Yamaha’s bargain Ténéré 700 was always destined to be a smash hit upon its introduction last year, and now a new ‘Rally Edition’ has been launched to give an even more off-road focus to the best selling adventure bike.
Yamaha has sold over 8000 examples of the MT-07 powered Ténéré 700 and the new Rally Edition adds extra off-road gear and an iconic livery for a £1,300 premium over the base model.
The Japanese company, through its French sales subsidiary, was a leading player in the early years of the legendary Paris-Dakar Rally. French rider Cyril Neveu won the first two editions, in 1979 and 1980, on the Yamaha XT500 and, visually, the Ténéré 700 Rally Edition features a livery inspired by Yamaha’s early Eighties Paris-Dakar machines, with Sky Blue paint, black speedblocks and gold coloured wheels.
The Rally Edition is more than just a paint job, with a number of additional off-road parts justifying the price premium – not least a lightweight Akrapovič slip-on silencer, which is said to enhance the tone of the 689cc, crossplane engine.
A ‘rally’ seat, tank grips and off-road handlebar grips all give more of a desert raider feel to the Rally Edition and raise the seat height by 20mm to 895mm. The seat is said to change the ergonomics, making it easier to move from sitting to standing up on the footrests when riding off road.
Added off road protection comes in the form of a heavy-duty skid plate, radiator guard and chain guard. Made from 4mm aluminium, the skid plate also has a mounting point for a tool box, while the chain guard is laser cut and adds to the ‘factory racer’ appeal of the bike. There are also LED headlights and indicators to add to the more premium feel of the Rally Edition.
Like many of Yamaha’s mid-range models, such as the MT-07 and Ténéré 700, the Ténéré 700 Rally Edition is built in Yamaha’s French MBK factory and will be in showrooms next month.
