I was just reviewing the photos on the first couple pages and noticed it said:
"1st Edition" In a not so subtle way, Yamaha may be revealing a long term commitment here to this model. This opens the possibility of significant up grades every year or two ... a la the latest sport bikes. (IE : 2nd Edition!)

No longer can a company just ignore a bike. Bikes now require constant upgrades beyond "Bold New Graphics" to make it fresh every year, changes to solve "problems" and of course more features and even more aftermarket farkles. Yamaha know well how to do this but it's expensive.
But if you read everything about the latest YZ450F or R1, you see just what incredible innovation they are capable of. If the 1200 Tenere' gets even half of this attention it could be a world beater.

I'm thinking this bike will take a good sized bite out of BMW, KTM and Suzuki's market share in the Adventure bike segment. There is risk because trends shift, classifications morph and re-form into all kinds of weird hybridized incarnations. We are a very fickle bunch.

Look at the Aprilia Desoduro or latest Multistrada and or HyperMotos KTM 950SE or SMR. The adventure touring landscape is clearly in flux. IMHO, giant adventure bikes popularity may be on the wane unless lots of creative innovation and marketing are employed ... and soon.

BMW's big GS is losing ground to its own F800GS, Vstrom sales are very slow (Vstrom fans are fed up with a great bike that has never, ever got any love from Suzuki .... talk about blowing it). KTM's are too expensive and still have mechanical issues that should have been purged years ago. At present KTM future is in question. Very thin ice. And why haven't KTM produced a mid-sized Adventure Twin to compete with the F800GS? Something with 20% less weight and better performance??

Another interesting potential player here could be Triumph and the rumored 675cc Tiger Cub Enduro. If done right, it could trump the F800GS
and leap frog everyone in one go. Triumph are perfectly placed to do this, and I hope they jump in.

If BMW put half the effort into a new Adventure bike that they've poured into the SS1000 they could dominate. Will they?

Honda? WTF is up with Honda? They had the world by the balls and just let it all go. Imagine a totally modern Africa Twin? Lightweight modern twin motor in super light Ally chassis, top shelf suspension. Could be real competition for Yam's 1200 Tenere' and everyone else. Instead we get the Rune' and other Jackass inspired cruisers that go no where.