YAMAHA XT1200Z SUPER TENERE (20102021) ยฃ4500-ยฃ11,500
The Tรฉnรฉrรฉ is a big name in the adventure bike world. From its Dakar race-winning pedigree from back in the day, through to its massively successful T7 which has kickstarted the middleweight adventure bike market in recent years, thereโs no doubt you can put your faith in Yamaha to build a well-put-together machine thatโs up for handling the rough stuff.
But thereโs one Tรฉnรฉrรฉ that never really got the love it deserved. The XT1200Z. Okay, it was a bit heavy and a bit too expensive. The last model was priced at ยฃ13,500 new (which, rather unbelievably, was more than the R1200GS and KTM 990 Adventure at the time), but that doesnโt mean it wasnโt a cracking bike. Super-stable and capable of big, fast, smooth miles in perfect comfort with a pillion on the back, and surprisingly agile, too (even on the dirt in the hands of the right rider).
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Itโd have done a lot better and won a lot more praise if itโd have just been a bit cheaper at the time. Thankfully, you wonโt have to break the bank anymore to bag one, with early models sitting around the five grand mark.
At 120mph itโs rock steady and can cut an easy swathe through fast A-roads and nadgery stuff. Itโs easy to get carried away… What is an absolute pain in the neck and upwards is the savage wind buffeting from the top of what is a very low-placed screen.
