Revealed: Production Yamaha Ténéré 700 Raid inbound

New patent images have confirmed that the Ténéré 700 Raid Prototype that Yamaha revealed at the EICMA show in Milan last November is headed for production.

Somewhat overshadowed at the time by other new launches and bedecked with aftermarket race-spec parts, it left questions over whether it previewed a production model or was simply an illustration as to the competition potential of the latest Ténéré.

Now those lingering doubts have been answered: the Ténéré 700 Raid will be a showroom model, sitting alongside the normal Ténéré just as the BMW F850 GS Adventure is sold as an alternative to the base GS.

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New patents from Yamaha, filed alongside all the firm’s other new-for-2022 models, show what the production-spec Ténéré Raid will look like, stripping away the prototype’s competition garb to put the focus instead on new bodywork built around a massively increased fuel capacity.

The stock Ténéré 700 currently brims at 16 litres of fuel, giving a range of under 200 miles in normal use despite impressive economy.

The Raid, in contrast, sports a vast new tank, complete with twin filler caps, and even though it foregoes the additional seat-mounted reserve tank that featured on last year’s Raid Prototype it looks to have a capacity to rival the BMW F850 GS Adventure’s 23 litres, pushing the fuel range much nearer to the 300-mile mark.

We’re yet to see any official specifications for the Ténéré 700 Raid but the production bike doesn’t have the same competition focus of the show version. The chassis is from the stock Ténéré 700, with identical forks, brakes and wheels.

Close inspection reveals a new remote reservoir rear shock, and there’s a steering damper atop that new tank that represents an upgrade over the base model, but those appear to be the extent of the gains.

The engine is also carried over, the unchanged exhaust suggesting no increase in its peak power of 72bhp.

Visually, the new tank leads to wholesale changes to the bodywork. As well as being far wider, the sides extend much further down than before, nearly meeting a new bash plate under the engine that’s far more refined looking than last year’s show version. The protection extends to crash bungs built into the sides and bolted to the frame.

The headlight is carried over but sits beneath a taller screen and between wider, transparent wind deflectors. Further back, the seat extends further up the back of the tank while the foot pegs are wider, serrated off-road designs. The prototype’s motocross-style front mudguard is gone, though.

On board, the instruments appear to be new, with a large TFT screen, while the bar controls are from the latest MT-10 with cruise control switches on the left and a menu thumbwheel on the right, confirming that the Raid has more tech toys than the base Ténéré.

The timing of the patent’s publication, alongside the rest of Yamaha’s 2022 models, suggests we may not have long to wait to see the final version in dealers.

It’s the first day of the #EICMA show in Milan and @YMUKofficial have kicked things off by revealing the Tenere 700 Raid prototype! Look out for a full story soon. pic.twitter.com/hqUgEVDDIQ

— Motor Cycle News (@MCNnews) November 23, 2021

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Yamaha Ténéré 700 Raid Prototype unveiled

First published 26 November 2021 by Jordan Gibbons

Yamaha have unveiled a radical off-road focused concept based on the popular Ténéré 700 that they say “is just the beginning”. 

The Ténéré 700 has been an incredibly successful bike for Yamaha thanks to its combination of engaging engine, decent spec and competitive price. Since it was unveiled some riders have taken the Ténéré 700 to places we doubt Yamaha would have ever envisaged, including Pol Tarrés entry into the notoriously difficult off-road event Red Bull Romaniacs.

 Inspired by Tarrés and others escapades, Yamaha have built a more extreme and off-road focused concept that’s been designed to thrive in the place that gave the bike its name.

Arguably the biggest gains have come in the suspension department, with both front and rear stock items replaced with units from Kayaba. Not only do these bring increased adjustability they also bring 60mm extra suspension travel at either end, bumping it up to 270mm front and 260mm rear. The forks and shock now sit in custom made yokes and linkage respectively.

To cope with the harsh realities of the desert Yamaha have also done some work to the engine including a new airbox and filter, oversized radiator with twin fans and added an oil cooler.

Internally there’s a Rekluse heavy duty clutch sat behind a two-piece clutch over while the water pump also gets a new cover. The engine in the prototype is powered by a GYTR ECU and naturally, it’s got a full titanium Akrapovic pipe.

The wheels have also not escaped the off-road treatment including a switch to a single disc up front, complimented with a large disc at the rear along with racing pads. 

The master cylinders have been switched out, as have the hoses, while the rear rim is now skinnier to fit the standard 140/80 rally rubber. The gearing has been lowered too with a 48-tooth rear sprocket.

For the fully rally raid look the bike has also got two fuel tanks front and rear, a rally screen, carbon fibre blash plate, rally seat, a Scotts steering damper and a full complement of navigation gear from RNS.

Yamaha say that the bike will soon be ‘racing for the next horizon’ so we think we’re safe to assume that we’ll see this bike appearing in some rallies in 2022. As to whether there’s a production bike to come from this prototype – only time will tell.