Yamaha Tenere 700 Rally Edition announced for Europe

• Yamaha reveals higher-spec Ténéré 700 Rally Edition for Europe

• Features unique colour scheme, taller seat, Akrapovic slip-on exhaust and more

• No updates to the engine

The Yamaha Ténéré 700 is the manufacturer’s sole middleweight ADV offering and it’s been gaining a fair share of popularity since its launch overseas last year. Now, the Japanese manufacturer has announced a more hardcore version for the European market, called the Ténéré 700 Rally Edition.

Does it look any different?

Yes, it does. The Ténéré 700 Rally Edition features a bright blue and yellow colour scheme that pays homage to the 1983 Yamaha XT600 Ténéré’s colours. The XT600 raced the 1983 and 1984 Paris-Dakar with Jean-Claude Olivier and Serge Bacou at the handlebars.

What are the mechanical differences?

The Rally Edition features a rally seat that increases the seat height by 20mm from the standard bike’s already tall 875mm. Additionally, grip pads on the tank, off-road hand grips, a 4mm thick aluminium bash plate, and a radiator and chain guard are also seen.

The 689cc parallel-twin remains the same with peak output figures of 73.4hp at 9,000rpm and 68Nm at 6,500rpm. However, the Rally Edition comes equipped with a street-legal Akrapovic slip-on exhaust as standard.

Hardware like the fully adjustable 43mm USD fork and monoshock from KYB, brakes and Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR remain unchanged as well.

When does it go on sale?

Unfortunately for us, the Ténéré Rally Edition will only go on sale in Europe later this July. While pricing is yet to be announced, it’s expected to cost slightly more than the GBP 9,147 (Rs 8.58 lakh) price tag of the base Ténéré 700.