Yamaha XTZ690 Ténéré 700

Predecessors | 1983 - 2016

Ténéré is a large desert in the northeast corner of Niger, and the definition from the Berber language is desert/emptiness/wilderness. Ténéré is the French spelling and the name harks back to a very difficult stage of the Paris-Dakar Rally, a rally that started in Paris, France, went through Algeria, Niger, Mali, Upper Volta and ended up in Dakar, Senegal 10,000 km/6,000 miles later. Yamaha won the motorcycle category in the first two races in 1979 and 1980 on modified XT500's (X=4-stroke, T=Trail) and a further 7 more times. Yamaha in Europe introduced the Ténéré, based on the XT's, but modified for rally, such as the Paris-Dakar race. The Ténéré had modifications such as larger fuel tanks, a stronger suspension with longer travel and a aluminum skid plate; i.e. an Adventure or Dual Sport Motorcycle.

Generation One - 1983

The first Yamaha Ténéré was the 1983 XT600Z Ténéré (34L). It was based on the XT600Z with its monoshock rear aluminum swingarm, but had a larger 30 liter fuel tank, racing colors, longer suspension travel and a skid plate. The Ténéré was a European concept based on the Paris-Dakar rally bikes. The first generation XT600Z was powered by a 43 hp, 595 cc air-cooled single cylinder 4-stroke engine based on the XT550 engine.

Generation Two - 1986

The second generation XT600Z Ténéré (1VJ) came in 1986. Power was increased to 46 hp, and electric start was added to the engine in addition to larger valves, relocated air filter to below the smaller 23 liter fuel tank, and modified carburetors. The design of the bike was also closer to the actual rally bikes.

Generation Three - 1988

The third generation XT600Z Ténéré (3AJ) came in 1988. The 3AJ featured a larger frame mounted fairing with dual headlights, a reworked engine and a change from a drum brake to a disc brake in the rear.

Generation Four - 1991

The fourth generation XTZ660 Ténéré (3YF1) came in 1991 sporting a new 659 cc, single cylinder, liquid cooled, 5-valve engine. The bike was more geared towards the tarmac with shorter suspension and a smaller 20 liter fuel tank.

Generation Five - 1994

The fifth generation XTZ660 Ténéré (4MY1) came in 1994 and used the same 659 cc engine as generation four, but had a new fairing with dual headlamps. The production run ended in 1998.

Generation Six - 2008

The XT660Z Ténéré came in 2008 and was based on the 2004 XT660X, but with taller suspension, a larger 23 liter fuel tank and a more upright windscreen. Powered by a 46 hp, 43 lb.ft, 660 cc, single-cylinder, liquid cooled, SOHC, 4-stroke, 4-valve, fuel injected engine with a 5-speed transmission. One of the few changes during the Generation Six run was ABS towards the end, a European mandate from the start of 2016. The production run of generation six ended later the same year.

Generation six of the XT660Z Ténéré was not sold in the US.

T7 Concept | 2016

The first views of generation seven, the 2017 T7 concept, was shown in November 2016 at the 2016 EICMA (International Motorcycle and Accessories Exhibition) motorcycle show in Milan, Italy. The 2017 T7 concept was designed by the Japanese GK Design Group's European arm located in the Netherlands, the Yamaha R&D located in Italy and Yamaha's Rally team located in France.

GK Design Group, founded in 1952, has been working with Yamaha since the first Yamaha motorcycle, the Yamaha YA-1, a 2-stroke 125 cc single cylinder, saw the streets in 1955.

The T7 concept and the production Ténéré 700/XTZ690 has visual links to the sixth generation Ténéré in production from 2008 to 2016, the 2015 WR450 Rally used in the 2015 and later Dakar Rally races, both with their upright windscreen and narrow stance. Controls and placement of the cockpit/navigation tower have carried over from the 2015 rally bike, through the concept and into the production version. The four transformer style LED headlights, upper two lights = low beam, all four lights = high beam, carried through on the production model, but not the aluminum gas tanks, nor the single front brake disc, the latter was upgraded to a dual Brembo disc setup for higher stopping power and better heat displacement.

Generation Seven - 2019

The seventh generation Ténéré 700/XTZ690 (BW31) came in 2019 and uses the Yamaha CP2 engine used in motorcycles such as the MT-07 in production from 2014. The 689 cc, DOHC, parallel twin, water cooled and fuel injected engine has a 6-speed transmission. The fuel tank holds 16 liters/4.2 US gal.

The wheel travel is the same on generation six and generation seven, 210 mm up front, and 200 mm at the rear, the rear with the linked, progressive monoshock suspension, a system that Yamaha pioneered back in the early-seventies. Single shock rear suspensions had been used before, such as on some Vincent's and later on the German Imme R100, but neither were linked, i.e. progressive.

Due to multiple emissions standards around the world such as CARB (California, USA), EPA Clean Air Act Section 202 (USA), Bharat Stage VI (India) and EURO 5 (Europe), fuel injection, water cooling, variable valve timing, are among the technologies that will be common on all motorcycles, and most new motorcycles are built to comply with the strictest standards in order to comply with all markets and the reason why air cooled motorcycle engines are disappearing.

The Yamaha Ténéré 700 sold in Europe are built in Europe, while the Ténéré 700 sold in USA are built in Japan.

Some markets, such as the European, the main market for Adventure/Dual Sport motorcycles, have three different pre-made accessory versions. The accessories used in these packages are all available individually.

Pre-Made Ténéré 700 Accessory Versions: • Explorer Pack; • Rally Pack; • Rally Edition

Ténéré 700 Explorer Pack: • Center Stand; • Crash Bars - Upper, protecting top of engine and fairing; • Mono Seat Rack; • Side Cases - 2 x 37 Ltr (72 Ltr) aluminum; • Side Case Mounting Brackets; • Skid Plate - larger, 4 mm heavy-duty aluminum

Ténéré 700 Rallye Pack: • Chain Guard; • Chain Guide, minimizes up-down movement; • Exhaust - Akrapovič Slip-On Muffler; • Radiator Protector; • Rally Seat - one piece, taller (895 mm) seat height; • Tank Pad - rubber; • Tail Tidy - smaller number plate holder; • Turn Signals - LED

Ténéré 700 Rally Edition: • Exhaust - Akrapovič Slip-On Muffler; • Hand Grips, off-road style; • Paint Color - sky blue and yellow with black speedblocks and gold rims, used on the very early Yamaha Paris-Dakar rally bikes and a color option on the first Yamaha Ténéré sold in 1983.; • Radiator Protector; • Rally Seat - one piece, taller (895 mm) seat height; • Rims - gold colored; • Side Grip Pads - rubber; • Skid Plate - larger, 4mm heavy-duty aluminum; • Turn Signals - LED

1983 Yamaha XT600Z Ténéré - Generation One (34L)

1987 Yamaha XT600Z Ténéré - Generation Two (1VJ)

1988 Yamaha XT600Z Ténéré - Generation Three (3AJ)

1991 Yamaha XTZ660 Ténéré - Generation Four (3YF1)

1994 Yamaha XT660Z Ténéré - Generation Five (4MY1)

2008 Yamaha XT660Z Ténéré - Generation Six

2017 Yamaha T7 Concept

2019 Yamaha XTZ690Z Ténéré - Generation Seven

2019 Yamaha XTZ690 Ténéré - Explorer Pack

2019 Yamaha XTZ690 Ténéré - Rallye Pack

2020 Yamaha XTZ690 Ténéré - Rallye Edition

CP2 Engine

The heart of the Ténéré 700 is the Yamaha CP2 engine, in use on the FZ-07/MT-07 since the 2015 MY (Model Year). The CP2 engine is a parallel twin 4-stroke gasoline engine with 4 valves per cylinder; i.e. 8 valves, DOHC (Double Over Head Cams), and a flat plane crankshaft. A parallel twin has a smaller footprint and several advantages compared to a V twin, such as less parts.

• one cylinder block vs. two cylinder blocks

• two camshafts vs. four camshafts on a DOHC engine

• shorter chain or fewer gears for the camshafts

• less parts = less costly to produce

• fewer parts = more dependable

A parallel twin has usually a better internal lubrication system due to the simplicity having the oil pump located directly below the crankshaft. The CP2 engine is liquid cooled, giving a more consistent operating temperature range and a higher compression ration vs. an air cooled engine. Together with electronic fuel injection, higher performance and better fuel mileage is achieved through better and more accurate mapping controls.

: • Displacement - 689 cc/42 cid; • Inline Parallell 2-cylinders; • 80.0 mm bore x 68.6 mm stroke (oversquare/short stroke); • oversquare/short stroke engine (larger bore than stroke) = higher rpm and higher hp, undersquare/long stroke engine = peak torque @ lower rpm and lower hp; • Compression Ratio - 11.5:1; • Power - 75 hp/55 kW @ 9000 rpm; • Torque - 68 Nm/37 lb-ft @ 6500 rpm; • Water Cooled; • Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI); • Crossplane crankshaft with uneven firing at 270 and 450 degrees crankshaft rotation for better spread of torque; • Chain Driven DOHC (Double Over Head Cam) Cams; • 4 valves per cylinder; • Wet Clutch with 5 friction plates; • Fuel Consumption - 4.3 l/100 km (55 mpg); • Emission - 100 gram C02 per km; • 6 Gears; • Cylinder Block and Top Engine/Transmission Case cast as one unit = stronger unit and fewer parts; • Balance Shaft in front of crankshaft; • Gear Casette behind crankshaft; • Oil Pump below crankshaft
: • model specific Backbone, Double Cradle Steel Tube Frame; • Spoked 21" Front Wheel with tube; • Spoked 18" Rear Wheel with tube; • 4 Headlights, top lights = low beam, all lights = high beam; • Front Suspensions with 43 mm upside down front fork with 210 mm of travel; • Rear Suspension with swingarm and progressive rear monoshock with 200 mm of travel; • Front Brake with dual wavy Ø 282mm discs, wavy discs gives better brake feel due to constant new leading pad edge in addition to lower lower disc temperature; • Rear Brake with single wavy Ø 245mm disc; • Front Tyre - Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR 90/90 R21 M/C 54V; • Rear Tyre - Pirelli Scorpion Rally 150/70 R18 M/C 70V; • Rally Style Cockpit with bar for GPS/phone mount; • Overall Length - 2,370 mm; • Overall Width - 905 mm; • Overall Height - 1,455 mm; • Seat Height - 880 mm; • Wheel Base - 1,595 mm; • Ground Clearance - 240 mm; • Wet Weight; including full oil & fuel - 204 kg; • Fuel Tank Capacity - 16 liters; • Protective Hand Guards; • Skid Plate - Aluminum
: • 12V power outlet; • Brake Lever - Fully Adjustable; • Center Stand; • Clutch Lever - Fully Adjustable; • Chain Guard; • Chain Guide; • Crash Bars - Upper; • Exhaust - Akrapovič Header Pipe; • Exhaust - Akrapovič Slip On; • Fog Lights - LED; • Fog Light Brackets; • Foot Pegs - Larger; • Grips - Heated; • Handlebar Riser Kit - 20mm taller than stock; • Headlight Guard; • Mono Seat Rack; • Radiator Guard; • Rear Rack; • Rear Suspension Link Lowering Kit; • Seat, High - rises seat height by 40 mm; • Seat, Low - lowers seat height by 20 mm; • Seat, Passenger with higher comfort; • Side Cases - Aluminum; • Side Protection Grip Pads; • Skid Plate; • Tail Tidy; • Tank Pad - Rubber; • Tank Bag; • Tool Box; • Tool Kit; • Top Case - Aluminum; • Turn Signals - LED

Aftermarket Ténéré 700 Accesories/Parts

Below is a list of some of the companies that make aftermarket accesories and parts for the Ténéré 700.

Adventure Spec - United Kingdom: • Crash Bars - Upper; • GPS Mount; • Luggage Rack; • Skid Plate; • Tail Tidy - smaller license plate holder
Eastern Beaver - Japan: • Pre-Wired Fused Electrical Auxilliary Connections; • Pre-Wired Electrical Auxilliary Splitters; • Ténéré 700 Electrical Connectors
Givi - Italy: • Cell Phone Holder; • Crash Bars - Lower; • GPS Mount; • Hand Guard Deflectors; • Rear Rack; • Side Cases - Aluminum; • Side Case Mounting Brackets; • Top Cases - Aluminum; • Sidestand - Enlarged Foot; • Skid Plate; • Taller Screens, Clear and Smoked
Hepco & Becker - Germany: • Center Stand; • Crash Bars - Lower; • Crash Bars - Upper; • Handlebar Guards; • Rear Racks; • Side Cases with Case Holders; • Sidestand - Enlarged Foot; • Skid Plate; • Wind Screen
: • Front Fork Kit; • GPS/Cell Phone Mounts; • Headlight Protector; • Rear Shock/Spring Assemblies; • Rear Suspension Link Lowering Kits; • Seat Release; • Soft Luggage; • Windscreens; • Wheel Spacers - Stainless Steel; • Wind Deflectors; • Wrench for front and rear wheel removal
: • Crash Bars - Lower; • Crash Bars - Upper; • Engine Cover - Left Side; • Engine Cover - Right Side - Water Pump; • Radiator Guards; • Sidestand - Enlarged Foot; • Tail Tidy - smaller license plate holder; • Tie Down Hooks
: • Brake Cylinder - Guard @ Rear; • Handlebar Guards; • Skid Plate; • Waterpump Guard
: • Chain Guards; • Crash Bars - Lower; • Crash Bars - Upper; • Footpegs - Enlarged; • Front Lowering Spring Kit; • GPS Mounts; • Handlebar Riser Kit; • Headlight Guard; • Rear Shock and Spring Kits; • Side Cases and Side Case Brackets; • Sidestand - Enlarged Foot; • Skid Plates; • Top Cases; • Windscreen