Is the Tenere too off road focused?

[Storyplay9]

Hey guys, planning on picking one of these up by the end of the year (if I can find one lol) but I do need some insight.  As much as I am enthralled by seeing pictures and videos of adventure bikes going off road and blowing up clouds of dust and conquering hills and trails, I'm trying to be real with myself, and that most of the riding I will be doing is on the street.  Fret not however, if I buy one of these I will take down some dirt roads and off road, I'm just not sure if the Tenere is over kill.  I have zero off road motorcycle experience, but don't mind that too much, it sounds fun to me which is enough for me to conclude it will be at least enjoyable for me.  My main question is if I don't go do hard core off road stuff, am I wasting the bike?  Maybe a tiger 900 is more suitable, or a KTM more sophisticated, but price is a factor.  I really like the Tenere, but is it just too much for light - medium off road duty?  Thanks for any insight in advance!  

Edited June 15, 2021 by Storyplay9

[loneranger700]

Before more insight is given, uh, hey just keep in mind this bike has the same engine as the hyper-naked street bike, the MT-07..

[TeabagInsurance]

It's kind of hard to say without knowing what kind of dirt riding you are looking to do and if you have much desire to spend time getting better at dirt riding.

 

If you have relatively smooth input you can honestly get away with WAY more riding a street bike with street tires on the dirt than people give them credit for. I have some dirt bike experience as well, but I'm no off-road master and I have taken my FZ1 up some absolutely stupid dirt trails on its street tires that people are scared to take their AWD SUVs on. Loose rocks, sand, and mud are problems, however, but again, that was on 100% street tires on a street bike. A Versys 650, CB500x, Africa Twin, Tiger, BMW GS', etc with 50/50 tires (or worse) can take you much further than that, all while being more road oriented.

 

With that said, before buying my T7 I sold my FZ1, dual sport, and dirt bike to have one do-it-all bike: the T7. I plan on riding it in twisties and taking it cross country as well. It's not a sport tourer, but it will do that just fine, albeit not as comfortably as any of the above bikes. I probably have a heavier preference towards dirt riding and mountain exploration than you do.

 

I always like recommending Zack Courts Daily Rider video on the T7 as it showcases its versatility.

 

Ultimately, if you think the days you spend street riding will be 3-4+ hours or lots of time on the freeway, I might recommend something a little more touring oriented, but if not, the T7's off-road capabilities will only make your life easier riding dirt if you plan on taking it up double track or 4x4 trails.

[Liquidape]

1 hour ago, Storyplay9 said:

Hey guys, planning on picking one of these up by the end of the year (if I can find one lol) but I do need some insight.  As much as I am enthralled by seeing pictures and videos of adventure bikes going off road and blowing up clouds of dust and conquering hills and trails, I'm trying to be real with myself, and that most of the riding I will be doing is on the street.  Fret not however, if I buy one of these I will take down some dirt roads and off road, I'm just not sure if the Tenere is over kill.  I have zero off road motorcycle experience, but don't mind that too much, it sounds fun to me which is enough for me to conclude it will be at least enjoyable for me.  My main question is if I don't go do hard core off road stuff, am I wasting the bike?  Maybe a tiger 900 is more suitable, or a KTM more sophisticated, but price is a factor.  I really like the Tenere, but is it just too much for light - medium off road duty?  Thanks for any insight in advance!  

The bike is plenty fun on road. So no it’s not too off road focused. You can have a lot of fun with it in the paved twisties.  I bought mine because it takes me an hour of street riding to get to any dirt to play in. I still have a good time during that hour out and the hour back. 

[mpatch]

One of the big turn offs/downsides with “ADV” bikes is seat height. You’d be amazed at the percentage of seasoned street riders that are terrified of not being able to flat foot both feet when stopped. 
If you don’t need the suspension travel and only plan to ride gravel/dirt roads occasionally there are many better and cheaper options. 

Edited June 15, 2021 by mpatch

[Bmp4510]

My thoughts are the decision is based on what type of road riding you will do. If you’d spend a significant time on a 4 lane or bigger highway, going 65 mph or higher, for more than an hour or two a trip, I’d get another bike like an African Twin or BMW GS. IMO those bikes are harder to manage off road, but flat eat up the tarmac. And carry heavier loads.

 

I’m on the Big Island of Hawai’i, where we only have 1 or 2 roads that allow 60mph, and lots of off road trails. 
 

But if I were back in California I’d give up the lighter weight off road for a more comfortable bigger bike.

[MotoSouth]

The T7 is a great road bike unless you're mainly traveling interstates. In that case you might be better suited with something bigger. I think the Tenere tends to really impress people with it's off road abilities so that kind of over shadows the fact that it's good on road as well. I haven't had the chance to take mine off road much but I still enjoy riding it every chance I get. There aren't many bikes that can match this bike's combination of on and off road abilities.

[ride2little]

My take:  The appeal of the T7 is it's appetite for off AND on-road.  Wonderful manners in each.

I was happy as can be on several all-day road trips, side-roads and Interstates.  50-85 all-day with comfort and smiles.  Butt get tired?  Stand up for a while.  Pot-hole riddled roads?  No problem with the long-travel suspension.

After the multi-day travels, it was off-road for as many days and more.  Just as happy.

This really IS an amazing bike with whatever you throw at it.  At the heart is a great motor with good gearing right out of the box.  i wouldn't mind at all throwing a set of on-road sticky tires if that's your focus.  Or knobs if spending weeks off the beaten path.

Tweak this one to suit your riding style. Yo'll be pleased.

[Tigerjohn]

I don't think you'll be disappointed with a Tenere, even if it's mainly used on tarmac. Here in the UK, most of us don't have access to extensive off road trails so most riders stay on paved roads most of the time, but the Tenere has still proven very popular. It's noticeably lighter than an Africa Twin and the CP2 engine is reliable and enjoyable; IMO, the perfect displacement for  80:20 on/off road use. The bike is comfy enough for long periods in the saddle and gives a commanding view of the road. If you plan on touring with a pillion, go for a big GS or an Africa Twin, but for solo trips, the Tenere is hard to beat. The simplicity, reliability,  build quality and value for money of the Tenere won over the competion from Triumph and KTM for me.

Edited June 16, 2021 by Tigerjohn
grammar!

[Cruizin]

I’d say that the T-7 is not enough inner galactic focused. My warp drive is all fucked up and the flux capacitor belt has to be replaced by the time ya hit Mars. 

[Hobes]

If you are serious about dipping your toes in to the off road riding, I'd say Tenere is a perfect bike for that. If it's just nice to have feature and you are mainly trying to find street bike with some kind of off road capabilities on a budget, I'd suggest to checkout Versys or CB500X. Both are cheaper, nicer on the street and easier to handle. Both are also very good off road bikes, if you are not thinking about trails and really hard core off road stuff. In that case I'd suggest CRF300L or similar. Big adventure bike like T7 and technical off road trail is a handful and very easy way to kill your interest to off road riding if you are not really determined to do it. 

 

If the Tigers price isn't too much, I'd definitely choose Tiger for mostly street riding. It is plenty capable off road ( heavy for a rookie, but that's actually an issue with every midsize adventure bike, if you ask me), but most fun if your main riding is on the street.  I'd skip KTM (assuming 790/890 or 690). Not so nice on the street, absolutely stellar off road. 

[DT675]

I think if your at least occasionally doing some light to medium duty dirt roads the T7 could be the right bike for you. Who knows, the dirt roads might grow on you and you’d be able to grow right along with it.

 

I think the bigger question is what do you plan for your on-road rides? One to two hour road rides at the typical highway speed of 55/60 with some occasional 70 MPH jaunts?  The T7 might be a great bike for that. But if your doing all day rides and/ or at long durations of 70 or higher? I’d look at some of the more road focused bikes like the Tiger 800/850/900. That tiger may be a heavier bike but it carries its weight lower and is easy (in some cases easier) to handle and handles dirt road type riding excellently. As I've told some buddies, if the road gets rough enough to need to stand, the T7 will dominate. But if you never need to stand, the tiger is a better sit down bike. 

[Tenererian]

On 6/15/2021 at 6:44 PM, mpatch said:

One of the big turn offs/downsides with “ADV” bikes is seat height. You’d be amazed at the percentage of seasoned street riders that are terrified of not being able to flat foot both feet when stopped. 
If you don’t need the suspension travel and only plan to ride gravel/dirt roads occasionally there are many better and cheaper options. 

^^^ This ^^^ I love my T7 and the more I ride it the more I love it. But I do have experience on road and some off road. That said this is not the bike I would recommend for a new rider. The high seat combined with a high center of gravity is a bad combination for someone with little experience. You will lay this bike over and with it laying flat it's a bear to get it upright again, especially on dirt or sand when the topside may actually be below horizontal. My advice is to buy a smaller, lighter bike used until you gain experience then you can step up to whatever ultimately suits you. Have fun.