If good things come to those who wait, then all I can say is thank God the Ténéré 700 turned out pretty darn good — because all us Ténéré fans sure did some waiting for this bike.
Not counting all the online propaganda and rumour mongering, the first time we could actually see, touch and feel the Ténéré 700 was at the 2018 Ténéré Tragics Bay to Bush Run that kicked off at Hervey Bay in March that year. Aussie Yamaha rally hero Rod Faggotter sprung a mighty surprise and roared up to the start of the event on the World Raid prototype 700, which we could poke and prod for the next two days while he rode with the Tragics pack.
Almost 18 months later, Yamaha staged the Trans Tasman Ténéré Tour around Australia and New Zealand in mid 2019, which gave more Ténéré fans and those curious about the new bike the opportunity to see it in the flesh.
It wasn’t until the very end of 2019 that the Ténéré 700 finally landed in Yamaha showrooms, and from the moment it touched down it sold like hot
