2024 Yamaha Ténéré 700 Extreme review | The T7 gets tougher and better handling for just a little more cash

KYB forks and shock are not the top-line kit from the Japanese suspension firm (unlike the Ducati DesertX Rally, which has similar-looking but more sophisticated ‘closed cartridge’ forks), but unless you’ve got a string of Paris-Dakar entries behind you, you’d be hard pushed to fault the Ténéré 700 Extreme’s running gear.

The forks in particular are sublime – whether it’s the ultra-low stiction ‘Kashima’ coating on the stanchions, well-chosen spring/damping rates or both, the action is so smooth and plush it’s hard to detect just how hard the front end is being worked: all you know is that you’re being insulated from the nastiest of what’s under you, yet support and feel levels are still high, and grip in wet conditions on the launch was good, despite ‘only’ being fitted with 50/50 Dunlop Trailmax Raid tyres for this press test (standard are Pirelli Scorpion STR, which are more road biased and won’t allow full exploitation of the Extreme’s chassis).

The increase in travel doesn’t mean it uses more as a matter of course – in fact, the firmer feel of the components means it only uses what’s required, rather than blowing through the fork or shock stroke as it struggles to maintain control, as the base model can do when pushed beyond the design limits of an affordable adventure bike. The extra travel is simply added insurance when hammering across rocks, roots, humps and bumps, or sending the occasional jump.

We never felt the ankle-jarring jolt of a bottomed-out shock, or the wrist-snapping clunk of a fork with nothing left to give. Undoubtedly, it can be done, but that limit is further away. That means greater comfort for normal riding (which is in turn, less fatiguing), and for the ex-enduro nutcases Yamaha believe might be drawn to this tougher Ténéré, it can be ridden faster and asked to tackle tougher obstacles.

We didn’t get to spend any time on the road with the Extreme: reach to the floor aside, the changes should work well on the road for more spirited riding too (on OE tyres, at least) as the firmer suspension will reduce pitch and increase feel. The thicker seat may be more comfortable, too.

A claimed 72bhp (so high 60s at the rear wheel) sounds a touch feeble for an experienced rider, but the CP2 twin is plenty enough for the Ténéré to go about the business of off-roading for most riders.

Torque and usability is key to its effectiveness on the trail – it’s a dated engine now, but it was right to begin with so it doesn’t fall down next to newer rivals, at least not on the dirt. A lack of ride-by-wire often means super-snatchy initial throttle response with modern emissions compliance to contend with, but the Yamaha gives little more than a polite cough when you pick up a closed throttle, not an abrupt jerk as some do. It’s certainly not enough to upset low speed manoeuvring drastically, and it’s not crying out for aftermarket modifications to correct either.

It feels like there’s a fair bit of inertia in the crank to account for it – the pay-off is that it’s harder to snap the throttle and punch it over obstacles to ensure a flat landing. It takes a bigger handful of throttle to pop the front up, for which you need to be utterly assured in your technique and control… If the going gets tricky or sticky, it’ll happily roll along at tick-over.

Feed it a few more onions and the chunky grunt is effective at digging the rear tyre into whatever it’s rolling over and whipping it up to speed, and the gear ratios make it insensitive to gear choice – it’ll usually pull one of at least two gears at any given speed without problem. It’s hard to imagine any circumstance where you’d need more power from an adventure bike – off-road, at least. On the road, the engine is on the cusp of struggling with higher speeds, a pillion or luggage: or a combination of the three.

The Extreme, like the other members of the Ténéré family, is only Euro 5 compliant, not Euro 5+, so we expect some kind of update for 2025 to combat that legislative issue – a significant update with enhanced power as well as cleaner running is likely, especially with rivals introduced since the T7’s launch generally offering at least 15bhp more.

Tech fans might notice there’s no quickshifter: it is an option (as it is on the base and World Raid, although the Ténéré Explore has it as standard), but as well as the cost implications, Yamaha also say it’d be too sensitive for riders likely spending more time in chunky off-road boots. It’d be harder to avoid nudging the lever and accidentally triggering it with a fat toe-box, and it’d also be vulnerable in off-road spills. The GYTR race kit doesn’t include a quickshifter either, so we’re inclined to believe them.

The engine is built in Japan, while Yamaha’s factory in northern France is responsible for building a chassis and dropping the motor in. They do a good job on the whole – the Ténéré 700’s motor has proven tough and impervious to all but the most neglectful owners. If there’s enough oil in it and it’s changed roughly on time, it’ll last, and there are no major failures reported as a regular occurrence in the rest of the running gear either.

Where the Ténéré does fall short is some of the detailing where Yamaha have clearly made sacrifices to build the bike down to a budget. The Ténéré’s closest competitors – the Suzuki V-Strom 800DE and Honda XL750 Transalp – share frames with their budget naked siblings to cut costs. The Yamaha has its own chassis (part of why it’s still the best on the dirt), so the cuts are made elsewhere.

The standard chain is usually the first thing to corrode, with its unplated links dependendent on regular cleaning and lubrication to avoid going orange. The brakes might be Brembo, and they may work just fine, but salt and wet weather can cause them to seize in short order. Cleaning the castings, pistons and other hardware is a must if you’re subjecting them to winter conditions or off-road filth.

Wheel spokes are also a common corrosion item, and countless owners have had them replaced under warranty – but the replacements are identical, so the cycle begins again. The issue is more cosmetic than structural, so some owners just accept that it’s going to happen. Again, cleaning and maintenance can help minimise this: if you want to take it to the next level, rebuilding the wheels with stainless spokes (and maybe stronger/lighter off-road rims for harder riders looking to get the most from the Extreme model) will permanently banish unsightly wheels.

Ténéré 700s are loved as much for the affordable ownership experience as they way they ride. Merciless use of the throttle might drop fuel consumption into the 40s, but 50s is achieveable, and 60+ mpg not difficult to get either. They’re light on consumables, servicing is straightforward and inexpensive, and they’re the best equipped to deal with the rigours of dirt riding in their class.

That said, it’s worth adding protection: crash bars (£262 from the genuine accessories catalogue) should be your first purchase, as they cover the fairing side panels and radiator – about the most vulnerable parts on this slender machine. A sump protector/bash plate is provided as standard, but if you’re going to be encountering a lot of rocks then there’s a more substantial upgrade offered for £275.

There’s also a set of tank grip pads (£81) that will assist with standing up, but also protect the Sonauto/Gauloises-inspired paint from being rubbed by muddy kit. Otherwise, upgrades will come down to personal preference: you can make it more practical, or better performing, depending on what you intend to do with it. For riders struggling with the height, there is a low seat/lowering link kit for £276 that takes a combined 52mm from the seat height, but the link does compromise a little of the Extreme’s enhanced suspension action. Try the seat first, and only fit the link if you really can’t reach or adapt your technique for coming to a standstill.

The Extreme variant of the Ténéré doesn’t have a direct rival when you consider its price and harder-core off-road bent. The Suzuki V-Strom 800DE is listed at £10,999 for 2024, and while it’s a decent performer off-road, it’s a substanstial 25kg more, with a touch less suspension travel and clearance, so it’s geared more towards mixed on/off-road touring than tackling tougher trails.

Honda’s XL750 Transalp is a decent bike, and at £9699 it’s a useful amount less than the Tenere. The engine is also more willing on the road, and the 850mm seat height is lower than you can ever get the Ténéré 700 Extreme using standard points. But you wouldn’t want to take it on much more than gentle green lanes and gravel tracks without toughening it up – the low-slung exhaust and oil filter look ripe for some rock damage…

From Europe, KTM offer the 790 Adventure for £10,499 – it’s more powerful and a better tourer, but the chassis is lower spec and again geared more towards combined touring/trail use, so the heavier orange machine won’t be quite as easy to manage in the dirt. It’s also built in China: we’ve seen no reason that this should be an issues, but it’s only been on sale a year, so its yet to earn its reliability stripes.

The firm’s Austrian factory also offer the 890 Adventure and 890 Adventure R – the latter leaning towards tougher off-road use, with a high-spec chassis and electronics package, as well as a punchier motor than the Yamaha. But it’ll set you back £13,999.

Ducati also offer two versions of the DesertX – the base model is £14,995, and surprisingly adept off-road for a company with minimal off-road heritage. There is also the DesertX Rally, which like the Ténéré has specific longer-travel suspension and an insanely high rally seat – however, at £18,995, the Yamaha stands as a drastically cheaper option for a prospective Ducati buyer, but it’s unlikely anyone standing in a Yamaha showroom will consider trotting along to a Ducati outlet to spend another £8000…

There’s little more you could ask for at this price – it’s kitted out and ready to go hard off-road as it comes. Almost: it seems odd that the standard tyre choice remains the same as the rest of the T7 family, rather than coming kitted with tyres that match the rest of the chassis’ capability.

If we were to nit-pick, the CP2 engine is long in the tooth as a road engine, and it’s lagging behind rivals on the tarmac in terms of peak power as well as refinements like ride modes that come with ride-by-wire: the Bowden cable directly connecting wrist and throttle body is good in some ways, but it limits features as well as the ability to balance emissions conformity and power characteristic.

It’s less of an issue here than in any other Ténéré model (and the MT-07, R7 and XSR700 sharing the same lump) as more power isn’t as desirable off-road as it is on it – throttle response could be fractionally nicer for low speed work, but in the Extreme, it does the job nicely. Tellingly, the one thing the £25,000 GYTR kit doesn’t include in the near-total parts replacement