Super Tenere vs Weestrom vs F800GS

So I know this has been hashed out before but I really am trying to decide about jumping on the Super Tenere. Initially reviews turned me off but later reviews have me intrigued. Current rides are a Vstrom 650 and a F800GS. Former ride R1100GS. Haven't not ridden this Winter(for a variety of reasons) my thoughts are fresh. Today had a 1 hour demo on the Super Tenere thanks to my local dealer. Combination of freeway and back twisty roads. So here are my thoughts.

Weestrom: Fairly bland but good all around bike. Fair acceleration but not like a 1100GS. Comfortable and good wind protection. Seems well made and very reliable, etc.

F800GS: Exciting great all around bike. Really good off road. Good acceleration but tends to buzz above 80mph. Wind protection is nil so get used to it.

Super Tenere: Much like the Vstrom. Power curve a little weird, accelerates pretty good but quickly you are at max RPM which requires frequent shifting in the lower gears. 90+mph remains smooth (and low RPM-what is max speed?) Gauges and fittings seem a little cheap (turn signals wobble at speed). Very noticeable feel between touring and sport modes. Did not play with the traction control. Not super exciting on first pass so I place it somewhere between the Vstrom and the GS on the excite-o-meter.

However I really want to like the Super T. I miss the shaft drive and long distance highway cruising capacity of the big GS. So I am interested in what Super T owners think after multiple miles. Any other comparisons between the Vstrom's and the Super Tenere?

Turbojet

Nothing to do with the new Tenere but, I did a Yoshi exhaust and LEDAR jet kit on the original 750 Super Tenere.
It became a total monster (138 mph)

Wee strom V's Super Tenere.

Main difference is about $8000. That's a long trip with some serious spending money on the strom, which will go anywhere the ST will.

Used ST's will be popping up in a few more months, I cant wait..

I think you need to look at something else

:huh

As an ex 1000 Strom owner who switched to a Tenere I beg to differ. Close to night and day difference
off road. Places I would never have taken the Strom the Tenere eats up.

I still think the Strom is an excellent bike for the money. I also think the Tenere is worth the extra
jingle if you do more than groomed gravel off roading.

The strom will go places that would surprise you. I had a BMW rider chicken out while following me on mine a trail last year.
Anyway, regardless of trail worthiness, 99.9% of teneres will never see mud on them and if I was buying one, it would be my main 2 up bike replacing the strom. My number one reason for buying one would be for sheer looks, because it looks the part, plain and simple. The strom may be ugly but I'll bet for the riding the majority of ST riders do, it would be fine.

I'd really like to be respectful here but geez, the one and only reason I traded the Strom is because I saw so many S10 owners plowing around off road. I suppose you would never be convinced and it took me a while to be convinced but you really should just tuck that little pre-conception away and just open your eyes a bit.

Add me to the list of current S10 - ex Strom owners who call BS on that one.
If 99.9% of S10 riders are not taking them off road then the only reason would be because they listen to that kind of thing.

You just had an ex Strom owner tell you the facts. I am telling you the same thing having owned both.

I am in no way knocking the Strom and I have taken it lot's of places but the S10 just makes it easy and is way more capable. There, you have been told twice. I agree with the point that you can get a lot of places on the $8K saving.

That part at least is valid. There is no use buying an S10 if you are pushing to do it and scared of scratching it.

It is not a jacked up street bike and if you bothered looking you would see why. It's the real deal RTW bike, it's not just skin deep.

As an ex Strom owner you should know I don't give a jack about looks. An S10 is a different kind of bike that is all.

If all you are going to do is ride it around on tarmac you have the wrong bike. Don't buy one, grab something like the Explorer or XTourer, Versys. They are less of a compromise.

Anyway back to the OP.

You seem to have two midweights, one a jacked up street bike and one more off road and then a nuclear powered dirt pig.

What do you actually want to do would be an important question.

So what do actually want to do?

Where is the Tiger800XC in the equation and why was it discounted?

As far as the S10 goes. I understand the underwhelmingness of the test ride. The S10 just tend to do stuff. No fuss.
I was lucky enough on my first ride on one to be able to jump off it and onto more "interesting" bikes.
So it went sort of like this...

On the S10 first.

Why is everyone taking it so easy?

Then I jumped on some other bikes and was thinking I was going great guns until I looked in my mirrors ans saw the S10 rider up my backside looking at scenery wondering why everyone was taking it so easy.

So that was a big clue.

The bike is capable enough on a variety of surfaces that it just seems easy, That can mean boring if you just do a 200Km ride.
My last trip was 29Hours in the saddle over 3 days and 110Km of dirt/mud/crap thrown into the mix.
Did I feel shagged when I got home.

No.

Do I usually feel shagged.

To a degree.

SO if you want a bike that makes you think you are going quick and is busy and frenetic the S10 is not for you.
If you want to go quickly and safely over a variety of conditions but feel like it wasn't much at the end of the day then it is for you.

The fun factor on the S10 is off road mainly. On the road I would say it's a competent mile muncher that can handle two people easily at sane speeds and has been over the last 3 years very reliable. The motor is more useful and economical than a GS under 130Km/h bit less economical and less happy over 130K/h than a GS. It does sports touring pretty well but will not change directions as fast as some BUT will hold the line when it gets rough and just keep going. It's better than the Vee over all on road.

The S10 will surprise off road. That has been said many times by many owners and I can just add another voice to that. Its a lot better off road then the Vee and Wee. (Easier and/or faster)

Regards the Touring Sport mode. The only time I found the T mode a bit of a pain was in the twisties, mainly because it seems to throw out my timing.

In the twisties I go Sport mode and when touring I don't care.

The TCS is a great thing when things get slippery and I haven't run out of ABS yet. It should be turned off when things get really shaggy but they have to get pretty shaggy. A gravel road is well within the ABS' capabilities. Most of the time you can just leave it alone and the UBS/ABS will just stop.
On any reasonable surface that may have been called a road at some point it will just work.

However on steep slippery inclines I would be turning it off although I want to see for myself just where the limits are.

So I have not ridden a F800GS but the Tiger wasn't bad, just not quite what I wanted. Again only managed to snag a test ride so it's hard to say but the price where I live, I couldn't see the value, especially after Stroms. The Strom is still a lot of bike for the money where I live.

Cheers
Graham

I agree that you should seriously consider the tiger800xc.

Less horsepower, but about 100 lbs lighter and several thousand less buy in.

I had the ST on my list of bikes to purchase. I did not test ride one, so I can't directly compare from experience. However, once I rode the tiger, I was hooked, and that's what I bought.

I'm not sure why the Wee is always compared, power wise at least, to bikes that have an engine between 25% to 90% larger. I feel the Wee has plenty of get up and go for the riding i do, but would not put it into the same class as the others. It's apples to oranges.

I'll say I really enjoyed my 1000 Strom. For the money I don't see how you can beat it. A leaking
clutch slave cylinder (caused by Prudhoe Bay mud http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=196720 ) was the only problem it ever had.
Did Gold Valve the forks to help with the harsh compression.

Coming home from that ride we did a 1,670 mile straight day (and night) so the bike was comfortable enough
for me to do just about any distance you could want. After Alaska I had kinda burned out on big D/S bikes
and the Strom had just been sittting in the garage as a loaner. My neighbor asked if I would sell it and I did.

A week later the Yamaha dealer I buy through called and said "We have one of those Teneres on the floor"
I had casually asked about one that spring. and the salesman made a note of it. Bought it that day.

Normally an FJR was my distance ride choice. I suddenly no longer was riding the FJR. Something about
the upright seating position and general comfort of the bike really appealed to me. I did miss the warp
drive acceleration of the FJR. My wife like the passenger space better too. So as a slab tourer it's great.

On a Southern Utah ride we had the exact model Strom I had, an 1150 GS and the Tenere. At one point I
traded with the Strom owner. My first impression was how little and low the Strom felt. The suspension
that I recalled being marginal but acceptable was now pitiful. I kept thinking "I can't believe I used to ride
one of these". Again, I enjoyed my Strom. It's just I was now spoiled. The Tenere is big and heavy. It does
an excellent job of hiding that weight.... well until you hit sand.

The Strom owner really liked the Tenere.

I'm not disagreeing with wheatwacker when he says "a Strom will go places that will surprise you".
People are always taking bikes places they may not be the best choice to take there. I'm just saying
a Tenere makes it way easier and you don't feel like it was a stupid idea to do it.

Anyway, here's a photo of the Strom trying to go throught the same mud hole the Tenere and GS just
went through. Plus consider that I had to stop, get my helmet off, get a camera out and still wait for
the Strom to show up to get the shot.



Hey wheatwacker, I guess I'm one of the .01%

Good point. I'm talking the 1000. I do have two SV650s and think that is one the best twins
in it's cc range.

If I really was doing more off road I would get the KTM. I just have this thing about buying what I
believe will be the least amount of drama to own.

Kinda new to this realm but man, my new 800 tiger has really surprised me as a do it all bike. New 705 tires and the bike will go off road like a champ. The new 1200 Tiger looks to be a direct shot at the S10 also. Quite the motor these 3 cyl's are. I'm impressed.

Got a Super-T, my son currently has the 1000 Strom, we had a WeeStrom, and I'm comfy on the GS bikes. Any of them will do local and highway and do well.

The Wee runs out of steam at high speed and in hills when loaded 2 up and/or with a full load. It'll actually do it up to a point, but the bike is revved up, you're shifting a LOT more, and it's not an enjoyable ride. It's better in town due to the lighter weight and if I'm renting in foreign countries with tight little cobblestone streets, the Wee is my bike of choice. But not for what the OP asked about. If price is a HUGE factor, the 'Zook is really hard to beat, especially if you can re-do the suspension.

The 800GS is best of these 3 off road and again will do the mission. The seat is the WORST and I just can't imagine doing big miles with a stocker. Your passenger WILL strangle you if she finds that the other two choices were the Wee or the Tenere. I'd rather have the GS if off road. The Wee would be better for the OP's 2-up and typically road mission.

As Bobby wrote, the Super Tenere is a different animal in being bigger, weighing more, and having a shaft. It is an understated bike that does everything amazingly well and is MUCH quicker in acceleration and handling than first impressions convey. Try riding a Tenere with somebody else on a Strom and then swap bikes and it's a shock how capable the Tenere actually is because you're working harder on either 'Zook. Plenty of options available now for aftermarket windshields and other parts to make it your own. If you really want more on your Excite-O-Meter, you can get the ECU reflashed and go play with the sport crowd. Doing long days two up or loaded down at high freeway speed is a breeze. I rent 1200 GS's on trips and find the ergos close, with the GS ever so slightly bigger in feel. The way the BMW carries it's weight makes the 2 bikes feel they weigh the same. I never ever think about reliability on the Yamaha and have been stranded a couple of times on big GS's. The Super-T is without question my pillion's choice for back seats. For me, the Tenere feels MUCH more in control and better planted on dirt and gravel than either of the Stroms ever felt, and there's ZERO comparison when 2-up.

For more info on the Super T, feel free to join us at: yamaha super tenere dot com

I've got 3 of those bikes in my garage right now, Tenere, Strom (1K) and an 800GS. Sounds like this is just a Strom vs Tenere discussion though.

Put me down as echoing what the other Strom to Tenere converts are all saying. I've had my DL for seven years now and have wondered what it would take to get me to sell it, other bikes have come and gone but the Strom has stayed. Well, the Strom will be for sale soon. I don't think the Strom is just "great for the money" I think it's really just a great bike. When I purchased, it really was my number one choice (yes, even over BMW and KTM). But progress marches on. Simply put the Tenere just does everything better, with the one exception so far being the headlights (which are awesome on the Strom). Heck, the Tenere converted me from being an ABS hater to wanting it, no easy task , I've also found the traction control useful. The motor grows on you, it seems sedate but there is linear power there. Last time I rode my strom I forgot how high I needed to keep the rpms to feel the same, the Tenere just pulls you off the corner and I love that feeling.

Now for dirt. I'm no offroad hero on these big bikes, and they are all pigs, picked mine up for the first time yesterday and I'm feeling it today That's part of the problem with the Tenere, it has given me confidence to ride in a manner off road that I never did on the strom. Doesn't mean somebody else on a strom couldn't hang with me, just means I'D go slower on the strom and be less willing to take it places. I think any unbiased strom owner would have to agree after riding both.

If it really boils down to money, and you have to choose between buying a strom and taking your dream trip, or getting the Tenere and missing the trip, by all means get the strom. I could have never bought my Tenere and still be plenty happy going on wild adventures.

I have zero riding experience on the Triumph or 800 GS. The last off road group ride
I did had a both models with us. Rider or bike I don't know, but they never did
anything to impress me.

The F800GS wasn't a part of the equation, but maybe OP can find some answers in this thread.

It's not, It's just that I didn't want to be talking out my arse about something I have never ridden.

Agree. The Wee/Vee headlights are awesome. The S10 headlights aren't crap but not as awesome.

Don't know about the Glee headlights.

I wasn't trying to single anybody out about leaving out the GS, I thought the OP was more interested in the comparison between these two, so I gave my thoughts on that also. If we want to bring in the GS, now that's a totally different beast.

I'm sure the ST is an awesome bike.
The question I have is it $8000 better?

On the street how much better can it be than a Vstrom? I have ridden consecutive 1000 mile days on a strom, I really don't think the Tenere would have made it any easier. To me, that was all need from any bike, unless maybe the ST would have squeezed another 200 miles from my day and maybe a speeding ticket as well.
Offroad, neither the strom or the ST are dirt bikes. Yes you can ride down a muddy road and sling some mud on it. I have even done that. A 1000 miles of Dempster which is a graded road, where your tires are the more important choice than the bike.
Neither bike is easy to pick up when laid down so, really, if riding off road is your main thing, look at the 800cc models or the big Katooms. Your really going to put yourself in a very expensive repair bill situation if your intention is to trash this monster on unmaintained roads.

If riding on the street or packed roads is your thing, either bike will do it. It's really like asking whats a better car for a trip across the country, a Toyota corolla or a BMW. They will both get you there.

At the end of the day, if you have the cash to buy it and you want us to convince you to buy it, yes, go and buy a spanking new one with all the gear on it please.
I really want one to replace my strom, I'm just not sure about spending the $16K price tag for a decked out one is worth the price. I can wait for a couple of years for a used one.

Oh, I want to see some Tenere pics when you get it please, just like these :)