Welcome to the Adventure Motorcycle Traveller Reviews. Here’s a 56,000-mile review of the Yamaha XT1200Z Super Tenere by motorcycle traveller Marco Colelli.
Contents
By Marco Colelli
Adventure rider and motorcycle traveller
Quick info
- Bike: 2017 Yamaha XT1200Z Super Tenere
- Purchased for: : £8,750 (second hand)
- Miles covered: 56,000
- Years owned: 2018 onwards
Yamaha XT1200Z Super Tenere Specs
- Engine: Twin, liquid-cooled, 119cc, FI
- Power: 112 bhp
- Torque: 86.3 ft-lbs
- Wet weight: 257kg
- Seat height: 846mm
- Tank capacity: 23.09 litres
- Tyres: 19 and 17
- Front suspension: Telescopic, adjustable preload, compression and rebound damping.
- Rear suspension: Monoshock, adjustable preload and rebound damping.
Prep
Why this bike?
The Yamaha XT1200Z Super Tenere has a legacy. It belongs to Yamaha’s legendary Tenere family, but sits at the top of the family tree with the biggest motor.
It’s the evolution of its smaller sisters, which have been built with that Dakar spirit. And yes, it is heavy and is a big adventure bike, but it’s so versatile and will have you dreaming of desert rallies.
These are all things that attracted me to the Super Tenere. And another big selling factor was, compared to the other big capacity adventure bikes, the Super Tenere has the least amount of electronics making it much more reliable and durable.
So, I had to have one! I bought my second-hand Supere Tenere in 2018 with only 9,320 miles on the clock. In four years of ownership, have travelled over 46,000 miles on it both on and off road and it’s never let me down.
Modifications
I’m keen on accessories and modifications and opted for a few changes in order to give the Super Tenere a bulky and hardcore off-road look, while also being practical on the rough stuff. Here’s a list of my modifications:
- Fairing guards
- Crash bars
- Crash bar bags
- Sump guard
- Headlight protection
- Tool box
- Muffler
- Luggage rack
- Hard side panniers and top box
- Fog lights
- Off-road headlights
- Heated grips
Luggage
My Super Tenere luggage setup consists of three hard pannier boxes manufacturerd by Givi. The model is the Dolomiti.
The side panniers are 36 litres each, while the top box is a large 52 litres giving me a total carrying capacity of 124 litres. And if I need to carry any extra gear, I can strap bags or kit down onto the side panniers using the integrated hooks and loops.
This setup has proved more than sufficient enough for my trips and travels.
READ MORE: Motorcycle Luggage Guides
Travel
Reliability
Over the years, I have used the Yamaha Super Tenere for both enduro riding and travelling. I have been able to cross rivers and climb mountains on this bike. It’s managed in the mud, over rocks and through sand.
I’m surprised at how capable the bike actually is and how it has coped in any and every situation I’ve put it through. And that’s despite it being a ‘big’ adventure bike.
And after all of that, I’ve never experienced any issues so far! (Luckily).
Servicing, maintenance and parts
The Yamaha scheduled services are at every 6,200 miles (10,000km). The Super Ténéré is pretty easy to maintain and it’s never been a problem finding spares for it either.
Long distance comfort
The Super Tenere is a very comfortable motorcycle, especially when covering long distances. I’d give it an eight out of ten. There are no big vibrations from the bars, pegs or seat and the ride is smooth. The wind protection is also excellent.
The seat cushioning could be a little better, as after around five hours in the saddle you’ll find it very hard. This can always be addressed with after market cushioning if you’re riding serious distances.
Good and Bad
What's good?
Overall, the main pros of the Yamaha Super Tenere are its reliability, the amount it can carry, its comfort, sublime fully adjustable suspension and smooth transmission.
I’ve never had a problem with this bike despite subjecting it to some hard touring, road riding and off-road trips. It’s proved extremely reliable and that’s a huge plus when picking any motorcycle, but especially an adventure bike for travelling on.
If you need more gear on your trips and are perhaps camping or taking a pillion or travelling long distances, then you’ll be looking for a bigger bike and the Super Ten is more than capable of carrying heavy loads. It has an excellent suspension setup to help wit this too.
It’s comfortable, smooth and easy to ride long distances wherever you’re riding too.
What's not?
The main downside is its weight. At 257kg it’s not a light bike, add panniers, top box, gear and rider and we’re talking 300kgs+. But, if you value long distance comfort and two cylinders, then that’s the compromise you’ll need to make.
Another gripe is the ABS. It’d be nice if Yamaha included an easy access switch to turn this off quickly when entering off-road sections.
Verdict
The Yamaha XT1200Z Super Tenere is a cruiser! It has plenty of good off-road performance and is also a formidable road and touring bike too. You can take it anywhere and travel any roads on this bike and it’ll do it without making a fuss because it’s a dependable machine. The Ten is reliable, fun and versatile. It’s the whole package and I would definitely travel round the world on one!
About the author
Marco Colelli is an adventure bike rider and traveller from Rome. His passion for motorcycles began with enduro and then merged with his love of nature and camping. He’s a proper traveller who uses bikes to see the world.
His dream is to travel from Italy to Japan on his Super Tenere and pay a visit to the Yamaha factory. Marco is also helps run the seipercento motorcycle group.
Find out more about Marco here:
- Insta: @col.mar_adv
- Insta: @seipercento
- Web: seipercento.com
- Email: colellimarco@live.it
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Great overview, and one some people might think is almost too good to be true. However! I’ve had my ’22 ST ES for 1.5+ years, and this after a modified/updated V-Strom 1K that was very good me.
The more I ride it, the more I understand it. You can really hustle this thing, but can easily putter in traffic. The electronic suspension – even though not as sophisticated as much of what’s out there today – works incredibly well. It’s got a couple of riding modes, heated grips, cruise control, ABS, TCS, a power pickup, and a GREAT riding position.
And the weight for me is not only NOT an issue, I really appreciate it on the highway. I’m 5’8″, 150 lbs, 32″ inseam. The ONLY problem I had was stuffing it into the garage (tight in there!). That was fixed with a Dolly Mover for a centerstand from Motea-Shop.com. It was the best $180 I’ve spent!
I’ve done a few things I would highly recommend:
1. I had the ECU flashed (2-Wheel Dynoworks): much more docile and smoother, and more power higher up. There is a negligible loss of mpgs, but most of that is due to running it harder now BECAUSE of the improvements. It’s hard to stay out of it! I still get just over 50 mpg on trips.
2. Seat Concepts front cushion replacement: This was a big, welcomed surprise. I had looked at every other option and couldn’t stomach an $800 replacement seat. I saw very positive reviews on the Seat Concepts offering, and it really made a difference. $285. Highly recommended.
3. Fender extender/mud guard: Front/back, very little cost (eBay) and they do, indeed, keep much of the road spray off the hard to reach parts of the bike.
4. Denali SoundBomb horn: Just buy it. Easy to install and VERY effective.
5. Duraboost lithium battery: Lighter, doesn’t peter out like the conventional unit.
6. Yamaha skid plate: This is The One. Fits perfectly, protects perfectly. I coated it with pickup truck bed liner.
7. Givi E360N hard panniers: The looks are a personal preference (I’m still on the fence…), but they really work. I use those with a Fly Racing tail bag and Oxford tank bag for week-long trips.
Next, pad replacement will be using EBC sintered pads. Tire replacement will be Michelin Road 6s. Used both on a few other bikes and the improvements were very noticable, especially those incredible tires.
On its way, a Madstad 20″ adjustable screen. The factory screen is good, and was made better with side deflectors. But I don’t think I’ll need those after the Madstad is on.
I’ve been eyeing the Honda NT 1100, but the version they’ve sent here does not offer their electronic suspension. The ST’s shaft is a plus, though it clearly added a few pounds. I really think the DCT will be pretty awesome, primarily because you can still take over manually. I have to say, though, it’s just a bit lighter than our STs, but – in practice – a feature set that’s quite similar. I’ll be keeping this rig for some time.
You can see mine on EternalGarage.com. Thanks again for the review! I hope Yamaha already has a replacement in the works. Truly great bike.
Hi John,
Thanks for your comment! What a brilliant addition and contribution to this review. Thanks for taking the time to add all of this excellent info.
Out of curiosity, do you have any other adventure bikes?
Cheers,
Andy
Looking forward to updates, Andy. I’ll remember to post something on the Madstad. I’ve been reluctant to find another screen because the stock one works just well enough for me and…yeah, it looks good. Hope, along with some extra protection, the extra two vertical inches (20″ vs. 18″ for my height) and some extra width don’t change the looks.
Wheels down!
Cheers John, yeah definitely keep us updated!
Are you riding any other adventure bikes?
Thanks
I’m giving up a 2018 V-Strom 1K XT. It’s already for sale. I really like it, and I had done similar upgrades (flash, full exhaust, Road 6s, progressive springs, heated grips…more stuff) and it was – is – a blast to ride. It was not, though, as stable at cruising speeds, especially where I live where it can get really windy and there are a whack of big trucks to deal with. It was also not quite as smooth overall, and the suspension was a bit too harsh, even after the mods. Really lively and shockingly quick, though. The handling was much improved, too.
About to go on a 1500 mile trip on my ST at the end of this week. Going through mountains, desert, jammed-up urban areas – a total of more than 10,000 feet in elevation one way, along with pretty big drops in temperature. Should be great fun, though! Couple things I’m anxious to see how they work out. Seat Concepts front cushion (nicely breaking in) and that Madstad windshield (so far I think better). Also bit the bullet on a Quadlock phone holder after dealing with the non-stop vibrations from the $15 Chinese holder I was using. Go figure… And the new windshield has a better accessories bar it fits perfectly on.
A note. At 4500-5000rpm in 6th, the motor always felt like it was struggling a bit, even after the flash. It had a little more vibration and it took more twist to get it to accelerate. That is RIGHT in the cruising sweet spot, so even though it was minor, it really bothered me. Two dealers couldn’t find anything, and just to prepare (and it was time) I had the plugs and air filter changed. I also did an engine and diff oil change. But – so far – I swear that either plugs or the filter actually fixed that flat spot (makes sense, I think!). I’ll see after I throw on the bags and cover some ground, but is this something you’ve encountered?
Couple updates. Madstad windshield works better than stock for me. Had to fiddle with it several times, but happy about the results. Also picked up a Givi E300NT2 top case to go with the E360N side cases. Going to get the lock kit to make them all the same. In the spring, will be replacing the pads with EBC sintered and installing new Michelin Road 6s. Considering a quick shifter, but not convinced it would be a good-enough upgrade. So far, zero problems after about 6K miles, and it continues to run really well after the plugs and filter fixes. Plenty of consistently delivered power, and the overall average MPGs have settled at 49.7. And I do dip into it once in a while!