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