RALLY REFLECTIONS
Back home in New Zealand with a couple of
days to reflect, a few things really stand out to
me about the Tenere 700. It’s truly comfortable
with good weather protection. The engine
is a gem. It’s certainly quick enough, frugal,
tractable and yet with plenty of grunt to
deliver smiles. Rear tyres will last twice that of
one on the 1200 (at least) and you’re going no
slower, it just gets to the ground better. One
rider said he saw 196km/h on the dash while I
saw over 160km/h on gravel many times – as
Yamaha says, it’s fast enough. It feels light,
has an excellent chassis and steers well. It’s
not overly complex either, which for me is
just wonderful… there is no stuffing around
with buttons to get the motor to work how
your throttle hand wants it to. Fantastic.
42 KIWI RIDER
Niggles? Only very minor stuff in the scheme
of things. I don’t like the brake pedal, it’s a bit
short for me and doesn’t feel that positive.
So, I suspect it’s a little flexy. For larger and
faster riders the suspension could be firmer,
but honestly its pretty good and I think riders
need to be honest with themselves… such
as “Am I really going to be jumping it that
often?”. Personally I’d rather jump a little
smaller and have the all day, all week comfort.
Yamaha has built a fantastic bike in the Tenere
700 and should be justifiably proud of the new
machine. I’d go as far as say that the 700 will
suit NZ conditions perfectly. It’s the logical next
step for DR/KLR 650 riders, and for all those
guys finding 1200cc adventure bikes a bit too
much… the Tenere 700 is the way forward.