Yamaha has simply thrown the wraps off the brand new Yamaha Ténéré 700 World Rally, an upgraded model of the immensely widespread Ténéré 700 journey bike, that pays homage to their illustrious Dakar Rally historical past. Since they received the inaugural Paris-Dakar Rally in 1979, the Japanese marque has logged 9 Dakar victories to their identify. That makes them the second-winningest producer within the Dakar (subsequent to KTM).
The Ténéré 700 World Rally celebrates this heritage with a particular livery, and a slew of upgrades over the bottom mannequin T7. Drawing its inspiration from Stéphane Peterhansel’s 1993 Dakar race bike, the World Rally’s livery certain is eye-popping.
Peterhansel is synonymous with Yamaha in relation to bike rally racing. He bagged six of the model’s 9 titles, earlier than switching from bikes to vehicles.
The colour scheme is a real replication of his 93 bike, beginning with its daring blue, virtually metallic, base coat. Pink and silvery-blue stripes run down the aspect, tracing the identical line as the unique, however manipulated to suit the T7’s sharper contours. All that’s lacking is a bunch of sponsor logos.
The Ténéré 700 World Rally is pitched as a premium journey bike, so it’s greater than only a repainted base mannequin. It wears plenty of top-shelf parts, like premium long-travel KYB suspension parts with a beneficiant 230/220 mm of journey, entrance and rear. An adjustable steering damper from Öhlins provides additional stability.
Twin 23 l [6.1 gal] side-mounted gas tanks provide first rate vary, whereas carrying most of their gas low. Yamaha say that their design was derived from their precise Dakar race bikes. Sitting up high is an enduro-like bench seat, and the cockpit incorporates a 5” TFT show, with smartphone connectivity and three-mode switchable ABS.
The T7’s 690 cc ‘CP2’ motor is an absolute peach; on the World Rally, it advantages from an appropriately fruity soundtrack, courtesy of a titanium Akrapovič muffler.
Many of the remainder of the bike matches the bottom mannequin, however that’s no dangerous factor. The Ténéré 700’s been turning heads because it hit the scene—not just for its functionality, but in addition for its trendy rally raid aesthetic. This upgraded spec, and Peterhansel’s livery, dials the World Rally mannequin’s rally vibe as much as 11.
Yamaha say it’ll hit European sellers someday within the close to future, however there’s no information on if or when it’ll be accessible within the US. Within the meantime, Yamaha off-road riders Alessandro Botturi and Pol Tarrés can even sport these colours in the course of the 2023 race season. So a minimum of we’ll get to see it ridden in anger.
Photos courtest of Yamaha Europe
