You Need To Know THIS Before Buying A Tenere 700

CONTENT WARNING: SWANKY CAT videos are intended for entertainment purposes ONLY. Any attempt to recreate, reenact, or otherwise copy ANYTHING shown in SWANKY CAT videos is done at the viewers own risk!

PAID PROMOTION NOTICE: The SWANKY CAT channel regularly accepts, uses, tests, & reviews promotional products in or content. After owning the Tenere 700 for a while now and after putting out a very positive review on it, I decided it would be good to revisit some of its design flaws as well as the less than ideal characteristics I've come across during my ownership.

Links to my gear & parts!
(If you click these and make a purchase on the sites I earn a small commission, which goes towards more videos like this!)
Camel ADV Products (Exhaust, Skid Plate, High Fender Kit, Anti Bobble Head Kit, Tail Tidy)
Radiator Guard:

Motovlog Stuff

[foxsquirrel]

Thank you for the honest truths about the limitations of this bike. I have has $500 down waiting for one of these for 4 months. Bike is due in the spring of 2023. For me, it is totally worth the wait. I will not be nearly as aggressive of a rider as you. Mostly pavement and dirt roads in the mountians of the east coast usa. I can wait b/c I know the bike is worth it.

[kawabungah]

This great vlog is a bonus for all of us who have been waiting for a Tenere 700. Being an informed buyer is always a plus. Even though this popular machine is an affordable and brilliant addition to the adventure bike field of choices, you've expertly listed areas that can be improved - like all the other brands and models. An example: Though I don't hear it mentioned often, one of my biggest complaints about my new KLR is the weak mounting structure for the foot pegs (i.e. easily overstressed or stripped out mounting threads). Even worse, these under-engineered mounts seem to be the only points for mounting a center stand. Therefore, I chose not to add an aftermarket center stand because I believe the repeated use of a stand will result in weakened footpeg mounts which will become a safety concern. This problem can be remedied by welding stronger thread blocks to the frame for mounting the pegs.... A future project for me not unlike your modification to the T7 muffler mount in order to avoid probable frame damage in an off-road spill. Your message to not wait for the "un- obtainable" and go ride something is a good one. Thanks!!

[mkramsauer]

As always brother great content looking forward to seeing what you will do next

[jonjensen]

Good to see you like the 🐫 products I just got my 22 T7. I like watching a fellow badger with similar interests on the tube. Maybe someday see you in the woods keep it up.

[rebus]

Love mine. It's like you said, it's not the best on road or off road but does well. Not many choices for bikes that do both well. It's an adv bike. I have a 450l for single track

[billcotton]

This is one bike I have never actually seen in person. It looks like a great machine.

[johncoleman]

Good one Ben. Always nice to know pros and cons. They ALL have them. Think about needs & expectations. Keep it up. Slightly modded . Gen1 KLR scratches my itch for the moment.

[turinhorse]

About the size and weight of the T700... if youre 6" or above, it really doesnt feel top heavy. People sorta had me worried about my purchase of the Tenere but pretty quickly it felt very nimble and controllable even at slower speeds. i'm 6'1 205 lb with boots on. just sayin. But Swanky is 100% right about the oil nut being overtorqued and the exhaust.

[shaunoftheguads]

My Givi skid plate came with a high density foam block directly underneath the oil pan, so when you jack the bike up it is supported by the engine/oil pan as well as the skid plate and frame.

[johnstaring]

It was never sold as an enduro bike, it is aimed at adventure riders. It fills that role well for its price.

[Simonfnp]

I’ve got a 2022 model and with 100 mph mine still drives like a laser.

[cybrnathan]

The KLR650 has similar downsides (heavy, tall, not friendly on the The wobbling at highway speed can be mitigated in 2 ways. First you need a fork brace (if they have one for the T7). I put one on my KLR and it made a world of difference as far as stability on the road. Some people have also put on smaller front fenders and that made a big difference too.

[robertlee]

I have one. I keep it in a friends barn in the Ardeche mountains. It is not a single track bike. But if you had to own just one bike in Europe this is the bike. It’s also bullet proof. I’ve gone 40, 000 km in two summers. Nothing has gone wrong. Zero. It also has incredible torque at low rpm’s. You cannot stall this bike. I have a GS Adventure in the USA. You can easily stall the BMW.

[steves]

Camel ADV have released the fix for the rear brake.

[jaybosher]

Manual says something nuts like 32lbs for the drain plug. So glad I googled it just in case

[ericschellenberger]

Some valid and well known info here. It will always be top heavy. Definitely the owners manual will tell you to break your bike (drain plug) at 600 miles which truly sucks. Use a reasonable torque. But saying the head wobbles at speed on pavement is unfair and maybe only true for the knobbies you were running. DUH. The OEM rubber, or my Dunlop Trailmax Missions for instance, run to 90 smoothly.
You cannot turn the T7 into a KTM 350 EXC or a KTM 890 Duke, true dat. But if you buy one at its relatively inexpensive MSRP and go to Camel ADV and apply their high quality and well designed fixes you will get an adventure bike arguably equal to and as fun to ride as any “adventure bike” out there at this level of investment.
I only reference Camel ADV here because they have comprehensive fixes for all this stuff, laid out, explained, and videoed in an easily digestible website. There are tons of other shops making fixes for the T7.

[PatchedBandit]

Just get mivv or hpcorse high exhaust so no need to cut anything and the pipe is even better protected

[surkovich]

Check your alignment on the bike, those speed wobels should not be that bad or common.

[MeerkatADV]

Other than the typo in the owners manual (which yamaha has addressed), I don't agree with most of your points and haven't had the same experiences.

[Mrpro]

Funny. Here in Denmark, you can just go and pick it up. No problem getting one..if I had the money, I would be riding one now.