The 2021 Yamaha Tenere 700

Tigerkf

Member
Joined
May 25, 2019
Messages
86
Location
USA
I know this is about the T7, but do the Betas have as many glitches as the KTMs?
 

Madhatter

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 25, 2013
Messages
3,846
Location
buda texas
I'm hearing Betas are better . getting great reviews in comparisons . just bought a new 2019 Tenere so new Beta on hold for awhile. finding a dealer close to you is the problem ... a new Beta dealer just opened 20 miles from here ..... next year .
 

Madhatter

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 25, 2013
Messages
3,846
Location
buda texas
this might have been covered here already, my dealer said they might receive their first one as early as march or April.
 

limey

Well-Known Member
Founding Member
2011 Site Supporter
2012 Site Supporter
2013 Site Supporter
2014 Site Supporter
Joined
Dec 13, 2010
Messages
1,913
Location
Bowmanville Canada
this might have been covered here already, my dealer said they might receive their first one as early as march or April.
More like late May early June.
 

Sierra1

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 7, 2016
Messages
14,817
Location
Joshua TX
The Ceramic Ice looks like an L.E. paint job. The Matte Black looks like it paired with matte green. I still look at it as a big ass dirt bike, more than a touring adventure bike. Looks good, regardless.
 
R

RonH

Guest
I was not enthused by seeing pictures, and got to see it in person today. After seeing it I'm even less excited with it. I wish they just would have kept the Tenere 660 styling basically and just worked in the larger engine.
Maybe someone can explain seats to me. When I grew up on old 70s motorcycles, even motocross motorcycles had sensible seats with padding that could be sat on for all day riding, or you could still stand on the pegs in the rough stuff, doing jumps wheelies ect.
Now all motocross, enduro ect have like 3" wide seat 1" thick that extends way up on top of the tank. Really? Someone wants to sit on 1" padding way up on top of the tank 6" back from the bars? Not my idea of ideal for anything.
 
B

ballisticexchris

Guest
Hi there Ron, It all depends on your tolerance. I had a KTM300 that was only comfortable for standing. My Beta has a thin Seat Concepts seat that is pure torture after a few hundred miles. I'm not sure how old you are but I'm pushing 60 and I like my comfort. I have an Airhawk that gets swapped from bike to bike for long days in the saddle.

I'm almost thinking the T700 is being marketed as a dual sport more than a traveling machine. Other than the seat, did you swing a leg over it? How does the build quality look?
 
R

RonH

Guest
I'll be 60 this year too. I didn't sit on it. Really didn't notice much else except the styling which was not for me. Despite all the time everyone has been waiting for this motorcycle, it really was not drawing much of a crowd. The Africa twin was drawing a good bit of attention.
 

Don T

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 11, 2011
Messages
541
Location
Denmark
I was not enthused by seeing pictures, and got to see it in person today. After seeing it I'm even less excited with it. I wish they just would have kept the Tenere 660 styling basically and just worked in the larger engine.
Initially I had hoped for a bike closer to the 660 Tenere as well. I liked that bike. It was built like a tank and had a lot of nice features. But the reality was that it didn't perform all that well. The engine was lumpy and underpowered, the suspension wasn't very good and it didn't handle all that well neither on nor off the road. The main selling points were reliability and range.
I think it was a wise decision for Yamaha to start with a clean slate.

I'm almost thinking the T700 is being marketed as a dual sport more than a traveling machine. Other than the sat, did you swing a leg over it? How does the build quality look?
With only 210/200 mm of suspension travel and a curb weight at +200 kg I don't see the T7 as a dual sport, but rather as a traveling maschine that is surprisingly capable off road - so capable that some use it as a dual sport...

I was a bit underwhelmed when I saw the T7 in the flesh for the first time at EICMA in Milan back in 2018.
Build quality was fine but at the same time I got the impression of a very plain bike. No fancy materials or nice details.
- and maybe that is just what appeals to many people, in a time where adventure bikes becomes increasingly sophisticated.

I'll be 60 this year too. I didn't sit on it. Really didn't notice much else except the styling which was not for me. Despite all the time everyone has been waiting for this motorcycle, it really was not drawing much of a crowd. The Africa twin was drawing a good bit of attention.
The T7 isn't an impressive bike when you look at it - riding it is a different matter.

I'm not blown away by the T7, but recognise it as a very capable and entertaining tool for a wide variety of riding. At the moment it would be my weapon of choice for long distance touring that included lots of unpaved roads and tracks.
 
B

ballisticexchris

Guest
Very good points Don. Here is a long video of a few guys outfitting the 700 with panniers. I fast forwarded to look at all the cool crash bars, skid plate, and the really plush looking seat. Also looks like they are running those Pivot Pegz. I really like how they were able to squeeze the extra fuel jug behind the racks. It's very tastefully done in bilingual format.

 

Don T

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 11, 2011
Messages
541
Location
Denmark
2 weeks ago I went to Spain to meet up with friends from all over Europe and do some off road riding.
We had a blast - as you do whenever bikes are involved.
The meeting took place in Mijas near Malaga. The Adventure Rider Centre supplied us with bikes and gear.
This was parked in a corner of the locker room:
18.jpg

It belonged to AdventureSpec. Dave and Chris who owns the company was among the guys I was meeting up with.
The T7 was parked at ARC because Dave had just returned from a 5.000 km solo trip around Morocco on the bike. Dave is into light off road/trail bikes (his favorite bike at the moment is the CRF 450L). He was very impressed with the T7 - even though he found it too heavy for the really gnarly stuff he likes to ride - especially when he had to lift it up after a spill.

The days spend riding dirt (reminding me how much I like it) and Dave's review of the T7 combined with everything else I've seen/read/experienced with the bike (I did a test ride last year), have finally pushed me over the edge - I want one.

I prefer to only own one bike at a time and I have a couple of trips coming up where the T12 is a better tool, so I'm not in a hurry to get the T7.
When I change bike I will also change my riding to include much more dirt - otherwise the change wouldn't make any sense, as the T12 is a better road bike.
As it is the light weight, nimbleness and off road manners of the T7 that attracts me, I will be very focused on keeping it as light as possible when I get one, and only add whatever accessories I deem absolutely necessary - no heavy crash bars or luggage racks - just proper handguards, a bash plate with better coverage (maybe carbon fiber/kevlar), shields to cover the engine and soft luggage (probably MM R80).

Just wanted to share my thoughts :)

Cheers
T
 

BaldKnob

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2012
Messages
776
Location
SENC
My closest Yamaha dealer is saying late June before they get any. He mentioned going to Utah in March to get a look at the bikes and will get to ride it a bit.
 
Top