We sent ADB’s Chief Tester Ben Grabham out to test the all-new Yamaha Tenere 700 World Raid and see how it compares with the standard Tenere.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE BACK-TO-BACK WITH THE TENERE 700
Yamaha had two of the base model Tenere 700s on hand to jump on and compare. After spending the majority of the day riding the World Raid I jumped on the Tenere for a rough hilly section. Straight away I noticed how soft the suspension package is on the Tenere. It was totally fine and comfortable just cruising along steadily, but soon as I picked up speed and charged into any obstacles both ends bottomed out twice as quick as the Raid suspension would.
The other big stand out was the feel between both models fuel tanks. Sitting down the Tenere actually has a thinner feel between the legs, but when you are standing or weaving in and out of corners the Tenere has a heavier feel. Its tank sits visually higher than the low mounted Raid models tank.
Price difference aside the World Raid is easily my favourite of the two, as I could roll it off the showroom floor and do everything I desire with ease. However, don’t go thinking the Tenere is a bad option as it is only a trip away from a good suspension tuner from becoming a very similar bike as the World Raid.
SIMPLE IS OFTEN BETTER
This year has seen me ride a handful of the current high-end adventure bikes on the market and the Yamaha has the least electronics of them all. For some this may be a negative, however, I like the thought of heading off into the desert with minimal gadgets that can potentially go wrong. I know Yamaha legally have to produce the World Raid with ABS braking, but I’d like the bike even more if it did not have any kind of ABS at all. I know if I was riding this bike in wintertime around Bathurst when it gets down to -7 degrees, I might be missing heated grips and seat but for now I love the simplicity of this new model’s design.
YAMAHA 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
