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T7 1500km Review


close range

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1 hour ago, close range said:

To me the T7 is best described as a near perfect crossover of Dual Sport and Adventure riding. 

 

Maintain highway speeds for extended duration in comfort - check

Putt-putt or haul ass on any Forest service (gravel) road - check

Carve curvy secondary roads -check

Blast down 2-track, jeep, atv trails faster than most safely should -check

Commute daily - check

 

There are plenty of fantastic DS/ADV bikes available, most lean more towards the road, or towards the dirt, or towards affordability, or performance. The perfect blend is very subjective. The T7 hits a sweet spot for me, and it sounds like it does the same for most who get the pleasure to ride one.

Considering the fantastic CP2 engine has already been proven as ultra reliable in the MT07 since 2014 (1st valve check @42,000kms), and the purchase price is so competitive, the Tenere 700 is going to sell very well for years. It's not a perfect bike, but it going to be the best bike available for a lot of riders.

 

The torque characteristic and overall power delivery of the T7 match extremely well with what most of us want out of an on/off road motorcycle. In fact I'd say its the best type of power delivery for overall ADV riding of any motorcycle I've owned. That list includes : KTM 790 Adventure S, Africa Twin CRF1000L, KTM 690 Enduro, Triumph Tiger 800XC, BMW 1150gsa, KLR650, DR650, Husky 701 Enduro, DRZ400, KTM 500exc.

 

The chassis is marvellous, the ergo's standing are best in class.

 

So far I've only one complaint: the T7 needs suspension work if your going to ride off-road aggressively. I'm at 88kg ready to ride with tools/spares on board. Got the sag set, played with clickers a bunch, definitely saw some improvement. However, I keep riding the bike harder and harder off road, and today I started bottoming out both fork and shock at regular intervals due to washboard and potholes.

I'm gonna try an aftermarket shock (TFX) and Andreani fork cartridges. For many riders the stock suspension will probably be acceptable, maybe with a few tweaks like proper springs and preload. If your heavier or want to get the last 15-30% of performance from the T7, might want to budget for serious suspension upgrades.

 

Overall I rate the T7 as a 9/10 bike.

Yamaha will sell many. A rally version with narrower wheels and better suspension would be a great option. 

 

CR

 

Nice review of the the t7... Would be interested to know how you will find the bike after changing the suspension 👍

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Fantastic and detailed review and I agree 100% with everything you wrote from my experience too.

 

Mine's a keeper.

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Very good review and what a backdrop for your beast!  Beautiful.

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Very nicely written and exactly my thoughts. Rally version would also need more fuel capacity. T700R. But I lack room in the shed 😆

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14 hours ago, close range said:

A rally version with narrower wheels and better suspension would be a great option. 

 

Curious about that. Do you mean just narrower front tire, or narrow rear tire too? 

 

The front tire is pretty damn wide for offroad, worry about it washing out no matter which tire i choose. But on dirtbikes, I usually prefer wider rear tires to "hook up".  Motocross bikes with skinny 19" tires suck on trails. 

 

I really do think I will end up with two sets of wheels. One set for 50-50 and one set for 10% street 90% dirt.  Put sprockets and brake disks on the send set and change em up as needed. 

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19 minutes ago, Cruizin said:

Curious about that. Do you mean just narrower front tire, or narrow rear tire too? 

 

The front tire is pretty damn wide for offroad, worry about it washing out no matter which tire i choose. But on dirtbikes, I usually prefer wider rear tires to "hook up".  Motocross bikes with skinny 19" tires suck on trails. 

 

I really do think I will end up with two sets of wheels. One set for 50-50 and one set for 10% street 90% dirt.  Put sprockets and brake disks on the send set and change em up as needed. 

 

A "Rally" version with a 1.60 front and 2.50 rear would be ideal for me.

Stock is 1.85 front and 4.00 rear. I could live with a 1.85 front but will be looking for a 2.50 rear after my suspension is sorted. Might even go to standard dirt bike size 2.15 rear if necessary to accommodate a rim lock.

 

A dual wheel set up would be amazing but not cheap. I'm hoping Warp9 or somebody steps up with options.

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This bike is fantastic. Motoz Tractionator ADV 140 rear and Mitas E-13 Rally Star front. The bike has responded well to more dirt-orientated rubber. 

IMG_5760.jpeg

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  • 4 weeks later...

You guys are in T7 heaven with available scenery like that! Looks incredible and great write up, I reckon its the only real dual sport currently since the XT660R which didn’t nt quite tick all boxes at the time. Here is the two XT i had recently.

should NEVER have sold my blue one:((((

89659559-15D5-4319-8C9C-D55F525D5015.jpeg

00FDC5C6-742B-42FC-ACFB-81EACFF9449C.jpeg

Edited by Matth
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