NEW Yamaha Tenere!

[africajim]

Well, I can't wait to have a test ride on one of these puppies! I think I could live with one of these.

Another thought is mentioned in the motorcycle news this week regarding Triumph testing a new 675 Tiger, sounds good, with a more serious offroad version to follow, maybe Triumph can keep me entertained? I'm told those 675 engines are damned good! Oh well, we'll see!

[Jenna]

with this weeks roll out of the new tenere there is no way that the new S10 will be released in the next 12 months (i estimate december 2009!).. best whispers are its looking to be a 1200 based on the brand new v-twin that is also looking to used to replace a certain now long in the tooth old engine.. from what i hear it was trialed in secret in a snowmobile and may look very similar to the 'lump' in the tesseract (concept).. but be very sure its not the 900 that MCN keep calling a 1200!!!... that engine is the 3ld/3vd/4tux and is already stretched at 900 and is a parallel twin. (MCN do your f~+king homework!)

the new S10 is not exactly a new bike too its just a modified XT660Z, so you can be fairly sure of 90% of the spec already, one source tell me that some have already been built out at Yamaha Italy's MT-03 engine plant and are being evaluated, he also hints that if you just happen to be at the cologne bike show (INTERMOT) in october and near the Yamaha Germany stand (hall 6 stand b04) you may just spot one!!..ssssshhhh

oh and just to chuck yet another spanner in theorists cyber arsenal what about the new bike using already established Genesis 130 engine!!!... na bet you never though of that!... 1050cc 3 cylinder lump as in the new FX Nytro XTX would tick all the boxes and fit the gossip!! ..130bhp(96lb/ft) massive rpm range and light

[samwise]

The following is Ped's (Dep. Ed of MCN) report on the launch, to be in Wednesday's copy, as posted on XT660.com:

Adventure touring riders fall into three categories. There’s the hardcore group, who think nothing of riding across the Serengeti with just their wits, a bottle of water and a sheet of polythene; the dabblers, who twice a year venture abroad just far enough to return with some interesting stories; and the dreamers, who never go anywhere but want to look as if they could go places if they really wanted to.

Yamaha’s XT660Z Tenere is aimed at the much larger second and third groups and, with some modifications, will also satisfy the hardcore rider. We tested it on its launch in Morocco, riding twisty mountain tarmac and sandy desert trails just south of the Atlas mountains.

The Tenere is the third model in Yamaha’s XT660 range. With its 22-litre fuel tank, crash-resistant ‘rally raid’ body panels and long-travel suspension, the Tenere is a descendant of the original grandaddy of adventure tourers, the 1983 XT600.

First the good news for everyone who’s ever ridden one of the many machines powered by the XT660 motor (Yamaha MT-03, Aprilia Pegaso, Derbi Mulhacen and MZ Baghira). The snatchy and surging fuel injection has been fixed. Through town and at slow speeds on the trail, only a tiny hesitation can be felt when rolling the throttle open.

The most likely reason for the improvement is the large 6.8-litre airbox, two-into-one exhaust system and new fuel map to match them. The bike appears to have twin exhaust cans, but it’s actually one large collector box and catalytic converter with two exit pipes.

On the move, the first thing you notice is the seat. Shaped like a horse’s saddle, it ramps up at the front and back. Initially comfortable, it prevents you from moving around and after around 200 miles bum cramps were setting in. That apart, the riding position is very natural and relaxed, even for my six-foot four-inch frame. Peg to bar distance is a tad short for me for standing on the pegs, but no more so than any other trail bike and can easily be fixed with some bar risers.

The seat is high, but as the frame narrows to waspish proportions in the middle it shouldn’t be too much of a struggle for sub-six-footers. The frame is completely different from the other two XT models, with Yamaha paying particular attention to rear subframe strength to carry heavyweight luggage and a possible pillion. As if to prove the serious touring intentions of the bike, the top box mount is actually part of the rear subframe instead of just being a bolt-on.

Heading up the steep and twisty tarmac towards an off-road section, the first and biggest fault of the Tenere becomes apparent. The single-cylinder 46bhp motor feels gutless.

Uphill overtakes are something to be planned well in advance, especially at over 60mph. This is especially bad considering the bike is only pulling 14 stone of me and a lightweight rucksack. Add a top box and two metal panniers full of kit and it would feel positively asthmatic. Not such a problem when you want to soak up the scenery, but in my experience ‘adventures’ normally start from, and finish at, my front door. That means at least a dreary 300-mile slog on motorways before I get anywhere interesting.
In top gear, 5000rpm equates to 85mph, and it’s around then the thumper’s vibes start making an uncomfortable appearance. After a morning’s riding, the pulses crept along the braced alloy bars, making my fingertips tingle and numb. I doubt if I could get anywhere near the huge 250-mile tank range without a comfort break. But the small fairing and high screen are excellent, only the peak of my off road lid occasionally catching the breeze.

Considering its off-road ambitions, the Tenere handles sweetly enough on-road and makes full use of the excellent Metzeler Tourance tyres. Push the Tenere too hard, though, and you’ll quickly find its limits. Like all ‘dual purpose’ machines, the Tenere’s soft, long-travel suspension wallows under heavy braking, while accelerating hard out of hairpins pushes the bike wide.
The Tenere is as capable off-road as it is on. It’s 210kg wet weight and dual-purpose tyres mean its no enduro bike, but it has some touches that put it a step ahead of the competition on the trails.

The best feature by far is the crash-resistant grey ‘rally raid’ panels bolted to the tank and sides of the engine. These are made from a material not unlike a plastic car bumper. Several of the bikes on the launch suffered low-speed crashes (mine included – see above) and they saved the petrol tank and motor from serious damage on the rocky terrain – instead of cracking, the panels just scuffed up a bit.

Also, for when the trail gets really rough and the only option is to manhandle the bike through, there’s a towing eye bolted to the bottom yoke that’s big enough to thread a rope through. Plus, if things are looking desperate, you could always hang yourself from it. Another neat off-road touch is the rubber tops to the footpegs that can be removed to reveal a serrated metal platform ideal for off-road boots (if a little narrow).

At trail speeds, the engine is flexible and provides good low-rpm torque to power through soft sand and up the banks of dried-up river beds. Being an off-road novice, I often found myself in the wrong gear to tackle some obstacles, but the good spread of drive meant I could power the bike through.

The Tenere is an excellent compromise of on and off-road ability. The £4899 price is impressive considering the amount of considered design and useful features that have gone into it. Yamaha are keen to emphasise its ‘practicality’, pointing to the paper air filter that can be removed and cleaned “under a palm tree”. Fair enough, but I can’t exactly see a garage in the Gambia being able to fix a fault in the fuel injection system. Plus, in reality, the single-cylinder motor is no less complicated than twins such as Honda’s Transalp or BMW’s F800GS.

No one can make a simple, owner-maintained bike anymore, because they all have to adhere to Euro 3 regulations. Genuine adventure travellers would need to change the exhausts to get rid of the catalytic converter, as unleaded fuel isn’t widely available in most third world countries.

But maybe that’s missing the point. Perhaps, like people who buy Land Rovers, it’s just as important to look like you could travel all over the world as actually doing it. And that’s what the Tenere does so successfully.

[amateurhour]

Personally I think it's seriously uncool. It looks about as rugged as Judy Garland's slippers and I'd be embarassed to be seen on it.......

[Steve C]

The following is Ped's (Dep. Ed of MCN) report on the launch, to be in Wednesday's copy, as posted on XT660.com:

quote:
Adventure touring riders fall into three categories. There’s the hardcore group, who think nothing of riding across the Serengeti with just their wits, a bottle of water and a sheet of polythene; the dabblers, who twice a year venture abroad just far enough to return with some interesting stories; and the dreamers, who never go anywhere but want to look as if they could go places if they really wanted to....snip

Thanks for posting this Samwise - coolio
There are other reasons for riding these bikes; chief among them in my case is my size and geometry - put me on a sports bike or even most tourers and I'm not exactly in my comfort zone
but then, I am a dreamer too of course

[samben]

Whent into my local Yam dealer on Saturday and was told they would not have the new Tenere in till end of May/early June

[samwise]

Motorcyclists Online have put up their ride report. If you don't want to register, and ignoring the preamble:

I felt excited to be on the TENERE in a different way. There’s nothing special about how the TENERE rides that should excite me more than a standard XT660R really. No, it’s something else- the adventure of it all. -Being in a remote area of the world, then travel even more remotely into that area on two wheels. Being on the TENERE, right here right now is the essence of motorcycle adventure.

To tell you the truth, certain places that I pass in the desert looks just like Southern California, until you enter town that is. -Or stopping at one of the many security check points. We’re in Morocco alright, no doubt about that.

Passing lorries doing 10mph up the mountain passes is a breeze on the 50 horsepower XT660Z. Despite the fact that the new Yamaha TENERE looks so well designed with such a high level of finish that it should compete for BMW F800GS sales, it can’t really compete with 80 horsepower on the roads. For the adventure itself though, the XT660Z TENERE might even be better.

The TENERE benefits from a large 22 litre fuel tank that withstood more than 300 kilometres of very hard riding where about half was fuel gulping offroad riding and the rest fairly high speed A and B roads speaks for itself.

I didn’t feel very comfortable with the fuel warning light being lit for as long as it was. I noticed it from around 270 kilometres of riding and I was alone on my way back to Tiznit with nothing but Euros in my pocket. I decided to trust in the big tank and reached the hotel with no problems.

The windshield is a tall Dakar style affair with a very distinctive dragged out headlight where the bottom part looks like David Coulthards jaw. Also, if Transformers did motorcycles the TENERE would be the first choice! Good one for Lego too I reckon and I could go on and on… The exteriors all round the bike looks extremely well designed. Behind the windshield however the soft covers that protect the headlight bulbs kept vibrating loose whilst riding.

Not a big deal as long as you’re aware of it but if they keep loosening and then doing lots of mileage in dusty conditions it might be a long-term problem.

In the hot desert it was such a relief to be able to stand up and ride comfortably for kilometres at a time if I wished too. I could cool down properly and the TENERE have been designed with a comfortable stand-up riding position in mind. The foot pegs on my bike had rubber on them for comfort, but they did get in the way on the offroad part. They can be removed easily though I wasn’t aware at the time. The Metzeler Tourance tyres (90/90-21 and 130/80-17) were perfect for the varied road conditions.

Offroad I hooked my Alpinestars Tech 10’s into the gear lever a few times either putting the gear box into neutral or a gear up.

That was a bit annoying whilst I tried to look cool for the photographers. The gear lever is foldable to avoid it breaking in the middle of nowhere. I spent around half of my time on the TENERE offroad (not half of the mileage) and whilst the riding wasn’t too complicated it was fairly fast so concentration levels had to be kept up. Suddenly there’d be a big stone in the middle of my path or suddenly a soft stretch of sand. I also tried my first “dune” which only was a tiny one really.

On the Metzeler Tourance tyres I didn’t like it much to be honest and got stuck to get the obligatory spinning in the sand picture.

There were a lot of stones in Morocco and the extra engine protection was really needed as I could hear big ones hit hard all the time. The thing about Adventure touring bikes is that they don’t necessarily need to be very light. As a matter of fact it’s very difficult to make them flyweight due to the big fuel tanks, sturdy frames and engine protection. Then add solid aluminium panniers and luggage and you’re easily 250 kilos without rider or passenger. The TENERE weighs a claimed 183 kilos dry but it never felt too heavy even offroad.

The easy to use single cylinder engine helps with traction all the time. Yamaha have based the XT660Z on the XT660R engine, but have improved the throttle response and adjusted for a very smooth torque curve. A motorcycle such as the TENERE needs some serious cooling components and the radiator is bigger than the items found on the XT660R and MT-03. Apart from these changes this 660cc thumper is as proven and reliable as you could possibly wish for. 48,4 horsepower is as much as Yamaha is willing to give you with the reliability in mind.

Much more than that and there will be different issues. The new 6.8 litre air box is one of the clues to the fine throttle response. The unique design also features an easy to remove and clean paper air filter

The new exhaust has also been made with the TENERE especially in mind. The header pipes are routed high up on the side for good ground clearance. The under seat slim mufflers has been designed with luggage options in mind and Yamaha have also taken the necessary steps to reduce heat radiation for better passenger comfort.

Within the new steel frame chassis Yamaha have integrated the oil reservoir.

You’ll find it just behind the headstock and a dipstick is used to check the oil level. The swing arm is a very high tech gravity-cast aluminium item. The mono shock attached to the swing arm is adjustable for spring pre load only and the same goes for adjustability on the rubber guarded 43mm front fork. To make sure the TENERE can stop efficiently even when loaded heavy Yamaha have added double disc brakes at the front with two pot Brembo callipers. Whilst being powerful enough I found them good offroad too as they are not too sharp.

The 895mm seat height didn’t actually feel as high as it looks on paper. A desert rally bike made for touring or not, really needs good ground clearance and that’s why these bikes are taller than most other bikes. For sand you need lots and lots of clearance and suspension travel. The tall windscreen is very clever here as it actually helps a lot against all type of weather even if you are sitting high up with an offroad helmet.

Should you get lost in the middle of the desert Yamaha have designed the cockpit area so that a GPS can be easily mounted in the right height just above the instruments.

Yamaha are launching the XT660Z TENERE with a big accessories catalogue that should cover all touring needs. Three colour options are available for 2008: The classic competition white reflecting back on the original ’83 TENERE, Desert Khaki and Midnight black.

Conclusion
I am frankly quite impressed by the effort Yamaha have put into this motorcycle. I guess they had to with some serious competition from KTM and BMW in the Adventure segment. With the 2008 incarnation of the XT660Z TENERE Yamaha is firmly back in the Adventure touring game. It is very good offroad and seriously comfortable on the roads too due to the tall windscreen and decent seat. The TENERE is one motorcycle that feels at home anywhere, from the city to the Sahara desert. –A true all-rounder.-

Pictures etc on the website linked above.

[phil w]

Well after reading the MCN test of it , it doesnt sound like its as good as I thought it would be. OK if your doing some Dakar event but not a great m/way tool or even A/B road for a while at a highish speed, not convincing enough for me to think its better than my TA and by the sound of it not as good as a 650 BMW Dakar. Still looks nice mind

[samwise]

I'd agree that it doesn't sound like a worthwhile replacement for a TA (or any other multi-cylinder bike). It does fill the whole left in the UK market by the Dominator, KLR650 and DR650 though.

[Lord Stig]

I'd agree that it doesn't sound like a worthwhile replacement for a TA (or any other multi-cylinder bike). It does fill the whole left in the UK market by the Dominator, KLR650 and DR650 though.

That's true - against a twin it's unlikely to be great on the road. Still, the F650 single is now replaced, and none of the G-series is quite the same as either the Tenere or old F650 Dakar. The F800/650 is a different kettle of fish, so in addition to filling the NX650/DR650/KLR650 shaped hole, it could also be filling the F650GS PD hole too.....