IN THE 1980s, when the glamour of the Paris-Dakar Rally was in full swing, Yamaha’s Super Ténéré was the bike to have.
Like today’s BMW GS1200R, it was built to take on all scenarios from the daily commute, via Sunday twisties to touring holidays and still go off the beaten track through river crossings and dirt roads where only real men venture.
And with all the 80s nostalgia going on at the moment, no wonder Yamaha has reincarnated its Super Ténéré.
Yamaha has revealed details of the Super Ten, as it was affectionately known.
Of course, it’s been rebuilt from scratch, retaining nothing of its outdated predecessor, with the basic adventure bike specs of twin cylinder engine, shaft drive, 19-inch front wheel and big trail bike style all present.
But Yamaha has also added an electronics package that appears to trump BMW’s. And, although it doesn’t look quite as comprehensive as that of the groundbreaking Ducati Multistrada, the 19-inch front wheel with spokes, sturdy engine bash plate, huge ground clearance and altogether more rough tough exterior are clues to the fact it’s more on a par with the GS than the road- biased Multistrada when it comes to real off-road potential.Š
The Super Ten’s liquid-cooled 1,199cc parallel twin engine with 270-degree crank gets traction control that’s available in three modes (TCS1, TCS2 and Off), and Yamaha’s YCC-T, ride-by-wire with two power modes, Sport and Touring.
The claimed power output of 108bhp and torque figure of 84lb/ ft are similar to those of BMW’s 2010 R1200GS with its updated engine.
A dry sump is used to keep the Super Ten’s engine as short as possible and enhance ground clearance, with oil held in the crankcase. The short 1,540mm wheelbase and side-mounted radiators contribute to a compact design, where mass is centralised for agility.Let’s hope the radiators aren’t vulnerable off-road.
Braking-wise, the new Super Ten uses ABS with Yamaha’s Intelligent Unified Brake system, which redistributes the braking forces front and rear when only the front brake is applied.
It also gets a 23-litre fuel tank lending further credibility to its touring credentials, a wet weight (including oil and fuel) of 261kg, and a seat height adjustable from 870mm to 845mm – a huge relief for shorties like me.
Would-be owners of a Super Ten will be able to reserve the bike online only from today at www.super-tenere.com, with real live examples due in June.
The “first edition” will make its European debut as a Special Version adventure model with a package that includes left and right aluminium side cases, headlight protector and aluminium engine skid plate, all of which will be optional from 2011.
The whole package costs £13,500, which sounds a lot compared to the £9,995 retail price of BMW's iconic R1200GS Adventure. However, ABS costs £945 extra on the BMW and it gets neither traction control nor fly-by-wire throttle, although the GS does have BMW’s tasty ESA II Electronic Suspension Adjustment also available as an optional extra. The basic version of Ducati’s Multistrada costs £10,995, while the all-singing, all-dancing S version with its ABS, traction control and active suspension costs £14,295.
