Five things we love about Yamaha's Ténéré 700

The 2020 Yamaha Ténéré 700 hit Australian showrooms late last year and is a sales smash hit. Some 347 examples had flown off dealers' floors over the first three months of 2020, seeing it clinch the coveted title of Australia's top-selling motorcycle.

But what are the reasons behind that immediate and resounding success? And why has it struck such a chord with Aussie riders? Here are our five favourite aspects to this stonking new middleweight adventure bike…

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The Ténéré 700's 689cc parallel-twin engine is a superb little unit – it delivers a super-wide band of torque that endows the model with impressive tractability and response pretty much throughout its rev range.

But this crossplane-crank powerplant is also remarkably smooth and has had any annoying or undue vibration dialled right out. And while this twin's maximum output isn't stratospheric, with 73hp (54kW) at 9000rpm and 68Nm at 6500rpm, it's perfect for the Yamaha Ténéré 700's broad range of ability.

Clever electronics are part and parcel of modern motorcycling, but with extra choice comes extra complexity. However, while many bikes these days demand a thorough session with an owner's manual first, on the Yamaha Ténéré 700 you can dive right in.

Forget navigating super-detailed TFT displays and multi-level menus; on the Ténéré 700 you get a basic LCD display with one prominent 'Off-Road' button to deactivate the ABS.

It reverts the ABS to 'on' each time the engine is shut down, but the button is easy to get to and the system very quick to change.

Yamaha has done a superb job with the Ténéré 700's suspension, which has 210mm of travel up front and 200mm at the back.

It's a KYB setup, with an inverted 43mm fork and a rear monoshock, with full manual adjustment at each end.

Adventure bikes by nature must contend with an inherent degree of compromise, but the Ténéré 700 treads this line so well. The ride is supple, compliant and responsive off-road, yet firm enough for a spirited charge along winding tarmac without feeling like a bean bag on wheels. Neat.

Sure, the Yamaha Ténéré 700 has a pretty towering seat height by general motorcycle standards, at 875mm. But once you're used to stepping onto a footpeg first and then throwing the other leg over, you'll love the generous legroom.

The seat is fairly narrow, in keeping with bike's off-road aspect, but it's reasonably compliant – and if you need to stretch out simply stand up on the pegs.

The standing position places you thoroughly in command and feels so natural, and it does so for riders of a wide range of heights. In short, the Yamaha Ténéré 700's ergonomics are well sorted (and capped off beautifully by the aggressive 'rallye raid' styling!).

For the performance, capability and build quality on offer, we reckon Yamaha's asking price of $17,149 ride away for the Ténéré 700 is pretty well on the money, pardon the pun.

Fact is, there are many more adventure bikes these days that command considerably higher prices, and while the Ténéré 700 might sport fewer techy features, it's a very capable platform that will allow the vast majority of riders to do exactly what they want.

Not many. The biggest issue is its small 16-litre fuel tank, which reins in its range. Given the model's immediate sales success, we're confident the aftermarket will waste no time in producing a long-range tank for those who want to go further, for longer.

And the fuel filler cap needs to be hinged, rather than a fully removable item that will all too easily get dropped in the dirt.

On the whole, however, this is one great bike, and especially for a wide, rugged land like Australia. Hats off, Yamaha!

Have you purchased a Yamaha Ténéré 700? Tell us what you love (and don't love) about it in the comments section below…