After a two week tour last summer on my good old 86 Tenere i have not ridden her much. The battery went dead and she was semi mothballed over the winter. Yesterday i fitted a new battery and she started first time on the button. And you can hear all the mechanics inside moving around and the thing is shaking and vibrating. Pure nostalgia! All as it should be in an old single. After checking her over i went out for a spin today around Cornwall. Have to say, what a pleasure to ride this bike. As i also have an XT660 Tenere i can compare the two directly and say how far Yamaha has come on with the new one.
Firstly, the size.The new Tenere is sooo much bigger than the old one but the seat height is slightly higher on the oldie. Then there is the riding. The old Tenere with her softer and massive suspension travel just irons out anything that the road or off road can throw at her. Changed front and rear to Hagon to firm it up a bit. Don't bother getting on the pegs in the rough leave it to the suspension. The new tenere feels much stiffer though and newer i suppose. But the ride is a bit rough.
The engines are like chalk and cheese. The old one rough and vibey at low revs but at around 4000 when the balancer shaft works best it will transform into a smooth motor with hardly any vibes at all. Best of all its at 70mph. Great cruising speed at the speed limit. The old engine is quite high reving with not much happening under 3500 revs and best at 4.5-6000. Also not a good idea to use 5th gear at less than 4000 revs as the gears will get crunched. Old weak point on my model not yet adressed by Yamaha until two years later.
The new engine feels smoother at start up but the front of the bike gets shaken a bit. A bit worried about the Scotty display attached under the dials. Can't really read them at low revs. Power output is very similar with the new engine just having more of it and the fuel injection on its side. Having said that the old Ten is sooo much smoother. Even with a Kev Mod on the new.
The vibes on the new bike start when they stop on the old one. Not good for long distance.
Gear boxes could not be more different. The new one with relatively long travel and often heavy clunks. The old one very short changes and silent and smooth every time. Just tap the leaver and its in.
Despite heavier springs and new plates the old clutch is awful. Grabs too late which sometimes catches you out off road. No power first then a lot when the engine revs up and it grips. Never slips though. New clutch is marvellous.
Top speed is not that much to choose from. I expected the new Ten to run rings around the old one but no, The old girl pulls right up to just over a hundred (on her 80's speedo!) The new one doesn't do that. What happened to the extra horses? And that without a fairing!
Weight wise they are very similar. There were a lot of remarks about the new Ten's weight at the beginning but the old Ten already weights in at 185kg. Add 23ltrs fuel and she gets really heavy. Add 25kg luggage and its not funny when to try and stop her toppling over any more. So in my opinion Yamaha has done well to produce a bigger bike with more bits and liquits on it and managed to keep the weight the same.
Brakes! The old Ten with a beautifully usable rear drum brake and a front disk that might as well not be there. Caught me out at the first roundabout this morning. Approached it like on the new Ten and was lucky to be the only one there. Never slowed down until well into the roundabout. This with braded hoses, mind! The new Ten never leaves you worried that you can't stop. Rear brake is pants though. Might as well not use it. makes no difference.
So, which is best? I think the new Ten is the better bike but in one important aspect i think Yamaha has missed the point a bit. The Tenere has always been the long distance, original adventure bike. Over the years it has not become faster, smoother or more comfortable than in 1986. Just more modern. They were on the right track back in the 90's with the XTZ660.
Still love my new Ten, she looks nice.
As for my tour this summer, not sure which one i am taking, probably the old one.

Rob