2010–2021 · Adventure · Buyer's Guide
The Long-Haul Survivor
This is the big Tenere built for riders who judge a bike by whether it gets them home. The engine is a 1199 cc parallel twin with a 270-degree crank, making 112 hp and 84 lb-ft, and it sends drive through a shaft rather than a chain. ABS, traction control and ride modes are standard, as is adjustable suspension at both ends, an adjustable screen and adjustable seat height. The 6.1 gal tank sets the range. None of it is showy, and that is exactly the point: the whole package is pointed at covering ground.
On the road it feels as planned as it looks. A 19 in front wheel and 7.5 in of travel at each end give you a machine that holds its line through a fast sweeper and stays honest on broken pavement, and the character it develops with age is mostly the absence of trouble. Buy it for long days, loaded, in weather you did not choose. The caveat is mass and gearing: 575 lb wet is a lot of motorcycle to place on a loose surface, first gear is tall for slow going, and the weight sits high enough that you feel it at walking pace.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 112 hp (82 kW) @ 7,250 rpm |
|---|---|
| Torque | 84 lb-ft (114 Nm) @ 6,000 rpm |
| Displacement | 1199 cc |
| Engine | Parallel twin |
| Cooling | Liquid-cooled |
| Gearbox | 6-speed |
| Final drive | Shaft |
| Fork | Upside-down (USD) |
| Front brake | 310 mm |
| Front tire | 110/80-19 |
| Rear tire | 150/70-17 |
| Wheelbase | 60.6 in (1540 mm) |
| Ground clearance | 8.1 in (205 mm) |
| Front travel | 7.5 in (190 mm) |
| Rear travel | 7.5 in (190 mm) |
| Seat height | 33.3 in (845 mm) |
| Wet weight | 575 lb (261 kg) |
| Fuel capacity | 6.1 gal (23 L) |
Equipment check
Chassis
Comfort
Safety
Thumb the starter and the 270-degree twin settles into an offbeat idle that sounds closer to a big V-twin than an inline pair. The riding position is roomy and upright, the 33.3 in seat wide enough that you move around on it instead of sitting locked in one spot, and the bars come to your hands without a stretch. What registers first is how substantial everything feels through your palms and boots: weighty switchgear, a thick clutch lever, no chain slack snapping on and off the throttle. At a steady road pace the chassis goes quiet and the airstream gets busy, so your ears notice the wind long before your hands notice the road. Pick it up off the sidestand and the weight announces itself, then largely disappears once you are rolling.
None of what follows came from a press kit. It's what has piled up over years of chance conversations in parking lots, talk over coffee at campgrounds, club evenings in winter, and the steady mail owners send me about the bike sitting in their garage. On the Super Tenere the chatter is unusually consistent, and it circles back to the same few things every time.
Owners talk a lot about the hardware sitting between them and the road. The front brakes come up again and again for strong, progressive stopping power, and the shaft drive for how smoothly it puts the power down with nothing to clean or adjust. The electronics get described in the same even tone: linked ABS and three-stage traction control that work in the background rather than announcing themselves, which riders say they lean on in the wet and on loose surfaces. Some mention that the off-road setting lets the rear step out in a controlled way when they want it to. Gearbox comments are less frequent but never mixed. Clean shifts, no false neutrals, nothing missed.
The loudest gripe has little to do with the way it rides at pace, where riders describe it as more agile than the size suggests. It's what happens when the speed drops. Turning it around in a parking lot or pushing it by hand is a job people plan for, and in the dirt the same high weight bias makes it easy to lay the bike over. Riders who take it into technical terrain add that the clutch heats up quickly during slow work. The engine splits opinion. Smooth and torquey is the common ground, but plenty of owners call it flat or agricultural low in the revs and thrashy when they wring it out. Longtime owners also bring up what it cost at launch, priced above rivals and a hard sell at the time.
Soft front suspension flex off-road
When pushed hard off-road, the forks can flex and bottom out with a noticeable clunk, reducing confidence on rough terrain. Re-springing and re-valving offer only marginal improvement.
Poor stock wind protection
The low stock screen directs turbulent air at the rider's helmet, leading to excessive noise, buffeting, and fatigue. The issue is widely reported and often requires aftermarket solutions.
Engine vibration at 4000-4800 rpm
Some owners report significant vibration in the 4000-4800 rpm range, typical highway cruising speed, causing numbness and discomfort.
Where this Yamaha XT1200Z Super Tenere pulls ahead of — or falls behind — its rivals on the numbers, and the typical bike in its class on character.
Power
Torque
Displacement
Wet weight
Seat height
Forget spec-sheet bragging. Here's who the XT1200Z Super Tenere is actually built for.
You get comfort and calm on a 300-mile day of curves, and the twin has enough pull to keep it interesting. Know that it is a heavy machine that rewards flow rather than quick changes of direction.
Made for Black Hills · Blue Ridge Parkway · Cherohala Skyway
This is your bike. Big tank, real load capacity, a drivetrain that shrugs off the miles. Budget for a taller screen before you point it at a week of interstate and mountain passes.
Made for Beartooth Highway · Blue Ridge Parkway · Going-to-the-Sun Road
It handles graded dirt and gravel routes with a full load of gear, but at 575 lb it is a lot of bike once the trail turns rough. Plan the easier lines and it will get you through.
Made for AZBDR — Arizona Backcountry Discovery Route · California BDR South · COBDR — Colorado Backcountry Discovery Route
If this one isn't quite the fit, these are the bikes worth riding back-to-back against it.
Successor · 2014–2021
Long-Haul Reliability, Dialed In
Competitor · 2013–2016
Brakes That Corner Hard
Competitor · 2006–2013
The Globe-Trotter's Flat Twin
Competitor · 2018–2019
Reliable Enough to Trust Anywhere