The Yamaha Super Tenere XT1200Z Big Thread

I think I'm repeating Jaxon, (heard it somewhere) but as you say avc8130, they are looooonger. And I think the assumption by Ohlins USA was they would be able to take a rod in inventory and cut it down and rethread it for this bike. But nothing was long enough, thus requiring Ohlins Europe to make them up. Also, something about the caps. Again, nothing in inventory could be used.

As for DLC coating, i supposed their is SOME truth to the claims, but my goodness, I can't imagine that I could remotely feel it in my seat of the pants. This is no ultra light road racer leaned over on billiard flat racetrack. :) It's a big fat beast with a big fat old man and his tiny little wife (i'm not stupid) running down gravel roads looking for a good place for mexican food.

But I want it. Cuz it's something to show the GS dudes. :)

I read this to my wife and she about died laughing.

Like Snake said... There where parts they thought they could pull of the shelf and it basically happened that after they tore down the forks nothing would work.. The tubes are longer, different machining in the cartridge tubes, different top caps, Etc.. Etc.... So its taken a bit longer that what we all thought.. They do fantastic work so im not really worried about that, I just want to ride the darn bike again... LOL On the plus side, there are basically no off the shelf parts, they are all 'custom' made for the Tenere...

The DLC and hard coat on top is a bit over kill for this application. I think about it this way, this new Ohlins cartridge has a lot to offer in adjust ability. Much more than stock could ever hope for. A lot of this adjust ability is fine tuning. Im not ever planing on getting rid of this bike, so for the long term performance I chose the DLC. At the speeds I travel off road and high way, I want to take full advantage of every bit of the sophistication the Ohlins has to offer. Its definitely a proven mod on forks with super cross and road racing. Im really excited to be working with Ohlins and testing and riding these new forks... Full report very soon.. :eek1 And the rear to match the front

Jaxon,

In what way will the cartridge be more adjustable than the stock forks? Will there be external high speed adjustments?

I completely agree with your logic on the coatings. Might as well at this point.

Will the Ohlins cartridge be based on the TTX with Nitrogen?

ac

Congratulations GrahamD, you just reiterated what I stated months ago on the Super Ten forum.

Slightly flat battery really isn't part of the picture. You did too much, but thank you for your sacrifice all the same.

Doesn't really matter. People will refuse to believe they are the problem or are doing anything wrong. Gotta love Roy, Dude, it's not a Suzuki, deal with it.

And the guy with 8 bikes in the garage, it's not the other 7, it's a Yamaha and there is a known issue with EFI Yamahas. The cold start sequence doesn't like to be interrupted. Do that, then let it sit, it will display the hard start 99% of the time.

Why? Who cares? You know how to deal with it, so DO THAT and stop whining like a 6 year old that had the chain come off her trike.

Almost forgot, washed the bike did you? Poseur. You deserve the hard start.

Well said. This has been my experience with the Tenere and two FJRs.

The parameters of adjustability are way more broad with compression and rebound compared to anything like stock. Also the valving is set up for the Tenere (this type of bike and application) and each customer... Another feature is that these cartridges have the ability to have the quick change spring set up.. Same as there RR forks.. We dont really need it for this bike once the customer is 'set up' but, if someone need to change spring rates you can do it with out removing the forks, and Ive been told it can be done in about ten minutes.... That's nice !
The whole package is top notch, Going to blow the stock guts out of the water. In my case I ride this big bad boy hard off road. And typically I travel long distances across the country to ADV ride. I had my stock suspension set up as tight and stiff as it would go.. Im about 180 without gear and 200 with gear... With this being said I would feel sharp bumps like I had no suspension and very "ridged".. Aside from that it acts like a big fat cow, all soft and not firm, like I want it... Off road, I would bottom the front and rear out all day... High speed & low speed it will bottom out... I like my bike set up a bit firm on road, and I like it stiff off road. The faster you go the smoother it is and I can "feel" what the bike is doing all the time.. The stock suspension lost that a long time ago.. Like I said, mine now is a big ass marshmallow and sucks....
I will post pictures and report as soon as I get the hardware !!!!

No, its not the TTX air cartridge... Its a 30mm spring cartridge set up..

Jaxon,

How do they get a more broad range of adjust-ability? Are they using a setup other than a shim stack over a piston?

Quick change spring sounds like a neat concept. Forget the ability to change the springs quickly, because as you said that won't be used much on a Tenere...BUT...that should make changing the oil for service a much easier and quicker process and THAT is cool.

Of course you felt harsh bumps like that on your stock forks. The springs are dual rate and completely wrong for you. The stock valving also has an abrupt high speed transition.

"30mm spring cartridge"? The TTX doesn't use Nitrogen to act as a spring, it uses nitrogen to pressurize the oil to reduce cavitation and maintain a consistent damping...just like a rear shock.

I'm confident you will like your setup, but don't go too crazy expecting miracles from a single cartridge setup. If Ohlins is giving you the setup I think they are, you will essentially have a very well made set of forks with the same basic function as your stockers. The oil cartridge damping system can be made to work quite well and is very reliable, so this isn't necessarily a bad thing. However, this certainly is not a motorcross setup.

Will the Ohlins setup have 1 cartridge per fork, or 2? If you look at true off road setups you will find they use a separate cartridge for high speed damping. Will the new setup be like the other 30mm cartridge kits they offer in that 1 fork leg will handle compression and the other handling rebound? This is nice as it allows you to tailor the fluid weight separately for rebound and compression individually.

I'm not trying to bust your chops, I have just been reading you tout these things up and down across multiple forums and I'm just trying to figure out what is so ground-breaking compared to the other options. I know you haven't posted prices, but the Ohlins 30mm cartridge for just about every other bike is ~$1500. That is significantly more expensive than all other options so I'm just trying to figure out if it is because they are truly different and revolutionary, or they are just "Ohlins" and we all know they are quite proud of their brand.

ac

avc8130

I'm not going to answer for Jaxon since I haven't spent 5 minutes working on the Tenere/Ohlins project. I simply get to benefit from someone else going through all the effort to get Ohlins 30mm cartridge product built to Tenere specs.

But I've kept up with all your efforts as you did the same for us U.S. Tenere folks with the Penske shock. As a result, it's pretty easy to see you have a thorough understanding of what's out there, what's available, and the results that can be expected.

I believe you are right about what these Ohlins cartridges are. They aren't a new invention. They are simply Ohlins latest 30m cartridge line. But that product is generally accepted as a fantastic solution, albeit priced at a premium point.

I also believe that there are less expensive alternatives to Ohlins kit, front and rear, that can be just as transforming to this bike. In fact, there are plenty of weekend racers that claim it is MORE difficult to get Ohlins tweaked dead on than it is for some of the other popular upgrades. (A common claim in magazine reviews of Ohlins equipped special editions of OEM bikes)

Fact is, Jaxon seems really excited about having an Ohlins equipped S10. Who wouldn't be? And a few of us have let him do all the talking, while we just wait to write the check. :)

But truthfully, if I changed my mind this minute and shipped my forks to Stoltec, I would still be just as excited! And I have far more proof right this minute that Stoltec's total setup works perfectly. I have no proof of Ohlins.

But it doesn't feel like much of a gamble either. :)

I think im more excited to just get back on the bike and go ride !!!

Yea, that's way too long to park. Don't know how the guys in winterland can do it year after year.

This is my second year of it, and I don't get it either.

So far I've kept myself sane by buying a drum set and learning to play it.

I'll be moving to a hot climate again (I'm from Dallas, only been gone for a year and a half) as soon as I can.

That's simply not true. Tens of us can do all the "wrong" things and the bike will start time after time. Then do the "right" thing and it won't fire. There are contributing factors certainly, but there is a random element to this problem as well.

- Mark

Jaxon what's the ETA on the forks getting back to you? Please post pics and review soon as possible.

We do it by convincing ourselves that spring is just around the corner , we also get only 6 months out of 1year of warranty and pay insurance for 12 months. I don't mind that too much when we get a couple spring days (no salt) every once in a wile in the winter.

For myself there is just no way... That's like Seattle... I gotta have some sun... I also ride year round... Gotta love Texas....

I hope to have them back at the shop this next week... Ill be posting for sure ASAP... The rest of the customers will be posting there thoughts over the next few weeks.. Then people dont have to take my word for it..

I'd take Seattle weather over NoDak any day. It may not be overcast all of the time, instead it is well below freezing for 5 months out of the year.

Ah, Texas, I will be back.

Bull. Go out and fire your bike up for 60 seconds, shut it down and come back 3 days later. You'll have a classic hard start.

It's not the only possible cause, but it is the primary one.