I'm back thinking of an XT1200Z

Wrigsby1

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After a couple if near misses re XT12 ownership I am now back thinking of buying one. I liked the look of them from the off but had a sit on one 2-3 times and a good look and always went for something else to try long term. Firstly a Hexhead RT, then a Crosstourer DCT and finally an ST1300... I am dossing on an old 1150RT at the mo as it's what I know and they are easy to look after and fix. I've had multiple oilhead GS's and always liked the package and the low tech togetherness of them. Each generation of GS since has put me off as it goes into a tech frenzy...
So, the questions are.... How suitable are they, especially for tall people like me at 6'5" to get protection and a good screen etc? Also they get a bit slagged for being a bit limp power wise even though the figures look fine, so how good are they for long term and good mileage satisfaction? The reputation for reliability just seems to have grown and grown and is this all true or a bit rose tinted...?

I can't belive that a bike that always seems down the list so to speak, keeps it's value so well which must mean something good. They are probably up with GS's for are/mileage/value stats and that is impressive for a bike that hasn't had the cache...

I like riding year round and like long runs when I get a chance. I don't mind higher mileage ones as they seem to take it well but understand many of the useful extras too. Sadly living in Shetland means that I have seen hardly any XT12's to try and pester owners and certainly nobody local. In fact even though they are often unmistakeably Tenere colours, you don't see many of them at all...

Thanks in advance
 
Brother in law sold his a couple of months ago, it was a gen1 Worldcrosser on a 13 plate that he bought last year for £6700 from a Yamaha dealer.
Cracking bike to ride and other than the typical rusty spokes was in excellent condition, it would easily stay with a gsa lc in normal road use and the alledged weight issue and lack of power was never an issue.

Easy to work on and he got the big 24,000 mile service inc valve clearances done by a local independant yamaha specialist for £280.

I would not think twice about buying one but would go for a low mileage non electronic suspension gen2 with cruise control and the World crossergear.

He only sold his as he wanted a smaller bike
 
Good feedback thanks and that is just the bike I have been sizing up...
 
Must be honest, having owned both a S10 and the Crosstourer I’d take the Crosstourer anyway. That’s not to say the S10 is a bad bike but the Crosstourer is just that bit better in my honest opinion. ��
 
Just bought the last new pre reg Z model from Chorley Yamaha. Theyve two ZE models left at £12k. Fantastic price, makes any second hand ones look expensive considering age and mileage.
My mate has had his ZE 4 1/2yrs and has done 67k on it with no issues at all.
 
I had a gen 2 ZE for 5 years do not worry about reliability in 25K dealer maintained 1 blown fuse (self inflicted) and a battery £50 at 5years, the day I sold it!. Power wise it has plenty of power and don't be surprised if you get 60 mpg touring at reasonable safe speed. I had a 2008 GSA for 6 years prior to the S10, 4 x BMW batteries if I remember correct £100+ each for starters, + gears sensor + Tank sensor usual corrosion the list goes on goes on.

My local Yamaha Dealer used to change the final Drive oil each service (annually) and used to give me the remaining half bottle of oil for the next service. Servicing is no where near as expensive as BMW.

PS I now have a S1000XR after 1st update which I will probably keep as the accountants haven't design it. But the power is ballistic and good fun.
 
I've had my Gen 2 for 5yrs and I love it, it's in surprisingly good condition considering I rarely wash it, the spokes are now grey but look like they should have always been that colour lol.

Don't discount the ZE, in the UK the spec is quite a bit better than just the electronic suspension especially if you take a pillion, they are really popular in the states and there are no horror stories about reliability.

Only bit of advice I'd give is try and get a long test ride, the bike won't set your pants on fire straight off but it really grows on you. I've looked at changing mine for a GSA or a 1290S but I grin every time I ride it and I know it'll never let me down.

Sent from my ELE-L29 using Tapatalk
 
I had a mk1, 2010 model. Yes, the motor is "only" 108bhp so it might run out of puff on a motorway in Germany. In the real world they are great cross country tourers and will handle nadgery roads with ease.

The only mod I made was to acquire from this forum a seat that had been adapted by Tony Archer. The OE seat was not up to 300 mile days. No reliability woes in 4 years. I just checked the MOT history. The only fail was a rear brake light not working in 2017. It's currently on SORN and has only done 14000 miles from Feb 2015 to May 2019!

I'm a 5'8" short arse with a 31" inside leg and I could flat foot both sides. The only reason I changed the bike was illness and I found it too heavy, especially around the drive & garage.
 
Good stuff again thanks... Re the Crosstourer... I had it for approx 7 Months and about 8k miles... It was good in that it went very well and the DCT was great ..

The build quality was streets ahead of a similar age BM but as with modern Honda's, it didn't know what it was... It was comfy on fast open roads but jarred badly be on bumpy back roads... It lacked engine braking which was a surprise and so I had to use the DCT in manual lots of the time... It had a fuel tank that seemed to be 180 miles max and squeaking... I ended up making it steer by riding it more like a sports bike...
It was like 4 bikes in one but not gelling with each other... I thought it would be the future for me but it wasn't... Then the pages and pages of possible DCT fault codes in the genuine manual was 😳😳😳😁 Fun while it lasted though... But not the future...
Ps it warped discs and blew a fork seal inside 14k miles...🙄
Perhaps I took a wrong turn...😂
 
I've just bought a low mileage 70 plate ZE from a dealer and I'm really looking forward to getting it next week. I did think about a new one from Chorley Yamaha but this was a great deal.

It's had the wiz ECU upgrade and as well as a few extras, it's got an uprated rear spring which should be ideal.

I've bought it for my big trips as my 1200GSA has been retired from the long haul stuff and I just can't bring myself to get a 1250.

I know they won't set the world on fire but from everything I've heard and read, they are a great and very underrated bike.

I'm more than a bit excited :)
 
I have had my XT1200Z for 3 years now. I wanted one for years but never got around to buying one but then I found this one. Mine is Gen 2 or Gen 3 as some call the 2017 model as it is Euro 4 compliant. It goes well, handles well, performance and fuel consumption are very similar to my mates 2017 R1200GS and comfort is good too. I have toured on mine to Holland, Germany, Poland as well as Sweden and Denmark and it has returned just over 54mpg. I am 6’2” and there is plenty of leg room for me. I used the stock screen with a couple of different deflectors and a Laminar Lip with various success but then I bought a Givi Airflow and it is brilliant! I have put Givi Dolomiti cases on and it is substantially narrower than a KTM with luggage. The Super Tenere is probably the most under rated Adventure style bike out there. It didn’t have the out and out BHP of a Multistrada or a KTM Adventure or even a R1250GS but it will do everything you want it to and it will do it well. Oh yes, and the SuperTen won’t toast your nuts like a Multistrada or KTM!
 
If I ever fall out of love with my Crosstourer I'd say it will be changed for an S10 (ZE)

Lovely bike and fantastic to ride.
It has plenty of power unless you live in Germany or have a Teflon driving licence.

S20 5G sent this......
 
It is a very good bike, I had one for about 8K miles. No issues at all. However...

I could never sort the rather windy ride
It had a very unresponsive attitude in slow speed manoeuvres (u-turns)
I couldn't get enough preload out of the shock (probably the reason for the dreary slow speed handling)
It gave me persistent groin fatigue by the end of ownership (its a bit of a weird seating position)
The cooling fans kick in almost immediately when stopped in warmer weather. Bit irritating, sounded like a drone nearby.
 
Edmund Kean said:
It is a very good bike, I had one for about 8K miles. No issues at all. However...

I could never sort the rather windy ride
It had a very unresponsive attitude in slow speed manoeuvres (u-turns)
I couldn't get enough preload out of the shock (probably the reason for the dreary slow speed handling)
It gave me persistent groin fatigue by the end of ownership (its a bit of a weird seating position)
The cooling fans kick in almost immediately when stopped in warmer weather. Bit irritating, sounded like a drone nearby.
Click to expand...

Di you try winglets and different screens as per some of the suggestion...? Also how tall are you...! Thanks in advance for any info as I feel I'm going to buy one soon ..😂 just finding the useful mix of extras on used machines and the screen has always been a concern for me at 6'5"... Lanky twat that I am...😂
 
Wrigsby1 said:
Di you try winglets and different screens as per some of the suggestion...? Also how tall are you...! Thanks in advance for any info as I feel I'm going to buy one soon ..😂 just finding the useful mix of extras on used machines and the screen has always been a concern for me at 6'5"... Lanky twat that I am...😂
Click to expand...

From the off I had the Yamaha taller screen. I found the standard screen a bit better, I'm 6ft and proportioned well (no long body and short legs or visa versa). I did purchase some used winglets which didn't make any difference for me. A MADSTAD contraption might have helped with air management and a Sargent Seat to sort the pelvic tilt I experienced.
 
Edmund Kean said:
From the off I had the Yamaha taller screen. I found the standard screen a bit better, I'm 6ft and proportioned well (no long body and short legs or visa versa). I did purchase some used winglets which didn't make any difference for me. A MADSTAD contraption might have helped with air management and a Sargent Seat to sort the pelvic tilt I experienced.
Click to expand...

The Givi Airflow will be all the screen you need. Winglets? Well I have them on mine but I can’t say categorically that they do all they are cracked up to do. I think they do tidy up the airflow a bit. Regarding the seat, that is a simple fix, you get a few shorter rubber bungs, (Yamaha dealer or eBay), and that will allow you to flatten the seat rather than have the forward slope that most bikes seem to have nowadays.
 
I struggled to remove the buffeting and I'm only 5ft 10, I added a spoiler which helped a little, the cure for me was adding mirror extenders, on a V-Strom the mirrors deflect air behind the screen which rolls up and causes turbulence, pushing the mirrors out a bit fixed it so I did the same with the S10 but as the mirrors are more streamlined I think it's more physiological but for a tenner they were a good investment.

Sent from my ELE-L29 using Tapatalk
 
Regarding the comments on buffeting and seat. The winglets made a big difference on my bike and the seat mod to level changes the seating position and costs about £5 from memory. Another good mod is the mirror extenders just to give a better view.
 
yoyo said:
I struggled to remove the buffeting and I'm only 5ft 10, I added a spoiler which helped a little, the cure for me was adding mirror extenders, on a V-Strom the mirrors deflect air behind the screen which rolls up and causes turbulence, pushing the mirrors out a bit fixed it so I did the same with the S10 but as the mirrors are more streamlined I think it's more physiological but for a tenner they were a good investment.

Sent from my ELE-L29 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Do you have a link for the mirror extenders?
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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