Hello, I have a 2016 Super Tenere ES, and I am also interested in the Africa Twin Adventure Sports. I am moving from more touring to more "adventure" touring, including gravel/offroad, and more dispersed camping. I would like to know your comparison experiences between the two. I would like to ride the ATES, but that is nearly impossible given the current state of affairs: re: stock on hand and "supply chain" concerns...
...the Super Tenere is indeed "trusty", and reliability is my main concern. I am looking for more gravel/off road capability, while retaining the smoothness of the ST... Also - is yours standard or DCT? - I am curious about the DCT... Thanks for your help...
--John
Hello fellow Super Tenere owner! I put 30K, trouble-free miles, on my ST riding all over the PNW before getting an Africa Twin, DCT aspect somewhat compulsively. My only gripes on my ST were weight and saddle height, primarily. I
wanted to drop 100lbs and an inch or more; I think I got 22lbs and 1/2 inch (but narrower) saddle. Immediately, the AT felt more nimble - I think due to narrowness, and lower CG, as much as lower GVWR. The 21/18 rim sizes feel surprisingly good on-road in spite, from what I've read, the vagueness they can impart. FWIW, the stock rear Metzler Karoo sang horribly on the freeway for a 100+ miles till the edges wore off the paddle tread. The engine is very smooth and perky, though not quite as powerful as the ST. Wind protection needs work on the AT for wet/cold. Upper fairing wings are on my short list.
The DCT, an admirable technical curiosity, wasn't first on my list. Honestly, I am unsure about it in the long-run. I have yet to really gel with it. It's really nice in some regards, but really stinks in others:
+ Off the line - always ready, it's fast!
+ Sport 2 behaves like I would, 80% of the time
+ Paddle-shift override makes pre-corner downshifting a breeze
- Default mode "D" is annoyingly reinstated at every restart. Remarkably, it up-shifts to 5th gear by 28mph or something, sounds like I'm mixing paint, not riding a moto! Sport 1 is still to lazy for me, 90% of the time.
- Lacking control over gear selection messes with my control; usually the AT is in too high a gear for my taste. Sport 2 solves most of it, combined with the occasional down-shift override. Sport 3 (most aggressive) is a bit much, unless I'm really romping on it. (In which case, it's awesome!). There is no in-between. Honda: insert user programmable mode here, please.
- Riding in the snow a couple days ago, I was all over the place trying to get the DCT to do what I wanted. I ended up using full manual mode. I wonder what/how I'll use it off-road... I've only done some forest service roads so far, nothing loose, steep and challenging. The off-road mode uses some clutching wizardry I've not read much technical explanation of. Should be fine, for what I do, I think.
I only have 1800 miles on her at the moment. I think I'll like the DCT more after a long trip. I feel it will take a few long days in the saddle to really synch with the transmission. And a few days in more challenging off-road circumstances to have a real opinion. I had the intent to do more dual-track/single track style of riding with this bike. It should be noted, clutch-work was never a hindrance to me - I'm fairly confident/competent riding off-road. So, my expectations are high that the DCT won't hold me back or cause weird pucker moments. If it proves superior in 90% of the situations, I'll be happy.
The twin displays, with their huge array of customization, along with Apple Car play (+ heated grips, DCT controls, cruise control, hazard and flash-to-pass buttons) make for
very busy switch gear. Ridiculous, really. Like,
16 buttons on the left side alone, ridiculous! Now I love tech, play video games and am not intimidated by all the features. Yet, I still fumble with operations while riding. It's all just a bit much - especially coming from my analogue Super T with manual everything. The KTM and Triumph I sat on had, at first impression, better user interface. I read the switch gear on the AT was carry-over from a Goldwing??
But... the suspension feels sweet. I've fussed with it quite a bit, and not only is it smooth, but it's sure nice to switch it up so easily. Too bad you have to actually come to a complete stop for the pre-load changes to occur. The Gravel Mode is handy and you can program this one "Hot Button" with a star on it to be whatever you want (like instant Gravel Mode).
In summary, the AT is every bit as smooth as my ST, and 10-20% more nimble off-road. The DCT, I suspect, will take some real time in the saddle before I can squeeze the most from it. Make no mistake, it's very good, 90% of the time - and only shift unexpectedly here and there so long as the mode you're in suits your mood.
[FWIW, even with a 6-axis IMU, it
will still shift mid-corner, in spite of the marketing department telling you otherwise. Not detrimentally so, thus far. But, it has done this a few times, under light load. I had no worry of the shift upsetting the chassis - front/rear weight balance - traction. I can't say what mode I was in when it happened.]
