Yamaha XT1200Z Super Tenere(Launch soon)
Yamaha has a long history of success at the famous Paris to Dakar Rally. In fact, Yamaha won the first ever event in 1978 and has since followed up with 8 other victories at this gruelling rally. The new and versatile 2012 Yamaha Super Ténéré is designed to be the most exciting next-generation adventure tourer, combining Yamaha’s Dakar-bred toughness and reliability with light, easy handling and advanced rider assist technology. In Super Tenere tradition, the XT is powered by a liquid-cooled parallel-twin, though at 1199cc this dohc eight-valve unit is much bigger than that of its predecessor. It has been given that capacity to compete with BMW’s R1200GS and the Yamaha’s stated output of 108 horsepower matches the GS’s almost exactly. 1199cc Parallel Twin using 98×79.5mm cylinders at 11:1 compression. A 270-degree firing rotation is claimed to put power down in an extremely usable manner, promoting traction in all situations. Speaking of traction, rider input is highlighted by the Yamaha Chip-Controlled Throttle (YCC-T) which offers three-stage traction control. The TC can be disabled for off-road use, and the pilot is able to switch engine maps as well to provide alternate power curves.
The parallel twin in the Yamaha is very good for off-roading and remains less stressed even when put through rough use and stays planted as well, its handling is a lot because of its suspension setup. It uses an inverted fork which offers preload, compression and rebound settings, and the shock utilizes tool-less preload and rebound adjustment.
ABS is standard, and the XT1200Z uses a sophisticated linking system that allows the rider to control whether or not the brakes act independently. The cool thing is that it can be done on the fly. Yamaha’s Unified Braking System works so that the front brake actuates both the dual 310mm wave rotors up front and single 282mm rear. Tapping the rear brake first will disengage the system so that each brake is controlled independently by the rider.
Yamaha XT1200Z should be here by the end of 2013 and will cost between a hefty 16-18lakh rupees. It will be directly placed to compete with the BMW R1200GS but the point is will the people buy this over the legendary GS? This surely will be fun to watch. We are keeping a keen eye on the developments about the Super Ténéré and will be the first ones to let you know.