Yamaha’s Ténéré 700 has been an incredible success since its release in 2019. But now, Yamaha have upped the ante with their World Raid edition…
There’s no denying that adventure bikes are seriously popular right now. Whether we’re talking about low capacity, entry level machines or top spec, eye-wateringly expensive big capacity brutes, they’re selling by the bucketload thanks to their incredible all-round capabilities. And sitting right in the middle of the market are middleweights such as Yamaha’s Ténéré 700, which is a solid package for an impressive price. Saying that, it wasn’t the highest spec’d machine in the business, so Yamaha have been to work in creating a lean, mean, off-roading machine. Meet their new, range topping Ténéré 700 World Raid.
Yamaha have been teasing the new machine for quite a while now, but today they’ve unveiled the exact spec of the World Raid. Using the standard Ténéré 700 as a base, the new World Raid edition comes equipped with a whole host of changes, optimising it for both longer journeys and even some off-road thrashing . For starters, it now come equipped with 23 litre dual side-mounted fuel tanks, which are estimated to offer up to a whopping 310 miles of range.
The design also means that they are positioned lower than the 16 litre tank on the standard machine, meaning that the centre of gravity is near enough the same on both models, in order to retain the agility that has made the Ténéré so popular.
Alongside this, Yamaha have centralised the mass for the best weight distribution between front and rear, and the tank and seat unit is now flatter, for better rider mobility when you want to shift the weight between front and back, or if you’re standing up. The cockpit area is now all new, and the footrests are larger as well.
The suspension has been updated with new, higher spec 43mm KYB front forks offering 230mm travel, alongside an Öhlins steering damper and an aluminium, piggyback rear shock. Another feature they’ve added to improve its off-roading capabilities is switchable ABS, which now has three modes of use. This ranges from full ABS to disabling the rear and finally disabling front and rear, which is perfect for using and abusing if you take your off-roading seriously.
They’ve given the World Raid a new 5” colour TFT dash, which has Bluetooth connectivity as standard. You get three different themes to scroll through on here, from ‘Street’ with a tacho and conventional street feel on the road, to ‘Explorer’ and even ‘Raid’, which transforms into a cool rally racing handbook style. There’s also a USB port for your phone or navigation system too, alongside a higher windscreen and removable side deflectors too.
The new Ténéré 700 World Raid will be set at £11,600 and will be available from mid-May onwards. We can’t wait to swing a leg over one!
