2018 Yamaha Tenere 700 World Raid Edition prototype

The 2018 Yamaha Tenere 700 World Raid Edition prototype is taking one step closer to mass production, with its public showing in Australia. Revealed ahead of the Tenere Tragics Bay to Bush Run 2018 off-road ride in Queensland, Australia, which takes place March 4 to 9, the Tenere 700 first started life as the Yamaha T7 Concept in 2016.

Using the 689 cc, two-cylinder Crossplane power plant taken from the Yamaha MT-07 and tuned for tractable and easy-to-use power, the Tenere 700 was developed to be a versatile dual-purpose bike with feedback from testers. Harking back to the original Yamaha XT600, and the first of the Tenere range, the XT660, the Tenere 700 is claimed to be more off-raod capable than the typical adventure tourer.

This is seen in the steel chassis that has been reworked from the T7 Concept to optimise both on-road and off-road handling. Additionally, the Crossplane 2 twin has also been developed to produce power in the lower-end of the rev range for performance on any surface.

Upside-down front forks are used, along with a monoshock rear, reflecting current engineering and design trends in off-road motorcycles. Overall design of the Tenere 700 still follows the tall, slim silhouette of the T7 Concept, but seat height is now lower, to make the Tenere 700 more accessibile to a wider range of riders.

Carbon-fibre is used for the Tenere 700’s side panels, front fender and the one-piece rear tail, while the cowl comes with a four-element projector headlight assembly, similar to the Yamaha Paris-Dakar racers. Inside the cockpit there is space to locate additional navigation equipment, and the fuel tank is sized to give the Tenere 700 useable range between fill-ups.

The 2018 Yamaha Tenere 700 World Raid Prototype comes clad in Yamaha Racing Blue and Silver with contrasting carbon-fibre panels, inspired by the original T7 concept. Yamaha is taking the Tenere 700 on a world tour, giving Yamaha fans in America, Australia, Africa and Europe a chance to get up close and personal with it.