L ate last year I spent a week in NSW riding the Yamaha Tenere 700 at the Australasian launch . It was an epic 1500-kilometre ride over vastly changing and challenging terrain . From sandy beaches to the top of the great dividing ranges and everything in between , it was awesome . The take home message from that ride was – the T700 was very close to the perfect bike for all day , real back blocks , adventure / exploring ... but , I really wanted to get the new bike back to NZ to see what it ’ s really like in our conditions – which are very different to those in Aussie . Well , after a decent wait , KR finally got our hands on one .
THE BASICS The T700 is a pretty handsome beast with practical working and comfortable ergonomics . Its layout is definitely designed for all day rider operation . It ’ s not unnecessarily complex or large ( especially compared to the 1000cc plus adventure bikes on the market ), but it is still a fully grown motorcycle . The T700 has an open logical design that makes regular maintenance a breeze compared to some adventure styled bikes . For example , whistle the seat off with the key and the airbox is right there . With a prior set up Airfilter pod you could do a filter change a minute or two . Weather protection is effective with a nicely working screen and hand guards , but not over the top , perfect for a bike that is likely to be dropped occasionally . There is no rear carrier on the Yamaha , which aids getting your leg over , but it does have excellent little lugs for bungy straps , so a day pack ties
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