Yamaha to launch Tenere 700?

Euro website motorcycle-magazine.com, owned by Motorrad International, is reporting certain knowledge Yamaha will launch a 700 Tenere in the very near future. The report, by Ben Purvis, says…

“Yamaha is to launch a 700cc Tenere to replace the current XT660Z using the MT07’s parallel twin engine as the basis for the new bike.

“Unlike the forthcoming MT-07 Tracer, which will be a sports-tourer with adventure bike overtones to the styling, the Tenere is set to be a machine with serious off-road intentions. It’s set to feature a completely new chassis with upside-down forks, a new swingarm and a double-cradle steel frame. As such, it’s unlikely to share the MT-07 name despite using the same engine. Instead the name XT700Z or XT-07 is likely to be applied.

“If it remains in the same state of tune as the MT-07, the engine will make 74bhp, slotting the bike into the same class as machines like BMW’s F700GS. But the Yamaha will have a far more serious off-road slant. A 21 inch front wheel and 18 inch rear mean it’ll be more like Honda’s Africa Twin in its appeal, or perhaps BMW’s F800GS Adventure. But given Yamaha’s aggressive pricing and the shared MT-07 components it’s sure to undercut both those bikes in terms of price.

“While the MT-07 Tracer is set to be officially launched soon and should be on sale within the next few months, the 700cc Tenere is further from production. Given the popularity of the class, Yamaha is likely to try and push its development and get it into production as a 2017 model-year machine, but it could slip back to 2018.”