Staff bikes: Yamaha Super Tenere - The continent-trotter

The wheels of the big Yamaha Super Tenere have barely stopped turning. It’s been into France, Belgium and Germany for the Nurburgring WSB round followed by a jaunt down to Magny Cours for another WSB race. In between I’ve been to the depths of Devon to Dartmouth and it also got me to Snetterton for a track day, and that’s on top of all the everyday stuff.

The trip to Germany was a blast. Within two hours of leaving my house I was riding onto the train at the Channel Tunnel. Knowing just how good the roads are around the Nurburgring, I decided to get there as quickly as possible which meant a few motorway miles along the top of France and into Belgium.

By the time I got to Aachen on the Belgium/Germany border it was time for the fun to begin. The roads are a great mix of well-surfaced twisties and views of pine forests and rolling hills. The weather was perfect and I enjoyed two hours of sweet riding. The only thing you have to be on the look for is the unmarked police bikes. Last year I got pulled for speeding but there were no such dramas this year.

Although the Super Ten is clearly no sports bike, it’s still a joy to ride on roads like these. Even with a topbox and panniers the bike remains well balanced, which means you can hold good corner speed and build up a nice flow.

My trip down to Magny Cours three weeks later wasn’t as much fun due to the mainly motorway route I took, but it highlighted just how versatile the Yamaha is. With more than 7000 miles on the clock it hasn’t missed a beat and it gives me the feeling that it never will. It’s proving to massively competent at anything I can throw at it.

 

The Facts
Yamaha Super Tenere, £13,150
Value now (with accessories): £13,350
Mileage: 7230
Power: 110bhp
Torque: 84ftlb
Colours: Blue or white
Info: www.yamaha-motor.co.uk

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