YAMAHA TENERE 700 VS. HUSQVARNA 701 ENDURO LR
C O M PA R I S O N
P74
The Yamaha, on the other hand, has one
of the nicest throttle responses from any
twin-cylinder machine on the market. It's fair
enough, too, as the company has had years
to get this right in the MT-07 and XSR700.
The Yamaha is equally at home in fireroads
as it is highways and doesn't get left too
far behind the Husqvarna when it comes to
really tight terrain. The throttle is delightfully
metered, with a near perfect level of low-
down torque for most ADV situations, and the
wider overall spread of torque makes for a far
better road engine than the Husky (it's just a
shame the gas tank is so small).
An area the Husqvarna shines is the fact
that it has a slipper clutch, which is more
useful on dirt roads than anywhere else. Get
some decent speed up on any dirt back road
and you'll be glad the Husky's got a slipper in
its pocket. The Yamaha requires a more ana-
log approach, matching the revs correctly to
stop the rear tire from locking up/chattering
and pushing you wide on corner entry—the
Husky's clutch is something you'll appreciate
when you take into account the full weight of
the 6.6 gallons of gas.
ONE SIZE FITS ALL?
The Husqvarna's 36.4-inch seat height is a
full two inches higher than the Tenere, but
both Jesse at 5'10" and myself at 6'1" felt the
Husky's ergonomics were too cramped and
(Left) Deep in
the woods, the
Yamaha performed
brilliantly and
was easy to
maneuver for a
large machine.
(Right) The
Yamaha's rangy,
open cockpit and
versatility on
trails and roads
won favor with
the testers.
