One thing I love about your reviews is how you get straight down to business right from the start. No waffle. Excellent stuff! I have to say I'd go for the World Raid for the big tank and better suspension. In Australia we get some long distances which need the range.
Why does the UK get all the cool T7 variants when you barely have any off-road riding places? Because you can ferry across the channel and find more or? The US has so much land for riding, and the T7 is very popular but being shadowed by more updated models from other manufacturers. I'm sure new variants would do well here.
Maybe theyre scared launching it in the US bc the market is so Cruiser and Bagger oriented there? Or maybe its because the US market still has some purist Adventure Models Like the DR650 and the KLR which are way cheaper than and comparably reliable as the puristic Tenere model. EU regulations dont allow those models here so the T7 is the only puristic Adventure bike we have (besides maybe the enfield Himalayan)
Yeah, exactly... if we had the cool variants (WR or Extreme) in the US I would have bought one by now. And though I love my DRZ, it's range limitations really show up here in Alaska where we have long stretches between fueling stations.
Compared to other bikes marketed as serious off road capable adv bikes I'm surprised at the value for money the Tenere offers. Particularly with it being a yamaha (which I, for some reason, associate with top dollar). Really helpful information in this review, cheers, Bob.
I feel that the T7 is getting left behind on value with all these other similar bikes on the market, like the Aprilia Tuareg 660, Honda Transalp 750, Suzuki V-Strom 800DE, KTM 890 Adventure, Kove 800x. The Yamaha has the least power out of all these bikes, has the least features, is top heavy and isn't even cheaper than most of these. T7 standard version is 1k euro cheaper than the Tuareg 660, but the Tuareg has much better suspension, better build quality and more features. You can get the T7 Extreme version which will bring the suspension to the level comparable to Tuareg's, but the cost will be the same and you still don't get all the other advantages of the Tuareg. The Kove 800x has way better suspension, more power, traction control etc and is 2k euro cheaper than the base version of the T7. The only advantage T7 holds against the competition is Yamaha's legendary status in terms of reliability and even that is debatable as many of these other bikes are proving to be reliable as well. The other Japanese bikes are just as reliable, the Tuareg is pretty reliable and if Kove 800x turns out to be reliable then you would have to be dumb to choose the T7 over it. I think Yamaha needs to update the CP2 engine or just make a T9 with their CP3 engine.
I had one on order with Fowlers Bristol was due end of June then Yamaha said September at the earliest, no excuse now for not delivering bikes on time especially with the amount of promotion this model has had. I've now bought a Husky 701 Enduro which I now think will be a much better bike any way. Not impressed with Yamaha and wont be buying one of their bikes again they also put Fowlers in a crap position with a customer. Also anyone with one on order or thinking about it bare in mind it comes with road tyres not even 50/50 as Bob has on that demo which again is crap its the most off road version and they still put road tyres on it so you will need to spend another £200-£300.
I have a 701 and love it. Skinny and light with excellent tech. My 890 Adventure will be moving on once rally tower, range extender are fitted. I just came back from a 4,200 mile, 23 day ride in the US with 50:50 on and off-road on a 2019 KTM 690. It was superb on both. No aches or pains and at 65 I’ve ridden a lot of bikes. I’m no off-roader but the TC and ABS were unobtrusive but kept me safe with few dabs in all those miles. Each to their own but for me light and skinny wins. Have fun on your 701.
Pity we only get the basic model in South Africa, if they even have stock. Yamaha SA dropping the ball big time here in adventure riding heaven. They can sell much more here if they just catch a wake up for a change.
The whole exhaust setup needs some serious rework. Way too exposed. There are heaps of third party high exhaust alternatives that make the bike way slimmer at the back (and bring your luaguage 8cm inwards if you get a fitting rack)
Worth the £800 more than the standard model but the suspension is far from impressive. It’s basically the same suspension as standard but slightly more travel and preload adjustment on the front. Poor quality. Horrible adjusters (they chew up purely from adjusting them). still too soft and in the case of the forks, too skinny. In my opinion to make the ultimate Tenere it needs. •Chromoly frame •48mm forks •Polyurethane plastics instead of the painted fragile plastics. •Plastic fuel tank to reduce high up weight •High mount exhaust. And yes I own one. And I still love it.
Finally got to sit on a Tenere and i cannot imagine doing the offroading that i see online with it. Dual Sports seem soooo much better and easier to ride (not as gigantic). They say you can do singletrack with it and to that i say NO!!!! (Im a noob at offroading though)
91cm seat height is extreme. It doesn't matter off-road or on tour, but as the only motorcycle that you use for the city and for short trips, it's actually useless. At least for me. I'm 180cm (5.9) tall and when I tried sitting on it, I could only touch the ground with the toe bunions
Mate I wish I was >6ft. Had a shot of the T7 on release and it really just was too unwieldy for my 5’8 ass. I love the look of them but it just ain’t practical.
The bike is NOT 205kg wet, it's 220kg. I always doubted that, as people say that it feels top heavy, but it's not just the feel, it actually is heavy, so I measured it myself. It's a marketing scam and the reason why I went with the Suzuki V-strom 800DE. Quite similar in weight, more power and far more comfortable.
Yamaha North America has their head planted firmly up their backside for not bringing these models to the States, where they'd actually be used for purpose, and would sell out on day one.
They would compede with the likes of Dr650 and KLR and those are way cheaper. We dont have those here in Europe due to EU regulations. Maybe thats the reason (speculating!)
Forget any other bike, you want to go adventure on your own off to a middle of nowhere, get the world raid. Darn it, they don’t sell it here in the US!!!! 😢
... and we Americans could really use the World Raid edition (as there can be considerable distance between fuel stations, particularly in the western part of the country)... are you listening Yamaha???
@@stephenbarabas6286 - have you ever ridden on dirt & gravel roads through New Mexico and Arizona?? On more than one occasion, I was glad I was carrying a 4 liter fuel bladder strapped to my tail pack... or maybe it was just poor planning on my part?
One thing I love about your reviews is how you get straight down to business right from the start. No waffle. Excellent stuff!
I have to say I'd go for the World Raid for the big tank and better suspension.
In Australia we get some long distances which need the range.
Think the prices are to much for taking them off road. The future is the small adventure bikes like the new cfmoto 450mt
Why does the UK get all the cool T7 variants when you barely have any off-road riding places? Because you can ferry across the channel and find more or?
The US has so much land for riding, and the T7 is very popular but being shadowed by more updated models from other manufacturers. I'm sure new variants would do well here.
Same here in South Africa. You are not alone in being ignored by Yamaha.
Maybe theyre scared launching it in the US bc the market is so Cruiser and Bagger oriented there?
Or maybe its because the US market still has some purist Adventure Models Like the DR650 and the KLR which are way cheaper than and comparably reliable as the puristic Tenere model. EU regulations dont allow those models here so the T7 is the only puristic Adventure bike we have (besides maybe the enfield Himalayan)
Yeah, exactly... if we had the cool variants (WR or Extreme) in the US I would have bought one by now. And though I love my DRZ, it's range limitations really show up here in Alaska where we have long stretches between fueling stations.
Great, another T7 model we won’t get in the states.
states never gets anything good.
Compared to other bikes marketed as serious off road capable adv bikes I'm surprised at the value for money the Tenere offers. Particularly with it being a yamaha (which I, for some reason, associate with top dollar).
Really helpful information in this review, cheers, Bob.
I feel that the T7 is getting left behind on value with all these other similar bikes on the market, like the Aprilia Tuareg 660, Honda Transalp 750, Suzuki V-Strom 800DE, KTM 890 Adventure, Kove 800x. The Yamaha has the least power out of all these bikes, has the least features, is top heavy and isn't even cheaper than most of these. T7 standard version is 1k euro cheaper than the Tuareg 660, but the Tuareg has much better suspension, better build quality and more features. You can get the T7 Extreme version which will bring the suspension to the level comparable to Tuareg's, but the cost will be the same and you still don't get all the other advantages of the Tuareg. The Kove 800x has way better suspension, more power, traction control etc and is 2k euro cheaper than the base version of the T7.
The only advantage T7 holds against the competition is Yamaha's legendary status in terms of reliability and even that is debatable as many of these other bikes are proving to be reliable as well. The other Japanese bikes are just as reliable, the Tuareg is pretty reliable and if Kove 800x turns out to be reliable then you would have to be dumb to choose the T7 over it.
I think Yamaha needs to update the CP2 engine or just make a T9 with their CP3 engine.
I had one on order with Fowlers Bristol was due end of June then Yamaha said September at the earliest, no excuse now for not delivering bikes on time especially with the amount of promotion this model has had. I've now bought a Husky 701 Enduro which I now think will be a much better bike any way. Not impressed with Yamaha and wont be buying one of their bikes again they also put Fowlers in a crap position with a customer. Also anyone with one on order or thinking about it bare in mind it comes with road tyres not even 50/50 as Bob has on that demo which again is crap its the most off road version and they still put road tyres on it so you will need to spend another £200-£300.
I have a 701 and love it. Skinny and light with excellent tech. My 890 Adventure will be moving on once rally tower, range extender are fitted. I just came back from a 4,200 mile, 23 day ride in the US with 50:50 on and off-road on a 2019 KTM 690. It was superb on both. No aches or pains and at 65 I’ve ridden a lot of bikes. I’m no off-roader but the TC and ABS were unobtrusive but kept me safe with few dabs in all those miles. Each to their own but for me light and skinny wins. Have fun on your 701.
Another blue T7, more colour options please.
Got mine since November 2023 (germany has them since 2023) and I love every minute on that beauty. Its the best bike ive ever owned.
Pity we only get the basic model in South Africa, if they even have stock. Yamaha SA dropping the ball big time here in adventure riding heaven. They can sell much more here if they just catch a wake up for a change.
Same here in the US
Still no redesign of the exhaust hanger to prevent frame or subframe damage when the bike is dropped?
The whole exhaust setup needs some serious rework. Way too exposed. There are heaps of third party high exhaust alternatives that make the bike way slimmer at the back (and bring your luaguage 8cm inwards if you get a fitting rack)
So true but the same as pretty much all of this genre of bike. In addition to the vulnerability to a drop it makes luggage stick out far too far.
I'd take it if I was going intercontinental. It's the one I'd appreciate in the rare case where I have to stop and look back to see ahat happened.
Worth the £800 more than the standard model but the suspension is far from impressive.
It’s basically the same suspension as standard but slightly more travel and preload adjustment on the front.
Poor quality. Horrible adjusters (they chew up purely from adjusting them). still too soft and in the case of the forks, too skinny.
In my opinion to make the ultimate Tenere it needs.
•Chromoly frame
•48mm forks
•Polyurethane plastics instead of the painted fragile plastics.
•Plastic fuel tank to reduce high up weight
•High mount exhaust.
And yes I own one. And I still love it.
some shit riding right there
Finally got to sit on a Tenere and i cannot imagine doing the offroading that i see online with it. Dual Sports seem soooo much better and easier to ride (not as gigantic). They say you can do singletrack with it and to that i say NO!!!! (Im a noob at offroading though)
91cm seat height is extreme. It doesn't matter off-road or on tour, but as the only motorcycle that you use for the city and for short trips, it's actually useless. At least for me. I'm 180cm (5.9) tall and when I tried sitting on it, I could only touch the ground with the toe bunions
Tuareg 660, cfmoto 450MT, both more accessible bikes, seat hieght, better price. T7, still top heavy, and high seat!
Reliability is the reason
@@cokanyildirim Good reason! You can't deny it!
its about the same, about 10kg lighter 450 vs 700, and is Chinese quality.
"quality"
I am considering the World raid/rally or go with the extreme version and change the high fender because I don't like that look xD
I'm 6.3'" and gonna get extreme soon.
Mate I wish I was >6ft.
Had a shot of the T7 on release and it really just was too unwieldy for my 5’8 ass.
I love the look of them but it just ain’t practical.
wowzer. great review and wonderful scenery. where was this filmed?
I like it a lot, but my off roading days are in the past.
The bike is NOT 205kg wet, it's 220kg. I always doubted that, as people say that it feels top heavy, but it's not just the feel, it actually is heavy, so I measured it myself. It's a marketing scam and the reason why I went with the Suzuki V-strom 800DE. Quite similar in weight, more power and far more comfortable.
The World Raid/World Rally with its double tanks are 220kg. The base and extreme is 205kg.
Yamaha North America has their head planted firmly up their backside for not bringing these models to the States, where they'd actually be used for purpose, and would sell out on day one.
100%
Not available in Canada ☹️☹️☹️
THIS is a ditch bike..
Very off road oriented. I need something that gets me to where the bitumen ends. Is this model any good on the road?
I have one 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂!
Why Yamaha, just WHY do we not have any of these model options in the US???
They would compede with the likes of Dr650 and KLR and those are way cheaper. We dont have those here in Europe due to EU regulations. Maybe thats the reason (speculating!)
@@Headbangheals Nope Complete BS. They would sell like hotcakes, and the T7 is not a direct competitor to the DR or KLR.
#yamaha please wake up for your US customers
how tall are you in cm please? thinking about the extreme, but my height says explore
He said 175cm in the video
@@sten9019 I missed it, thanks a lot!
Forget any other bike, you want to go adventure on your own off to a middle of nowhere, get the world raid. Darn it, they don’t sell it here in the US!!!! 😢
Sadly, Americans can't purchase this spec. Just the standard bike is available!
... and we Americans could really use the World Raid edition (as there can be considerable distance between fuel stations, particularly in the western part of the country)... are you listening Yamaha???
@@danielklopp7007the US has approximately 115,000 gas stations 😂 there is not that far a distance here between them anywhere
@@stephenbarabas6286 - have you ever ridden on dirt & gravel roads through New Mexico and Arizona??
On more than one occasion, I was glad I was carrying a 4 liter fuel bladder strapped to my tail pack... or maybe it was just poor planning on my part?