Yamaha Tenere 700 Review: An exceptional bike for a bargain price
- Julian
- September 16, 2019
- 8:39 am
- No Comments
It must be one of the most anticipated bikes ever, but the all new Yamaha Tenere 700 is finally here and, in Europe at least, in the dealerships. But has the bike been worth it – have Yamaha pulled a rabbit from the hat and produced the bike everyone wanted?
Ride Expeditions set out on the next incarnation of the iconic model, taking on roads and trails to get a feel of the 2019 Tenere. And spoiler alert – it’s absolutely fantastic and we love it!
BACK STORY
So to understand where the new T7 comes from, we need a bit of context. The Tenere has it’s roots firmly set in the Dakar Rally, the model taking it’s name from the desert that spans both Niger and Chad and that was part of the rally’s punishing route. In fact the Tenere’s predecessor the XT500 won the Dakar’s predecessor the notoriously tough Abidjan-Nice rally in both 1976 and 1977, with the same model winning the first Dakar Rally in 1979 and 1980.
No doubt buoyed by this phenomenal success in an entirely new and uncharted marketplace, Yamaha were keen to monopolise on the victories, creating the first Tenere 600 a few years later in 1983. The bike had all the rough and tough looks of the Dakar bikes and teamed with a strong chassis, a punchy single cylinder engine and impressive luggage carrying capacity, the Tenere was a massive success. Long before Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman had even left school, Yamaha had effectively created the first adventure bike.
LONG LEGACY
After the first model back in 1983, the Tenere went through gradual changes to the original, with model changes in 1989 and again in 1994, the bike sadly gaining weight with each incarnation. The model received the most significant upgrade however in 2008 with the launch of the Tenere 660, fitted with a larger liquid-cooled motor. The bike had only 5 more hp than the 1983 original, but tipped the scales at 206 kilos wet, some forty kilos above the original. The bike also had a 17 inch rear wheel, reflecting a more dual sport focus of the bike.
But if there was one defining feature of the Tenere 660, it was that Praying Mantis headlight and upper fairing. Despite the somewhat underpowered engine, underspecced suspension and heavy weight, the bike inspired legions of fans across the world. It’s capability to cover big miles both on and off road, the simplicity of the single cylinder engine and it’s comfort were enough to overlook the Tenere 660’s shortcomings.
But although the 2008 model sold well and was popular with buyers, the spectre of Euro 4 regulations was looming. Although the model was nominally continued until 2016, by 2014 Yamaha had effectively lost interest in the Tenere 660, with the later models having little more than a series of BNG upgrades – that’s Bold New Graphics in manufacturer speak.
The Tenere was dead ..
T7 CONCEPT
Except of course it wasn’t. As the 660 was shuffling into the history books, a team of engineers and designers had decided the new CP2 – Crossplane Twin – engine that was proving quite so popular in the MT07 road bike would work well in an adventure bike platform. The resultant T7 prototype looked surprisingly finished and production ready when it was revealed at EICMA in 2016, but it took another three years and numerous false reveals and an odd ‘World tour’ before the bike was anything like ready.
In reality, the development time was nothing particularly unusual for a new model, but Yamaha’s decision to make the process so public that was meant to enthuse potential buyers was a complete home goal, leading to increasing frustration as the apparent delay to releasing the bike continued. Asked whether they would repeat this process again, the Tenere team were forced to agree that it might not be the best idea!
The 2019 Tenere 700 was finally launched in May 2019 in Spain, although the bikes ridden by the assembled press were still pre-production models. Customers had been given the opportunity to pre-order the new bikes online with a £300 discount, but their bikes were not due to appear until September when they would also appear in the dealership. And if you live in Australia or the USA, you may still be waiting by September 2020 …
NEW BREED
So leaving the past where it should be – how does the new bike stack up? It is as sophisticated and powerful as the rest of the current crop of adventure bikes from both Japanese and European manufacturers. Does it cost the thick end of £15,000 and require a degree in computer science to understand the dashboard? A resounding no on all those counts.
The 2019 Tenere keeps the original design ethic of the first model back in 1983. It’s a beautifully simple package that can take you anywhere in the world. The only electronic riding aids is the switchable ABS which is a legal requirement and fairly useful on the road and beyond that, the Tenere maintains a refreshing directness in both design and operation. Traction control is via the riders throttle hand, cornering ABS is done by the guy on the seat. Simple really …
So let’s have a look at the bike in more detail.
THE MOTOR
So at the heart of the new Tenere is the 689cc parallel twin motor lifted straight out of the MT07 road bike. Termed the CP2 from the twin cylinders and firing order that sees the engine firing at 270 degrees and then 450 degrees later, the engineers saw little reason to change what was an incredibly flexible and reliable motor. This the only changes to equip the lump for the new adventure platform was a different airbox, an updated fuel injection system, an uprated cooling system and a new exhaust. Although the transmission is unchanged internally, the final drive was altered to a 15 front and 46 rear, though serious off-roaders might want to change those numbers a tad.
The result is a deliciously quick revving engine with massive mid range torque and a beautifully direct throttle response using old-school cables rather than wires. It might lack the stratospheric horsepower of a BMW R1250 GSA, but the Yamaha’s 54 kw or 72 bhp is all entirely usable and totally enjoyable. Freed from arm-wrenching power, you can really enjoy the bike’s performance all day long and believe us – you will want to.
In case you haven’t gathered, the Tenere is chain drive and for a dedicated adventure bike, that’s a good thing although we suspect all the BMW aficionados will doubtless disagree …
THE CHASSIS
So with an existing engine ready to go, then the frame should have been an easy one. Yet that appears to have been far from the case, with the frame design accounting for much of the time spent in the Tenere’s development.
Like KTM did for their new 790 Adventure and Adventure R, Yamaha have used the motor as a stressed member to reduce weight and keep the package as compact as possible. The resultant diamond frame is made from high tensile steel and arcs over the top of the engine on both sides to meet at the double-braced headstock.
Although there are down tubes that drop down from the front of the motor and meet with the lower parts of the main frame, these tubes are not structural and serve to mount the sump guard and protect the engine, rather than support it.
At the back end of the new Tenere 700 there’s a substantial steel subframe which will withstand the rigours of both passengers and some serious luggage back there.
Despite the steel construction and obvious structural strength of the new frame, the frame gives good flex rather than the stiffness that aluminium frames can suffer from and incredibly all this weighs only 17,75 kilos. That’s less than we take in hold luggage on an adventure trip!
THE SUSPENSION
If there was one area that the old Tenere fell well short of the mark, it was the suspension. While without any other adjustment the rear was just about OK if wound up to full pre-load, the front was simply terrible. At the slightest hint of braking the forks would dive like a Polynesian Pearl diver, and with the only adjustment being spring preload that would take the forks from ridiculously soft to just very soft, if you were serious about taking this bike on real adventures, those forks needed to be sent to the skip.
But the new Tenere has no such issues. Yamaha have fitted the 700 with a set of 43mm Kayaba USD forks, complete with compression and rebound damping, 210mm and even an air bleeder for those obsessed with gassy forks. It’s a great set up that delivers faultless performance both on and off road. OK so if you treat the Tenere like an enduro bike you will find the limits soon enough, but guess what – it’s an adventure bike not an enduro bike.
THe BRAKES
So equipped with spoked and tubed wheels at 21′ front and 18′ rear, unlike the 17′ on the 660, the Tenere 700 is clearly far more suitable to off road riding and rubber options.
But like the predecessor, the 700 has massive twin discs at the front in the form of a pair of 280 mm wave discs, grabbed by a set of Brembo twin-pot calipers. The feel of the bikes is deliberately delicate at first and then stronger as you pull in the lever, which gives a confidence inspiring feel both on and off the tarmac. At the rear of the bike, there’s a single 245mm disc and a single pot Brembo, which again gives a beautifully progressive feel through the sensibly sized brake pedal.
As the sole concession to electronics, there is ABS fitted to the Tenere, which comes on every time the bike is switched on. On the road it’s good enough although maybe not the most sophisticated system on the market, but off-road it’s a complete pain. Luckily you can switch the ABS by pressing the button on the dashboard for a couple of seconds, but you have to be stopped to do this. It’s OK if you just leave the road and stay off-road, but if you are swapping between the two, it’s a faff to try to stop to switch it on or off again. We just turned it off from the start – we’ve got a garage full of bikes without ABS so we didn’t miss anything!
As stock, the bike comes shod with Pirelli Scorpion Rally tyres that perform well for blacktop and dirt – we had no complaints, but we might not have been so happy if the conditions had got wet.
THE COCKPIT
The unbraced bars are wide with a comfortable bend and sweep giving a comfortable reach. Mirrors are plenty big enough and can be moved easily without loosening up – handy as you transition onto the dirt. The Tenere has substantial wraparound hand guards to protect from impacts, and the grips are pleasingly thin to allow a good grip all round.
This post first appeared on Cambodia Motorcycle Tours | Ride Cambodia, please read the originial post: here
