Hi Rick. on the subject of being friendly or otherwise, the ride you led down to Porlock when it was very wet n windy was great, all the beemer boys were very good fun and of course, you were on your Ten. In fact that was the ride that made me wonder why I was lugging an 1150GS around when the ' little ' Yamaha was obviously so much fun!
On the other hand, when I went on another well known regular ride out with the GSers. the atmosphere was entirely different.
Finally, yes I get blanked by lots but not all BM jocks, if you really want to feel invisible , try getting a nod from a HD lugger.

Sod all this snow and ice, roll on the spring.

Happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year to you all, whatever you ride.

Crow, welcome, I've not seen you around.
Impressed with your comparisons of the two bikes, you did put some thought into it.
I also was in the same position, rode both and had the 800 for a full weekend (including the GS1200) and the Tenere I rode a number of times. Although totally different bikes I did own the 1995 Tenere at the time so was familar with the power, reliability etc.
In the end I chose the Tenere and its been 18 months and have to say I love this bike, like the 1995 model, it will take you to the moon and back.
Regarding power and speed. If you want 200km an hour, its the wrong bike. The Tenere will do 140km per hour for hours on end and will get there very quickly, it will do 150 and 160 and my top speed is 171km (gps).
Regarding the vibration, it is suprisingly smooth, not as smooth as the BM but really not an issue and thevibes do die with age, with 15,000' my bike is pretty smooth.
You have already made all the points so won't waste your time repeating your own conclusions but this bike does give you the extra freedom and there is a ton of things you can do to it and there's a ton of enthusiasm which surronds this bike.
I will say the spares and accessories cost and availability plays a big part and in South Africa nobody beats Yamaha. In Durban, Perry Yamaha have been fantastic, as I believe Droomers in Cape Town are.
My two sons also have the Tenere and they love it.
Last year we did the West coast, Cape Town, Agrabies, Verneuk Pan, Colesburg, Rhodes, Durban and I never got tired of this bike.
Few weeks ago I had 40kgs on the back and went up Sani Pass and across Lesotho and down to Rhodes and back to Durban no problem except for a dented front rim (second one)! ...and the beamers have the same problem.
There have been issues with this bike which have been sorted and there still are some that have'nt been. These are all on the forums and you nodoubt have already read them.
Then there is the XT660.com family, rarely will you find such a bunch, yes they hijack threads :violence: and they are a bunch of wavers :hismiley:, but they generally can't be beat.

Good luck

have not ridden the GS but my Tenere did 100 miles plus on saturday two up, with bursts up to 80(on the speedo) but generally was happy at 70.i find this a real good do it all bike!

hi guys it seems who acknowledges and who does not is always a popular topic.i get ignored on my scooter,sometimes on my Harley with apes and sometimes on my tenere...hey ho,lets all keep up the friendly nods when safe....

Sometimes I ride my Yamaha Tenere, sometimes my BMW GS. I don't vary the degree of waving according to the bike I'm riding. I wave (or nod) to guys and gals on mopeds, scooters, 125s and even Teneres. :)

The term 'tosser' on the UKGSer site (for which I am a moderator) is an affectionate term first coined by 'Bakerman', a really nice guy who runs Burbridge Bakery in Andover.

Bakerman runs many events on Salisbury Plain and also raises tons of dosh for charity with his annual Hograost (sic) camping weekends organised with his wife 'Mrs Soft Baps'.

I must say I have meet some great chap's on that site.

I joined back in 2003 when I ran BMW's

sadly when I read some post's on that site the word Tosser is about right for most on there now.

I would say that the Tenere is a better bike off road than the BM.

Both will do 2 up touring with luggage, the BM is faster on tarmac, but I should think that the Tenere could be ridden off road quicker than the BM if speed was your thing.

I like how the Tenere get's it's power down and that's what suit's me. great bike for the money . I will let you know how it fairs 2 up off road on our return from Morocco

safe fun riding.

Dazzer

Crow, buy the Ten, stop waving, nodding, and worry about what other bikers do...whatever you want to do, JUST ride the bike and enjoy it for what it is...
Did you copy all of this into the local BM riders forums as well?...
GB

So, in the end...
 

I bought the GS. Two things sold it

1. Service I got from BM
Went to Droomers more times than I can remember and phoned a couple of times on top of that, but they just didn't seem so keen to sell a bike. BMW (Hamman Motarrad) was professional and friendly, returned my calls, organised two demo rides and was willing to listen to and discuss all my questions and concerns.

2. ABS
While test-riding I had three scary moments of which two was on the ABS-less Tenere.

I must admit...there are days I regret it. The 800 has been great. Hasn't missed a beat since I bought it, but I liked the feel and look of Tenere so much more.

Different Opinions
 

Didn't get many "local" replies, but here some views from ADV Rider

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=611497

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=611495

Hello; just bought a Tenere and new here.

I've ridden the 800GS on- and off- road and a couple of years ago rode the Stella Alpina on a 650 Transalp in company with the previous owner of my Ten.The Ten is a much better bike in almost ever respect. I have not yet ridden it off road but it impressed me in its previous owner's hands.

I'd take the Ten every time (hang on, I just did...) Better wind protection, better seat (IMO), more robust build (check stories of GS shock mount probs), marginally better suspension. Probably greater tank range; 70mpg is achievable with the Ten, not far off the admittedly impressive 80mpg with the GS. Capable of a 1000 mile day (I've done them). And easier on the wallet.

The GS has a super motor but in S/ST guise they are suspect on longevity, particularly piston/bore life. And ABS is horrible on the dirt.