Reevaluating my use of the T7

[winddown]

This is my subjective experience after 8 months of ownership.  Initially I bought the T7 to ride dirt roads, near and far, and to negotiate the rougher blacktop that is all too common out on our highways.  I had never ridden on the dirt before so there was/is a learning curve.   After 4000k I have come to the conclusion that while I love riding the smoother dirt I have no love for the rocky stuff, of which there is a lot of in my region.  It's just the nature of the land I guess.  So in the future I'll be more choosy where I ride the dirt, but as far as bitumen goes, the bike is a total winner!

 

I took a 200k ride the other day, 40 km down a rocky dirt road, yes the bike handles it just fine but I find I simply can't relax in the stuff, always on the lookout for ruts and the bigger rocks, then for cars on the tight corners ( or other adventure bikes, way over on my side lol )  I don't have this apprehension on the smoother sandy stuff, the bike just seems to skitter around too much on the rocky stuff for my tastes.  I feel I don't have good control.   Anyway I eventually came out on a backwoods rural highway near a place called Old Koreelah in far northern NSW.   To my surprise the road had been resurfaced recently, 35km of sweepers and sets of 50k and 60k corners, a decent wide road too, no center line, and NO traffic.  I was soon cranking the bike over more and more and eventually had the big grin on my face, I haven't had that for a while!  The T7 just flowed through the corners and powering out was a sheer pleasure.  I can't see any need for more power on a bike of this design, 70HP is plenty.  And that's coming from someone who rides a RR with 200HP, but that bike is designed for it, designed for a track.  Later at home I noticed I had scrubbed the tires to the very edge (almost)  That surprised me because I'm usually more conservative, I was obviously having a lot of fun.

 

Anyway, after the smooth road and the next town the road went ordinary again, still bitumen, and the T7 handled that rougher stuff very well, much better than a sportbike would.   30km from home I turned off up another dirt road, rocky again, and made my way home.  To be honest I only went on the last dirt leg for practice, I'd have much rather taken the highway back home.  So... perhaps I don't have the dirt in my blood?   Perhaps I just need another 10,000 k experience on it?  Either way I'm really happy with the T7 as a tourer, one that can go up a rough dirt road if need be,  but I won't be going out of my way to take the long dirt roads to nowhere, at least that's how I feel now.  I still have my little XL250 that I buzz around the local dirt on, now that's another matter altogether.  I don't seem to feel any apprehension on it, I'm totally relaxed, even though the rocks effect it more.  I'm just craving a little more power sometimes.   

 

What a great bike we have!

 

Edited March 12, 2023 by winddown

[Tenerider]

Nice writeup mate!

 

Regarding your disliking of rockier sections, two things come up to my mind: Tires (but I think for dry conditions the STRs aren't too bad, only when loose gravel comes into play) and suspension. Teknikmotorsport.com in Oz seem to be a big player and offer great insight to the different options out there.

If you're still riding OEM suspension, there is quite a chance that it kills your fun on rougher trails.

 

https://www.teknikmotorsport.com/Yamaha-T7-XTZ690-Tenere-700/

 

[winddown]

Some nice kit there.   I spent $2500 on upgrades, racetec springs with gold valves in the forks and a Wilbers 640 shock.  Not a pure offroad shock but well ahead of the factory setup, with springs rated for my weight all round.  I've backed off the damping on the rear a couple of clicks, I'll do the same with the front now and see how that feels.   The Wilbers is a road shock so it won't have the proper action for the rough stuff but it does ok.  A lot of guys here simple upgrade the oem shock with a new spring but you're still left with the narrow bore, the Wilbers I bought has a 46mm bore.

[Tenerider]

14 minutes ago, winddown said:

Some nice kit there.   I spent $2500 on upgrades, racetec springs with gold valves in the forks and a Wilbers 640 shock.  Not a pure offroad shock but well ahead of the factory setup, with springs rated for my weight all round.  I've backed off the damping on the rear a couple of clicks, I'll do the same with the front now and see how that feels.   The Wilbers is a road shock so it won't have the proper action for the rough stuff but it does ok.  A lot of guys here simple upgrade the oem shock with a new spring but you're still left with the narrow bore, the Wilbers I bought has a 46mm bore.

Ah I forgot you are the one with the Wilbers shock!

I guess suspension is not an issue, maybe only the setup.

[AZJW]

@winddown Any chance you've tried a steering damper?  I installed a MSC Moto on my T7 last fall after growing tired of battling the front ends wishes to go anywhere except where I wanted while plowing through AZ rock gardens. The damper isn't the whole answer, but I have a elevated level of confidence that the bars aren't going to be ripped out of my hands as easily as before the install.  

See my review on their website for additional mounting details, which was a bit off putting considering the cost of these things.

RM3 Steering Damper Kit Down Under Mount (RM30068) - YAMAHA TENERE 700

---

Designed and implemented since 2016, the RM3 steering damper is the perfect solution for adventure and dual sport motorcycles. The RM3 is a blend of the two most successful MSC Moto steering...

 

[Uncle M]

@winddown if you're uncomfortable riding off-pavement, investing in off-road training can make a greater difference than bike upgrades will. Allows you to gain confidence and lets you use those upgrades more to your advantage.

Edited March 12, 2023 by Uncle M

[Ray Ride4life]

I am actually liking the uncomfortable bits, mostly not when i get to those moments because i get nervous and think i'm unable to do it but then i mostly thing what the heck and go anyway followed by the euphoria of making it or at least don't get hurt or damage the bike... too much.
Don't know if any of you seen the video from my ScanBaltic trip where i did the watercrossing but i spend a lot of time to get to the point i decide to ho for it.
In the video you can't see it's going up about 1 meter after the water. It was a small crossing but i was alone over 200km from the nearest civilisation.
For this year i entered the Bosnia rally and i'm looking forward to it but at the same time i'm thinking what the hell did i do.
It's mostly in my own mind because i did 3 levels in offroad training and my instructor said i really can ride.
I must say the Touratech suspension set makes the bike feel 50kg less and does a great job in handling. One thing you have to learn is not to fight the steering and i have to admit that's the hardest part. Sometimes my front does things that make me feel i'm crashing but somehow it went well all those times (the time i did crash i hadn't time to think).

[Redneckj]

@winddownWhile  reading your post I was thinking, he probably could benefit from a steering damper.   Then I saw below a post that @AZJWmade the comment that you might consider one.   I agree that might be something you might consider.   Rocky and rutted out conditions, steering dampers will shine there.   

[DT675]

Yup, damper, tires and some professional training would make a world of difference.  Obviously it isn't the bike, because of what others here are doing with it.  You're never too old to learn!!

On a side note, i've been riding/ racing (off road) motorcycles for decades.  Things in my life happened and I had to quit racing off road.  But I couldn't just quit quit so I picked track days (its a "little" more relaxed lol). I've got lots of experience riding on tarmac too but certainly am not trained on it.  Our local track club is actually a training club.  I can't possibly express how much i've learned from being coached on the track! And how much I was doing wrong previously! I made such large improvements in the last few years that my 60 year old buddy who still races and has been racing since a teenager has started to wonder about training for his off road racing to up his game.  NEVER too old to learn!

[winddown]

7 hours ago, AZJW said:

@winddown Any chance you've tried a steering damper? 

 

 

 

Yeah, it's made a hell of difference.  The bike still bounces around on the stony gravel but the bars don't anymore   Offroad I have the low-speed circuit dialed up and extra 4 or 5 clicks over the road setting which is 8 out.

[winddown]

5 hours ago, Ray Ride4life said:

 

One thing you have to learn is not to fight the steering and i have to admit that's the hardest part. Sometimes my front does things that make me feel i'm crashing but somehow it went well all those times (the time i did crash i hadn't time to think).

 

Yes I guess that is the hardest part, and maintaining the correct body position in corners.  I still struggle standing up in tight corners (and don't) because I'm not able to steer efficiently (or steer at all!)  I tried rolling the bars forward and resetting the levers and that was great.  But only for standing up.   As for crashing, well that's something I studiously avoid, at least on the T7.  I haven't crashed a bike in 40 years even though I'm a regular rider, twice a week at least, with a few years off here and there.   I suppose I just need to practice more, and perhaps take a course or 3 as @Uncle M suggests.   It's not a problem really, as long as I keep off the stony stuff, but that's an admission of defeat and I don't want to be limited on where I go.  Road wise.

[Windblown]

Riding rocks can be physically demanding,  it can be intimidating, it can cause variety of lingering aches and pains.  In other words it's just not everyone's idea of fun. No shame in that.  I mostly ride rocky terrain for two reasons:

 

1) I like to explore and sometimes rocky terrain is unavoidable in the process of getting to something cool, or to reach a destination the "interesting" way.  

 

2) In order to facilitate #1 above I have to practice occasionally.  Since I hate "practicing" anything that means I choose rough routes intentionally from time to time not so much because they hold a lot of interest but more so so that I am ready for the unexpected when I am in route to something that holds a lot of interest.  

 

We have a rocky off-road riding area 20 minutes from me. It can be a ball breaker. I know a few folks that go up their for "fun" every couple of weeks. I pretty much only ride there grudgingly when I know I need a tune up and don't have time to ride someplace more interesting.

 

The T7 is heavy, intimidating,  somewhat fragile compared to a dirt bike, and can be a real drag to wrestle all day long. If there isn't a reason to there is no reason to.  Ride it in a way that makes ya smile. 

Edited March 12, 2023 by Windblown

[SteadyHorse]

On 3/12/2023 at 4:46 AM, winddown said:

  I still have my little XL250 that I buzz around the local dirt on, now that's another matter altogether.  I don't seem to feel any apprehension on it, I'm totally relaxed, even though the rocks effect it more.  I'm just craving a little more power sometimes.   

 

 

Sounds like somebody needs a DRZ.  Or a 690 if you want to go nuts.