2012 Montreal Moto Show: Yamaha

War is war!

Could the Japanese motorcycle makers’ current interest for the adventure bike market be the response to BMW for kicking their asses with the S1000RR? A revenge against the GS?  A way to regain lost market shares?  Or are those manufacturers simply answering growing consumer demand for adventure motorcycles?

The answer does not really matter.  The real impact however is a much broader choice for the adventurers compared to 5 years ago.

In my opinion, Yamaha is proposing one of the most interesting adventure bikes with the Super Tenere.  Visually speaking, it is a success.  One of the most appealing bikes on the market with an original design.

I owned a Yamaha for 7 years, a V-Star 1100.  Attention to details was remarkable.  But ouch! maintenance fees where just too high because of the valve adjustment rate: 7000km (4500 miles) .  And…I had to change the seat…Still, I really liked that motorcycle.

But, about the Super Tenere.  Comfort wise, my first impression was good. However, I found the bike a little too big for my taste.  Valve adjustment cycle is 38000km (24000 miles), which is unique (!) and makes that motorcycle more affordable over a long period of time.  Autonomy wise, the bike is good for 320 km (200 miles) between refills.  This is more than acceptable.

But what about the off-road aspect?  This motorcycle’s only sin is its weight.  I think weight is the main weakness of the new Japanese adventure bikes (Super Tenere and also the CrossTourer).  You can compare your motorcycle to man’s best friend – a dog… and the weight of your motorcycle to the fang size of your dog: when you’ll lose control in an unexpected situation, you’ll feel the difference.  So off-road capabilities are limited…right?

Well, this video seems to contradict whatever I said about the weight of this bike.

Enter video caption here

Next stop: Suzuki

ciao!

dsaventurequebec