Ténéré 700, welcome to the family!

Attention, attention, she's home! Since the beginning of this month, the garage is housing a brand new family member: a Yamaha Ténéré 700. Honestly, I couldn't be more thrilled. What a fantastic bike!

Where did this adventure start? Well, my first love was - and is - my Yamaha R6, and it makes for a true love story. However, in 2018 I got invited to a tour through the Balkans on a brand new BMW 1200GS. When I mentioned that, some people told me I would never go back to a race bike. And although I was truly impressed with the GS, it never got me to consider buying one. Too smooth, too comfortable, almost like it wasn't a motorcycle... and frankly, too expensive. But what that trip did do was spark a tiny bit of interest in off-road riding.

About a year later, I got to try the Yamaha Super Ténéré, and having a Yamaha-blue heart, that moved me quite a bit more! Especially because it was during a trip in the Pyrenees, where most of the time I was riding my own R6, so I had a direct comparison. I'm sure it comes as no surprise that the Super Ténéré was the better bike for those mountain roads. That, combined with the stories of how that bike had been to Iceland and Morocco, made me excited about getting a dual-sport bike. But no way that I would get a 1200. Too heavy, too big. Great timing, though - it was about the time the Ténéré 700 was launched...

I wanted it before I had even seen it out in the wild. It seemed perfect: a bike for the tarmac and the dirt, not crazy big, and a Yamaha. A slight obsession with the bike began, and only intensified once I actually saw it in real.

But, I had to be realistic. I was also busy saving money, and buying a brand new bike just because I liked the idea of a dual-sport didn't seem very wise. 'Get an old bike, drop it a few times, see how you like it, and in the meantime, save for a T7,' I told myself. And so I got myself the XT660R in December of 2019.

And boy, did I have fun on that bike! Especially once I got the panniers, the first COVID wave had slowed down and I was able to go on some camping trips. I felt more comfortable and confident on the XT than on the R6, which definitely made me a better rider.

In the fall of 2020, I was in Turkey and had rented the same model in Antalya to go on a little adventure. Just like in the Balkans, there were a few gravel roads I had to follow. I'm not gonna lie, both times I hated it initially, but by the end of each road, I started to get the hang of it a little bit. (Or so I thought - actually I had no idea what I was doing, but I did enjoy it.) That T7 really should make its way to my house sometime...

And then, in December 2020, I finally got the chance to ride a Ténéré 700. It was everything I imagined, and then some. Powerful, yet smooth and forgiving. Comfortable, but still fun. I was lucky enough to be able to borrow it for several weeks, so I really got to see what it was like. Every time I had to give it back, I missed it a little bit more.

So what was the exact moment I decided to throw my money at a new bike? I'll tell you. If you've followed me on Instagram for a bit, you'll know that feeling insecure when I ride is my biggest struggle, especially off-road. I started doing a bit of training with the XT, but although it's a great bike, it just didn't help me enough. In first gear, at low speed, it's quite nervous, but off-road I don't dare to go faster yet. In tight turns, especially uphill hairpins, if I wasn't in exactly the right gear, the bike would let me know, making me kinda anxious for those turns.

During a training session, I switched to the T7 and immediately the exercises I was doing went so much better. I was standing on it more stable, and the bike was just going so smoothly. Low speed, first gear, practicing turns off-road, it just did what it had to do, even when I didn't. It boosted my confidence, which in turn helped me ride better, which grew my confidence further, and so on. Altogether it was just much more enjoyable. I made some calls to get the best price, and the deal was done. The day was April 28, 2021.

But as you might know, just about anything you'd want at the moment is in backorder. Tires, parts, and yes, motorcycles. But just over 2 months later, the moment was finally there. July 1st, 2021, I picked her up and brought her home! I may or may not have done a little happy dance at the dealership - only witnesses know.

Just my luck that the first 2 weeks I could barely ride her, but we're now almost 4 weeks in and I was able to make up for that. Friday, she'll get her 1000km service and after that, I'll take her up to the mountains for a little camping trip!

I did get a few upgrades for the bike already. I ordered her with grip heating and USB ports. Then the first addition once she was home were the Outback Motortek crashbars. They're simply the best you can get and they look freaking cool.

Next were the Mosko Moto Hood Tank Bag as well as the Scout Panniers and Duffle Bag. Can't wait to truly use those on my upcoming overnight trip!

And last but not least, all my bikes now have a Quad Lock mount on them. For the T7 I choose the 'Mirror Mount' which you can actually mount above the display. I also added the Weatherproof Wireless Charger Head which I think is a great upgrade from the USB-wired charger I have on the XT. I also recommend getting a Vibration Dampener. It's a very secure and rigid mount, but that also means that without the dampener, your camera might get damaged.

So what's left on my wishlist? For sure, Barkbusters handguards and additional headlights (maybe these from Denali Electronics, although I might go for a cheaper alternative). After that, I'm sure more will follow, but feel free to give me some ideas!