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| XT1200Z SuperTénéré | |
 
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Here Now It’s now emerged the Super Tenere will cost $24,999 when it’s released in the NZ. From the beginning, the Super Ténéré design team had the following targets in mind: •An all-new, shaft-driven large displacement engine with the torque to deliver emphatic drive throughout the rev range and a dynamic character suited to a wide range of conditions; •Light and agile handling, with perfect balance at low speeds and quick, precise steering on twisty mountain roads; •High levels of comfort, weather protection and practicality to accommodate long-haul travel with passengers and luggage; and •Intelligent use of rider assist technology to improve safety, versatility and rider confidence in all situations – but without taking full control away from experienced riders. This kind of bike also had to be incredibly versatile, finding the right balance of priorities to work across four main types of riding: •Off-road adventure: getting off the beaten track to enjoy the rewards and challenges of unpaved roads, forest trails, river crossings, sand dunes and grassy plains. •Long-range touring: loading up the motorcycle with luggage and a passenger, and taking off for a few weeks to clear the mind and refresh the soul. •Corner Carving: hitting a twisty mountain pass and carving tight lines through the corners, revelling in the exhilaration of performance motorcycling; and •Urban commuting: dispensing with traffic on a wet Monday morning, king of a crowded road. From the strength of this concept, the Super Ténéré began to emerge. Yamaha’s designers and engineers drew on their decades of unparalleled success in the brutal and unforgiving Paris-Dakar rally to develop a machine that could bring a much-needed dose of rugged Yamaha reliability to the big-bore adventure touring segment. The Super Ténéré is a go-anywhere adventure machine, built tough to go beyond the beaten track with spoked wheels, generous ground clearance and hardy engine protection. The entire design is tuned to keep the bike’s mass low and central for perfect balance and light, agile handling at speed. It packs the technology to go beyond the normal braking point with intelligent Unified Brake System with ABS stopping power. The all-new 1199cc inline 2-clyinder engine delivers big power and effortless torque in a slim, compact, well balanced package. It lets each rider choose the perfect balance of safety, speed and fun with a three-mode traction control system that can easily be turned off when it’s time for some rear wheel steering on a loose surface. And it’s been relentlessly tested to ensure that it’s in for the long haul, whatever conditions and challenges it has to face. 1199cc inline 2-cylinder engine with 270-degree crank The engine defines the riding experience of any motorcycle – and a machine with such broad, transcontinental capability as the Super Ténéré requires a flexible and powerful motor that can handle every test you’ll put it through. The heart of the Super Ténéré is a liquid-cooled, 4-stroke, DOHC, inline 2-cylinder, 4-valve, fuel injected, twin spark engine. Displacing 1199cc, it delivers a grunty 110PS (at 7,250rpm) for quick acceleration, and a broad spread of torque for effortless cruising and overtaking. Its bore of 98mm and stroke of 79.5 mm were chosen to for the optimal combination of quick revving, low rotating mass and a compact engine design. The engine features a 270-degree crankshaft, with firing intervals at the 270- and 450-degree points. The 90 degree offset between the two cranks effectively neutralises the effect of inertial torque of the two forged pistons – in engineering terms, this keeps the total output torque of the engine virtually equal to the combustion torque. In rider’s terms, it means that the connection between the throttle and the rear wheel feels linear and direct. The end result: extra precision and increased confidence. 2-axis balancers keep vibration to a minimum, the front one driving the oil and water pumps. The engine also features a dry sump, with the oil tank inside the crankcase, which keeps the engine vertically compact and allows it to be mounted lower in the frame. This keeps the centre of mass and the axis of crankshaft rotation low for sharp steering and easy handling, while preserving a minimum ground clearance of 205 mm. The exhaust is a 2-into-1, 2-step expansion system ending in a short, vertically elliptical muffler. A honeycomb-type catalyser is positioned where the two header pipes meet, to clean up carbon monoxide, hydrocarbon and nitrous oxide emissions. Two O2 sensors monitor the amount of unburned oxygen in the exhaust for each cylinder, providing a highly accurate feedback system that lets the ECU ensure clean, efficient and optimised. YCC-T with Traction Control As with several of Yamaha’s other recent high-performance motorcycles, the Super Ténéré uses the Yamaha Chip Controlled Throttle (YCC-T) system. Throttle openings are measured electronically, around every 1/1000th of a second – and the YCC-T system makes a series of high-speed calculations to determine the optimal throttle valve opening and control the volume of intake air. Throttle and fuel injection response is crisp and clean, and the system ensures excellent efficiency and environmental performance as well. Because the Super Ténéré is designed to be ridden hard over highly variable terrain. Based on technology developed on Yamaha’s YZF-M1 MotoGP race bike, the traction control module measures front and rear wheel speed, uses this data to determine when the rear wheel loses traction – and then modulates the ignition timing, the fuel injection and the YCC-T system to optimise rear grip. The traction control system is switchable between three modes – “TCS1″ mode is standard and will intervene whenever the rear wheel starts to spin. “TCS2″ mode has a reduced effect to allow the back end to slide a little during more spirited off-road riding – and traction control can be completely disabled by selecting “OFF.” In addition to the traction control features, the Super Ténéré features switchable Yamaha D-MODE engine mapping – from S (Sport) mode, which delivers instant throttle response for high-performance riding, to a more relaxed T (Touring) mode that delivers smooth, easy power. It’s one of many ways the Super Ténéré adapts to accommodate different riding styles and conditions. Intelligent Unified Brake System with ABS The Super Ténéré comes with an advanced electronic Unified Brake System with ABS as standard fitment – one of the most advanced braking systems Yamaha has ever built. The primary goal of any ABS system is to reduce and even eliminate loss of traction – and as such they make use of rotation speed sensors in the front and rear wheels. But the Super Ténéré’s ABS system is smarter – constantly monitoring machine speed, rates of deceleration and slippage in addition to the wheel speeds to determine where one or both wheels might be about to lock up and slide. When the ABS computer detects a wheel locking tendency, it sends signals to an infinitely variable hydraulic pressure unit that modulates braking pressure smoothly to avoid wheel lock-up. In this way, it often takes action before a slide even begins, to deliver smooth, controlled, confident stopping power. The Unified Brake System unit is designed to intelligently proportion the braking between the front and rear calipers when only the front lever is used. This reflects the fact that in many off-road situations, riders will be standing on the footpegs, with little access to the rear brake lever. The braking computer considers the running speed, front brake lever pressure and how much weight the motorcycle is carrying before deciding how much braking force is sent to the rear wheel through the hydraulic unit. And yet the Unified Brake System doesn’t interfere with the precise rear brake control you need when riding with pillions or performing slow U-turns – if the rear brake is applied before the front brake, the Unified Brake System function is cancelled for that braking instance, giving the rider full control. Chassis The new Super Ténéré handles sharply – and that’s no accident. Every effort has been made to keep the wheelbase short for agility, the weight low and central to keep the bike feeling light and flickable whatever the conditions. But it’s also built tough, with a frame made from high-tensile steel pipe. Steel was chosen over aluminium because it holds up better under the demands that off-road adventure riding can place on a large bike. Front suspension is handled by a pair of upside-down telescopic forks running 43mm inner tubes. Telescopic forks were chosen because they deliver excellent front end feel under braking and in corners. The forks are adjustable for preload, rebound and compression damping. The rear suspension features a monoshock adjustable for rebound damping and preload. The preload adjuster and rebound damping are adjustable by hand with no tools required, making it easy to set the bike up to take passengers or heavy luggage loads. The rear monoshock suspends a low pressure-cast aluminium swingarm – which is elongated for improved suspension action. The swingarm’s extra length doesn’t compromise the bike’s sharp-handling wheelbase, because the engine is compact for its size and the radiator has been side-mounted on the left of the engine to save space at the front. Electrical components and the battery fill out the right side of the bike, and cooling airflow is distributed over both sides by the aerodynamic front cowling. Heat disperses out to the side without affecting rider comfort. The Super Ténéré is shaft driven to reduce maintenance effort even across a wide range of riding conditions – so there’s no more cleaning, oiling or adjusting a chain. A hypoid shaft gear has been chosen – this reduces the size and weight of the ring gear, helping to reduce unsprung weight at the back end while maintaining excellent stability. It all adds up to superior handling, on and off road. Off-road Credentials To carry the Ténéré’s Paris-Dakar legacy forward, the Super Ténéré needs to be able to handle a broad range of off-road conditions, despite its impeccable on-road manners. First and foremost, the Super Ténéré runs a pair of tough, spoked tubeless aluminium rims with a 110/80/19 front tyre and a 150/70/17 rear tyre. The narrower front wheel features two Double T-type rails on its rim to support the ‘L’ shaped ends of the spokes, with a tightening nipple structure at the hub end. The double rail system allows the spokes to be angled for maximal off-road shock resistance and the rigidity required for agile on-road handling. The wider rear rim only needs a single spoke rail. The handlebar positioning has been optimised to allow riders to be comfortable either sitting or standing for off-road work – and hand guards are standard fitment. The footrests are fitted with hollow rubber tube inserts – so that when you’re seated, these inserts provide a comfortable, cushioned contact for the feet. But when you stand up and put your full bodyweight on the pegs, these inserts flatten down – so your boots can grip the full surface of the footrest for added control in off-road situations. The Super Ténéré is also fitted with integrated side engine protectors and a standard engine guard – and the rear subframe is reinforced to cope with the potential stresses of off-road fall impacts while carrying large side panniers. Touring Considerations As capable as the Super Ténéré is off-road, it also shines as a go-anywhere long range tourer. Its large, 23-litre tank delivers serious touring range, while a height-adjustable seat (845-870 mm) and adjustable screen let you set your riding position and wind protection for maximum comfort. A 12-volt socket in the front cowling lets you charge or power electronic devices such as GPS systems and mobile phones. The headlights are powerful twin projector beams – and rather than using a separate filament for high and low beam, each projector features a solenoid-operated shade piece that moves up and down to switch between high and main beam lighting. |
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