Friday,July 30th, 2010 Showtimeon


southwalesargus.co.uk/cars Returnofthe desertraider 2Wheels Jane Omorogbe joins aselect few to


ride the new Yamaha Super Tenerefrom Portugal to Marrakesh


YAMAHA’S newSuper Tenereisbound to be compared toBMW’sR1200GS. Trouble is,theBMWis ratheragood


bikeand it sells likehot cakes.Any manufacturer entering thismarketmight prefer the competition to be not quite so intense. Can Yamahareallychallengethe


mighty Germansto produceamotorcycle that’sequallycapable? It’satall order but on paper,things look promising–a108bhp, 1199cc parallel twin against the German 110bhp,1170cc flat twin. Both bikes have shaft drive, aluminium luggage and a riding stance designed forhours in the saddle. Abikebuilt to cross continents and


deserts needsabig test ride,soYamaha invited bikejournalists fromall over the worldtoride the bikefromParis to Toulouse,then on to Madrid and Lisbon. I joined the final legtoMarrakesh–aproper desertadventure! TheSuper Tenereisextremely


comfortable–that’sobvious after onlya shortride.


Aesthetically, it looks tidybut doesn’t


have the same ruggeddesign of the GS. Throughout the launchYamahawas


ExclusivetoPonthir Suzuki


keen to stress thattheSTwasn’t introduced to try to temptBMWriders; it’smorefor hard-coreYamahafanswhowant an adventuresportbike. Nice try Yamaha, but all of us want to knowhowthe Super Tenerestacks up against bikes liketheGS or the new, ridiculouslypowerful, technicallyadvanced Ducati Multistrada. Thefirst thing to strikemewas howflat


the Super Tenere’sengine felt.That’s not necessarilyabad thing, the torque curveis as steadyasasurgeon’s hand and the power delivery is predictableand measured.Wind


open the throttle and the bikepicks up smoothly,whichinexperienced riders will find totallyunintimidating. Thereare actuallytwoenginemappings


–Touring and Sport. Touring aims for smoothness,while Sportmode hasmore edge, butit’snot exactlymind-blowing. In twisty sections,thereisenough poke


in Sporttooffer alivelyride and together with the easy handling, the Super Tenere can feel very rewarding.Onmotorways, takeiteasy,enjoythe comfortofthe adjustableseat(from845mmto 870mm)


and youcan literallyride fordaysonend. It’shardtofault powerdelivery,but it is definitelynomatch forthe sheer grunt of the Ducati Multistrada. Onone particularly long stretch,


somewhereintheMoroccan desert, I snapped the throttle backtothe stop and held it there. It’snot often Ican wring a twist grip likeawet flannel and not have to backoff quite quickly–and this is a1200cc motorcycle. Frankly, Iexpected alittlemore fight.


Theon-boardtechnology is limited.


ABScan’t be turned offbut traction control can. Initially, thatmade no sense.The Super Tisanadventurebike, designed to cope will all kinds of terrain and surfaces, so howisnon-switchableABSgoing to work?I’m sureexperienced offroaders would prefer to disconnect the ABS, butthe Dakar dude,Helder Rodrigueswhowas accompanying us on the ride,managedto do some pretty spectacular stuffwithABS engaged, and forthe rest of usmere mortals,the technology seemed towork just fine. Of course,indeepdesertsand, the


Super Tenereissimplytoo heavy at 261kg to ride the crests of yellow-brownwaves, buttheGSwould struggle in the Sahara too.And at least the SuperTappears to be more‘crashable’ than the shiny, butpricey- to-drop Multistrada. Yamahahas added a linked braking system aswell.


Call in today fora HUGE selection of vehicles allwithMASSIVE SAVINGS EX-Demonstrator Sale


THE SUZUKISWIFT 1.3 SZ2 3DR MODEL


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22 Monthly payments Total amount payable


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£15,434.00 0.0%APR Typical CALLFOR DETAILS!


0% APR typical finance over3years (Altoand Swift, excluding Swift Sport) is subject to availability for vehicles privately registered between 1st July 2010 and 31st August 2010 from participating AuthorisedSuzukiDealers only.Credit is available to persons aged 18 years or over, subject to status.Indemni- ties may be required. Forfull details contact your local SuzukiDealer. Suzuki Finance reserves the right to withdraw or amend this offer without notice or prior warning. The offer is available to customers withinthe UK (excludes Channel Islands and Isle of Man). Suzuki Finance, part of Black HorseGroup,St. William House, Tresillian Terrace, Cardiff,CF10 5BH.This offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer.manufacturers recommended retail price,offer excludes Swift Sport. Mitsubishi 50:50 plan is subjecttoterms &conditions.


Swift range official fuel consumption figures in mpg (L/100km): urban from 32.5 (8.7) to 50.4 (5.6), extra urban from 47.1 (6.0) to 72.4 (3.9), combined from 40.4 (7.0) to 62.8 (4.5). CO2 emissions from 119g/km to 165g/km. £15,224 Clearance Sale! 50:50 ExclusivetoPonthir Mitsubishi Purchase Plan


Wheels 7


£1504AGAINSTMRRP SAVE £2400AGAINSTMRRP SAVE £4004AGAINSTMRRP SAVE


SCOOPPURCHASE


“ONCETHEY’RE GONE, THEY’RE GONE”


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