When I first rode a Yamaha Tenere 700 it was just another bike for me to test and write a review on. Since then I have been bitten by the adventure riding bug after spending nine days crossing the outback with Motologys main man Riemann. I no longer look at adventure motorcycles as just oversized dirt bikes. So, when the opportunity came up to test the new Yamaha Tenere 700 World Raid I was all over it.
In Yamaha’s words “the 2019 Tenere 700 was a game changer in the adventure landscape. It appeals to Aussie adventure riders looking for a simple, reliable and capable ADV machine. The Tenere 700 World Raid was created to support our customers in their dream to go harder for longer.”
Soon as I heard this I was keen to see how they intended to achieve this.
- The fuel range has been increased from 16 to 23 litres.
- The front fork is now a high-spec KYB with an extra 20mm of travel, full adjustability with compression /rebound as well as spring preload, and reduced internal friction thanks to the Kashima coating to the outer tubes.
- New KYB rear suspension is upgraded to match the new fork, also with 20mm more travel, fully adjustable spring preload, compression and rebound damping. Optimised damping characteristics, spring rate and linkage ratios give a comfortable ride on the road and the ability to take hard hits off-road, with a new rubber bumper in case of bottoming.
- The new Ohlins steering damper, is perfectly integrated in the units’ design, and has an adjustment range of 18 clicks.
- A new ABS system has three different settings to support riders with different skill levels, full ABS on for public roads, front wheel ABS on and rear wheel off where grip on the ground is not constant (gravel roads, etc), and full ABS off for off-road conditions.
- Several details have been renewed such as bigger high grip foot-pegs with removable rubber inserts, a sturdy three-piece aluminium engine guard for protection from side impacts, radiator grille, and fuel pump protector.
- The instrument cluster is vertically mounted like a rally road book, with three graphic themes available, Explorer, Street, and Raid specifically designed for adventure. With two independent trip meters, distance travelled and can be fine-tuned using the buttons on the LH bar to match a road book. Connectivity is via Bluetooth connection managing data exchange with the MyRide App, with notifications from rider’s mobile shown on the display, incoming calls/incoming messages/mobile battery status.
- A functional and modern cockpit with crossbar for add-ons, GPS/Phone/Camera, USB type A outlet (5V-2,0A), new handlebar switches, 15mm higher windscreen, easy to remove and clean side deflectors.
Now that I was up to speed with all the new specifications and features it was time for my favourite part of reviewing a motorcycle, the riding. Yamaha had us starting from Ride ADV headquarters Ourimbah. Ride ADV knows every trail and backroad so we couldn’t ask for a better crew to be leading us.
The ride was split over two days, the first day we headed northwest out to Laguna and Wollombi then finished up on the outskirts of Cessnock. I got to experience more than enough variety of terrain and speeds to understand how the new Tenere 700 World Raid behaves twisting through the Watagan State Forest. After a good night’s rest, we ventured back through Mulbring and Freeman’s Waterhole then down the coast back to the Ride ADV headquarters.
This was easily my favourite leg of the journey as we weaved in and out of a lot of my old favourite enduro training areas. Apart from the dusty conditions the whole ride had a perfect mix of speed and terrain for me to gather all my thoughts on this new ride. I made notes in my phone regarding everything I experienced with the bike as the ride ticked over so I will give you the feedback exactly as I experienced it.
SUSPENSION
Most likely from being an ex-racer I am very fussy with suspension, and the fork on this bike is the first thing that stood out to me. The first time we left the black top was onto a neglected off-camber washed out road that looked more like a rubbish tip, there were square edges and ruts everywhere. What caught my attention first was how smooth the front end felt and tracked over everything. I have used Kashima coated forks before and this should not surprise me as that is one of the traits of this quality coating.
During the rest of the ride this fork continued to impress me. On the fast and flowing roads it held up well and gave me great front end feel. Then when the cameras came out and I found myself on a shitty old MX track it even handled all the jumps and bumps quite well for an adventure bike fork.
Out the back the KYB shock also performed very well, it doesn’t have the silky smooth feel that the fork has, however it does provide a compliant ride and never once did anything nasty. Even on the MX track when I was doing things that it definitely is not designed for it still took the large hits well. I did play with spring preload adjustment during the ride and it worked really well to drop the rear end a fraction and make the overall feel very stable and planted on the flowing trails.
ERGONOMICS
I felt right at home on this new cockpit, it reminded me of my Dakar rally bike from 2013. You feel like you sit into the bike and have good control and when I got to any rough or technical terrain, standing up felt great and made the bike feel safe and planted. I’m 178cm tall and the screen was perfect to give me a decent buffer from the weather and not restrict my vision. My only complaint would be the grips, I like their profile and grip, I’m just not a fan of their hard/firm compound.
BRAKING
All three braking modes work exactly as they should. I know it’s required by law however I am not a fan of the full front/back ABS mode always being activated when you switch an adventure bike off. A few times when we stopped for a chat then charged off down a dirt track I found myself standing on the rear brake pedal and squeezing the front lever with not much happening because full ABS had kicked back in. Luckily the Raid can tip into a corner well.
My favourite ABS mode in general for all riding is front activated and rear off. This allowed me to skid steer with the rear, while never needing to worry about front wheel lock ups.
ENGINE
If I was to choose an aspect of this motorcycle as my favourite it would easily be the engine. Yamaha have really perfected this engine and that is no surprise as they have used this platform in multiple other models. What stands out to me with the power of this engine is the way it delivers, the whole way through the rev range it provides silky smooth power that always finds great traction and never any nasty dips or hits.
It may not be crazy, powerful maximum horsepower compared to some of its competitors, but I can confirm it’s easily fast enough to do everything I needed or get me thrown in jail for exceeding the speed limit three times over. The gearbox also has a firm sturdy feel when shifting that made precise gear changes spot on. The exhaust note is something I like a lot as it kinda sounds like a small V8 engine humming away.
In my opinion Yamaha are onto another winner with this model as it definitely ticks all the boxes they set out to achieve. I am a huge fan of how smooth and simple it is to ride, I could definitely see myself loading one of these up and heading out into the desert. Lastly, even though I was on the Midnight Black version the whole ride, I’d be putting my money on the Icon Blue at the shop as it was easily my favourite.
YAMAHA TENERE 700 WORLD RAID
ENGINE
Type Four-stroke, DOHC, four valve, twin-cylinder
Displacement 689cc
Bore & Stroke 80.0mm x 68.6mm
Cooling Liquid-cooled
Compression ratio 11.5:1
Fuel metering Fuel Injection
Tank capacity 23L
Transmission Constant mesh 6-speed
Clutch Cable operated
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase 1595 mm
Seat height 890mm
Ground clearance 250mm
Claimed Weight 220kg wet
SUSPENSION
FRONT KYB USD telescopic fork, 230mm travel
REAR KYB monoshock, link suspension, 220mm travel
BRAKES
Front 282mm hydraulic dual discs, ABS
Rear 245mm hydraulic single disc, ABS
RUNNING GEAR
Handlebar NA
Front tyre 90/90 R21 M/C 54V
Rear tyre 150/70 R18 M/C 70V
PRICE & CONTACTS
RRP $25,499.00
BROWSER yamaha-motor.com.au
BLOWER (02) 9827 7500
WARRANTY Two year, unlimited kms
