I like the looks of the new machine well enough, but only when I hold it up against the overblown BMW R1200GS. Form without function bugs me. That Bimmer's vestigal front fender is enough to turn me off the whole bike.
And I love the idea of being able to truly use a bike both on and off road. That's why I've been riding mountain bikes here in Japan for the last twenty-odd years as well. Nothing beats the feeling of freedom you get from leaving the pavement to the traffic once you hit the trailhead.
But. Maybe Japan has influenced my sense of scale, but I just find all the current "adventure bikes" to be so much overkill.
I was looking through a 2010 buyer's guide recently and thinking about the specs I'd like to see in an honest on/off road bike. First and foremost: low weight (all hail Colin Chapman). Preferably the bike would weigh no more than about three times what I do, meaning it would tip the scales at 190kg soaking wet. That would give "normal" riders a chance of maneuvering the thing on trails and in the muck. And picking it up when it inevitably falls over.
Next: reasonable torque and horsepower, in that order. Power is addictive, but less is needed when there's less bike to move. 8kg-m and 80ps would move a light bike with tremendous alacrity and economy. Certainly no more than 750cc should be needed. Third: simple, tough and functional bodywork and protection. Assume the bike is going to hit the ground and plan accordingly.
I think KTM could build this bike almost instantly by downsizing the 990 Adventure. Aprilia could do it too--they come darn close already with the Shiver 750 GT. It's too bad Yamaha had only one target in mind when they designed the new Super Tenere. They certainly have the talent to meet my specs!
Couldn't agree more. I travelled to Northern and Central Africa on a first generation XT 600 Tenere in late eighties which was quick enough on/off-road and even for my 6"6 already rather bulky and damn heavy to dig out of the sand. I then bought a new Super Tenere 750 which, although I strangely liked it, was frankly a incompetent pile of shite: mediocre on-road (vague suspension and scary brakes for how quick it was), bloody awful off-road (too heavvy, too revvy, poor weight distribution and balance, standard set-up totally unsuitable for sand). Build quality was poor too esp. at the price that I paid for my early one. What a shame for a concept that coud have been brilliant!
The new one looks like the same mongrol as the old Super Ten: A super-tourer for commuting office-workers that want to obscure their boring outlook on life and haven't got the cash to buy a BMW X5. Let's hope that at 13.5k (which could buy you 2 new TDM 900's and, when shopping wisely, may leave you some cash for a used XT600) that at least the build-quality is up o scratch. And for the gay fraction of the urban adventurers there is a cheaper and more fashionable alternative in the shape of the new Duc Multistrada
