Now let’s be honest here, sheep aren’t necessarily the brightest of animals, but in the world of motorcycling you could easily become ‘sheep-like’ and just run out and buy a big KTM or BMW super tourer/adventure and be happy forever, maybe? Or you could become a feisty sheep dog instead and run rings around the flock on your bright blue 2016 Yamaha Super Ténéré ZE. I truly believe that the adventure world in SA is officially no longer a BMW-versus-KTM playground after riding this Yamaha.
If you think the adventure bike world is strictly a European manufacturer one, you’re wrong! You see, the Yamaha Super Ténéré ZE has the advantage of coming to this particular party later than the established brands in this modern era of adventure/tourers, picking and choosing the most popular features from other bikes in the category. For example, it has a driveshaft from BMW but became a more dirt-minded bike like the KTM and brought along the usual bulletproof reliability that Yamaha offer.
Yamaha hasn’t left any fragile parts hanging off in harm’s way either. The pipe is well tucked in. The overall width is less than most bikes in this category despite the parallel-twin motor. The bars and foot pegs are excellent. In fact, in standard guise, it’s fairly crash proof, and only gets better as you bolt on crash bars, guards and armour from the Yamaha book of gadgets.
The Super Ténéré ZE is also a wonder when it comes to electronic assistance. It comes with anti-lock, smart unified braking, which works both brakes at once. It has 3-stage traction control, which can be altered or disabled with a push of a button. And, it has two different settings for power delivery: Sport and Touring. I loved Sport around town and really only used Touring, well, when touring and enjoying the scenery, and you can also flick on the cruise control and enjoy. Even more significant is the arrival of electronic suspension adjustment. Yamaha has their suspension truly dialled in and the ability to flick switches for the variety of terrains you’ll encounter is well worth the price of admission, which is now R199,500 with the inevitable price increase, still great value for this complete ZE package.
I’ll be honest though, when I was getting the low down on the bike and was advised to try some serious off-road terrain I was super skeptical. I mean, really, this thing looks huge and at 265kg it’s no featherweight. But stunned I was with how much fun it was in the dirt. The Yamaha ZE has a magic blend of a low centre of gravity, smooth power delivery and balance and poise that is hidden with magic chassis numbers that the engineers can be smug about. It feels like a real dirt bike; the rider position is right, the stability is good and the power is a rush.
The 3-stage traction control is best set to “Off” in these situations. In fact the only time it makes sense to use the other settings is on the streets of our urban jungle. The irony is that the Yamaha’s power delivery is so smooth and controllable that the throttle acts as a kind of a manual traction control anyway. The Super Ténéré ZE is a very powerful motorcycle, but it’s not explosive. The torque builds gradually and the 270-degree crank feels like it has a lot of flywheel inertia. The traction it finds naturally is very, very impressive. If you walk away from the Yamaha thinking you’ll need more power then you have some serious issues you may need to work out with yourself.
The Yamaha Super-10 ZE is just as incredible today as it was when it was first introduced in 2010, but with refinement, improvements and seriously upgraded components it has improved remarkably with age. The Yamaha ZE is also thousands less than a comparably equipped BMW GS, although you certainly can’t say it’s a bargain at R199,500, or maybe it is? So, if you’re in the market for a Super Tourer/Adventure bike, do yourself a favour and put this bike on your short list. I know I have… in fact my heart is set on the Yamaha Super Ténéré with the World Crosser package, to chase sheep with of course!
For more information logon to: http://www.yamaharacing.co.za/content/adventure-0
Also go to www.yamaha.co.za and/or www.centurionyamaha.co.za to book a test ride today.
