Yamaha’s Beginner-Friendly Adventure Bike Imagines A Bright Future For New Riders
This year’s EICMA brought several exciting motorcycles to the party. Most headlines went to Honda, Suzuki, and Ducati, all of which had multiple new bikes for us to drool over. Between all that, though, it was Yamaha that quietly made waves by surprising us with a concept bike no one saw coming. This was a beginner-friendly adventure bike based on the popular Ténéré 700, packed with off-road-ready equipment and a brand-new engine. The motorcycle–called the Ténéré 4–made all the right noise, which inspired us to fire up our creative engines and imagine its production-ready version. Here’s how that went.
Our Yamaha Ténéré 4 Adventure Bike Has A Hardcore Rally Bike-Like Aesthetic
The Ténéré moniker has almost always birthed some serious bikes, built with the purpose of off-roading in mind. The latest Ténéré 4 concept followed the same theme, and our render of the production bike remains aligned with it. Up top, there’s rally bike-inspired bodywork with a tall windscreen, a motocross-inspired fender, and muscular fairings that double as radiator shrouds. We’ve also thrown in knuckle guards and fork covers, as we usually see on such bikes.
Things get more serious in the middle and back. Since the T4 concept has a proper off-road-spec setup, we’ve left that as it is here. So there’s a rally-like seat that should let you move front and back with ease, while the tank has flat sections to lock the knee in position. At the rear, there’s a minimalistic lamp and an upswept dirt bike-like exhaust.
Of course, spoke wheels with knobby rubber and sturdy crash protection for the engine are included, too. To top it all off, we’ve thrown on Yamaha’s Racing Blue colorway here with T7 lighting, but with graphics matching the concept. This might be too complex for the real deal, but hey, it looks really cool in our render.
Last but not least, the cockpit is directly inspired by the T7 as well. We’ve imagined a vertical TFT here, sat behind a rally tower and windscreen–similar to what Yamaha has on its concept. We do feel Yamaha might keep the feature list simple here when the production bike debuts, though. After all, the first-gen T7 did the same by offering just the basics (an LCD cluster and switchable ABS).
The Entry-Level Ténéré Will Feature A Single-Cylinder Powerhouse
Speaking of the real deal, let’s dive into some known details of the T4. We start with the engine that’s clearly a single-cylinder setup. Since Yamaha currently doesn’t have any 300-400cc single-cylinder engine in the mass-market segment, this will likely be an all-new powerhouse. Sources from Japan suggest a capacity of around 430 cubic centimeters, putting the bike right in the ballpark of the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450.
Why The Engine Choice Makes Sense For Yamaha
Why a single-cylinder mill when parallel-twins are all the rage? We can think of two driving reasons for that. First: Yamaha has a long history of such engines running under the OG Ténéré lineup. The XT600 kicked things off, and the single-cylinder Ténéré remained on sale for decades. So there’s some history here. Second: single-cylinder engines are a proven choice for off-road shenanigans. Not only are they light, but they have a predictable power curve to help control rear traction. Even Dakar bikes stick to the layout.
High-Quality Underpinnings From Reputed Brands Are Expected
Partnering the engine are expected to be premium underpinnings. The concept shows KYB upside-down forks and a KYB monoshock, both with long suspension travel and adjustability. These are likely to remain unchanged on the production bike, given the brand’s long-standing relationship with KYB. Right from small-capacity bikes like the YZF-R3 to the flagship YZF-R1, you can find KYB suspension on all kinds of Yamahas.
Other than this, the spoke wheels should remain standard as well. These visibly look identical to the bigger Ténéré, matching the dual-sport-inspired 21/18-inch sizes. We would expect less extreme tires than the concept bike, though. Rounding things off would be a tubular chassis and swingarm to keep things simple, both visible on the concept and visibly similar to the 700.
The Ténéré 4’s Debut Timeline Remains Unclear For Now
Combining the DNA and experience of its Ténéré siblings, the Ténéré 4 Concept has been developed for riders looking for a lightweight, controllable motorcycle that allows them to tackle rugged terrain with greater confidence, while opening their world up to new trails and adventures. – Yamaha
There’s no denying the Ténéré 4 has made headlines worldwide, and for all the right reasons. This is Yamaha’s first modern-day adventure bike in the entry-level segment, which should make the Ténéré experience more accessible for the masses. Particularly, the ADV would help lure interested riders who find the T7 too expensive. As exciting as all that is, there’s a problem.
Team Blue hasn’t shed any light on when the baby Tenere will enter production. There are no type-approval or trademark filings to suggest its arrival, either. The only positive sign is the fact that Yamaha had presented the T7 as a concept during the 2018 EICMA before its official debut in 2020. So all we can do for now is wait for Yamaha’s next move.
Source: Yamaha
Related posts
Latest Post
No Comments