Mike's Tenere & Motorcycle Blog

  Propgrip Reflective Red Wheel Tape :  very pleasing aesthetics + reflective   Yamaha OEM Super Tenere Colour Matched Decals : same as oem side panel decal, mounted to swing arm   Blackdoves Reflective Super Tenere Pannier Decals :  distinctive & reflective PNWSTOG Reflective S10 Decals : mounted on bags over Caribou decal Yamaha & Grote Stick-On Reflectors :  mounted on back of Bags

2015 KTM 1290 Super Adventure (demo ride) The pre-ride inspection of the Quebec demo bike shows noticeable wear & tear….the pearl white paint has a fine grain speckle to it that has a flatter finish than the S10….looks good on the showroom floor but may not hold up well in the real world, particularly if taken off pavement. The bike just doesn’t seem to have the same level of refinement to detail & finish compared to BMW & Yamaha, but certainly seems in character for KTM given their dirt bike racing heritage of function & toughness first. Ergos: You sit down in the seat which is u-shaped & restricts you to 1 position, the only way to get any fore aft movement is to move forward ever so slightly up the front curvature that follows the tank profile…the same mistake that Ducati made with the 1st gen Multistrada…the seat is uncomfortably firm & feels like you are sitting on the pan…not much padding there, I was squirming after just a few minutes into demo ride….it

2015 BMW R1200GSA Adventure (demo ride) Ergos: 3 things jump out at you when you get seated: the seat is uber compliant & comfortable (almost squishy & luxurious) with fore & aft room. the cockpit is part way between the very intimate KTM & the roomy S10. that is one huge, wide mass of plastic over the tank that splays your legs more than the S10 but still very comfortable with way more leg protection than ever required, to the point that you could never get any direct air on them.  The handlebars fall to hand almost identical to the S10 with a similar bar bend. The windscreen is one hand adjustable via a knob on the right side…but it should have been on the left to allow adjustment without reaching across with your left hand. The 2 cluster display is too small with too small markings for the analogue speedo & tach, plus the BMW GPS mount partially blocks the top of the speedo. Knee bend with the seat in the lower position is comfortable with perhaps a little more b