tenere comparisons
 

looking for an off road adventure tourer to do the outbacks + offroads in nsw.have decided to go tenere. seems more popular than the klr etc in oz.can some tenere pros tell me the differences/ pros/cons of the teneres around?seems like lotsa teneres over the years with differences.which year tenere in your opinios woulds be the best rally relpica?

660 has the least problems. Just make sure you have the new model voltage regulator with fins and take care of the suspensions and you can do anything with the bike.

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Fred, XTZ660, Holland.

Hi,

I've never had the 660 but I think its a great bike.
Though, me I prefer the XT600Z of 1989; 3AJ, it has the same gearbox demultiplication as 660 and same for the clutch, it also have the biggest oil cooler of all ténérés.
Ignition is theoretically less reliable than 660 as it is a condensor discharge type, CDI is good cause you can run engine without battery.
Suspension is kayaba front and monocross rear.

Cheers,

Matt
froggy france

A 660 doesn't need an oil cooler. And it doesn't need the fan either. I removed mine.
It's true that a CDI runs without battery, but the TCI also runs without. If you get the bike started. I once had the battery dead and/because of the voltage regulator. As long as your girlfriend sits on the back and the luggage and you are in the mountains it's ok.
But the CDI has 1 big disadvantage : they break down sometimes, when you least expect it and when you least need it.

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Fred, XTZ660, Holland.

wat bout the super tenere xtz 750? how is it in terms of reliability,availability of spares in oz, weight , handling dirt tracks etc?

This link will give you a general overview:
http://www.tenere.ch/english/etenerestory.html

Ciao, Geoff

I've never had 750 either, I've heard it's very reliable for road use but heavy for offroad handling though possible if you look like a norwegian logger or Arnold Schwarzeneger.
The 750 is said to be an excellent touring machine, but thirsty.
My best advice for you if you want a great multi use bike is: buy the 3AJ from 89&+ you won't be disapointed, cause when taking a close look at all the improvements/caracteristics of this model you'll understand the ambition of the great Yamaha engineers of eliminating the sensible points and making a reliable work horse.
Also, the long travel suspension is practical for offroad use.
Excellent maniability on road and well positioned center of gravity...today I just made a painfull experience of a highly stressfull urgency handling and the bike saved me from falling, a driver was throwing his car in front me..suddenly when steering away I was heading against a 15-20 cm high trotoir and on it there was a metallic road sign, so when hitting the trotoir I had to turn right and in 70 Km/h this made the bike behave like a snake crawling fastly forward; lost control.
My top case almost touched the ground as I steered away from the road sign, suddenly I opened the throttle and hold steadily the steering....and this excellent bike raised up instead of falling, taking control again.
Me I'm happy with it.

Cheers,

Matt

tx geoff fer the link.was wat i was looking for. dont want that xtz750. will search fer the 3aj.currently use a cbr1000f fer commuting daily 170kms.tenere should be good i suppose fer riding to work ,in the back roads. makes life more intresting. cbr returns bout 19kms/ltr. excellent.wat do i need to look out fer in an used tenere?any tips would be welcome. tx.wats the range of the tenere anyway?

With the XT600 Tenere range and their age, I would expect any problems to have been addressed by now and all versions to give good service.
I have a 1988 3AJ and learnt that there is in fact a Series 1 and Series 2. 'Matt595' has listed some 3AJ good points, but I think these are more to do with the Series 2 (can an expert help?).
My Series 1 3AJ has a smaller/shorter oil cooler and the chain-drive (& 5th-gear?) format of the older 1VJ. Neither of these have been a problem for me, but you should be aware that the 3AJ did evolve and you could see differences to some of the details given by members and manuals, which is down to the Series 1 or 2 spec. (I am only aware of these two items).

I have been very pleased with my 3AJ and amazed how readily the parts are available from Yamaha still, and with a bit of digging a number of after-market items can still be obtained.

Ciao, Geoff

(footnote re CBR1000 - I also ride modern bikes - Triumphs, and the Tenere is a wonderfully different riding experience being an off-road Thumper! You should enjoy the contrasts, and being able to go on such varied routes).


[This message has been edited by GeoffE (edited 25 July 2004).]

Hi,
Thee differances between 3AJ-1988 and 3AJ-1989 are;
The oil cooler; bigger size by one third on 1989
Geearbox demultiplication of engine torque; the gearbox inner wheels etc are the same on 1988 & 1989 they are all improved compared to the 1VJ model, though on 1989 the clutch wheel has another demultiplication and sends less torque on the wheels in gearbox...then to compensate this the drive chain gives more torque to the back wheel.
If you have a 1988; you can buy a drive chain kit for 89 and the clutch wheel if you manage to find it, I think you can buy the 660 one cause it is the same as last 3AJ, but I'm not sure 100%.

Last big differance is just esthetic; engine is painted in grey on last 3AJ and black on first.

Suspension is the same 255/235 and solid kayaba as fork.

Now I'm heading for the garage to work on my sweetheart,

Cheers

Matt

Thanks Matt - that's great information about the 3AJ. The clutch wheel is an interesting thing to think about.

Best regards,
Geoff