Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1122949
YAMAHA TENERE 700 FIRST REVIEW P102 Yamaha worked pretty hard to keep the weight down on the Te- nere 700, and their provided stats put the Yamaha Tenere 700's weight right at 450 pounds full of fuel. This weight is distributed in a way to boost rider confidence and provide a light and dynamic feel—again, focused on off-road performance first. The result is a 48/52 front/rear weight balance. A light-handling front end and ample rear traction are the goals. Instruments and Controls As there are minimal electronic options to scroll through, the instrument cluster and accompa- nying switchgear populating the Tenere 700's cockpit is minimal. There is one button on the throttle- side controls to cycle through instrument panel displays of trip meters, and fuel consumption data and the same button resets those. Here are all the buttons you can play with on this bike: a kill switch, turn signal control, horn, starter button, instrument panel control switch (one on the bar and two on the dashboard itself), hazards button, high/low beam switch and a light-flash trigger, and that's all. There are no joy- sticks or trackballs. The cockpit does include a 12v power socket to charge your phone/GPS unit, and the instru- ment cluster is actually very nice. It has a gear indicator up top, a sort of funky wrap-around digital tach, a big/bold speed number, and a bar graph fuel gauge. It's not full-color, and the black trim around the screen seems a little close to the numbers at speed, but in general, it's very adequate. The Tenere 700 does have two fuel consumption readings. One is average, and one is "real-time." We'd love a distance to empty reading like the Honda CRF450L and CRF450X have added here. At your left fingertips, you'll find a cable-actuated clutch. From zig-zagging through villages to high-speed open stretches and slow off-road abuse, the clutch never flinched or faded. The right side features a cable-actuated throttle that is heavier in pull-back compared to the ride-by-wire units becoming more common on adventure bikes. Its input is direct, however, and we didn't feel any lag or strange delays. If anything, the throttle control is a little touchy off-idle, as we've mentioned already. Styling Yamaha simply dominated the rally-style look on the Tenere 700. The headlight fairing and windscreen tower are cut straight from current rally bike profiles, and it actually works at blocking WE'RE LIKIN' THE LED HEADLIGHTS.