RIDE REVIEW I YAMAHA TENERE 700 VS KTM 890 ADVENTURE R
P88
I
have been riding motor-
cycles for most of my life
both on the dirt and street. I
spent much of my 20s, 30s
and early 40s riding or racing
at the local motocross tracks
nearly every weekend and
riding in the desert with my
friends and family. I also did
a fair share of West Coast
GPs and raced a few GNCCs.
I have slowly transitioned to
mostly riding off-road and
ADV bikes to explore new
terrain. On the ADV side, I
owned a Suzuki V-Strom for
a while, used mostly for So-
Cal commuting, and owned a
KTM 1190 and a 2017 Honda
Africa Twin. I have ridden
most of the big and small
ADV bikes over the past 15
years, including spending a
week in Europe on a BMW GS
1250 a couple of years ago.
My current ideal ADV
bike is a big dirt bike that is
good on the highway but still
allows me to explore semi-
challenging off-road terrain
around my home in Prescott,
Arizona. If I end up on a dirt
road that gets rocky or turns
into a trail, I want to be able
to keep going. In my opinion,
the KTM 890 Adventure R
and Yamaha Tenere 700 are
currently the two best bikes
for this type of riding, so this
comparison was perfect to
help me decide which bike is
best for my current taste in
ADV riding.
Yamaha and KTM ap-
proached this small displace-
ment ADV category from
different angles. The Yamaha
Tenere is a relatively simple
bike with limited electronic
rider aids (just ABS with a
simple button to turn it on/
off) while the KTM includes
a wide range of maps for the
engine performance, traction
control, and a more sophisti-
cated ABS system.
The Yamaha includes a
cable-actuated throttle while
the KTM is fly-by-wire, and
yes, that does feel different.
The KTM has a claimed 100
horsepower with 75 lb-ft
torque while the Yamaha
has 72 horsepower with 50
SEAN FINLEY
AGE: 52
HEIGHT: 5' 10"
WEIGHT: 165 LBS.
I could be happy with both bikes and
keeping $4000 + in my bank account tips
the scales towards the Yamaha Tenere.
But if money is not an issue for you, the
KTM may be the way to go.
