Tenere 660 vs Tenere 700, which is better?

Do I have to buy the new Tenere 700?

Special thanks to my friend Plamen for letting me ride his brand new motorcycle in these conditions!

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[luckylarrikin]

AN OPEN LETTER TO YAMAHA. Give Pavlin the new rally model . . . . . you know he is your best connection to the public!

[richardsracingmad]

I will keep my fingers crossed for you that you win the Lottery!

[makmar]

My friend, the fact that you are wondering which bike is better probably means that you have already decided in your heart which one it really is!!

[codrulez]

I have just order mine two days ago. Its perfect, can't wait 😀

[enduromotorradtouren]

Tempting, such a new bike. Great experience, your new test ride. And thank to Plamen for letting you go.
Günter from Nürnberg/Germany

[PedroSantos-vumg]

Pav, letting go of your 660 is like letting go of so many precious memories: the agony and ecstasy of riding her; the ups and downs of her maintenance dependability (more ups); the remote places she has taken you to date, etc. I'm certain you have very many archived hours of recorded video adventures on her that you can someday piece together an awesome documentary and make it available for your fans. And I think it should be sponsored and paid for exclusively by Yamaha, as you've been its greatest unpaid Tenere Ambassador. In fact, if I had lobbying power, I'd strongly recommend Yamaha to gifted you a brand new T7.

I was thinking to purchase a latest African Twin as I would use it for touring 85 percent on paved roads and 15 percent of dirt roads with a little gravel. I'm too old to be handling a big heavy bike for off-road for hard, technical riding. Nonetheless, I won't go anywhere soon until most of the COVID pandemic is behind us because I have asthma problems. I'm just not going to take a chance here in the US. For now, I'll just ride along with you by watching your videos. Stay safe.

[iriiri]

Whichever make you happier, that's the best one

[kakudmi]

Big difference in money. Pavlin doesn't swim in money, otherwise he'd probably have more than one bike already.
Although T7 will give some fresh pleasure in the first month, you get used to it quickly, and then you find yourself thinking was it worth it..

Also, Pavlin never needed more power for his trips. 660 has plenty for his needs. If he had a pillion rider that would practically require stronger bike. But this would be throwing money at more unnecessary hp and extra electronics which we clearly know Pavlin doesn't need at all.

ABS and traction control will alter how you ride and react. It will make you more daring and comfortable where you would otherwise ride more careful and technical style. Is that a change for the better? I'm not sure.

Pavlin, you need two bikes.

[stigthe]

I had a huge dilemma this March. New T7 or old T660. T660 is still a great bike however its pretty old. You never know what previous owner did to it. That discouraged me. New T7 is superb bike but 10400€ is too much money for me. So I bought CRF300L instead. New for 5500€. Is it better than T7? No way! But its good enought for me and its much lighter. Im small so its even better for me in some aspects. Next year I can go to a vacation with my CRF. I would go nowere with T7 because I would have to pay a loan for it.

[brianm]

I prefer single cylinder because of simplicity but in this case the CP2 was a real upgrade from the 660 engine. The only disadvantage I see is checking adjustment in twice the number of valves in the T7. Also more power means you can't go too far without coolant. Pavlin you can ascertain to that as you drove a 660 in New Zealand with insufficient coolant and nothing happened to it. Isn't the 660 a dry sump? I think that's a plus also

[TheMotorman]

I don't know which motorcycle is better but I like the 660 sound, sounds like an MMG👍👍

[Szwedu]

Its all about the compromise, no matter how much you spend . I am at the market for a new one for a long time, and every few months the new idea comes in mind .

[adamz]

Owned a Xt660z and now a T7.
Loved the 660 but mine was haunted with different problems (i know this is not the normal situation).
It was about as heavy as the t7 and not nearly as comfy on the long hauls. But for adventurerides on smaller roads etc it was great.

The 660 is awsome and as long as it is working I would keep it since the T7 is quite pricey.

[whitedrguy]

First you must define better.

As an owner of a T7 and a DR 650 I find the T7 better on the open road, much smoother, but the DR is better everywhere else, 40 kg difference in weight alone is better in my book, the DR is better to work on, no plastic to remove and also better for crash damage, less plastic to repair.

As an travel bike the simpler the better works for me, the difference between the T7 and the 660 is probably not so great because the 660 is heavy and covered in plastic but the T7 does have more power.

Take the plunge Pavlin, get the T7 or just enjoy what you have, end of the day they do exactly the same thing, get you from A to B

[matjazpajek]

How about a second solution. There is 118k subscribers in this channel. If only half of us, contribute some lose change, there would be more than enough for a new Tenere 700 for Pavlin. I think that would be a small thank you, for everything he has done so far for us, with his educational and interesting videos. What do you say?

[SmokinZen]

Motorcycles have to evolve like everything else, I never got to see the 660 here in the states but I am glad we finally have the 700 now.

[sretenjovanovic]

T7 of course. You need extra cylinder and horsepower for your journeys, especially for highway speeds and a lot or luggage. Also CP2 engine reliability is excellent, and fuel efficient.

[WiltshireMan]

I think eventually you will replace the old bike with the T7 but in the mean time the old bike is still serving you well especially after so much work. Keep it, ride it, it's a tool.
You own the bike, the bike should not own you.
Then when the time is right perhaps after C 19 restrictions are lifted and we can travel freely then a T7 if that is your preferred bike but only when the time is bikes are great.

When the horse gets old it retires to green pasture and long days of work are over. When the BIG TRIP is on then a new horse ..A fresh horse... A new bike.. Less problems. Adventure Adventure Motorcycle Adventures:)

[barkinsahin]

No doubt, the engine of 660 is a legendary bullet-proof unit. My biggest complain about Tenere660 is its high center of gravity, especially when fully loaded.

[frankspencer]

A ténéré is for life, mine is 35 years old.
I own three more bikes and I owned plenty more, but the most joyful and memorable rides was, is and will, be the old thumper.
After the apocalypse only insects and bikes with ténéré written on the tank will be left.