2024 yamaha tenere 700

T7

Motorcycles have taken over.

I love the Tiger Rally 900, but I plan to take this adventure farther and further than comfort is willing to go. I don’t know if this will be my final adventure motorcycle, but I hope it is. I’ve mentioned that the Tenere 700 was my first choice but ended up with a Tiger 900. I’m not complaining. In fact, I imagine the Tiger is a better bike in many ways, but parts are not easy to find and maintenance is not easy to do. My riding buddy has the Tiger 900 Rally Pro, and I’ve been watching them deal with all of the issues I want to avoid.

The T7 has been out for a few years and is now easy to find for a fair price. I was able to score a great deal on a stock 2024. My plan is to build it for adventure riding only. No passengers, no cruise control, no heated grips, no 50/50 tires, just a badass off-road machine.

The build was an awesome experience. Swimming through forums, hoping to find some useful bits of information. Reading and watching reviews on parts and custom builds. Some were great, some were not. It’s interesting noticing the things I now find useful versus when I started adventure riding. It’s safe to say this has progressed past a hobby and has grown into a passion, maybe even an addiction. At least it’s a fun one.

Upgrades:

ASV C5 shorty levers
ODI lock grips
Barkbuster minimal hand guards
Race Tech fork springs .71kg rate
Yamaha rally seat
Tusk front guard
Tusk tail tidy
Camel ADV enduro bend exhaust
Camel ADV rear brake “the fix” upgrade
Camel ADV fork guards
Camel ADV one finger clutch kit
Camel ADV rear minimalist rear cargo rack
AXP hdpe skid plate
Acerbis engine guards
Rally Raid rear spring 90N/mm. (Greased the linkage)
Mitas Enduro Tail XT+ tires (stock sizes)
Vanasche bar clamp
Hammer LED rear turn signals

Built out 2024 T7

2017 Suzuki DRZ400S

“old reliable”

-Motoz tires, hybrid gummy. Great overall tire from wet terrain to sand and even pavement.

-3x3 Air mod.

-All Balls Racing needle jet upgrade.

-Handlebars

-Double take mirrors.

-Stock suspension, usually set to full hard unless it’s rocky.

-Motion racing foot pegs, smaller enduro size. They‘re well built, they pivot, they hold you in place and the owners are cool.

- Amazon case covers. Make sure to glue these on well or they will fall off.

-Zeta pivot levers.

-Amazon head lamp bulb upgrade.

-Acerbis 3.7 tank.

-TM Designworks bash plate

Fully loaded at the top of the Buttes lookout.

Northern California BDR 2024

2021 Triumph Tiger 900 Rally

Bullet

-Motoz tires Rallz, great for off road and not bad on pavement. I wouldn’t take corners over 80 on them, but they feel fine for casual riding.

-Touratech guards and bash plate.

-Bark Busters.

-Doubletake mirrors.

-Stock suspension.

-Givi rack for hard boxes/only used for commuting.

-Removed passenger pegs.

-Motion Racing Foot Pegs, small enduro size.
-Wired to power Garmin Zumo at the handlebars.

This is my first adventure bike. I usually tend to dive in head first and figure it out as I go. Originally I wanted a T7, it’s more my style, it’s more simple and easier to work on, but the T7 just came out and there was a long waiting list so I would have to miss a whole summer‘s worth of riding. I’m not much for waiting so I convinced myself that the tiger rally would be a great substitute and since it had all the fancy features I could also use it to commute to work. This bike is by far the best bike I have ever owned and I do use it for commuting but when you have 80/20 motoz rallz tires on a bike, it sort of defeats the rain setting on the bike. Long story short, I ended up with a Tiger 900 Rally for my first adventure bike. When I first heard of adventure riding, all I knew was that it was long distance, off-road and that you needed a big bike. I wouldn’t say I was entirely wrong, but I wouldn’t say that’s exactly what adventure riding means or needs. This motorcycle is capable of doing things I don’t have the skill set for, it’s also capable of helping me get to places and across things even with my lack of skills. The power delivery on this bike is the smoothest I’ve ever felt. The seat is nice and low so it‘s easy to get on and off and gives you a sense a confidence that you don’t get with a bike that has you on the tip of your toes. It doesn’t feel like a big bike until you see it parked next to a smaller bike. This motorcycle is amazing. The only down side to this bike so far is parts availability and mechanical work. I‘m not sure how long I’ll keep this around, but so far it’s been an excellent motorcycle. It’s gotten me through the WABDR and ORBDR with no issues. My only concern is when I start to travel outside of the country, but I’ll worry about that when I get there.

Fully loaded on the Oregon BDR 2023

Motion Factory Racing

Motion Footpegs

I met the Motion crew at the Giant Loop rally in 2024. Cool, fun people that make a great pedal system. They offered to install the pedals and a satisfaction guarantee. I’ll always take that type of deal—no harm, no foul. I was running IMS pedals on my DRZ400 and thought they worked great, but I’m always down to help a local company. I put the Motion pedals to the test during the rally and was sold after the first ride. It’s surprising how much of a difference pedals make on your riding. I felt locked in the whole time; they helped me keep proper body position and my legs didn’t feel as sore. I am sold.

Update:

I’ve had these pedals for over a year. I have taken them on multiple BDRs and a few rallies, and they are holding up great. No issues at all—I now run them on all of my bikes.