Yamaha Ténéré 700 World Raid Backstory

The arrival of the two Yamaha Ténéré 700 World Raid rally factory bikes in the Djerba bivouac caused a buzz. The surprise announcement that Yamaha was entering its popular mass-produced twin-cylinder adventure bike in the Tunisia Desert Challenge, a grueling eight-day desert race across the dunes in the Sahara, lit up the global motorsports media as it came on the heels of the shockwave news of Yamaha’s withdrawal from the Dakar Rally (after participating for 40 years!) as well as the FIM Cross-Country Rally World Championship.

Walking into the bivouac upon arrival in Djerba, the first thing I wanted to see were these two Ténéré 700 World Raid factory rally bikes. I was certain they’d only share a cosmetic resemblance with the standard T700WR. Although they might share their DNA with the stock models, surely the blue body panels would hide the fact that there was not a single OEM part to be found. I was convinced they were totally redesigned, hand-built racebikes that had never come near a factory assembly line. In other words, purebred racing pedigree unobtainium!

And I could not have been more wrong. Conducting daily interviews with Alessandro Botturi and Pol Tarrés, the Yamaha factory riders competing in the Tunisia Desert Challenge (TDC), along with amiable team manager Manuel Lucchese, I learned the Ténéré 700 World Raid factory rally bikes are indeed unique and special, but not for the reasons I’d assumed. Contrary to my belief, they started life as standard models, coming off the same assembly line as every other Ténéré 700 sold in the global market, and are far closer to the stock models than one might assume.

Alessandro Botturi, winner of the Tunisia Unexpected victory at the Desert Challenge.

At the end of 2020, Yamaha Europe R&D contracted Manuel Lucchese as project manager to develop the Yamaha Ténéré 700 World Raid into a capable race bike. This assignment was a recognition of Manuel’s vast engineering expertise in developing rally bikes and his racing career achievements. Manuel is a former Baja World Champion and a legendary Dakar Malle Moto hero. Furthermore, Manuel heads Rebel X Sports SRL, an Italian engineering company that designs and manufactures high-quality custom parts and rally kits for enduro, rally, and adventure bikes of all makes.

Manuel’s role covered everything from test riding to designing parts, coordinating engineers, and choosing suppliers. Development and testing of the rally prototype took over a year, which was shorter than expected, thanks to the already high “baseline” of the stock bike.

To assess its potential and determine which OEM parts would be upgraded, the development team took the standard bike to the track, where they say it performed beyond expectations. It handled so well that this initial test session ended with Manuel and Alessandro Botturi battling it out for the best lap times. Even before any real work had begun, this was a promising beginning that hinted at greater things to come.

The stock Ténéré 700 World Raid performed beyond expectations during the initial test rides.

The team was surprised that the stock dual front tanks didn’t need to be replaced or modified, other than fitting one-hand operated fuel caps and a transparent fuel level line. The main development concern was mounting the substantial cluster of rally navigation instruments within the limited cockpit space behind the narrow headlight-and-windshield combo. The development team was keen to retain the dimensions and appearance of the stock bike, with its compact front end that yielded a very light front-end feeling.

The stock front dual tanks worked for the factory rally bike.

The development team needed to mount the instruments as close as possible to the handlebar and steering head, to reduce the effect of their weight on the bike’s steering and handling. To achieve this, they developed a compact 4x15W LED headlight set that opened up more space behind the windshield for the instrument tower. In addition, a trick one-piece windshield with Dzus turn-lock fasteners for quick removal enabled direct access to the nav instruments and wiring without the use of tools. A special fuse box for the navigation instruments’ electrical connections was mounted directly on the tower, making it easy for riders to do roadside repairs. Looking at the tower and neatly mounted cluster of instruments leaves no doubt that Manuel and his team nailed this design challenge.

The cockpit with rally navigation instruments.

Although the initial test revealed the OEM suspension to be surprisingly capable, race application required upgrading to Kayaba 48mm forks with Kashima coating; this reduces friction and increases durability with abrasion and corrosion resistance. Specially designed CNC-machined triple clamps replaced the stock setup making the front end more rigid while keeping the same offset as the OEM forks. The custom-made triple clamps are designed to fit a steering damper and to adjust the steering angle. The race bike’s front and rear suspension also have slightly more travel than the stock machine for increased ground clearance. A smart move, given Pol Tarrés’ preference for rock climbing (watch his gravity-defying tricks on his YouTube channel).

The next parts off the CNC machines were the rear shock and ultra-wide footpegs, allowing the riders to exert more control through greater leverage and interchangeable pins, as well as increased comfort during the long liaisons between the special stages.

The OEM frame is unchanged, apart from a slightly modified bolt-on subframe that holds two custom-made aluminum rear tanks of 6.5 liters and a second fuel pump. A handlebar-mounted switch allows selecting the activation of the rear or front fuel pump according to rider preference for adjusting the weight balance.

The two custommade rear side tanks hold 6.5L.

The OEM wiring harness is simplified, with ABS sensors and other unnecessary bits removed. To save weight, the plastic body panels are replaced by carbon-fiber pieces. The one-piece plastic rear body assembly was changed out for two separate carbon fiber side panels and a rear fender to allow for quick replacement of crash-damaged individual parts.

To cope with any terrain conditions, including mud, the developers binned the wheel-hugging stock front fender, opting for a YZ motocross-inspired high-mounted mudguard. Sturdy rally wheels reinforced with thicker spokes and a narrower 2.5-inch rear rim replaced the stockers, allowing the use of Bib Mousse and Michelin Desert tires.

A GET lithium-ion battery cut more weight and left space to fit a tool bag under the quick-release one-piece seat (vs. the two-piece stock seat). The rally seat cover is made of a special comfort-enhancing, ultra-quick-dry leather. Also, a layer of memory foam is added under the grip-enhancing, anti-sliding “humps” on the seat.

Engine-wise, the stock power unit is untouched; its power output was more than adequate. The stock air filter housing was replaced with a powder-printed airbox giving quick, easy access to a large foam filter. There’s also a new full titanium Akrapovic exhaust system. The improved airflow meant the ECU needed to be remapped, to suit the riders’ preferences. The team converted from a 525 to a 520 chain, with 15-tooth front sprocket, and 48-tooth rear, for more aggressive acceleration in soft dunes. A new two-piece CNC-machined clutch allows the rider and wrenchers to quickly change the clutch plates, a component that often fails in the dunes.

To preserve the engine through full-throttle racing in the hot desert, the development team opted for two radiator fans and added an oil cooler. Durable, heat- and pressure-resistant silicone coolant hoses replace the stock rubber radiator hoses. For added protection, the team mounted up a carbon-Kevlar skid plate. They also added a motocross-style Pro-Taper handlebar with quick-adjust Pro-Taper levers.

Since rally bikes are specifically designed for their intended purpose, modifying a heavy adventure bike into a racer and hoping that it will finish, let alone win, a brutal event like the TDC, is a foolhardy bet against the odds. Yamaha took a high-stakes gamble when they entered the production-based rally bikes in the TDC for their first real-world test.

Flogging the Yamaha Ténéré 700 World Raid on a test track in Italy.

The Tunisia Desert Challenge’s subtitle is “Extreme Rally Raid,” and it lives up to its name. The experienced Dakar participants in the TDC stated the Sahara region of El Borma, a military closed-off “Forbidden Zone,” features the most challenging dunes they had ever encountered in their rally career, far worse than anything in the Dakar.

These endless dune fields are renowned for the treacherous fesh-fesh that is the bane of every rally raid participant. This soft, dust-like powder swallows wheels instantly, unlike granular sand that offers some resistance. To make things even harder, the unpredictability of the irregularly shaped dune crests makes the TDC a hard test for men and machines. Stuck vehicles kept the sweeper trucks busy this year!

Why would a manufacturer risk the reputation of a best-selling model in an extremely challenging race held in such a hostile environment? To prove a point and to make a bold marketing statement in the most media-conspicuous way. From the outset of the rally project, Yamaha intended to race their popular long-distance adventure motorcycle to showcase what it is capable of. The brief for the R&D team was therefore to stay as close to the stock Ténéré 700 World Raid as possible, with only minimal modifications and upgrades necessary to cope with the most demanding rally conditions.

The Yamaha Ténéré World Raid Team entered the TDC purely as a test since racing is the best way to learn how far a newly developed bike has come and assess what further development is needed. Alessandro Botturi’s win was something no one at Yamaha Motor Europe could have dreamed of, let alone expected. Victory at a major desert rally in the first attempt, with a bike still under development, is the stuff dreams are made of. And if it wasn’t for bad luck that befell the über-talented Pol Tarrés, the Yamaha Ténéré World Raid Team might very well have scored a one-two podium finish in their first “test” rally raid.

Unexpected victory at the Desert Challenge. Tunisia Desert Challenge— Extreme Rally Raid.

Apart from proving the performance and durability of the recently launched Ténéré 700 World Raid, this rally project will yield additional benefits for owners who want to upgrade the off-road capabilities of their adventure bike to the same specs as the TDC-winning rally bike. All the upgrades will be offered separately as aftermarket parts to customers worldwide, either through Yamaha’s subsidiary GYTR (Genuine Yamaha Technology Racing) or Rebel X Sports.

Jan Marc “Jayem” Staelens, Ph.D. After pursuing a zigzagging career leading nowhere across five continents, Jayem was forced to face up to the undeniable truth that his stints working in foreign affairs, the corporate rat race, academia, and running his own companies, were merely ludicrous self-delusional attempts trying to hide that he was only cut out for one thing: riding motorcycles! Jayem has lived in Europe, Africa, Australia, North America, and Asia. Although a veteran of intercontinental bike trips, he keeps adding far-flung destinations to his bucket list.