2021 Yamaha Ténéré 700 Adventure Touring Motorcycle - Photo Gallery, Video, Specs, Features, Offers, Inventory and more
The price starts at $9999 and has a destination charge of $425. The bike should have a good number of both factory aftermarket farkles since it has been out in other parts of the world for a year. The US will get three color choices, all at the same price point. $9,999 - Ceramic Ice - Available Early Summer 2020 $9,999 - Intensity White - Available Early Summer 2020 $9,999 - Matte Black - Available Early Summer 2020 Early summer would likely mean sometime around June 2020, maybe a few weeks earlier or later. I suspect the target is to have them in the dealerships during the peak riding season June through August. The link has a specifications sheet, and a list of factory farkles, oh, and loads of marketing promo materials. While I haven't ridden the bike, the bike is getting very good reviews, and many of the reviewers like the idea of a "dual-sport" positioned bike that can handle the freeways with aplomb. The price point is lower than many of the smaller KTM offerings in the dual-sport category that are undoubtedly more offroad oriented but much less on-road, highway and freeway oriented. What we've seen over the past many years is that dual-sport has come to mean a heavier than average dirt bike with legal street lights, indicators, and street farkles that can ride on the roads as long as speeds do not exceed about 70 mph, and only for shorter distances say under 100 miles. After looking at this bike, the KTM 790, the new Honda Africa Twin, and many of the other adventure category bikes and comparing them to the dual-sport category bikes that there is a considerable separation between the two. Part of the problem is there are no accepted definitions of the phrases "dual-sport" or "adventure bike." I've placed dual-sport under the following definition: a single-cylinder moto designed to run off and on-road with legal lights, indicators, horn, electric start, and knobby but street-legal tires. The basic idea is a bike that will be ridden over 55 mph only for short distances in search of off-road terrain. The fuel needs for this are relatively small, so fuel capacity usually runs to about150 miles per tank full and seldom more. Off-road, the bike needs to perform in moderate and technical single track but not necessarily in the hard enduro environment (this would be rider skill dependent). As for technical rider aids, most of these bikes have very few and are often limited to only the legally required rider aids. Suspensions in these bikes are always manual and often have only a few adjustments available. Adventure bikes are the on-road/off-road flipside: More than 200 miles per tank of fuel, capable of long-distance riding at US freeway speeds, and very good at highways, roadways, and city riding. Most of these requirements lead to the desire for a twin-cylinder engine, but there are a few good single-cylinder bikes that seem to fit the bill as well. Off-road performance needs to be mostly limited to a moderate single track or less technical riding, although this would be rider skill dependent. As for rider aids, these bikes tend to be festooned with all sorts of highly technical rider aids from Leaning ABS, to rider modes, and extensive traction control settings. The suspensions tend to be fully adjustable, including electronically adjustable suspension. I've long thought the KTM 690, and the Husqvarna 701 sit at the top of the dual-sport category as close to Adventure bike as one could get. But there was a long gap between the two. The Tenere 700 did much to fill that gap. The KTM 790 is a great bike, which costs $12,500 for the Adventure version and $13,500 for the Adventure R version. The difference is the suspension with the Adventure version more road-focused and the Adventure R more off-road-focused. Both are great bikes and deserve a look by any adventure rider. But - price, $12,500 - $13,500 is a lot of money. The bells and whistles are incredible, and the 95 bhp demands rider modes, and extensive traction control just to keep the less than expert rider alive. And this costs money, as does Leaning ABS. Enter the Tenere 700. It is not competing with the KTM 790s; it is making a new class in that vast area between the dual-sport and the adventure bike. The lower 74 bhp makes the engine more tractable in the wild, the average rider might like some traction control but he does not need it, the bike is well enough mannered at that horsepower to be controlled by the average rider. Non-leaning ABS is a downgrade, but $9999 is less than $12,500-$13,500 but a lot. I've heard the whinging about the weight of these bikes. They all run in the 450+ lbs range. KTM gives a dry weight, which is like your doctor giving you your weight after eliminating the weight of your internal organs. Frustrating by omission is still frustrating. It seems the Tenere 700 will be slightly lighter than the KTM, probably the reason for the KTM dry weight puffery. The weight seems to be a big divide, but if weight is your primary concern, there are myriad dual-sport motos which can be "adventured" like the Suzuki DR 400 and 650, various KTMs and many other bikes. If Yamaha wanted to shut up this section of the bike-sphere, I would suggest trotting out a Tenere 700 with a titanium frame, swingarm, and super lightweight alloys throughout the bike build, Price it at $13,500. I think the build could be done with the weight at about 385-400 lbs, although the price at that wight might have to be a bit north of $13,500. This would place the bike at the high end of the KTM dual-sport bikes but in comfort and road riding class apart from them and well in the adventure bike category. Please Yamaha, if for no other reason than to shut up the silly-billy Unicorn dreamers. There is no doubt there is a market for a bike like this at this weight, but it would likely just cannibalize the Tenere 700s existing market, costs a bundle in R&D which could not be recovered via sales so that no sane company would go down that path. Sigh. I'm in, I've been looking for a low tech moto that can do both street and dirt, and that I could ride down to visit family in the San Francisco Bay area. Dual-sports would be an incredibly uncomfortable ride over that distance. But I have decided after decades of riding that I am uninterested in bikes which weigh over 500 lbs. Heavyweight bikes are no fun; if dropped in the wild, they are unmanageable. While I would prefer the Tenere 700 weigh in at 400-425 lbs, I will take it at 450 lbs. Perhaps in time, I can drop the exhaust and replace it saving 15 lbs, and drop the rear pegs saving a few more pounds. Then I can add the needed Center Stand and call it good. I expect these bikes to sell well in the US due to the price point and the build quality/reputation of Yamaha. EICMA was all about the e-bikes, and honestly, motos are toys, but as far as I am concerned e-bikes are not yet ready for prime time. Give them 5-10 years and they might be ready to pick up toy status for many of the around-town bikes. But adv bikes are unlikely to fall prey to this change. Too hard to find e-fuel in the middle of nowhere, and too long to refuel from a standard outlet.
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