Super Tenere 1200 ride through Tonto National Forest

Visiting GroovyBean Studio in Phoenix and riding our matching 2015 red Super Teneres up into the Tonto National Forest. Trouble with my ChinMount GoPro mount. And a great GroovyBean soundtrack.
#supertenere1200 #xt1200z #tontonationalforest

[@amhedet]

Holy cow, he’s tall! At 6’5” myself, I’m typically the tallest around. He takes the cake. 🍰

[@RetiredTSgtUSAF]

I have a 2023 Super Tenere. I am 5'10 and have to put the seat in the low position.

[@ConcoursOne]

What tires are you running?

[@SwampGeezer]

Bridgestone Battleax Adventure A41. The previous owner put them on. Seem to do pretty well even on gravel.

[@lp6wo]

How are you liking the Super Tenere compared to the FJR on the long trips? Would he interesting to hear your thoughts on highway performance and mpg compared to the FJR.

[@SwampGeezer]

Close enough to call it a wash. They both seem to have about the same mpg and it varies for both considerably depending on speed, luggage and headwind. I usually get around 40 mpg with a full travel load and running 85-95 on average. The FJR has 1/2 gallon larger fuel tank and that extra 20 miles or so makes a difference when you're sweating out a long segment between stations out west. On the Super Tenere I was looking for a fuel stop at around 180 miles whereas the FJR gets me to just over 200. The Super Tenere computer is virtually useless for range estimation, and even for fuel level. Fuel level indication would sit at 3/4 for many miles and then all of a sudden would jump clear down and start flashing. I learned to rely on the mileage trip counter. My FJR is a 2005 so only has a fuel level indication, but it has always been comfortably accurate. In the end I'm ready for a stop after a couple hours on either bike so no real difference. Comfort level is close also. After-market seats (Sargent on Super Tenere, Russell Day Long on FJR), bigger windscreens, handlebar risers for me are absolute necessity on either bike. Still I get quite a bit of wrist pain on either bike. I had thought the S10 upright position and wider bars would help but I still get a carpal tunnel syndrome on it. I could probably improve that by getting rid of the foam grips and trying a different rotation on the bars. On the FJR you're stuck with a slight forward lean and that gets to the wrists also. I use CrampBusters on the FJR and they help tremendously, need to try those on the S10 also. The highway pegs on the S10 crashbars made a huge difference, really need something for the FJR that will work. There's an almost unacceptable amount of wind buffeting on the S10 that I need to work on with a better windscreen. Ear protection is a must for me on the S10. The VStream on the FJR is a barn door but it does a great job, especially combined with the electric height adjustment. Love both these bikes, too much probably. Shaft drive and unfailing reliability are big draws. The FJR is an extra 20 or so horsepower over the S10. It's electric smooth feel and jet-power acceleration is still as exciting to me today as it was 18 years ago when I first got it. But the S10 is no slouch, just delivers differently of course. Love the S10 parallel twin thrum sound. I had no issues at all grunting past semi's at well over 100mph in strong winds with the S10. The stability of these heavy bikes in those conditions is much appreciated. Wow, I could go on and on. Hope some of this helps, thanks for asking! Best of luck on your own journeys.

[@lp6wo]

@@SwampGeezer thanks for the reply. I’d agree that the fuel level readout is useless on the s10. I have the same issue with mine. Glad to hear you love the s10 on the long trips. I looked at both the models and decided on the s10 when I made my purchase because I enjoy the gravel roads around here and didn’t like the slight forward lean on the fjr. Have always wondered if I gave up highway touring comfort but your comments confirm my decision. What do you use for highway pegs on the s10? I can definitely see the value in those and the aftermarket seat.

[@SwampGeezer]

@@lp6wo The pegs are from a company called 'Happy Trails' out of Idaho. www.happy-trail.com/happy-trails-adj-universal-clamp-on-highway-pegs-for-1-tubing.html Same manufacturer for the engine guard.

[@SwampGeezer]

Was going to say also, I had the FJR out on gravel roads around here this week (north-east Indiana) and a couple times it scared the cr@p out of me. :-) I'll be the first to admit I'm not a great rider, but I've never come close to feeling out of control or uncomfortable on gravel with the S10, even with the Bridgestone Battleax highway tires. If you're doing lots of gravel I'd say you definitely made a good choice. Enjoy!

[@fredzuccarelli]

After losing my 2022 bmw rt in the last florida hurricane Im looking to get my next bike....im torn between another bmw....likely the gsa..... or a Super Ten! Any experience on the bmw? Would enjoy hearing your thoughts

[@SwampGeezer]

Afraid I haven't spent any time on a BMW; wish I could! I expect they are an awesome ride. The S10 was at a great price for my budget,

[@lp6wo]

I’d say the s10 is more comparable to the older gs bikes. The new 1250 engines have quite a bit more power than the s10 and if you are into tech the newer bmws have a lot more. Have to keep in mind that the s10 came out in 2012 to compete against the gs. At the time it was extremely competitive but the bmw has changed a lot and the s10 received only one major upgrade in 2014. To sum it up Yamaha hasn’t updated it for some reason so it’s not loaded up with modern day tech and power. However, many including myself think there are some major advantages to the s10, the primary one being cost of ownership. It’s tried and true and arguably the most reliable of the big adv bikes. The lack of modern day tech means less to go wrong but you still have the basics like cruise control, abs, traction control and elect suspension on most newer models. Even though it doesn’t have 150hp like a ktm, Ducati, or pan America, it has never left me feeling like I needed more.