 84 combinations of preload and damping settings. That alone wouldn’t convince me to spend the extra money, but Yamaha has sweetened the pot by including a main stand, electrically heated handgrips, a mounting base for a top-box, and hand protectors on the handlebars on the ZE.
You also of course get all the features of the standard model including:
- linked ABS brakes
- traction control
- cruise control
- Drive Mode button that allows you to select between aggressive or relaxed throttle response to suit conditions
- gear indicator
- full on-board computer system
- height adjustable windscreen
The Super Tenere is a big lump of a bike, and until you get used to its bulk can be a handful to move around in the garage, but once you’re astride the beast it feels a lot better. It’s relatively skinny and the seat height is low enough for most riders be able to reach the ground, but can be lowered a further 25mm if necessary.
The Super Tenere’s engine benefitted from new cylinder heads with bigger valves, new camshafts, new piston rings and revised mapping during the 2014 revamp. This elevates power to 84kW at 7,250 rpm and torque to 117Nm, which is slap in the middle between the Honda Africa Twin’s 71kW and the BMW R1200 GS’s 93kW.
The shaft-driven Yamaha is also heavier than most of its rivals at 265kg with the 23 litre fuel tank full. The bike will cover the standing start quarter mile in well under 12 seconds, so it’s more than brisk enough, and top speed is around 210km/h.
On the road it feels extremely stable and handles very well, and having previously ridden it in the dirt I know it’s competent there.
One of its strengths is that it’s very robustly built, unlike some of the pseudo adventure motorcycles out of Japan. At the price, it’s a bargain.
