Firstly, fuel economy is what you would expect for a big adventure motorcycle and it seems to easily get 16 to 17 KPL in serious off-road situations and if ridden on highways/freeways for fuel economy I believe 19 to 23 KPL is very doable, the kilometer per litre read-out on the dashboard does often get into the 24 km plus per litre readings, but I have never ridden through for long enough to get the most out of it. I believe in the hands of a really safe and patient rider the motorcycle would probably be capable of some awesome KPL readings.
The bike was a little of the surprise to me because despite the fact that it is incorporated in the BMW 1200GS class, still it felt remarkably light and nimble to throw around in reasonably tight dirt situations, this really is clearly because Yamaha have put lots of thought into getting a minimal center of gravity.
On our demo XT1200, all we have done to improve the ergonomics is to remove the foot peg rubbers which unveils an absolutely top quality set of off-road foot pegs that are not only strong but wide and comfortable to stand on all day. As the writer is over 6 feet tall, we turned the handlebars forward just a little more and put the seat in the higher position
If I had my own adventure riding training schools, then I would be doing demonstration of adventure riding by applying the rear brake to back the bike in and then powering the bike out. All of which I wouldn't be able to do with the ABS brakes. I think Yamaha have got this bike worked up fairly nicely, but they really should have fitted an ABS on/off switch.
The next modification we undertook will be is to fit heavier suspension springs front and rear, as there is a slight lack of dampening adjustment on the suspension, but I believe with a re-oil and the right springs for the weight of the bike, it would make a big difference in more serious conditions with better riders, and would help keep the belly of the bike off the rocks. Of course, you could always go to the next step and fit a really good shock absorber and then do some re-valving modifications to the front end of the bike, but if you want to keep your expenses down and still have a good ride, some simple but really affordable (and not costly) suspension modifications will be fine, and that is what we will be doing for our next major adventure ride on the motorbike.
The bike was a little of the surprise to me because despite the fact that it is incorporated in the BMW 1200GS class, still it felt remarkably light and nimble to throw around in reasonably tight dirt situations, this really is clearly because Yamaha have put lots of thought into getting a minimal center of gravity.
On our demo XT1200, all we have done to improve the ergonomics is to remove the foot peg rubbers which unveils an absolutely top quality set of off-road foot pegs that are not only strong but wide and comfortable to stand on all day. As the writer is over 6 feet tall, we turned the handlebars forward just a little more and put the seat in the higher position
If I had my own adventure riding training schools, then I would be doing demonstration of adventure riding by applying the rear brake to back the bike in and then powering the bike out. All of which I wouldn't be able to do with the ABS brakes. I think Yamaha have got this bike worked up fairly nicely, but they really should have fitted an ABS on/off switch.
The next modification we undertook will be is to fit heavier suspension springs front and rear, as there is a slight lack of dampening adjustment on the suspension, but I believe with a re-oil and the right springs for the weight of the bike, it would make a big difference in more serious conditions with better riders, and would help keep the belly of the bike off the rocks. Of course, you could always go to the next step and fit a really good shock absorber and then do some re-valving modifications to the front end of the bike, but if you want to keep your expenses down and still have a good ride, some simple but really affordable (and not costly) suspension modifications will be fine, and that is what we will be doing for our next major adventure ride on the motorbike.
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For more on the Super Tenere read this review of Super Tenere's and other adventure bikes.
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