In the motorcycle market, Yamaha is one of the quiet ones. Its products aren’t quite as flashy or memorable, but what it does have are good products that last. You might not get variety, but the trust is high with whatever is there. This is the case with its adventure bike portfolio, too.
Yamaha picked Dakar-inspired styling, named it after a desert in Niger and Chad, and made it so well that it has become the default choice for anyone who wants a manageable adventure bike to go off-road with. Yes, we’re talking about the Tenere 700, which was launched a decade ago.
The Yamaha Tenere 700 Is The Yamaha Adventure Bike That Blends Premium Comfort With Proven Reliability
Today’s adventure bike audience wants the heritage of racers, but doesn’t want the lack of comfort that any race machine offers as a tradeoff. Thus, the Tenere 700 is a great middle ground for someone who wants a one-bike-fits-all choice in the adventure segment.
Yamaha had a clear focus on making the Tenere 700 more off-road capable than anything else in its class, outside specialized variants, while still retaining its ability to tour. Which means comfort makes up an important chunk of the Tenere 700’s DNA. It treads this fine line really well, which is why it blends premium comfort with proven reliability so well.
Yamaha Tenere 700 Price: $10,999
The Tenere 700 is priced at just under $11,000. That makes it middle of the road, in the middleweight adventure segment. For what it offers, it can seem like it doesn’t have many features, but its selling point is its reliability and off-road ability. There are a few different products available from the segment for similar pricing, but they do not offer the Tenere’s goat-like ability in the rough stuff.
The Yamaha Tenere’s Engine Has Decent Power But Great Torque
The Tenere 700 has a parallel twin engine with a 270-degree firing order. Yamaha calls it the ‘CP2’ crossplane engine – which means a good mix of power and torque. The result is 72.4 horsepower at 9,000 RPM and 50.2 pound-feet at 6,500 RPM from 689 cc from a compression ratio of 11.5:1. The Tenere is down on displacement compared to a lot of its rivals, but it is also a light motorcycle, which is why in real life, the power deficit doesn’t seem as big as it does on paper.
For 2025, the Tenere 700 got a by-wire throttle. That has enabled it to become a more civilized beast, with two ride modes and switchable traction control added. The six-speed gearbox is a slick unit, and with the addition of the by-wire throttle, gained the ability for a two-way quickshifter. This is the current-gen one that can upshift or downshift with the throttle open or closed, and it is an optional extra.
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Yamaha Tenere 700 Chassis
Light And Playful With Racing Know-How
Like the Honda Africa Twin, the Tenere 700 opts for a double downtube frame. This kind of chassis is great for off-road work, but it adds weight compared to other types of chassis. However, it is no surprise that these two adventure bikes are two of the best if you want to go off-road with them. The Tenere also has the right wheel sizes – it is a 21/18 inch wheel combination with spokes and tubeless tires.
KYB suspension is present, with 43 mm inverted forks at the front and a monoshock at the rear. The forks are fully adjustable, while at the rear, preload and rebound damping are adjustable. Twin 282 mm brake discs with axially mounted calipers at the front, and a 245 mm disc at the back. ABS is switchable, but the Tenere is unique among mainstream ADVs in that you can switch off ABS at both wheels, as well as only at the rear wheel.
The Dimensions Are Ideal For Off-Roading
The Tenere is a tall motorcycle, as evidenced by the 34.4-inch seat height. But that also translates to 9.4 inches of ground clearance. This is a very light motorcycle for its class, at 459 pounds wet, and it has a narrow waist that helps the rider manage the weight better while astride it. The 93.3 inch length and 62.8 inch wheelbase are par for the course.
Yamaha Tenere 700 Features
We have to make special mention of the Tenere’s styling; when it launched ten years ago, there wasn’t anything else that looked quite like it from the mainstream manufacturers. The four-pod headlamp gives it an alien but functional look. It’s a similar story with the vertical TFT screen; it is a large 6.3-inch unit that was one of the first to employ the vertical alignment. This was done once again as a nod to the navigation towers that rally raid bikes usually have. There is Bluetooth capability as well as navigation. It’s a pity that the even more hardcore version of the Tenere 700, the World Raid, isn’t available in the USA.
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Yamaha Tenere 700 Competition
There aren’t too many competitors for the Tenere 700 at its price. The CFMoto Ibex 800 is competitively priced at $10,299, has more features than any other middleweight bike, and is great value for the money. But its reliability and off-road capabilities are yet to be proved.
The BMW F 900 GS is significantly more expensive than the Yamaha, but it is the only real choice if you want a combination of comfort and reliability. The only catch is that once you equip the F 900 GS with the upgrades necessary to tackle off-road conditions as well as the Yamaha, the price climbs to one more befitting a full-size ADV. The Tenere, thus, is in a class of one.
Yamaha Tenere 700 Vs BMW F 900 GS
|
Model |
Yamaha Tenere 700 |
BMW F 900 GS |
|
Price |
$10,999 |
$14,395 |
|
Engine |
270° I2 |
270° I2 |
|
Displacement |
689 cc |
895 cc |
|
Power |
72.4 HP @ 9,000 RPM |
105 HP @ 8,500 RPM |
|
Torque |
50.2 LB-FT @ 6,500 RPM |
68.6 LB-FT @ 6,750 RPM |
|
Quickshifter |
Optional |
Optional |
|
Curb Weight |
459 LBs (wet) |
482 LBs (wet) |
Source: Yamaha Powersports