Based on the standard Ténéré model with its slimmer 16-litre tank, but fitted with higher quality, fully adjustable KYB suspension featuring an extra 20mm of travel, a sump guard, radiator mesh, flat one-piece rally seat, bigger titanium rally footrests, and a high-level enduro-style front mudguard, the Extreme really looks the part and I was dead keen to get on it. Though that wasn't easy!
I nearly called for a step ladder!
Looking forward as much as I was at the idea of spending a day on the new Ténéré, just getting underway presented a fairly sizeable challenge for me. As an off-road fan and having ridden many different bikes specifically designed to work in that more testing environment, I'm aware of a feature they all share - very tall seat heights. However, at a lofty 910mm, the new Extreme has one of the highest. In fact, so elevated is the 700's new rally seat, I had little choice but to request the slightly lower saddle option, reducing things to a slightly more acceptable 890mm. Even so, my shorter-than-average 30-inch inside leg still meant getting both feet on the ground was impossible though it might have helped if I'd had the alternative rear suspension link fitted which lowers the bike still further. Luckily for me, I've developed the necessary techniques to cope with climbing and staying aboard. The tall seat is a bit of a frustrating feature of the bike, and shorties like me need to be much more observant to ensure being able to support the bike whenever coming to a halt.
All is forgiven and forgotten
Esta historia es de la edición August 2024 de Motorcycle Sport & Leisure.
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Esta historia es de la edición August 2024 de Motorcycle Sport & Leisure.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
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Honda CRF1100L ES Africa Twin
Without panniers he was adventuring nowhere - so at least Bertie's got something sorted now
BMW R 12 nineT
Chad gets a track day surprise when BMW's R 12 nineT turns out to be surprisingly fun on track
Test fleet: VOGE 525 DSX
After testing the Voge's abilities on a long ride, it was time to take it to the Cotswolds and see how it would manage on the rougher stuff
Portuguese Perambulations
Nearly over before it had begun, a brief workshop stint allows Spain and Portugal to be explored
Highway to Heaven
Three friends take on the challenge of riding the length of Canada, from Vancouver in the southwest to Inuvik in the north. The road is long, the conditions merciless, and wildfires are tearing through the country. To top it all off, the final leg of the journey is the ultimate test of gravel riding skills, nerves, and courage - it's the legendary Dempster Highway...
Battlaxes at the ready!
We tend to take tyres for granted, never really looking at them in any detail, or at how they work, just hoping that they keep us shiny side up at all times. Even in the wet
Ducati Riding Experience
When I rode the Ducati DesertX to France last year, I did have a bit of an explore on some easy fire roads and gentle green lanes in the wilds of the Médoc area, but was left with the feeling that, had I the experience, the DesertX would have been capable of taking me along some more extreme trails to some even more exciting places. If only there was a way of finding out just how well the Italian adventure bike could cope with some more extreme terrain...
Four pot flyer
Many said that sports bikes, and particularly bikes in the traditional Supersports class that was populated by 600cc inline fours, were dead. Maybe they spoke too soon?...
Eastern adventurer
With an increasing interest in smaller capacity adventure bikes, the market expands with a new entry
First Time Lucky?
It's ironic that the first all-new MV Agusta model to hit the marketplace right after Italy's No.1 trophy brand was acquired by Austrian giant Pierer Mobility, owner of off-road titans KTM, should be the company's first dual-purpose model of the modern era, powered by MV's all-new 931cc three-cylinder engine that's destined to form the basis of a whole series of new models in coming months and years.
