Long Way Down Japanese style

[drthompson65]

Yamaha is jumping into the uber bike market...

Yamaha XT1200Z Super T̩n̩r̩ Photo Gallery РMotorcycle news: New bikes РVisordown

[drsus]

sure looks the part and if it weighs even 1/10 less than the boat anchor big GS it already makes much more sense. The GS800 is the way to go IMO if youre gonna do real overlanding with a bimmer. I couldnt believe what a pile of shit the big GS was off road on uneven surfaces and muck.

If i was going top jump into it again id look at the Duc, the GS800 and looks like this Yammy as well.

[banda]

That's pretty cool, if you're in to that sort of thing.

Big old parallel twin - shaft drive, luggage, honest bash guard... neat.

[GAMBLER]

I love the big GS


the yammer could be a better bike, but it will always be a shabby copy

[DesperateSP2]

Would you believe the R1200GS here has outsold even the much cheaper Kawasaki Z750 last year?
Everybody is wondering why it took Honda and Yamaha, which both had superb big trailies back in the late '90s, ten years to realize there may be some money to be made in this market segment.
Problem number one: the first batch of 900 bikes will cost 15000€ (about the same as the mighty BMW with ABS and nothing else on it) and will be loaded with all the extras you see in the picture: heated grips, hard luggage, spoke wheels etc. Then everything will become optional. It will become as expensive as a BMW if not more.
Problem number two: weight. The BMW weighs 230kg ready to roll and with a tank full of fuel. The Yamaha tips the scales at 260kg.

Honda tried to replace the best selling Africa Twin with the mediocre Varadero and failed miserably. Instead of sending it back to the drawing board they just fitted fuel injection and fiddled with the suspension hoping to find the right combination. They kept that bike in production for eleven years (1998-2009) while sales dwindled to a trickle and the Bavarians laughed all the way to the bank. There's a new big trailie coming from Honda in late 2010-early 2011 but it will have to do much better than the yamaha to beat the Germans.

[drsus]

Originally Posted by GAMBLER

I love the big GS

i thought id love it to. I always wanted one and so i bought it. Got it all ready to do some real overlanding and all. I use a 99 Land Rover Discovery that i take out overlanding and i figured it be real cool to do it on the GS........i was very disappointed on how it worked off road, loose dirt, uneven surfaces. The way it carries the weigh just makes it a handful to keep the front wheel front tucking at the slightest imperfection. Its doable, you get used to it and you ride accordingly, but the side effect is that you no longer enjoy the ride because all youre doing is keeping from hitting the ground like a frikking dart. And the places i was planning on taking it...i would rather enjoy the ride. so, i Sold it 6 months later to a dude that seemed like all he was planning to do was what most guys that buy the bike do...troll a round town looking all mad max cool and going nowhere....and for that, the bike works like a charm.


nect time ill go for the GS800. I alsi want to look a the Duc and this Yammy if avail here. The key is not so much how much it weighs, but how it carries it. At the end, youre going to load the thing up to the gills, so you better be ok with lots of weight...thats if youre going to actually use it. I bitch about the GS being heavy and a boat anchor, but thats because the bike FEELS like a heavy bike, while a slightly heavier bike might not feel like it.

[GAMBLER]

I have ridden the GS all over AZ, granted it wasn't the Sahara but if the stuff was any knarly'r I'd be in my 2T dirtbike anyway... granted it's a heavy pig but that's part of it... & as far as riding it around town all mad max, I'm kewl with that... with better street rubber, I think it would make a good commuter as the riding position let's you see above cars almost eye to eye with SUV's


I get your point, but I'm still a fan

[drsus]

here are some great specs on all the bike in the segment...the Duc, as ugly as she is, is looking damn good but will need some aftermarket love for protection and such. and i stand corrected in my comparison between the GS and the Yammy... the Yammy seems to be a bit of an overpriced piggy.

By the numbers: giant adventure tourer showdown - Hell For Leather



Power
BMW R1200GS: 110bhp @ 7,750rpm
Ducati Multistrada 1200 150bhp @ 9,250rpm
Yamaha Super Tenere 110bhp @ 7,250rpm
KTM 990 Adventure 105bhp @ 8,250rpm
Suzuki V-Strom 1000 98bhp @ 7,400rpm
'80 BMW R80G/S: 50bhp @ 6,500rpm

Torque
BMW R1200GS: 88lb/ft @ 6,000rpm
Ducati Multistrada: 88lb/ft @ 7,500rpm
Super Tenere: 85lb/ft @ 6,000rpm
KTM Adventure: 74lb/ft @ 6,250rpm
V-Strom 1000: 74lb/ft@ 6,400 rpm
'80 R80G/S 41lb/ft @ 5,000 rpm

Dry Weight
BMW R1200GS: 203kg (448 lbs)
Ducati Multistrada: 189kg (417lbs)
Super Tenere: 244kg (538lbs)
KTM Adventure: 209kg (461lbs)
V-Strom 1000: 207kg (456lbs)
'80 R80G/S: 186kg (410lbs)

Power to weight (bhp:kg)
BMW R1200GS: .54:1
Ducati Multistrada: .79:1
Super Tenere: .45:1
KTM Adventure: .50:1
V-Strom 1000: .47:1
'80 R80G/S: .27:1

Tank Size
BMW R1200GS: 5.3 gallons
Ducati Multistrada: 5.3 gallons
Super Tenere: 6.1 gallons
KTM Adventure: 5.2 gallons US
V-Strom 1000: 5.8 gallons
'80 R80G/S: 5.2 gallons


Rider Aids
BMW R1200GS: optional and fully-defeatable ABS

Ducati Multistrada: push-button adjustment of suspension height, power delivery and traction control, fully-defeatable ABS

Super Tenere: combined brakes, non-defeatable ABS, three-mode traction control, two-mode power delivery

KTM Adventure: fully-defeatable ABS

V-Strom 1000: none

'80 R80G/S: balls

Price
BMW R1200GS: $14,950
Ducati Multistrada: $14,995
Super Tenere: $16,000 (est)
KTM Adventure: $14,898
V-Strom 1000: $9,799
'80 R80G/S: n/a