It’s a hazard of the job that up until now I have been relatively resistant to – collecting bikes. I have owned a few over the years: a CB500 to race, Z1000 because it was beautiful, and a 2009 ZX-6R which, ultimately, I fell in love with, to name but a few. However, work in a dog’s home and you will undoubtedly have homed a dog; a stationery shop I would imagine you would have pens everywhere and working on a bike mag. Well, every now and then a bike comes along that you can’t imagine living without – this is how I am feeling about this Ténéré 700.
I have been back in the seat for long periods again this month, February less so due to other commitments but work allowed more road-time in March which saw the T7 clock its 4,500-mile mark and I have been onboard for 2,600 of them over a period of four winter months. Not a bad mark-up for winter riding, which goes some way to indicate how well the Ténéré deals with adverse conditions, and myself thinking about it – though that has been helped by heated gloves, heated grips and covering myself in glue and running through a Rukka store.
I have been inspired to delve into the performance of the Ténéré this month, especially as I am also involved in a project with MSL’s sister title Fast Bikes magazine where ‘we’ are working alongside Michael Rutter and his Bathams Racing team to build a Super Twin for this year’s Isle of Man TT. The bike of choice is Yamaha’s YZF-R7. A bike that you may be aware shares the same CP2 engine as the Ténéré and the grininducing MT-07.
Denne historien er fra June 2023-utgaven av Motorcycle Sport & Leisure.
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Denne historien er fra June 2023-utgaven av Motorcycle Sport & Leisure.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
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.
