As the owner of Whitney Auto Service in Southern California’s San Fernando Valley, my commute is 27 miles door-to-door, mainly freeway, with half of it being the infamous San Diego Freeway. On that route, the Yamaha Ténéré 700 is a two-wheel version of a monster truck.
Ténéré 700 Seat Height and Ergonomics
The Yamaha Ténéré 700 is big and tall. I stand five-foot-six, and that’s got to be the bare minimum to ride a standard Ténéré. Throwing my leg over, I can just tiptoe one foot at a time. I’m quite used to tall seats, as dirt bikes are my main passion. Modern dirt bikes have seat heights in the 37-inch range, and the Ténéré sits at 34.4 inches. The big difference is that dirt bikes weigh about 250 pounds, while the Ténéré is about 200 pounds heavier. Yamaha offers a Low Seat for $220 and a Lowering Link Kit for $150; buy them together and the seat height drops over an inch.
Ergonomically, the Ténéré is just a large dirt bike, so I feel comfortable on it. The handlebar and seat are very similar to a dirt bike, and I find it a perfect opportunity to practice proper posture while cruising to work: elbows up, sitting forward on the seat, index finger on each lever. After my first ride, I removed the rubber insert in each peg to give it a more off-road feel.
Yamaha Ténéré 700 Commuting at Freeway Speeds
Before this test, I was cruising home from work on my BMW F 750 GS when I was passed by a Ténéré doing over 100mph, with a pilot wearing shorts, a T-shirt, and sandals. So, going in, I was aware that the Ténéré can handle high-speed SoCal freeways. When the traffic allowed it, I cruised at 80 mph with no buzzy feeling. The parallel twin has plenty of oomph to overtake cars with ease on the steep uphill sides of the Santa Susana Pass. As an adventure-tourer, it can easily handle high freeway speeds all day, not just between home and work.
When the freeway goes red and turns to a parking lot, the Ténéré shines. Its maneuverability and dirt bike flickability make filtering through traffic a breeze. 3rd gear is low enough for me to split with confidence, though when traffic is absolutely stopped, I’ll click the 6-speed transmission into 2nd gear.
Stock, the Ténéré doesn’t have a quickshifter, and I missed it on the test bike. The quickshifter is a $200 option, and the bike is wired for it; it’s money well-spent.
Being on a tall beast provides great visibility in two ways. I can see what’s ahead, and cagers can see me. The exhaust has a good, deep note that makes drivers aware of my presence when filtering.
The only issue with sitting up so high is that mirrors are the same height as the rearview mirrors of SUVs and trucks. This calls for some extra spatial awareness.
I ride in cold weather several months of the year; I get up early. The one comfort item I wanted is heated grips. They are easily added to the bike from the Yamaha accessories catalog for $235. The sturdy handguards/mirror-busters cut the wind, which helps.
The extent of my off-road riding was hopping a few curbs, getting loose in gravel parking lots, and suburban trails. Turn off traction control, and she’s ready.
The Ténéré 700 Fuel Gauge Problem
My one issue with the Ténéré is the fuel gauge. Yamaha claims the tank holds 4.2 gallons. However, when I get between 80 and 90 miles on the tripmeter, the gauge reads low fuel and the dash flashes. When I go to fill up, I can only put in 2.2 gallons. I ended up pushing the tripmeter to about 125 miles before refueling. The Ténéré would take 3.2 gallons, resulting in a consistent 40 mpg. Even so, my personality is not one to push it. If I were using the Ténéré for adventure riding, not knowing how much fuel I had left might annoy me.
The Ténéré has over 5500 miles on the odometer now, some of that piled on by Editor Don Williams adventuring in the desert, and the tires show it. The front is developing a choppy pattern, and the rear is becoming flat across the center due to my freeway commuting.
Overall, the Yamaha Ténéré 700 is a great bike for commuting, if you can handle the seat height. I enjoyed riding the monster truck on two wheels. Anyone considering buying a Yamaha Ténéré 700 should check out our Project Bike.
In our first segment this episode Don Williams takes us for a ride on arguably the most comfortable British take on the American cruiser: the Triumph Bonneville Speedmaster. It’s a superbly relaxed motorcycle in an equally relaxed state of tune, so while you shouldn’t be swayed by the “Speed” in its name, there’s a lot more to the Speedmaster than you might imagine.
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Now here’s a really cool event you absolutely cannot miss—yes, we’re rapidly approaching the 34th Annual Biketoberfest Rally in Daytona Beach, sunny Florida.Biketoberfest this year runs October 15th through the 18th. Biketoberfest is all about the beautiful Florida weather, live music, the industry’s top vendors, bike shows, and motorcycle racing at Daytona International Speedway. And don’t forget, there are miles of spectacular rides along the famous A1A, the historic Main Street and the Ormond Beach Scenic Loop. There really is something for everyone here, and almost every event and attraction is free to attend. So, if you want a fun few days out in the Florida sunshine, Biketoberfest really is the place to be. Make sure you download the Biketoberfest mobile App from Apple or Google Play or visit www.biketoberfest.orgfor more details.
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In our second segment this episode Teejay Adams catches up with World Cup Bagger racer, Archie McDonald who first came on this podcast last December. Whether you’ve watched any of the World Bagger Cup racing or not, you’ve likely heard of it. Despite a lot of initial skepticism, the Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup really seems to have captured the racing public’s imagination. The Championship is now being led by Archie, and despite never having seen most of the tracks before, that he’s beating several very experienced and highly talented competitors, shows what an amazing talent he is. Archie is also extremely mature for his just 19-years of age, and sadly, in the last few months he’s had to grow up even faster after his older brother Toby took his own life in April. Archie brings us up to date with his racing for the Joe Rascal team, and he speaks candidly with Teejay about his brother and how Toby’s passing has affected him.
Fair warning: if you’re sensitive to this topic please be careful listening to this segment, and if you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, know that support is available. In the U.S., you can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. In Australia, you can contact Lifeline at 13 11 14.
Here’s quick reminder to check out our monthly digital magazine. It’s filled with everything you want to read on motorcycling, including some things you’ve probably not seen elsewhere. It’s absolutely free and you will find it on the Apple App Store and of course on Google Play as well.
Don’t forget to leave us your comments on our social media—we’re on all the usual platforms at Ultimate Motorcycling. We love hearing your feedback… so good or bad, please let us know what you think. If there’s something you’d like us to cover, we’d love to hear those ideas too!
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