2019–2024 · Adventure · Buyer's Guide
Dirt-Ready Without The Fuss
The Ténéré 700 takes the 689 cc CP2 parallel twin out of the MT-07 and puts it somewhere it makes even more sense. 73 hp and 50 lb-ft, delivered low and steady, is the kind of drive you actually want when the surface stops being pavement. Around it sits a slim steel frame, a 21-inch front and an 18-inch rear on wire spokes, 8.3 inches of fork travel, 7.9 at the back, 9.4 inches of ground clearance, and adjustable suspension at both ends. The electronics stay deliberately thin: ABS, a TFT display, LED lighting. That restraint is the whole point.
At 452 lb wet it is light for a real adventure bike, and you feel that number every time traction gets vague. It ages well because there is very little to go wrong. Reliability and running costs are its strongest suits, service work stays simple enough for your own garage, and the aftermarket will sell you anything you care to bolt on. This is a bike for riders who want capability they control themselves. The honest caveat is the 34.6-inch seat and the missing highway comforts, so long interstate transfers are work you do with your own right wrist.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 73 hp (54 kW) @ 9,000 rpm |
|---|---|
| Torque | 50 lb-ft (68 Nm) @ 6,500 rpm |
| Displacement | 689 cc |
| Engine | Parallel twin |
| Cooling | Liquid-cooled |
| Gearbox | 6-speed |
| Final drive | Chain |
| Fork | Upside-down (USD) |
| Front brake | 282 mm |
| Front tire | 90/90-21 |
| Rear tire | 150/70-18 |
| Wheelbase | 62.6 in (1590 mm) |
| Ground clearance | 9.4 in (240 mm) |
| Front travel | 8.3 in (210 mm) |
| Rear travel | 7.9 in (200 mm) |
| Seat height | 34.6 in (880 mm) |
| Wet weight | 452 lb (205 kg) |
| Fuel capacity | 4.2 gal (16 L) |
| Fuel economy | 55 mpg (US) |
Equipment check
Chassis
Comfort
Connectivity
Drivetrain
Lighting
Safety
You notice the height first. 34.6 inches means you plan your stops, choose which foot goes down, and read the camber before you roll to a halt. Once you are moving, none of that matters. The bike is narrow between your knees, the bars are wide enough to give real leverage, and standing on the pegs feels like the natural position rather than a compromise, which is not true of every machine in this class. The twin sends a steady thrum up through the footpegs at cruising speed, present all day without leaving your hands numb. Chain noise and moving air make up most of the soundtrack. The TFT tells you what you need at a glance and nothing more. At real road pace it sits tall and planted, and you ride in the landscape instead of behind a fairing.
This isn't my ride report. It's the sum of years of paddock talk, trailhead conversations, club nights, and the messages riders send me directly. On the Ténéré 700 that chatter runs unusually consistent, and it splits cleanly: praise gathering around the powertrain and the chassis, complaints gathering in one place.
The engine leads nearly every conversation. Riders describe healthy grunt down low and a broad spread of usable power, pulling cleanly from low revs on pavement and in the dirt. The chassis draws the same kind of agreement: light for a middleweight adventure bike, easy to place on loose ground, agile on the road, and capable off it straight from the crate. Price comes up often as well, with owners saying they paid less than the class usually asks for that much ability. The purists among them keep coming back to how little sits between rider and machine.
The suspension is the standing gripe. Riders who push hard off-road say it runs short of damping, bottoming on big impacts and going sloppy at pace in rough terrain, with too little adjustment to sort it out. A smaller group, mostly the tech-minded and the long-distance crowd, wishes the bike offered more electronic assistance than it does.
Front brake caliper bolt length recall (MY2022)
Some 2022 Ténéré 700s were built with front brake caliper bolts of incorrect thread length. Repeated removal/reinstallation can damage caliper threads, risking caliper detachment. Remedy: dealer inspection and replacement of bolts/caliper if damaged.
Clutch discs recall (2023–2024)
Certain 2023 and 2024 Ténéré 700s may exhibit clutch dragging or unintended engagement due to faulty clutch plates. Yamaha is replacing the clutch steel and friction discs under recall.
Frame and fastener corrosion
Surface rust frequently appears on the steel frame and various fasteners, especially after exposure to moisture or road salt. Primarily cosmetic but requires attention to prevent progression.
Where this Yamaha Ténéré 700 pulls ahead of — or falls behind — its rivals on the numbers, and the typical bike in its class on character.
Power
Torque
Displacement
Wet weight
Seat height
Forget spec-sheet bragging. Here's who the Ténéré 700 is actually built for.
Built for exactly this kind of trip. It carries luggage, sips fuel and stays fixable on the road, so your planning stays about the route instead of the machine.
Made for AZBDR — Arizona Backcountry Discovery Route · California BDR South · COBDR — Colorado Backcountry Discovery Route
Half a fit. It will cross the country and it will love the passes, but with no cruise control, a 34.6-inch seat and a 4.2 gal tank, big loaded two-up days are hard work.
Made for Beartooth Highway · Blue Ridge Parkway · Going-to-the-Sun Road
If you're cross-shopping the older generation, here's what changed.
Previous generation · 2008–2016
Tough, Simple, Go Anywhere
Compare to the previous model →If this one isn't quite the fit, these are the bikes worth riding back-to-back against it.
Any price note compares both bikes at the same age — the youngest age both have on the used market — against this Yamaha Ténéré 700. “cheaper/pricier” is what that bike costs second-hand, not how worn it is.
Successor · 2023–2024
Built For The Wrong Road
About the same used price as this bike at 3 yr
Successor · 2025
Dirt-Ready, Technology Optional
Competitor · 2021–2024
Orange Attack, Low Center
Roughly $1,100 pricier used than this bike at 4 yr
Competitor · 2024
Triple Character, Everyday Ready
Roughly $4,100 pricier used than this bike at 2 yr
Competitor · 2025
Connected, Light, Offroad-Ready
Similar Character · 2016–2019
Reliable Miles, Automatic Ease
Roughly $2,200 pricier used than this bike at 7 yr