RELATED: 2021 Yamaha Ténéré 700 | Long-Term Ride Review (Part 1)

Mileage: 9,035
MSRP: $9,999 (2021); $10,299 (2022)
Accessories: $1,015.86 (new); $4,350.78 (total)

Contributor Arden Kysely liked the Ténéré 700 so much, he bought our test bike from Yamaha. (Photos by the author)

Our long-term Yamaha Ténéré 700, which I now own, has clocked over 9,000 miles. It would have more than 10,000 if heat, smoke, fires, and a toasted rear tire outside of Tonopah, Nevada, hadn’t conspired to shorten my summer ride. Mammoth Cycle Works (mammothcycleworks.com), the closest shop with a replacement tire, had me back on the road quickly after a slow ride from Tonopah on the compromised skin (pro tip: call ahead).

Otherwise, the bike has been ideal for my kind of riding – comfortable on the highway, a hoot in the twisties, and capable off the pavement, whether sitting or standing, and no matter the surface. Fully adjustable suspension and the CP2 motor’s steady power delivery facilitate riding slow, riding fast, or just cruising.
The wide, well-padded Sargent seat has greatly improved riding comfort.

In an era of complex machines, the Ténéré’s single ride mode – manual – is the same one I grew up with. Traction control is throttle and clutch, the latter holding up to abuse on technical climbs and digging out after stalling in sand. The T7?s absence of electronic aids has led to comparisons with the KLR650 (a great bike of whi...