Yamaha returns its middleweight adventure bike, the Ténéré 700 ($10,799), to its US model lineup for 2024 with some minor but welcome tweaks. And after spending a day in the saddle it’s clear that the Tuning Fork company has a well-rounded ADV that offers equal parts on and off-road performance.
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SportsTranscript
00:00 All right folks here we are at the official Yamaha Motor press
00:04 introduction for Yamaha's 2024 Tenere 700. This is Yamaha's middleweight
00:11 adventure touring motorcycle that came to the US for the 2021 model year. For
00:18 the 2024 model year it has a couple nice improvements designed for us riders.
00:24 Beginning with the 5-inch color TFT we also have Bluetooth pairing so you can
00:30 pair this motorcycle with your iOS or Android powered smartphone via
00:36 Yamaha's Y-Connect app. Nice! Love the sound of that. Here is the mechanical key.
00:44 Yamaha updated this key for the 2023 model year. It used to have the older
00:50 style trapezoid almost shape. Now it's got this more meaty design. I really like
00:56 this motorcycle has a mechanical key. I'm not a keyless key fob kind of motorcycle
01:02 rider. Nothing is better than a mechanical key. This plastic switch gear
01:06 is also new. It houses Yamaha's multi-wheel controller that it's been
01:11 using on other motorcycles like its YZF-R1. This is the 2015 model year.
01:16 We've talked about it before. We're not big fans. We were big fans of this in
01:20 2015 but nowadays it just lacks the tactile feel to really make it
01:25 totally awesome. Alright folks and away we go.
01:29 This 2024 Yamaha Tenere 700 has a really nice ergonomics. The handlebar is nice
01:39 and upright. It's not too wide. It's not too narrow and the sweep is pretty
01:45 neutral. It's got a little bit of rearward sweep but you can tell it's
01:48 more off-road oriented with the lack of reward sweep. We're using Yamaha's
01:55 accessory tall rider seat. So this seat boosts the seat height and is really
02:02 good for taller riders over six foot tall. So if you're a taller person you're
02:08 gonna like this seat. It just positions you a little bit higher and makes the
02:12 bike a little bit easier to ride in precarious terrain. I really like how thin
02:18 this motorcycle is between your legs. This is definitely a more off-road
02:24 oriented adventure touring bike. How's it going over there? Good. Where's your vlog?
02:32 Where's your camera? Nice. Yeah right he's working on being a YouTube celebrity
02:38 right now so he's got his new camera and he's vlogging. What's your channel man?
02:45 What's your channel?
02:49 Everyone's getting into vlogging. Engine. This bike is powered by Yamaha's tried
02:58 and true 689 cc parallel twin. It's water-cooled dual overhead camshafts
03:06 with an 8 valve cylinder head. This motorcycle employs a cross-plane
03:12 crankshaft that gives an engine an uneven firing order. This helps make this
03:18 engine feel like a v-twin with its power pulses even though it is an inline
03:24 engine. Now the uneven firing order makes the engine sound way cooler. It
03:31 also gives it a lot of low-end power. That's really what is so neat about
03:37 these Yamaha CP class engines is they have a lot of low and mid-range power
03:42 which is really good for motorcycles because it allows them to get up and
03:46 running really easily. Now this engine is good for right around 62 horsepower at
03:53 the business end of the Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR 18 inch tire. So right around
04:00 62 horsepower and over 40 pound-feet of torque at a very low rpm. So this thing
04:07 has got some get up and go especially at low speed. It puts
04:13 power back to the 18 inch rear wheel via a six speed gearbox and this cable
04:20 actuated clutch. The clutch does not benefit from slipper action function so
04:26 you really have to mind your manners when you're downshifting and make sure
04:30 that the engine's not revving crazy style because this motorcycle will, the
04:36 rear wheel will lock up if you downshift in too low of a gear for your vehicle
04:40 speed traveled. It's not really a big deal that because it's an adventure
04:46 touring bike but something to make note of that this bike doesn't have a
04:50 slipper clutch. The gear ratios on this motorcycle are a little bit, they're not
04:56 crazy low but they're a little bit lower than a typical street bike and you have
05:00 to remember this bike is designed for off-road use, it's designed to go up crazy
05:05 obstacles and that's the deal. That was awesome. As you can see this motorcycle
05:11 is very easy to wheelie. That 689 cc CP2 engine is extremely playful, extremely
05:19 playful and it makes it fun and easy to ride. I love this engine. If you've ever
05:24 ridden this motorcycle engine configuration in Yamaha's MT07 you'd be
05:29 amazed because MT07 you can literally wheelie in the first five gears so
05:36 out of the six gears that bike has you can literally wheelie them in
05:41 gears one through five if you know what you're doing. So very wonderful and
05:45 playful engine. Probably the only gripe we have with this engine is there
05:51 is a moderate level of vibration that you can feel through the handlebar and
05:57 the foot pegs. I wouldn't say it's excessive. In typical Yamaha fashion the
06:03 engine vibration is tuned. You have to remember Yamaha comes from a rich
06:08 musical heritage and they literally tune the vibration and the harmonic of the
06:14 engine. So I wouldn't say that the vibration on this vehicle is too much
06:18 but you definitely feel it from through the controls. I'd say it kind of adds to
06:23 the experience just makes for a more playful riding motorcycle. So here we are
06:29 on the freeway we're riding at 83 miles per hour in top gear. Now this is another
06:37 one of our gripes on this motorcycle. This motorcycle even though it is an
06:41 adventure touring bike this motorcycle isn't really designed for extended
06:46 freeway use. The wind protection is on the more minimal side. Yes it has this
06:53 this this narrow windscreen but it's relatively short. The forward body panels
06:59 don't really give the rider much of a pocket to have clean air. You feel a lot
07:06 of the turbulence go through the fairing. So if you're looking for a motorcycle
07:10 that's gonna be really comfortable for long freeway rides this Tenere 700
07:16 isn't it. But if you're looking for an adventure touring bike that's really
07:21 good off-road you're gonna like this bike. We'll get to that in a little bit.
07:26 This motorcycle does not have cruise control. Cruise control would be a nice
07:32 feature on this bike but we don't have it. We do like this new 5-inch color TFT
07:38 display. This is a big upgrade versus the monochrome design of the
07:44 four. We like that it has a fuel gauge to keep tabs on the 4.2 gallon fuel tank. We
07:50 have edu coolant temp, air temp. I love air temp. That digital swept face
07:57 tachometer and a gear position indicator of a speed. Your position position
08:02 indicator could be a little bit bigger but at least there is one.
08:09 We will show you how to go through the menu functions later. You can literally
08:14 roll down this screen here, the scroll button, and you can see your average fuel
08:19 economy. We're getting 33.5 MPG, instant fuel economy 43 MPG,
08:27 and trip economy. So nice that there's some features and some riding metrics
08:32 here. It would be cool if it had a distance to empty gauge though. I think
08:38 that would be a neat feature. But still nice to know that we have some level of
08:44 fuel economy accounting on display. Now with a full 4.2 gallons of fuel this
08:53 motorcycle weighs 452 pounds. So it's relatively light for an adventure
08:58 touring bike. I would say that's pretty light. It definitely feels light with the
09:03 wheels in motion. I really like how narrow this motorcycle is. While the
09:11 narrowness to some degree compromises its freeway capability in terms of
09:16 comfort, it's still nice having a narrow bike because it's really easy to go
09:20 between traffic like we are here. It just makes the motorcycle feel smaller and
09:26 lighter than its 452 pound turbo it would make you think. Alright folks we're
09:32 gonna be on this freeway for a while. We will check in with you folks in a
09:37 little bit. Alright folks we are off the boring freeway and on the side streets.
09:42 And while this motorcycle isn't really in its element for extended freeway
09:48 rides, around town stoplight to stoplight it is totally capable of that. Again the
09:55 lower gearing really helps this bike just jump off the line. It's very nimble
10:00 and apt to change directions and the triple disc hydraulic brakes do a good
10:05 job of shedding the 452 pounds of velocity on this motorcycle. Around town this
10:12 motorcycle is actually a really nice bike. It's also worth noting that in
10:17 typical Yamaha form, I shouldn't say typical because the old Yamaha YZF-R1
10:23 used to throw off an insane amount of engine heat onto the rider. But this
10:26 motorcycle doesn't throw off any engine heat to the rider so it's a really
10:31 comfortable motorcycle to ride in hot weather. You don't have to worry about
10:34 the engine throwing off a ton of heat. Alright folks we took a quick break here
10:39 at the trailhead here before we climb this mountain grade. The Yamaha motor
10:43 folks wanted to reduce the air pressure in the 21 inch front and 18 inch wheels.
10:49 Get the air get the air pressure down a little bit so it has a little bit more
10:54 plushness against the dirt. They also wanted to adjust the suspension. It's
10:58 worth noting that this bike features fully adjustable suspension. Well not
11:04 fully. The fork you can adjust the preload but you can't address the
11:07 compression and the rebound damping. The fork also has dirt bike style air
11:13 bleeds atop the fork flap, fork cap so you can you can balance the air pressure
11:19 from the outside ambient pressure to inside in the fork tube. I wish street
11:26 bikes had that. I know that's a strange feature for street bike people but that
11:30 is a cool feature. I wish all bikes had that but it's cool that this Tenere 700
11:35 has it. There is the shock down there with the linkage. The shock has preload
11:40 adjustment compression and rebound damping. It has a handy preload
11:47 adjustment knob back there so you can adjust the preload without any tools.
11:51 It's kind of hard to see but that's that. And we can disable the ABS by holding in
11:59 this button and going to ABS mode. This is a new setting. Before you could
12:06 disable ABS. Now you can adjust ABS so you can have front ABS on but rear ABS
12:14 off. That's kind of neat so you can adjust things to your liking. I really
12:20 like the suspension on this motorcycle. We talked about it in depth in our other
12:24 previous videos that live on the Motorcyclist Mag YouTube channels and
12:27 in our comprehensive written editorial on the Motorcyclist Online website.
12:32 That's Yamaha's secret sauce. The suspension on this vehicle is on the
12:37 softer side and while I say softer side you might be like well it's too soft for
12:42 us fast fast guys. The soft suspension allows the tires to really hook up in
12:49 slippery terrain. So if you're an ADV rider who doesn't have a lot
12:56 of experience riding off-road you're gonna like this bike because the soft
13:00 ish suspension really just boosts traction when you're riding on the
13:06 crappy surfaces.
13:09 Conversely if you're an expert or pro level rider for sure the suspension is one of
13:16 the areas that could be improved for you but it's not so soft that it's gonna the
13:20 bikes can be unrideable. For sure the shock action is a little fast even when
13:27 you add rebound damping but the suspension is really not gonna be a
13:33 limiting factor for where this motorcycle is gonna be able to be ridden.
13:36 Now our 2024 Tenere 700 is configured with Yamaha's accessory quick shifter.
13:44 This quick shifter allows for full throttle up shifts without having to use
13:50 the clutch. Down shifts still have to be made the old-fashioned way. That
13:54 accessory is $200 and it's an easy plug-and-play accessory for this Tenere 700.
14:00 A lot of big bumps on this trail but the inverted fork and linkage
14:10 equipped shock do a good job of gobbling up this beat-up terrain. I really like the
14:17 ergonomics on this motorcycle when you're in this standing position. This
14:22 motorcycle feels very much like a dirt bike. The fuel tank and the chassis of
14:29 the vehicle is very slim and easy to grip with the riders legs. Of course
14:35 having a bike that's easy to grip really makes it easier to ride in precarious
14:39 terrain because you can squeeze your legs against the bike. It helps afford
14:44 more control. The handlebar we've talked about how it doesn't have a lot of
14:50 rearward sweep. It's pretty neutral bend and it works good for us at six foot
14:57 tall. The bend isn't too high nor too low. It's just a real comfortable bike to ride
15:03 in the standing position. The foot pegs are nice and meaty. We have the rubber
15:10 inserts fitted inside the foot pegs. We probably should have removed them but if
15:16 you were a serious off-road rider you can remove those rubber inserts and that
15:21 just gives you more contact patch between the sole of your boot and the
15:27 foot peg. It really helps afford more grip in treacherous terrain. To be fair this
15:34 terrain isn't overly treacherous. The main treacherous thing is just the dust.
15:41 Still it's cool to be able to have a bike that's really easy to control. At 452
15:48 pounds this thing feels nice and light. This is a very agile and light feeling
15:54 middleweight ADV bike. That cross-plane crankshaft and uneven engine firing order
16:02 just allow this engine and 18-inch rear wheel combo to be hooked up. I really feel
16:09 like you have a lot of control of this motorcycle. Whoa as I hit a big brump with
16:17 the front tire. It's worth noting that this Tenere 700 continues to not include
16:24 traction control. Perhaps one of the reasons it doesn't is
16:30 because contrary to other Yamaha motorcycles this MT-07 powertrain does
16:38 not benefit from Yamaha's chip controlled throttle YCCT. That was
16:45 technology that Yamaha fitted I believe they fitted it on its WaveRunner and
16:50 then it made its way to the 2006 YZF-R6.
16:56 We'll fast forward however many years that's been. God that's been a long time.
17:03 And this bike still doesn't have YCCT. It has a fully mechanical connection
17:10 between the engine and the throttle bodies. Yet still even with that analog
17:17 setup throttle response is pretty dang good.
17:23 Whoa!
17:26 Whoa got some bumps. This Tenere 700 is tackling them pretty well.
17:35 Now we have nice plastic hand guards to protect our mitts from the cold chilly
17:42 weather. Also from brush and of course help protect the levers in case of a
17:51 tip over.
17:53 We're not gonna take a tip over today no way. I love that engine tons of torque on
18:01 tap. This is a really easy middleweight ADV bike to ride off-road. Wow look at that
18:11 view folks look how beautiful it is. Wow the places motorcycles take you so neat.
18:18 As I mentioned before this vehicle rolls on a 21 inch 18 inch wheel combo that is
18:24 standard off-road wheel sizes. 21 18 inch wheel combo is great because the same
18:30 wheel size is a dirt bike. It allows you access to real off-road knobby tires.
18:38 And while we're using the OE fitted Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR's which is a
18:45 good 50/50 tire for mixed on and off-road use. You can fit dirt bikes tail
18:51 knobs onto this bike if you really want to get after it off-road. Now even though
18:59 this bike does have spoked wheels the wheels are of tube design. So these
19:06 aren't tubeless wheels. Some folks love tubeless wheels others don't. One nice
19:12 thing about having tube wheels is if you get a flat it's easy to repair. That as
19:17 long as you bring an extra tube with you during the course of the ride. We have
19:22 rear ABS currently disabled so front ABS is on rear ABS disabled. I think it's
19:29 kind of nice having front ABS. You don't have to worry about the front wheel
19:33 locking up. Honestly it's kind of it's it's not I wouldn't say it's difficult
19:40 to lock up the front wheel but it also if you use the front brake if you don't
19:46 have a lot of experience with the front brake and the amount of pressure needed
19:51 to avoid lockup having ABS is a real advantage for that. Really like the
19:59 triple disc brake package on this motorcycle. The brakes are they have some
20:04 decent feel to them. Of course this non radial master cylinder a math a radial
20:13 master cylinder would definitely boost the brake power and feel but for an ADV
20:18 off-road bike I don't really think it's necessary. Wow folks this is awesome
20:23 there's actually a little bit of moisture in this dirt you can see it.
20:27 That's why I love riding ADV style motorcycles because these motorcycles
20:33 just take you off the beaten path and you get to see more than what you can
20:38 see from the road. Well folks that was some good off-roading on the Tenere 700.
20:44 This thing is a really easy riding middleweight ADV. It's nearly eight
20:51 inches of suspension travel up front and just over that out back. Do a great job
20:57 of gobbling up the road. Yes! I love this bike. This bike is one easy bike to ride.
21:06 One caveat was the ABS like before every time you cycle the motorcycle on or off
21:15 the ABS resets. So you have to go into the menu you have to press the ABS off
21:20 one time and then you have to do a long hold every time. It's kind of hard to
21:25 remember to do that at least it was for us today and if you don't have ABS
21:31 disabled it can get a little bit scary when you're going down terrain with loose
21:38 soil. Speaking of soil I almost soiled myself when I was going down that loose
21:45 terrain when I tried to actuate the brake and the vehicle wasn't really
21:48 slowing down as quickly as I needed to. In that situation it's always good to let
21:54 off the brake and apply it again with gentle pressure.
22:00 Yamaha can we please have a button right here you just press it and ABS is just
22:05 off forever. That's what we would like to see. Yamaha motorcycles are renowned for
22:12 their durability so it's no surprise that this 2024 Tenere 700 goes the
22:18 distance between service. Now after the initial 600 mile service engine oil
22:25 should be replaced every 4,000 miles while the spin-on oil filters replaced
22:30 every other oil change at 8,000 mile increments. Oddly enough Yamaha also
22:36 recommends you change the spark plugs at 8,000 miles however the air filter can
22:41 go 24,000 miles and valve adjustment interval is at 26,600 miles. Isn't that
22:48 crazy that this motorcycle can go that distance between the valve inspection
22:54 gap clearance check. Pretty neat. This Tenere 700 also comes with a one-year
23:00 manufacturer's warranty and it's built in Japan so you know it is a super high
23:07 quality. As usual this bike is extremely capable. It is very easy to ride. It is
23:16 nimble. It's compact. The CP2 689 CC powertrain offers a lot of torque. It's
23:23 very friendly. It has a nice character. This motorcycle is a really great
23:28 middleweight adventure touring bike for someone who wants an easy riding bike
23:34 that is equally capable on road and off road. For sure the suspension is
23:40 definitely set up on the softer side of things but honestly it it that softer
23:47 suspension setup allows this bike to find grip where other adventure touring
23:51 bikes are gonna be slipping and sliding and I really like that. Of course if
23:55 you're a more advanced rider you could always opt for aftermarket suspension
24:00 tuning. We'd probably revalve the shock mainly and make it slower. The rebound
24:06 action of the shock is pretty fast even if you add max damping to it but still
24:11 for a baseline motorcycle that that is capable for a wide spectrum of riders
24:17 this Tenere 700 is a great bike especially at $10,800. Yeah that's $800
24:24 more than the model was when it was introduced for 2021 but still in
24:29 the middleweight ADV class $10,700 is a heck of a value. Well folks that wraps up
24:37 our official review. As always make sure to surf on over to MotorcyclistOnline.com
24:41 where we have multiple review articles on this bike and its
24:46 predecessor. Also make sure to check out the MotorcyclistMag YouTube channel. We
24:51 have hours and hours and hours of video reviews with commentary that you're not
24:56 gonna find anywhere else on the internet so check out that content if you're
24:59 interested in purchasing one of these bikes and thanks for riding with us.
25:02 We'll see you in the next episode.
25:05 (helicopter blades whirring)