The Precious 3: Peter Payne’s XT1200Z Ténéré

This entry is part 8 of 16 in the series Adventure Rider Issue #19

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Another refinement of Yamaha’s XT1200Z Super Ténéré.

The Precious 3 carved around the 2016 Ténéré Tragics ride.

Yamaha Motor Australia’s Brand Development Manager, Peter Payne, has built a bike or two. In this case it’s three. The third incarnation of The Precious, his XT1200Z Super Ténéré, continues refinement started a few years ago. This bike’s been doing service since March, 2016.

We rode the first Precious back in issue #05.

We rode the first Precious, a 2013 model, back in issue #05 and were impressed at how the bike packed some serious muscle into a package that felt a lot lighter and slimmer than a standard Super T.

“Initially I rode the standard bike in New Zealand,” explained Payne, known as ‘Mr Clean’ in his enduro days. “All we’d fitted was tyres. I could see the ingredients were there for a damn good bike, even though it was big. I thought, ‘Let’s see what we can do’.”

The third incarnation of The Precious, Peter Payne’s XT1200Z Super Ténéré, continues refinement started a few years ago.

The first Precious was great to ride and could be a lazy, cruisey sort of bike when the rider was in that kind of mood. But in the right hands it worked as a bare-knuckled trail shredder as well. The traction control and ABS had been disabled, a heap of weight had been stripped off, and we really enjoyed hammering through some loose dirt and hanging on for dear life as it carved up every-thing from bitumen highways to fire trails. With Peter on board it made short work of some reasonably serious enduro terrain, too.

AltRider gear features in the guards and plates. There’s a few Giant Loop protectors here and there as well.

More of the same

The new Peter Payne Super T, unsurprisingly, has been shaped according to the same ideas as the first and second, but now the stock Super T itself has had a little refinement. There’s cruise control on this the new bike, actually a 2015 model, and the ABS and traction control is switchable via an aftermarket set-up.

That makes things easier.

As we’ve seen on the previous two Super T’s the pillion seat, ’pegs and support framework for the pillion ’pegs have been removed, as have the sidecovers.

A Barrett pipe replaced the stock can and a few AltRider protective items – bashplate, master-cylinder protector, exhaust heat shield, universal-joint guard – Pivot Pegz and Barkbusters have all been fitted.

Where the previous bikes ran Barkbusters handlebars as well, the new bike has swapped to Pro Tapers because the switch-blocks are larger to accommodate switching for the cruise control and rider aids, and the Barkbusters ’bars taper out too quickly to allow the same set up from the previous models. Scott grips are the choice on this bike, replacing the TAGs on Precious 1 and Precious 2.

“The Pro Tapers have a good bend that’s more off-road oriented,” explained the quietly spoken Payne. “They allow you to stand up properly without cramping your arms and they promote a better seating position.” Peter uses the seat at the highest setting.

Previous bikes also ran fibreglass heat-wrap around the exhaust where it rises up near the rider’s leg, but now there’s a Giant Loop guard available and that classy looking item is in place instead.

Probably the biggest step forward is the reduction in the bike’s mass.

The standard fork protectors have been replaced with AltRider items because they offer more coverage and simply because ‘they look good’.

Teknikally speaking

Suspension, as usual, was handled by Nick Dole at Teknik Motorsport.

Nick’s been tuning the Yamaha Motor Australia bikes for quite a while, but with this particular bike there wasn’t so much to do. The standard spring rates stay as delivered. It’s only the damping that’s altered, and that’s changed to give the big Yamaha more off-road capability. Peter Payne rates the suspension on this bike as ‘pretty damn good’.

“A lot of people are putting extenders on the suspension to raise the height of the bike and give more ground clearance,” he said, “but I didn’t want a bike this size higher up in the air, particularly on single trails. I’d sooner fit the protection and then just be a little more careful in rough terrain.”

The 2015 model Super T also has rider modes, and Peter’s a fan. He uses the Touring mode for gravel roads, and off road he likes the Sport mode for the sharper throttle response.

The screen is adjustable, and it sits in front of an instrument mount bar which doesn’t get used on this bike.

Protection

AltRider gear features strongly in the guards and plates on The Precious, including a bashplate that bolts directly to the frame, frame guards, rear master-cylinder guard and lower-pipe protector. There’s a few Giant Loop plates here and there as well, and the standard rack in combination with a small Giant Loop tankbag does the job for luggage. Peter travels light and with the pillion seat removed there’s more than enough room for all he needs to carry, even for seven-day rides.

The screen on the 2015 model is adjustable, a change from previous models, and it sits in front of an instrument mount bar which doesn’t get used on this bike.

Peter mounts his GPS on the ’bars because it’s much easier to get to.

The standard fork protectors have been replaced with AltRider items because they offer more coverage and simply because ‘they look good’.

Speaking of looking good, the standard radiator/tank sidecovers have been replaced with genuine Yamaha Worldcrosser carbon-fibre covers, and they are super horn. “It’s more cosmetic than anything,” smiled Mr Clean, “but they do allow more airflow.”

Tyres are always a consideration on the big-horsepower bikes, and The Precious 3 has settled on Metzeler Karoo 3s. “The Karoo 2s are good,” said Payne, “but the 3s are better off-road.

The pillion seat, ’pegs and support framework for the pillion ’pegs have been removed, as have the sidecovers.

Standards

When a builder has all the resources of Yamaha Motor Australia behind him, you have to think anything he leaves standard must be pretty good. On Precious 3 the motor and gearbox are bog stock, as are levers, mirrors, indicators, seat and really, most of the mechanicals. The changes are all bolt-ons.

There’s no centrestand as a standard fitting on this model, but the electronic-suspension models have one, and that’s the stand on this bike. It’s available as an accessory from Yamaha dealers.

That begs the question: why wasn’t an electronic-suspension model used for Precious 3? “The electronic suspension is really nice,” said Payne, “but I just like the lighter weight. If I was riding around Australia, sometimes two-up, sometimes with different amounts of luggage or what-ever, I’d have the electronic suspension and be glad of the adjustability. But this bike is built for one person, off-road, with a set amount of luggage. I’d sooner have it set up the way I want it and not carry the extra weight.”

Lessons learned

With this being the third Super T in succession under Peter Payne’s care, he’s had a good opportunity to learn what to look out for on the bike. It’s a very short list.

The spoke tension needs to be checked after some bedding-in time because the off-road running gives them a bit of a pound-ing, but once they’re settled they’re fine.

Other than that, regular air-filter maintenance and oil changes complete the list. The XT1200Z Super Ténéré has proven itself fairly bulletproof. Regular, sensible looking after is all it needs.

The riding experience

The result of the build?

Keeping in mind this bike is built to suit the personal aims of a specific rider, Payne says the bike is ‘tauter’.

We looked a little blank at that description, so he went on to explain.

“The bike doesn’t move around as much.

The bike’s better off-road. It handles much better on real dirt surfaces. The standard Super T is more set up to handle on-road and cope with the occasional off-road riding. This bike, keeping in mind its size, is aimed at off-road riding. It’s still good on the road, but the focus on this bike has been shifted a little.”

Why the name?

How did this bike come by its unusual name?

Peter Payne is a bloke who likes things clean and ordered. Polite people might say he had a tendency to be fastidious. Less polite people say he’s ‘some kind of clean freak!’. When Peter builds a bike, there’s a heavy emphasis on it being immaculate.

We mean everywhere, all the time, not just a squirt of the pressure washer after each ride. When most people hit the end of the day looking for a shower and a cold drink, Peter gets a little unruly if he can’t find a car wash to make sure that bike’s squeaky clean. And when he builds, he has the same philosophy. Nothing is left to chance, and just because it’s out of sight doesn’t mean it doesn’t get checked, measured and, often, modified or improved.

Some people might even say there was a little touch of fanaticism in the man.

We don’t know about all that, but when he hands you the key to his personal Super T, he gets this steely look, and he doesn’t let the key go until you’ve met his gaze and he warns, “My Preciousssss.

Message received, loud and clear.

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