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Yamaha XT 1200Z Super Ténéré
Powered by a compact 1199cc parallel twin with a 270° crank
intended to enhance torque and traction, as both pistons fire closely together,
giving it the feel of a big-bore thumper with less vibration.
The Yamaha Super Ténéré features twin downdraft 12-hole injectors
with YCC-TTM (Yamaha Chip Controlled Throttle) for optimum throttle control and
acceleration, according to Yamaha. These electronic allow the Yamaha to include
what it calls the D-Mode (Drive Mode).
The Super Ténéré has both an Antilock Braking System (ABS) and
Unified Braking System (UBS). With UBS, squeezing the front brake alone also
provides some rear-wheel braking; pressing the rear brake first overrides UBS
for traditional separate front and rear braking action.
The compact engine design uses a dry-sump oil supply inside the
crankcase, and side-mounted radiator for surprising narrowness, while a two-axis
primary balancer smoothes out engine vibration for all-day riding comfort. An
8-valve cylinder head optimizes the fuel charge for spirited performance, and
the cylinder head cover is ultra-lightweight magnesium to help centralize mass.
Adjustable pre-load suspension allows the rider to adjust the Super Ténéré for
varying loads or a passenger. The forks are adjustable for compression and
rebound damping, while the rear shock is rebound-damping adjustable only.
Review
Yamaha has a solid pedigree in adventure bikes; it
built one of the first big Japanese four-stroke beetle-crushers (a Dutch couple,
Rolf and Astrid Dols, rode from Scheveningen, near the Hague, to Cape Town on a
pair of XT500's as long ago as 1983) and for a number of years the Triple Tuning
Fork dominated the Dakar Rally, first with the 600 Tènèrè single and later with
the fire-breathing 750cc V-Twin Super Tènèrè.
And what it is, is complicated; it's built around a 1199cc DOHC parallel twin
with four valves and two spark plugs per cylinder. The crankpins are set at 270
degrees, rather than 360 degrees as per classic British twins or 180 as on
Japanese and European examples.
But we're not finished yet; a handlebar-mounted button lets the rider choose
between Sport and Touring mappings. But don't let the name fool you, all that
happens in Touring mode is that the engine becomes sluggish and reluctant to
respond. I kept the Super Tènèrè in Sport mode all the time except in the rain.
The fully-adjustable suspension (43mm upside-downies in front and a rear
monoshock that's adjustable “on the fly”) is superb. The front in particular is
supple without sogginess, providing remarkably agile and accurate steering for a
quarter-ton motorcycle, while the unified braking system resists nose-dive under
heavy braking.
But all this electrotech means that even an amateur-level dirt rider (such as
yours truly) can take this industrial-strength adventurebike off the tar and
expect to come back in one piece. Gravel roads and jeep tracks hold no terrors;
if you can go there on a mountain bike, you can go there on an XT1200Z. Source iol.co.za
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Any corrections or more information on these motorcycles will be kindly appreciated. |