THE SKINNY
And that’ s a wrap. There’ s really not much more to say. The Ténéré 700 remains very much the bike we know and love. The revamp for 2025 hasn’ t changed the bike, just made sure it remains relevant and up to date. It’ s still in essence a simple machine, there’ s no endless variations in modes or rider aids, it remains that rock-solid base for your personal adventure designs, whether you want to go
rally racing or full-on touring. The revamp has probably added no more than a 5 % uplift in performance, yet it’ s still a very attractive proposition and even with ever-hotter competition, it still wins sales by just being the Ténéré. It’ s won its kudos over more than three decades of being there, on the pistes, the trails and the roads( less travelled). For the, er, sportive rider, the Rally is superattractive. It looks great and it rides great, the suspension upgrade brings the whole bike alive when on the rough stuff. You can do more, and if you want, you can do it faster. The increased seat height will put it out of reach of some or will at least test how much they really want the most dynamic package in the T7 range. But there’ s no denying this is a strong performer that is a delight to ride off-seal. So, the Ténéré lives on and will live on for a long time yet. And just as with all previous iterations, it thrives on that less is more philosophy.
82 KIWI RIDER