Being an ex-professional off-road racer, I’ve never had much of an interest in adventure motorcycles. When I was racing, I used to wonder why anyone would want to ride those big, heavy-looking dirtbikes.
However, since hanging up the professional racing helmet a good 10 years ago, my opinion and view on adventure motorcycles has totally changed. Especially after just finishing an unsupported 10-day 3500km adventure bike ride from Alice Springs in the Northern Territory to Bathurst in New South Wales. Now I get it. The combination of riding into areas most people will never see, mixed with simple living off the motorcycle is totally priceless.
When the current Yamaha Ténéré 700 was introduced in 2019, I got my hands on one for a day and I was pretty impressed by the overall package. Fast forward four years and, in Yamaha’s words, “the 2019 Ténéré 700 was a game changer in the Adventure landscape. It appeals to Aussie adventure riders looking for a simple, reliable and capable adventure machine. The Ténéré 700 World Raid was
