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The Yamaha T7 concept bike has been one of the most talked about motorcycles in the ADV community since it was first shown back in 2016. I have been waiting ever since to see production specs, and today we finally have some answers — but I fear that the main talking point for most people will be Yamaha’s proposed timeline for the bike.
American riders can expect to see the new Ténéré 700 released as a 2021 model at some point towards the end of 2020. For a bike that has been teased since 2016, today’s announcement has me completely baffled. After watching Yamaha’s live announcement and thoroughly reading the press release, I am left with an incomplete spec sheet on a bike that won’t become available for another two years.
As expected, the 689 cc, liquid-cooled, parallel-twin engine looks to be plucked directly from the MT-07. Yamaha’s exact wording concerning the engine is as follows: “[it’s] derived from Yamaha’s award-winning MT-07.” Bore, stroke, and compression ratio remain the same. According to Yamaha's French website the T7 will produce 72 horsepower at 9,000 rpm and 50 foot-pounds of torque at 6,500 rpm, which is damn near identical to what they have published for the MT-07.
Yamaha claims that the 4.2-gallon tank will provide an “average 217-mile fuel range,” which means the new engine should get an average of 51 mpg. While the streamlined fuel capacity will help to keep weight down, I’ll hold judgment on the claim that 4.2 gallons is a “long-range fuel tank.." I want to see real world mpgs for myself.
According to what I've read, the original T7 prototype featured the suspension from a WR450. The downside was that the seat height was said to be nearly 39 inches tall. The production version looks to be much more manageable with a seat height of 34.6 inches, which is still relatively tall. That’s about half an inch shorter than my KTM 1090 Adventure R. Great for me, at six feet, three inches, but not so great for the shorter riders among us.
The front suspension is a flex-resistant 43 mm inverted fork which features 8.3 inches of travel. Yamaha states it will feature “full damping adjustment,” which I assume means a separate compression and rebound circuit. There is no word about any preload adjustment on the front end.
The rear shock will mount to the bike via lower linkage and will feature 7.9 inches of travel. There will be a remote preload adjuster as well as adjustment for rebound damping. Overall ground clearance is said to be 9.5 inches. By comparison, the Africa Twin, F 850 GS, and 1090 Adventure R all claim a ground clearance of 9.8 inches.
That being said, those are all bikes that tip the scales at over 500 pounds. Part of what is expected to set the T7 apart is a much lower wet weight than the current crop of middleweight ADV bikes. While there is no mention of the T7’s weight on Yamaha's American website, the French site lists the wet weight at 452 pounds.
Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR tires will be the stock rubber on the new Ténéré 700. Up front will be a 90/90R21 and at the rear will be a 150/70R18. I am super excited to see that they went with a more off-road-oriented 18-inch option at the rear, like the Honda Africa Twin and KTM 1090 Adventure R, and not a 17-inch wheel like the Triumph Tiger 800 XC and the BMW F 850 GS.
Looking closely at the photos, the brake calipers bear the Brembo logo but there is no detailed mention of the braking components in the press release. All Yamaha tells us it that the bike will have two 282 mm rotors on the front wheel and one 245 mm rotor at the rear wheel. The Ténéré 700 will feature selectable ABS that can be shut off completely. There is no word as to whether there will be an “off-road” ABS feature that allows riders to leave ABS active on the front wheel while disabling it at the rear.
There is no mention of any additional electronics or rider aids. That could be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on how you look at it. For those riders who want a stripped-down ADV bike with minimal electronics, the T7 could be the solution they’ve been asking for. However, if you’re comparing it to the current crop of middleweight adventure bikes, it’s going to appear rather sparse.
What I think Yamaha did right is keep the styling on par with the original prototype. Not much has changed with the look of this production version. It gets the wild-looking face with four LED headlights and full rally-style swagger. According to Yamaha, “the cockpit is designed to accommodate the fitment of aftermarket navigation devices… including GPS, road book readers and smartphones.” By comparison, the LCD dash does look a bit dated next to today’s current crop of TFT dashes.
There has been no mention of price for the new Ténéré 700, a detail that I think that will be the biggest deciding factor for this bike’s success. The 2019 MT-07’s MSRP is currently $7,599. If Yamaha can release the T7 and keep the price below $9,000, I think there will be substantial interest. That being said, a lot could change in two years.
All the specs aside, Yamaha’s timeline for this bike is my biggest takeaway from today’s announcement. I have one riding buddy in my group who has been holding out for this bike for over a year. He’s ready to buy now. I know for a fact he’s not going to wait another two years to replace his worn out Versys.
As I mentioned in a previous article, I see the current race for the middleweight ADV segment to exist between the KTM 790 Adventure R and the Yamaha Ténéré 700. We now know when we can expect Yamaha to cross the finish line. All that’s left now is to see what KTM has in store for us later this week.
