BIKETEST YAMAHA XT660Z TÉNÉRÉ:Handling is effortless, performance superb – but storing the stepladder may be a problem,
writes
TOM ROBERT
HERE IS an urgent message for any basketball players heading for Timbuktu. I have found just the motorbike for you.
In truth, the otherwise excellent Yamaha Ténéré is such a lofty machine that it’s difficult to see who else it will suit, since getting on board will be a tall order for anyone under six feet without the aid of the sidestand or the Dr Furtwangler’s Patented Folding Stepladder for Motorcyclists.
As you may remember, the famed Dr Furtwangler developed this in conjunction with Buell after they came out with the original Ulysses, a bike which led to cries of “Heeeeeellllllllllllllllllllp” from all over the land as riders stopped at traffic lights and put their feet down on the road only to find no road.
I can only imagine that the chaps at Yamaha read a report in the Botswana Daily News warning of an outbreak of giraffe droppings, and felt that the latest incarnation of this legendary motorcycle needed the ground clearance to deal with such horrors.
As readers of Chris Scott’s Adventure Motorcycling Handbook will know, the original Ténéré was developed in the early Eighties from Yamaha’s highly successful Dakar Rally-winning factory machines, and built up a hugely loyal following based on its durability, simplicity of maintenance, on and off-road ability and long-distance comfort.
Indeed, such was its reputation for taking anything that could be thrown at it that it became one of the company’s best-selling models in Europe, and through the Eighties and Nineties became the weapon of choice for so many long-distance bikers that it has certainly clocked up more global circuits than any other single.
Such was the burden of history weighing on the shoulders of the men faced with the challenge of designing the 2009 Ténéré. In many ways they have succeeded admirably, detuning the engine and tweaking the gear ratios for better mid- and low-range power, and adding fuel injection for a seamless delivery of oomph.
The frame is new, the suspension has been improved to cope with the worst terrain you can find, that whopping 23-litre tank has been extended under the seat to lower and centralise mass for better handling, and the front cowl has been redesigned for lower wind resistance and better rider protection from the elements.
And does all this work? Yes sirree Bob, it sure does: even with only 80 miles on the clock when I picked it up, that eager beaver of a single under the tank was still raring to go at motorway speeds, and the screen and seating position so perfectly matched that it was actually more comfortable at speed than the Harley Fat Boy I had out the week before.
On twisty A and B roads, the bike was so light and the handling so effortless that I soon forgot I was riding a bike at all.
Faults? Apart from the ridiculous height of the bike, only that the fuel gauge had a mind of its own, and would leap from showing three-quarters full to practically empty. Mind you, with a range of 480km (300 miles) on a full tank, all you need to do is fill it to the brim and set your trip meter.
The only other potential drawback of the bike is that as gutsy as the engine is with one rider, I suspect that if you’re planning a round-the-world trip two-up and fully loaded, you may want to consider digging deeper into your wallet for a heftier twin such as the BMW F800GS or the Suzuki V-Strom. But if youre young, free and single and Timbuktu is calling, then fire up your credit card and step this way. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll just haul my Dr Furtwangler’s stepladder out of my inside pocket and figure out how to get down of this thing.
Factfile: YAMAHA XT660Z TÉNÉRÉ
Engine: Single cylinder, SOHC, four-valve, fuel-injected 660cc
Power and torque: 35kW (48PS) at 6000rpm, 58Nm (5.92kg-m at 5500rpm
Transmission: Five-speed, chain final drive
Frame:Tubular steel diamond
Suspension: front 43mm RWU, preload-adjustable forks; rear Sachs monoshock, preload-adjustable.
Brakes: front single 298mm dual disc, Brembo twin-piston caliper; rear single 245mm disc,single- piston caliper.
Dimensions: length 2260mm, seat height 895mm, minimum ground clearance 260mm, dry weight 183kgs
Fuel capacity: 23 litres.
Price: €7,300. www.yamaha-motor.ie
Price in North: £5,199
(Test bike supplied by Charles Hurst of Belfast – www.charleshurstgroup.co.uk)