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Yamaha Ténéré 700 World Raid review (Baujahr 2022)

What can the Yamaha T7 World Raid do better than the standard T7?

17.08.2022

Photos: Motorradtest.de

The Yamaha Ténéré 700 World Raid appears at first glance as a pimped-up T700. At second glance, however, there are a lot of differences to the standard T700. Meike and Dietmar checked out what these are and how the World Raid drives during a test drive.

This is how it stands

The World Raid is a big motorcycle. Really big - and high! A wheelbase of 1.60 m and a seat height of 890 mm make it unmistakably clear: This machine is not for little people. We already noticed this when testing the Standard Ténéré 700 , but with the World Raid (WR) the whole thing seems a corner bigger. This may be mainly due to the fact that the WR has a wider front and a bulkier tank.

In addition to these two bikes, Yamaha has also secretly launched a rally version of the T7 in 2022. This differs optically from the standard T7, the WR, however, has received many technical updates on the way.

>>> comparison Yamaha Ténéré 700 Standard, Rally and World Raid <<<

We have dedicated an extra chapter to the differences to the World Raid in our test video, in which Joachim Even from the Yamaha Center Hamburg explains what the World Raid has ahead of the other two T700s. In keywords: Better KYB fork (fully adjustable), better seat, TFT color display with roadbook function, 3-fold ABS, crash bar, improved underbody protection, longer spring travel and just the larger tank with the two chambers. In addition, the WR driver can look forward to an adjustable steering damper from Öhlins, which should be useful especially in off-road use.

The seating position of the World Raid is really impressive. The wide handlebars and the enormous seat height as well as the wide stem result in a majestic driving experience that you would not expect on a 700cc machine. The WR almost feels like a GS, but this also applies to the weight. The World Raid weighs only a moderate 220 kg compared to the 250 kg Adventure ships, but the bike feels heavier. So the WR weighs 16 kg more than the standard T700 and this weight wants to be brought around the curve. Don't misunderstand: This is not a broken leg, but at least when maneuvering is over for smaller or less strong people.

We think it's a pity that Yamaha forgot the grab handles for the passenger. The focus of the WR is certainly not on tours for two people, but rather on the solo traveler who wants to see Mongolia, but the seating comfort for the passenger could certainly have been done a bit better.

Dimensions of the Yamaha Ténéré 700 World Raid

360 degree tour around the Yamaha Ténéré 700 World Raid

What she should be able to do

The technical equipment of the World Raid is similar to the standard T700 manageable. There is still no ride by wire and therefore no riding modes, no traction control or other bells and whistles. The ABS can be adjusted here in three stages, certainly a useful feature for off-road drivers.

The cockpit is now a very easy to read 5 inch color TFT display with different "themes". There is also a roadbook function, for which Yamaha has donated a separate switch on the left. The cockpit is also upright on the World Raid, which underlines the enduro character of the machine.

The lighting equipment is completely LED, the headlights consist of two low beams and two high beams. Especially from the front, a Ténéré 700 (no matter which one) is therefore immediately recognizable, it is visually very independent.

All T700s have underbody protection, which has been improved on the WR. When sitting up, the two-part tank immediately catches the eye. This looks impressive, but in our opinion it is superfluous, especially since the installation of a tank bag is likely to be difficult.

This is how it drives itself

As already indicated, the World Raid is a very large motorcycle, which is also immediately apparent during the ride. It feels very solid, even at high speed on the highway it does not get upset. The 21 inch front wheel does a good job off-road, but leads to a rather straight-ahead driving behavior on the road. Don't misunderstand: Of course, the WR also drives through curves, but the whole thing is not really manoeuvrable. Nevertheless, Dietmar in particular felt more than comfortable on this machine. The high seating position and the confident handling are more reminiscent of a GS than an Enduro on the road.

The windscreen is slightly higher on the World Raid than on the other T7, in addition there are winglets on the sides of the fairing. The fairing itself is wider because of the 23 liter tank and all this together results in good wind and weather protection. At higher speeds there is smaller turbulence on the helmet according to rider size, but this is good to endure and you don't want to have a cabinet wall windshield a lá GSA on such a bike - and above all you don't have to look at it.

In terms of performance, we could not detect any difference to the standard T7. In absolute terms, the World Raid sprints a bit slower from 0 to 100 km/h due to the higher weight, but that doesn't feel slow. The torque from 60 to 100 km/h is also comparable - what a miracle, the engine including mapping is identical. The T7 does not want to be a performance grenade and it is not either. The CP2 is already elastic and revving, but of course it can't keep up with the 125+ hp bikes of the upper class. But he doesn't want to, because the focus of the World Raid is on traveling, not on the lawn.

The very good range of approx. 500 km fits just as well as the comfortable chassis tuning. The fully adjustable fork at the front responds sensitively and you can board over hill and dale, the WR does not disturb that. The sound (see soundcheck top right) is inconspicuously okay, which also fits a long range tourer.

Conclusion - what sticks

We underestimated the T7 World Raid before the test. At least we didn't expect how mature the machine is. Seat height, sheer size and the higher weight make the World Raid a different machine than the "little sister" T7. It is made for the gaaaaanz long journey over hill and dale and drives extremely confidently. It is not suitable for smaller people, but this is already evident in the seat test. The good sales figures of the two previous T7 models should improve the World Raid again - it is actually not a cheap wash, but quasi new motorcycle.

The test bike was kindly provided by the Yamaha Center Hamburg / Tecius & Reimers. There, the World Raid stands as a demonstrator and looks forward to test drives. Just call and ask for Joachim. Have fun!

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