I’M NEW TO THIS….

This was my first ever press launch Borrie told me the only reason I was even there was so he could eat me if we got stranded in the bush.
I felt I might be good for two days. Borrie can eat a lot.
So I resolved that stranding would not happen.
The launch of the new Yamaha which is still being sold. The world Raid comes with upgraded suspension complete with Kashima coating for reduced internal resistance and durability, the forks and rear shock are fully adjustable including preload on the forks, and both front and rear suspension boast 20mm more travel. There’s also an adjustable Öhlins steering damper, a new five-inch Ténéré World Raid was not the hill I was TFT colour screen with Bluetooth going to die on. Or be eaten on.

I’m not new to riding. I’ve been doing that for 30 years, but in the quite distinct disciplines of motocross and road-riding. I’ve also done the odd bit of enduro, and I never really found it that appealing, but this adventure thing wasn’t anything I’d done before. And just like a virgin I was very excited to see what it was all about.
I was really hoping it wasn’t about Borrie turning me into bacon.
The new Yamaha Ténéré World Raid has seen some significant changes compared to the normal Ténéré model, connectivity, a new bash plate and and bigger foot pegs. But the most notable difference is the new 23-litre dual fuel tanks, which according to Yamaha and whispers around the Adventure riders, now give you a range of 450km.

The ride was set to go from Ourimbah on the NSW central coast over the mountains and bound for the Hunter Valley. It would consist of fire trails and tighter single-trail terrain, with surfaces ranging from everything from hard-packed clay, to gravel and sandy tracks.
I immediately felt at home on the Ténéré and it was fair to say I was playing it conservatively. There was no way, hell or high water, I was crashing this thing. I just didn’t want to be “that guy”- especially on my first press launch.
It didn’t take long before we were out of the suburban areas of Ourimbah and making our way off-road up the mountain. it’s worth noting the Ténéré was fitted with full off-road tyres, and the bike was still perfectly at home on the bitumen, so much so that it felt odd to be taking it off- road and for the first few hundred metres on the dirt I had a feeling saying “It can’t be right to take a road-bike off-road…”
I had to remind myself it was not a road bike or even a real dirt bike. It was an Adventure bike. And the Adventure thing perplexed me. I always imagined it was a mix of both road and dirt, and those two things being so opposed to each other you would sacrifice the best of both of those worlds to end up with an adventure article. But this is NOT the case at all.

I found this out only a few hundred meters off the tar when I encountered our first hill that consisted of water wash- outs, ruts and rocks about the size of a lunch box.
I can’t take this bike up that, I thought, and still kept riding because everyone else was.
I was wrong. You can indeed take the World Raid up that stuff, and you can d it with great ease. The more time I spen on the World Raid, the more I warmed to this adventure thing, and it boggled my mind.
The World Raid not only exceeded my expectations, but it blew them away completely. A 700cc parallel twin with a wet weight of 220kgs and an off-road front tyre should not handle so well either on or off road, but it does; it so bloody well does! A very compliant motorcycle not reacting harshly or unexpectedly to otherwise unforgiving terrain and yet responding well to rider inputs.
Most of the time I just drew on my motocross experience, ie, standing in the correct position and allowing the bike to do its thing underneath me, and not once did the World Raid give me a moment that tightened my sphincter. And all this on stock suspension. I couldn’t help but wonder how good this thing could be with a tailored suspension set up.
I had the chance of riding the Ténéré and the Ténéré World Raid back-to- back on this ride and it was a privilege, because I had the ability to compare the changes in real time.
The standard Ténéré is a great bike in its own right. It is narrower than the World Raid and so it gave the impression it was also lighter and would handle better, but I found this wasn’t the case. It’s not that the Ténéré handles poorly. It doesn’t. But the World Raid gave a more confident or sure-footed feeling from the front-end even though it’s carrying the extra weight of the dual fuel tanks.
When a manufacturer talks of changes like adding weight but not sacrificing handling ability because, “We kept the weight down low, I get cynical. They’ve made an effort, but adding weight is adding weight no matter where you carry it.
I was wrong again. It actually works on the World raid. And I don’t believe it’s only due to the fact the fuel load is carried low. I believe it’s the sum total of many things: the improved suspension, the added steering damper, and the improved seat-and- rider triangle. All these things together make for a heavier bike that seems to handle better than a lighter one, and I think in the case of the World Raid it actually almost hides the extra lard it carries. This bike, in my opinion, does not feel like it weighs 220kg wet.
Still don’t believe me? I had this thing on a motocross track. Sure, I didn’t “send it” like I would my 450 moto crosser, because it’s not designed for that, but I did jump it, hit berms, rollers, and deep sand sections with deep ruts, and the Ténéré World Raid did it all, and took it in its stride.
And maybe what also helps hide the weight is this nifty little solenoid valve set up Yamaha uses to equalise the fuel load in each tank to avoid you having more fuel on one side.
Even when belting through sandy comers, the bike never once felt unbalanced. Keep in mind though, that when you fuel up, you do have to fil both tanks separately. But when the starter switch is turned on and the side-stand is up, it equalises within a few minutes and the fuel gauge adjusts to sult.
The Ténéré is obviously not a moto- cross or an enduro bike. Nor is it a pure-bred road-bike. But it is by the truest definition an Adventure bike, and if the Ténéré World Raid is any indication of what adventure riding is sign me up.