Can you believe it’s 40 years since the first Ténéré rolled out of the factory? Introduced in 1983, the original Yamaha XT600Z Ténéré was a 595cc single-cylinder thumper with a massive 30-litre fuel tank and kick start, inspired by Yamaha’s successful Paris Dakar racers. As years went by the Ténéré evolved to suit the tastes of times, and now we have the latest model, the World Rally featuring the popular 689cc twin CP2 engine that not only powers the whole Ténéré range, but also the MT-07, XSR700, R7 and Tracer 7.
Yamaha says “the new Ténéré 700 World Rally represents the ultimate version of Yamaha’s long distance adventure bike”, putting it right at the top of the Ténéré family tree.
As you’d expect, the new bike is largely based on the existing Ténéré 700 World Raid model, sharing the same engine and chassis, including the key elements that lift the spec above the standard Ténéré, such as the 23-litre dual side-mounted fuel tanks, high-specification 43mm KYB front forks with 230 mm travel, Aluminium piggyback rear shock with 220 mm travel, Öhlins 18-step adjustable steering damper, flat rally-inspired two-piece seat, a 5” colour TFT display that links with your phone, and three-mode switchable ABS.
What really separates the World Rally from the rest of the current crop of Ténérés, is the new new blue, pink fluo and silver historic rally racing colours based on the design used on Stéphane Peterhansel’s 1993 Dakar winning factory bike. The forks are black, as are the wheel rims, and the seat is black-grey.
The World Rally also comes with an exclusive slip- on Akrapovič muffler which Yamaha proclaims will “accentuate the high torque feeling and distinctive roar coming from the 270-degree crank CP2 engine.” Looking at the specs published on the Yamaha website, with 219kg, 55kW, and 69Nm the World Rally is 1kg lighter, has 1kw more power, and packs 1Nm more torque than the standard World Raid, so we would expect these gains to be thanks to the Akrapovič can.
While the seat is the same unit as in the World Raid, the Rally’s saddle features a neat World Rally logo for that little bit of extra exclusivity.
The Ténéré 700 World Rally will be in dealerships in mid-June with a price tag of £13,000 including OTR charges and VAT. That’s a few grand more than you would spend on the £9,499 Honda Transalp or the £10,499 Suzuki V-Strom 800DE, but less than the £14,795 Ducati DesertX.
Customers attending ABR festival this June will be able to see and ride the Ténéré 700 World Rally, along with Yamaha’s other 2023 models, so if you fancy a test ride on the top Ténéré be sure to grab your tickets for the festival or contact your local dealer for a test ride.
