Just a couple of years ago, Yamaha introduced the middleweight Ténéré 700 (T7) adventure bike and was received by riders with critical acclaim. Now, Yamaha introduces the T7 World Raid, with upgrades that will take your adventure ride to a whole new level.
Ténéré 700
Introduced some forty years, ago the original XT600 Ténéré made real adventure a possibility for everyone. With Yamaha’s Paris-Dakar race bikes as inspiration, the first Ténéré literally opened up a new world for any rider with the desire to get away from the ordinary, escape from their comfort zone and see new faraway places.
New 23-liter dual tank design
According to Yamaha, the new T7 World Raid is their “most extreme long-distance adventure bike with the ability to go further than ever before.” Thanks to a new dual 23-liter fuel tank, the new T7 World Raid fuel range is extended up to 500 kilometers in just one top-up.
The unique twin side-mounted design offers a number of significant advantages compared to simply making the tank higher and wider in order to increase its capacity. By having two separate tanks that are positioned lower, and locating the fuel pump in a lower position in one of the tanks, the bike’s center of gravity can be kept almost the same as with the existing Ténéré 700 that has a 16-liter tank – helping to maintain agile handling despite the increased weight of a larger fuel load.
Bluetooth connectivity
The new T7 World Raid also boasts a new 5-inch color TFT screen that’s linked with the bike’s Communication Control Unit (CCU), which then “talks” to the MyRide app, giving connectivity in the form of text message and incoming call notifications that are displayed on the instrument panel – and mobile battery status is displayed as soon as a connection is established.
This connectivity and the ability to identify any technical issues that need rectifying provide added peace of mind and reassurance to adventure riders, especially when they are taking part in long-distance trips in unfamiliar territory.
Simple electronics
As some adventure riders say, “fewer electronics means less thing to worry about.” This, in some cases, is true, especially when out in the middle of nowhere. For Yamaha, they did not equip the T7 World Rally with fuel mapping (aka ride modes) like its BMW or KTM counterpart.
Instead, the new T7 World Rally only has a 3-mode selectable ABS as an electronic feature. Mode 1 is ABS on, Mode 2 is ABS off on the rear, while Mode 3 is ABS off on both wheels.
Other features include a top-shelf 43mm KYB front fork with 230mm of travel, Öhlins steering damper, engine guard, new radiator grille, and all-LED lighting.
Availability
European riders will be the first to enjoy the new T7 World Raid as deliveries will commence in May of this year. As to the Philippines, Yamaha has not made any announcements of the new T7 World Raid’s availability and pricing.
So, would you go for the prestige of European adventure bikes, or go for the reliability and robustness of a Japanese adventure bike?
