Yamaha Tenere 700 Kicks Off Its 2018 World Tour!  Yamaha begins worldwide adventure to finalize development of Tenere 700.

The Yamaha Tenere 700 prototype making an appearance on Rainbow Beach, Australia for the first leg of the bike's World Tour.

Inspired by the huge levels of interest generated during the last year, Yamaha will be taking the Tenere 700 World Raid prototype on a worldwide tour throughout 2018. During this special ‘World Raid tour,’ a team of Yamaha riders will take on a number of tough adventure stages across the globe, enabling fans in America, Australia, Africa and Europe to see, feel and hear the much-awaited machine.

For its tour debut the Tenere 700 World Raid made an appearance in Australia, ahead of the “Tenere Tragics Bay to Bush Run” in Queensland. Factory Yamaha Dakar Racer, Rod Faggoter, was honored with the task of riding the new twin-cylinder adventure machine during its kick off leg. According to Yamaha, Africa will be the next stop on the tour.

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The Tenere 700 World Raid prototype is being used to develop the final specification of the production model. Featuring the rugged rally-inspired character of the original T7 concept bike, and developed using the information gained from intensive testing of the T7 during 2017.

At the very heart of the Tenere 700 prototype is the same highly acclaimed 689cc CP2 engine that has been used in the popular MT-07. Its compact design and linear torque delivery give it plenty of power for strong performance on the asphalt or dirt, while its mass-centralized layout and low weight contributes to the bike’s agile handling. The prototype also features a custom-made rally-style Akrapovič exhaust that reinforces the bike’s rugged looks and delivers a deep and powerful exhaust note.

The prototype’s steel chassis has been reworked and improved in key areas in order to achieve optimized on-road and off-road handling. It also inherits the same rally bike silhouette and ‘Racing Blue’ color scheme as the T7 but with a number of small touches, such as a lower seat height that makes it more accessible to a wider range of adventure riders.

In addition, the fuel tank has been developed to give a more useful range between refills, while at the same time offering better ergonomics. Carbon fiber is used for the side panels, front fender and the one-piece rear tail. It also gets a distinctively-styled cowl equipped with a Dakar Rally inspired 4-projector headlight assembly. The cockpit area is designed to enable the rider to attach additional equipment such as navigation devices.

Throughout the 2018 World Raid Tour, the Tenere 700 prototype will be tested on all types of terrain. From these tests, Yamaha plans to develop the final specifications for the production model. Hopefully, it will be sooner rather than later when we finally see the Tenere 700 arriving on dealer floors!

Photos Courtesy of iKapture