2014–2021 · Adventure · Buyer's Guide
Long-Haul Reliability, Dialed In
The Super Tenere ES runs a liquid-cooled 1199 cc parallel twin making 112 hp at 7,250 rpm and 86 lb-ft at 6,000 rpm, and it sends every bit of it through a shaft. That choice sets the tone for the whole bike. Thrust arrives as one long, even pull instead of a hit, the mass sits low, and the electronics stay in the background where they belong: ABS, traction control and ride modes, plus electronically adjustable suspension, cruise control, an adjustable screen and a seat you can set to two heights. It is built to cover ground, not to collect trophies.
It rides the way it looks, planted and unhurried, and it is hard to upset when the surface turns bad or the wind picks up. It ages well because there is little on it to go wrong. The shaft takes the chain out of your life, the service points are straightforward, and reliability is the second strongest thing about this machine after the suspension. It suits riders doing long days, often two-up or loaded, with gravel and forest roads in the mix rather than ledges and deep sand. The honest caveat: 7.5 in of travel at both ends and 575 lb wet put a firm ceiling on how technical you can get.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 112 hp (82 kW) @ 7,250 rpm |
|---|---|
| Torque | 86 lb-ft (117 Nm) @ 6,000 rpm |
| Displacement | 1199 cc |
| Engine | Parallel twin |
| Cooling | Liquid-cooled |
| Gearbox | 6-speed |
| Final drive | Shaft |
| Fork | Telescopic |
| Front brake | 310 mm |
| Front tire | 110/80-19 |
| Rear tire | 150/70-17 |
| Wheelbase | 60.6 in (1540 mm) |
| Ground clearance | 7.5 in (190 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) |
| Top speed | 130 mph (210 km/h) |
| Fuel economy | 43 mpg (US) |
Equipment check
Chassis
Comfort
Safety
The first thing you register is where the weight lives. Roll it off the sidestand and 575 lb feels like less than the number promises, though at walking pace on loose ground it is still 575 lb and it lets you know. The riding position is wide and upright, bars close, knees at an easy angle, and the 33.3 in seat leaves most riders solidly planted on one boot. The twin is smooth in a mechanical way, a steady pulse through the pegs at cruising revs rather than the buzz you brace against. The driveline feels solid and quiet with no chain snatch anywhere in it. At highway speed the stock screen is the loudest part of the motorcycle, and an hour of that noise shows up in your neck. Thumb the cruise on, settle back, and the miles stop registering individually.
What follows is not my own test ride. It is what I have collected over years of listening: parking-lot conversations at rallies, owners talking things through on a club night, and the messages riders send me directly after a long trip. On the Super Tenere that chatter runs unusually consistent. The same praise and the same complaints keep coming back, from riders who have no connection to each other.
Durability dominates the conversation. Owners report minimal unscheduled stops and place it among the most dependable adventure machines they have owned. Comfort comes up nearly as often. The upright, roomy seating position, the electronically adjustable damping and the smooth engine character leave riders describing themselves as fresh after back-to-back ten-hour days. A good number also mention how much lighter it feels once rolling than it looks standing still, steady at highway pace and composed through fast corners.
Top of the complaint list is the stock screen. Even in its high position, riders describe turbulent air arriving at helmet level, and enough of them fit a replacement that it reads as routine. Others talk about vibration coming through at mid revs and engine heat on their legs in slow traffic, which they say costs the bike some refinement. On technical trails the recurring word is ponderous.
Front brake switch failure (factory recall)
The front brake switch may fail due to increased internal resistance from silicon oxide, causing the brake light to stay on constantly and/or the cruise control to disengage unexpectedly. Affected units must have the switch replaced under a factory modification campaign.
Severe wind buffeting with stock screen
The OE windshield generates violent noise and head-shaking turbulence at highway speeds, causing significant rider fatigue and headaches after as little as an hour. Aftermarket screens or spoiler attachments are frequently employed to mitigate the problem.
Where this Yamaha XT1200ZE 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
Top speed
Seat height
Forget spec-sheet bragging. Here's who the XT1200ZE Super Tenere is actually built for.
Cruise control, 43 mpg and a screen and seat you can set to your body make 300-mile days on Highway 1 or the Blue Ridge genuinely easy. It is heavier than a pure sport-tourer and calmer for it.
Made for Black Hills · Blue Ridge Parkway · Cherohala Skyway
This is the job it was built for. A 6.1 gal tank, shaft drive, suspension that adjusts electronically for a pillion and bags, and the kind of reliability you can plan a month-long route around.
Made for Beartooth Highway · Blue Ridge Parkway · Going-to-the-Sun Road
If you're cross-shopping the older generation, here's what changed.
Previous generation · 2010–2021
The Long-Haul Survivor
Compare to the previous model →If this one isn't quite the fit, these are the bikes worth riding back-to-back against it.
Any price note compares both bikes at the same age — the youngest age both have on the used market — against this Yamaha XT1200ZE Super Tenere. “cheaper/pricier” is what that bike costs second-hand, not how worn it is.
