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 P98 gets fast, and the bumps get bigger—warning you of impending doom if you don't slow your damn dirt-bike self down. There's a smart train of thought that says if your adventure bike is bottoming, it's trying to tell you something. This bike certainly tells you something before you end up in a pile of dirt. We wish it told us a little bit later. The chop-gobbling is top-notch for road stut- ters on pavement and washboards on the dirt. The suspension just eats it up with plush performance. With bigger drops than a standard dirt-road water bar, you're going to tax the stock suspension set- tings we rode. The bike, even when pushed to the limit, does stay straight nicely. That's a testament to a solid frame and swingarm marriage and the beauty of a parallel twin. Never did we feel a harsh or out-of- place characteristic of the chassis. The 48/52 front/rear weight balance is very no- ticeable. We took some turns into the shock preload in search of more front-tire bite, and it helps a bit. We look forward to seeing what the North American bike specs come in with as far as spring rates and valving. We could see a bit more substantial settings front and rear for off-road and street fans. As it sat in Spain, the front end was looking for bite. You can even see it dancing for traction in the slow-motion video sequences. For road warriors, you are going to be pleasantly surprised by the corner handling of these 21-inch front-wheeled machines. It has real street cred and backs up straight-line stability with an incredibly agile side-to-side flick factor. If you need to tip it from peg- STR M+S on the dry, loose roads of Catalunya's countryside. But even so, the motor will let you kill RPM at the throttle hand and grunt around with heavy clutch work in search of traction like a champ. On the road, the bike easily chewed through hair- pins in third gear for miles, a testament to a healthy, broad torque curve from an unintimidating power- plant. Yet, it also didn't mind clicking through the gears and carrying higher revs into the same tarmac slathered corners in second. The engine is sort of a do-it-all performer without a ton of over-excitement. The only negative we could find with the engine performance was the initial throttle control/en- gagement of power through the drivetrain. It felt as if there was excessive drivetrain lash, harsh clutch engagement, or an overly abrupt EFI fueling surge causing a jerking sensation through the chas- sis. The bike showcases such usable and useful power that this sort of snap at initial throttle input seemed really out of place. A little fine-tuning here could be in order to dial in the smoothness of throttle control to match the rest of the engine's high marks. We snuffed it out with clutch drags, and it was gone. So, we know it can be a little bet- ter without dragging the plates. This is shaping up to be a really great midsize engine choice for the ADV segment. Suspension and Chassis Overall, the KYB suspension components on the Yamaha Tenere 700 are up to the task of everyday adventuring. They show their limits when the going THE TENERE 700 IS POWERED BY THE FINELY CAPABLE CP2 PARALLEL-TWIN ENGINE MADE FAMOUS BY YAMAHA'S MT-07 STREET BIKE. NO SPACE SHUTTLE INSTRUMENTS HERE. JUST THE BASICS.