After showing off a concept in previous years, Yamaha has finally taken the wraps off the new Tenere 700.
Taking much of its inspiration from the adventure bikes that surge across South America in the Dakar rally every year, the Tenere gets a narrow frame with a long seat and a tall stance, though not quite as tall as the concept was. Seat heigh measure in at 34-inches, while the four-LED headlight unit gives the bikes unique looks.
ALSO SEE: Two New BMW Enduro Bikes Revealed: The F 750 GS and F 850 GS
Ground clearance comes in at 9.4 inches, while wheel travel measures in at 8.2-inches in the front and just 8-inches in the rear. A 21-inch wheel comes standard up front with an 18-inch wheel in the rear.
Powering the bike is a 689cc parellel-twin borrowed from the MT-07, mated to a 16-liter fuel tank to make sure the rider can travel at least 350km on a tank. ABS comes standard with the bike, but it can be switched off during off-road use. Yamaha didn’t mention if there would be a specially tuned off-road mode for the ABS system.
Compared to the new adventure bikes from BMW or KTM, the Tenere doesn’t have the technology to compete, but it makes up for it with simplicity and a light curb weight, coming in around 440 pounds.
There is one bit of bad news though: if you like the Tenere, you’re going to have to wait. This is a production bike that we’re looking at, but it won’t begin production until 2020.
