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/1327402
YAMAHA TENERE 700 VS. HUSQVARNA 701 ENDURO LR C O M PA R I S O N P78 balanced you soon forget about the disparity. The Tenere is one of those bikes born exceptionally well, in that it'll do pretty much any- thing the Husqvarna does but with more comfort. It struggles to match the Husqvarna in the tightest of terrain, but everywhere else we thought the Yamaha excelled. Another area where the Yamaha was better than the Husqvarna was in crash protec- tion and luggage points. If you're going to faraway places, you'll want to bring a few supplies and the Yamaha at least has some good tie-down points on the back of the seat whereas the Husky doesn't have any. The same can be said for the substantial side crash protec- tion of the Yamaha and the large engine guard. The Husqvarna's tanks, while made from ultra- hard plastic, are vulnerable in a crash and the Yamaha looks like it could be thrown off a building and it'll still be okay to ride. THE VERDICT In the end, both Jesse and I felt the Yamaha was the better option. The Husqvarna will suit a certain type of rider, one who either wants to go desert cross- ing or hit up some gnarly single track, but we also think for the money charged, you'd be better off getting a KTM 500 EXC-F and fitting a larger tank to it for better off-road performance at a cheaper price. The Yamaha's win comes SPECIFICATIONS YAMAHA TENERE 700 ($9999) / HUSQVARNA ENDURO 701 LR ($12,499) ENGINE 4-stroke, inline twin / 4-stroke, single VALVETRAIN DOHC, 8 valves / DOHC, 4 valves COOLING SYSTEM Liquid / Liquid DISPLACEMENT 689cc / 692cc BORE X STROKE 80 x 68.6mm / 80 x 105mm COMPRESSION RATIO 11.5:1 / 12.6:1 FUEL SYSTEM EFI / EFI EXHAUST 2-1 / 1-1 CLUTCH Wet multi-plate / Wet multi- plate, slipper TRANSMISSION 6-speed / 6-speed FRONT SUSPENSION 43mm inverted fork, fully adjustable / 48mm inverted fork, fully adjustable REAR SUSPENSION Monoshock, fully adjustable / Monoshock, fully adjustable FRONT-WHEEL TRAVEL 8.3 in. / 9.8 in. REAR-WHEEL TRAVEL 7.9 in. / 9.8 in. FRONT BRAKE Dual 282mm discs, 2-piston caliper, ABS / Single 300mm disc, 2-piston caliper, ABS REAR BRAKE 245mm disc, 1-piston caliper, ABS / 240mm disc, 1-piston caliper, ABS FRONT TIRE 90/90R21 Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR / 90/90R21 Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR REAR TIRE 150/70R18 Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR / 150/70R18 Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR WHEELBASE 62.8 in. / 59 SEAT HEIGHT 34.4 in. / 36.4 in. FUEL CAPACITY 4.3 gal / 6.6 gal. WEIGHT (WET) 470 lbs. / 382 lbs. down to its versatility. If you're going riding, chances are you're not riding straight out of your house and onto your chosen ter- rain. The Yamaha may lack a lit- tle compared to the Husky when the going gets really tough, but for everything else it's either on par or better than the more off- road-focused Husqvarna. CN