The 2019-on Yamaha Ténéré 700 is the latest of Yamaha’s machines to wear the illustrious name, one that has been dedicated to road-ready models with true off-road capabilities since 1983. The name Ténéré is taken from one of the most gruelling stages on the legendary Paris-Dakar desert rally, where legends are made, bikes are expected to be broken and only the bravest, hardest and baddest even consider taking part.

Yamaha’s factory effort in the early '80s running of the event provided most of the styling and engineering cues for the original model, the memorable bulbous-tanked XT600Z (a tank that Yamaha claimed had a 30 litre capacity). The bike was an air-cooled single cylinder and as rugged and reliable as its name and looks suggested it should be. They proved to be a sales hit, especially on the continent, where French riders alone lapped up almost a third of the entire production run.

For most of the 38 years since, there has been at least one Ténéré in the Yamaha range, but the last of the previous models based on the XT660Z, another single cylinder machine, was killed off with emissions regulations back in 2016.

In 2019 Yamaha filled that gap again, when it took the excellent 72bhp CP2 270-degree parallel-twin engine from the MT07, Tracer 700 and XSR700 and slotted it into a chassis that had been given the “Ténéré treatment”. The resulting 700 Ténéré is a bike that may not have the same race heritage as the original bike (the current factory Yamaha entry to the Dakar rally races a highly modified version of its WR450F enduro bike) but, nonetheless, the new 700 is really popular; it’s rugged, basic (only the mandatory ABS sits as an electronic aid) and is a capable off-roader as well as being useable as an all-day comfortable road-bike.

It’s good value too, looking like a steal when launched at just £8,700 compared to its nearest rivals the KTM790 and BMW850GS, being £2,400 and £1,200 cheaper respectively. The lack of electronics may contribute to its competitive price, but does a really well set-up bike that only has 72bhp actually need any electronic intervention in between the riders right hand and the drive to the back wheel? Arguably, for most riders, it doesn’t.

Ranking 4.2 out of 5 in the MCN owners review, it seems Yamaha have hit the mark, and even if you won’t find a Ténéré 700 in the Dakar race, it may still be an ideal bike for both roads and green-lanes of the UK!

Here at mad4bikes.co.uk we’re big fans of this jewel-like mid-sized adventure bike, and have bundles of add-ons available that can make the machine your own - from performance air filter upgrades to spotlights to luggage racks to tank-grips and loads more. Take a look at our Ténéré 700 section and see how you can make yours more like yours!