Home >> Project Bikes >> SRmoto Yamaha Tenere 700
October 2020: Bought brand new from State 8 Motorcycles in Ohio…
October/November/December 2020 Update: We just picked up our new Tenere 700 project bike at the end of October, and here in December we have about 300 miles on it so far. As weather permits, we are trying to get some rides in to see what we like and don’t like. The photos shown above are the bike in completely stock form.
We already have a few initial ideas of what we’d like to do to the bike, and here’s a quick list of them, as well as our initial thoughts on the bike. Please note that this list will evolve and change as we ride the bike more and figure out what it needs…
COCKPIT:
The stock mirrors will be one of the first things to go… they provide descent visibility, but they are basically street bike mirrors that Yamaha seems to use on all of their street bikes, so they aren’t really idea for off-road riding like you might do on your Tenere. They could possibly do some damage if you drop the bike and they break off at the perch. We’ll be putting DoubleTake Adventure Mirrors on right away, which are much more durable and off-road worthy. For footpegs, we are going to try out DRC Ultra Wide footpegs as well as Zeta Aluminum footpegs, both of which are a bit larger/wider than the stock pegs, which should make them more comfortable when standing up on the bike. They also have have more teeth for added grip. We’ve got Oxford Heated grips ready to go on the bike, and I think I want some shorter brake/clutch levers too. The stock clutch lever isn’t adjustable, so an adjustable one would be nice. The stock seat seems pretty comfortable, but I have a Yamaha Low Seat on order, and I’m curious what Seat Concepts will have available.
• DoubleTake Adventure Mirrors
• DRC Ultra Wide Footpegs
• Zeta Aluminum Footpegs
HANDLEBARS/HANDGUARDS:
The stock handguards are more like deflectors and pretty much worthless, so they gotta go. The bike comes with stock handlebars that have threaded ends, so that means that Barkbusters are probably the way to go for handguards, since they have a kit that includes threaded mounts. Zeta will also have a similar T700-specific handguard available sometime in January 2021. If you put standard aftermarket Pro Taper or Renthal handlebars on the bike, then Acerbis X-Force or Cycra Probend CRM handguards should fit. I think we will stick with the stock handlebars for now, but have my eye on Pro Taper Evo’s in the Adventure Bend.
• Barkbusters VPS Handguard Kit for Tenere 700
• Zeta Adventure Handguard Package for Tenere 700
• Acerbis X-Force Handguards
• Cycra Probend CRM Handguards
LUGGAGE/RACKS
Lots of stuff to explore here…. so many options. My initial thoughts are a few simple things just to carry stuff on the bike, maybe a Giant Loop Diablo Pro Tank Bag up front, and a Nelson Rigg Trails End Dual Sport Tail Bag. I think this tail bag can easily be mounted to the stock passenger seat without any type of rack.
• Giant Loop Diablo Pro Tank Bag
• Nelson Rigg Trails End Dual Sport Tail Bag
ENGINE/PERFORMANCE:
The bike seems to run well right out of the box and has plenty of power. Sounds really good too. We already have an Akrapovic and a Leo Vince slip-on muffler… we plan to try both and see which we like best. We’re also going to re-flash the ECU with a Dynojet Power Vision 3 Flash Tuner as well. Will be interesting to see how much performance improves, and how much weight we drop in the process.
• Akrapovic Slip-On Muffler
• Dynojet Power Vision 3 Flash Tuner
LOWERING:
This bike is tall, and on the heavy side compared to the dual sports and supermotos we’re used to riding. I’m 5’9″ tall with a 31″ inseam and it’s just too tall for me, so I need to lower the seat height on this thing. Will probably try the KoubaLink lowering link, and drop the front end down by raising the forks in the triple clamps about 1/2″ or so. It’d be nice to get the seat height about 1 to 1.5″ lower. Stay tuned.
• KoubaLink Lowering Link
PROTECTION
The headlight looks like it could be expensive to replace if it gets damaged, so we’ll be doing a headlight guard right away. The stock skid plate isn’t bad, but it’s small and very thin aluminum. I’m detecting some noise and vibration from it to. We’ve got a Moose Racing plastic skid plate to try, as well as aluminum skid plates from Givi and SW-MOTECH. Some sort of engine guard is also probably needed, and maybe a radiator guard, as well as some engine case covers.
• Moose Racing Plastic Skid Plate
• Puig Headlight Protector
BRAKES
The stock brakes might be one of the bikes few weak points. Many of the initial reviews of the bike complained about poor braking, and so far our bike seems to be lacking a bit in the braking department as well. I’m thinking that initially we’ll do some more aggressive Galfer brake pads, which should help improve things. Maybe some Galfer braided steel lines too.
• Galfer Brake Pads from SRmoto
LIGHTING/ELECTRICAL:
The bikes big ugly orange stock turn signals will get tossed in the OEM parts bin, and get replaced by smaller aftermarket LED’s. We also plan to do a rear fender eliminator kit to clean up the back fender area of the bike. Up front, I think we’re going to eventually do the Zeta Adventure Armor handguards with their integrated LED turn signals.
NOTE: We’ve put together a growing list of all the parts we’ve found to be available for the Yamaha Tenere 700. You can find that list at the link below…
• Yamaha Tenere 700 Parts Guide
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