Tenere 700: Outback Motortek engine guards and skidplate

Oh boy, did I ever agonize over what skid plate and crash bars to choose! On the one hand were excellent options based on engineering requirements: these included guards and skid plate from Adventure Spec, the plastic skid plate from AXP Racing, and even the Yamaha OEM guards and skid plate. On the other hand, COVID's interference with supply chains made some options unavailable within a reasonable timeframe. Since I didn't want to get stuck with nothing for when my bike arrived in early June, my options converged to the lower crash bars and skid plate from Outback Motortek. They appeared to be in stock and I'd been satisfied with the versions I'd installed on my Africa Twin. 

Evidently, every other proud new owner of a Tenere in Canada had the same idea. My "in stock" items were actually sold out at the Canadian distributor and so I ended up waiting more than a month for delivery after placing my order. Now that I've finally sorted out the installation, here are my observations and recommendations in case you're considering the same parts. 

First, Outback Motortek is widely recognized as having good stuff. Their materials, design, fit, and engineering all seem pretty solid and the company takes pains to test the practical effectiveness of their products. So, no real concerns about the engineering. I didn't opt for the full (upper) crash bars because of the weight they posed up high, and I figure that the combination of lower engine guards with pannier rack and panniers will provide adequate protection for low-speed tumbles. (R&G engine case covers are also on order to protect the vulnerable water pump.)

The high molecular weight tape inside the frame clamps is a nice touch to protect your bike. However, the clamp was more than snug on the frame, and tightening the bolts proved tricky. 

Some customers have reported poor finishing on some of Outback Motortek's parts lately (e.g. weld spatter and uneven fill) as well as some fitment being a nuisance. Both my left and right guards showed some of these minor problems, but they were easily resolved. 

The hardware included in my kit did have one significant shortcoming. Each guard uses an M12 bolt inserted through a 15mm high collar to mount the midpoint of the guard to the engine case through a frame member. The right-side bolt is 50mm long; the left side about 35mm. Since they thread into a major load point, you need a solid connection. However, the longer of the two M12 bolts provided in my kit was only about 55mm long--too short to provide more than about 6mm of thread inserted into the engine case. There's no way I'd compromise the connection strength at this location with such little thread insertion, where at least 20mm is required as per the OEM bolt. 

The following pic shows the OEM M12 engine bolt for the right side (black; 50mm long) compared with the longer of the two bolts provided in the kit (55mm; silver, in the middle). On the right side is a 65mm bolt which I ordered to ensure sufficient thread insertion. The specification of the 65mm bolt is:

M12-1.25 x 65mm, DIN960 Class10.9 Zinc (note the thread spacing of 1.25mm; 1.50 mm is more common in M12). Fastenal.ca carries this as part #11114018, cost of $2.00. The 65mm bolt has a 19mm hex head vs. 17mm for all the other bolts; I couldn't find a 17mm version. 

Here's the right side OEM bolt compared to the new 65mm bolt in the same position. The photo distorts the length difference; they're actually very close. 

For the left side engine guard, you can re-use the 50mm OEM bolt from the right side since it gives exactly the extra 15mm you need to ensure sufficient threading (and is the same length as the longer of the two kit bolts I received). Here's the 50mm bolt from the kit mounted in the collar and compared with the OEM left side bolt. Don't forget to use a washer when installing either of the 50mm bolts on the left side. 

The inside of the collar had a rough weld that needed a bit of filing so the bolt would sit flush.

The easiest way to install the guards is to first remove the two front body panels on each side of the bike (i.e. the panel with the turn signal attached and the small vented panel next to it). This provides access to properly align, hand-thread, and then torque the engine bolts to 75 N-m. I was not able to fit a socket onto the left side engine bolt because the guard was in the way (a minor design flaw). The two M6 hex bolts for the upper guard attachment point should be torqued to 30 N-m. Note that Yamaha thoughtfully made the OEM bolts long enough to accept the guard and ensure complete threading. Here are the OEM bolts (black) compared with the kit bolts. The OEM bolts on the left side have little rubber sleeves over the extra exposed thread on the inside. 

I found it easiest to install the engine bolt first, then the two M6 hex bolts at the top, then the lower cross-bar bolts, then the lower frame bolts for the U-bracket. 

The finished assembly seems to be sturdy. 

 

If I was choosing engine guards again, I'd probably opt for the Yamaha guards since they seem to have held up well for Nick Sanders and the two KAP2CAP riders. Plus they give the option to mount small bags, which is appealing. However, for my modest needs, the lower guards should do just fine.

As for the skid plate, it's a no-brainer to install and is a serious upgrade from the flimsy stock guard. I added a patch of 3M sound deadening material to the inside bottom on the left side (away from the exhaust pipe) to help reduce ringing vibrations. This seems to work, based on a highly scientific finger-flick test. 

The Outback Motortek guard uses much thicker material. 

Tenere 700 tail tidy: B&B Off-Road Engineering

As with many Japanese bikes, the Tenere 700 comes with an OEM monstrosity of a number plate holder hanging far past the tail light and adorned with chinzy reflectors, where it's readily exposed to breakage on your first tip-over in the woods. As with my WR250R, one of the first mods to my Tenere has been to show that booty some love and install a tail tidy. 

Now that the Tenere 700 has been out for a year, those of us in North America who are now just getting the bike can benefit from a wide range of tail tidy options. CamelADV, Adventure Spec, Rally Raid UK, and R&G all offer some good options. 

But the one I chose comes from B&B Off Road Engineering out of Australia, where there's a solid Tenere 700 following and some of the hardest-core riders of this bike in the world right now. I chose B&B's tail tidy because it offers a solid reinforced mechanical design, it doesn't require cutting the OEM plastics, and it has a good fit and finish and a decent sealed LED plate light. Mine was the first to be delivered to Canada, and having received it only 10 days after placing my order, I installed it right away in one evening. 

For Canadians considering the B&B option, I recommend ordering direct from Australia because factoring in the exchange rate and $30 of duties, it ends up significantly cheaper (and probably faster) than ordering from B&B's US distributor. plus I had excellent service from Sarah at B&B, who was quick to let me know when shipping to Canada was re-opened following the COVID shutdown. Go Commonwealth! 

All the parts come nicely bubble-wrapped. The included hardware is mostly metric stainless steel. I replaced some of the nuts with stainless locknuts (M5). 

What's in the box

The tidy is made from aluminum, doubled in places with welded reinforcements. The whole thing is coated in a thick optional black finish (standard is silver) that looks like it should withstand significant abuse.

Here you can see the reinforcement plate for the turn signal stalk. B&B has an optional insert to allow you to install round, threaded signal mounts, which I plan to adopt when I can order some LED signals. 

This is the top plate that bolts into your subframe. Again, beefy construction. 

The number plate light is a completely sealed LED unit. Looks to be decent quality for both the plastics and wiring.

I like how the metal wiring cover reinforces the structure of the number plate holder. There's no flex in this system, so I don't expect any metal fatigue cracking. 

B&B includes easy to follow instructions to remove the OEM tail assembly. The Tenere 700 is so easy to work on... all the bolts are easily accessible and all you need are 8mm and 10mm sockets and a 4mm and 5mm hex to remove the body panels. Make sure you label your turn signals so you know which side to install them on--the wiring only connects one way! 

Installation is a breeze. To connect the number plate light, I cut off the OEM connector and spliced it into the B&B wiring with some heat-shrink tubing and electrical tape to reseal the harness cover. Connect the white and black wires together (ground) and brown and blue together (+12V). Check your wiring by turning on the key before putting everything back together.

When installing the tail tidy wiring cover, I had a bit of a challenge threading in the 10mm cap screws provided in the kit because of some minor deformation of the aluminum and plastic coating on the aluminum threads. One bolt went in fine, but the metal on the other side of the cover was lifted up a bit and the short fastener wouldn't quite reach. I used a longer bolt to clean out the threads and wind things in with all fasteners installed loosely, then replaced the long bolt with the correct shorter one. It's really not that fussy though, and it all went together fine. Fit overall is excellent and no filing or drilling was required except to mount a reflector bracket (see below) and my number plate (no holes are provided). 

Here's all the crap left over. Easily a couple of pounds of plastic and metal! 

One thing the B&B kit is missing is a way to attach a rear reflector. I made a simple bracket out of some scrap stainless steel and sprayed it black with Krylon paint. Last thing I want is to get hassled (or worse)  during a police stop because I'm missing a required reflector! 

This is the OEM reflector bolted on. I drilled three holes in the B&B number plate holder to attach the bracket using some stainless steel bolts. 

There's nowhere to attach side orange reflectors, but what's neat is that even when you remove the OEM plastics, Yamaha has thoughtfully included knurled handgrips under the outer handgrips for the pillion passenger. The flat area right above the grips is a perfect spot to attach some 3M reflective tape. The tape is flush to the surface and therefore protected, yet provides a wide view of 10 square inches of reflector per side, versus the 3 square inches provided by the OEM round reflectors per side. A good conspicuity upgrade in my mind! 

One last note is that the brake light has a small bit of foam stuck to the bottom where it contacted the OEM plastics. When you've installed the B&B kit, this foam doesn't touch anything. I peeled it off and reattached it further inboard so it wedged between the light and the B&B plate. While it doesn't look like the tail light will move around much on rough terrain, repositioning the foam adds a little bit of extra vibration protection.

Overall I'm very pleased with this kit. It's easy to install (couple of hours), solidly built, and looks great. With the addition of a rear reflector and the side tape, I see no reason why the bike shouldn't meet the same regulatory requirements as the OEM configuration. 

Changing the Tenere 700 rear shock spring

The Tenere 700 is widely reported to have rear suspension that is too soft for all but the lightest riders--never mind those carrying baggage as well. The solution is to install a stiffer shock spring in the range of 80-95 N-mm vs. the stock 69 N-mm. For details on what size spring to choose, check out Motorcycle Adventure TV's excellent and informative episode on tuning the Tenere suspension. It's a must-watch for anyone who wants to get the most out of this bike.

Having ordered an 85 N-mm spring from Rally-Raid for myself, the challenge became how to install it. Removing the rear shock assembly is actually pretty easy and takes less than 10 minutes:

• Support the bike under the skid plate, leaving the rear wheel just kissing the ground.
• Remove the small triangular body panels on the left and right sides (3 x M6 bolts each)
• Remove the plastic mud flap between the wheel and the swingarm (2 x M6 bolts)
• Remove the nut from the bolt holding the bottom of the shock piston to the linkage. It's a 15mm nut and 17mm bolt head. Tap out the bolt with a rod; you may need to wiggle the swingers to relieve a bit of pressure on the bolt.
• Remove the nut from the upper shock bolt (19mm socket). Tap out the bolt with a rod while holding the shock from behind.
• Remove the shock by lowering it into the swing arm and pivoting it up over the rear wheel. 

That's it! No removing the exhaust, disconnecting the whole linkage, or removing the wheel, as described in the service manual procedure.

After unsuccessfully trying an automotive spring compressor that just didn't fit the small diameter motorcycle spring, I found the ratchet strap method worked to compress the spring just enough to slip out the retainer. The ratchet strap method is probably fine for the stock spring's stiffness. But even with a third ratchet strap, it was no match for the force needed to compress the 85 N-mm spring to reinstall it safely. That 23% extra force of the stiffer spring left the straps rock-hard and probably at their safety limit. (Consider you need to compress the spring about 15mm to get enough clearance, which means applying 1275N or about 130 kg or 286 lbs of force. However, friction between the straps and coils probably doubles the force you need to apply.) Also, it proved impossible to steer the spring concentric with the piston so I could even attempt to insert the retainer. It just wasn't worth the risk of an explosive release if something failed. Time for a real spring compressor.

After calling around to six bike shops and powersports dealers, all were either unwilling to help, were backed up for weeks with other jobs, or simply didn't answer the phone. Amazingly, Canadian Tire was willing to give it a go, and their service department was open until 9 pm. They said it was a bit tricky to fit the smaller shock assembly into their strut compressor, but luck prevailed. 20 minutes and $40 later, my spring was mounted. Cheaper (and safer) than all the options I evaluated online. Point is, if you've run out of conventional options, try the unlikely options because you might get lucky.

Reinstalling the shock is the same steps in reverse; another ten minutes. Note that on the top bolt, there's a metal bracket to slip over the bolt end before you put on the nut. When fitting the bottom bolt, it helps to wedge a crowbar or piece of plywood under the rear tire so you can lever it up a smidge to align the shock and linkage holes. Torque both the upper and lower shock nuts to 45 N-m (33 lb-ft) as per the service manual spec. 

Now to see how that new spring rides!

TENERE 700!!!

Finally!

After almost five years of waiting none-too-patiently, there was a blue (sorry, "Ceramic Ice") Tenere of my own to swing a leg over.

My dealer had called me on a Friday afternoon--as surprised as me--to say that a bike with my name on it had been dropped off unexpectedly at his store. Would I like to pick it up that afternoon? Well, that wasn't going to work because my wife and I were headed 100km in the opposite direction to get her a brand new e-bike (Trek Verve+ 3, for the curious; more on this later, as e-bikes are totally addictive form of two-wheeling).

But you're here for the Tenere, as was I the following morning.

What should've been a simple, 30-minute bit of paperwork ended up being a 3-hour epic while I stewed in my riding gear and my infinitely patient wife sat in the car (COVID and all) waiting to find out if I was going to be riding home on a Yamaha, or riding shotgun in her Honda. Yamaha Canada's dealer site was all messed up, not calculating my bill correctly and, in the end, requiring someone from their IT department to work some magic in the back-end system.

Got sorted just in time to leave ahead of some looking thunderclouds--reminiscent of last summer's experience picking up the Africa Twin.

As soon as I left the dealer's parking lot, I had to laugh: the dreaded instrument shake was unbelievable. Looked like somebody hadn't bolted things to the bike, but nope: that's a feature, not a bug. So if you're getting a Tenere and only do one mod, it should be fix the display shake. In anticipation of this, I'd already ordered the CamelADV stiffeners which fit perfectly, take about 20 minutes to install, and transform the tower into a readable form. This is your #1 accessory:

Waiting at home was a bunch of other farkles I'd ordered early in the hopes the bike would arrive soon. Didn't want to get skunked later, when everyone else got their bikes and started clearing out stock. Some of the bits on order or installed include:

• Rally Raid fork preload caps
• Rally Raid 85 N-mm shock spring
• Rally Raid crossbar GPS mount
• Rally Raid wheel tool (this is really an essential and handy piece of kit)
• Rally Raid wheel spacers
• Eastern Beaver PC-8 fuse box
• Outback Motortek skid plate
• Outback Motortek lower crash bars
• Double-Take Adventure mirrors
• Oxford heated grips - Adventure model
• Barkbusters Storm hand guards
• CamelADV Voltmeter
• Mosko Moto Hood tank bag
• B&B tail tidy (Note: They were not shipping to Canada because of COVID. As of June 8, they will be shipping again, as their support just confirmed to me.)

Here are some pics of the PC-8 installation, to which I've wired all my accessories as well as a charging plug and heated jacket plug. The voltmeter is attached with double-sided tape.

Haven't decided on a pannier rack yet--either the Touratech or Outback Motortek. Rackless luggage would be nice, and Mosko Moto's Reckless 80 v3 looks great--but it would cost over $1000 by the time I factor in the exchange rate to Canada. Also looking at the Giant Loop Siskiyou panniers since I like having the weight low, and it would be great to get almost everything off the seat except for maybe a RotoPax. In future posts I'll review all this stuff and why I chose each item.

The Tenere has a 1000km break-in period where you're not supposed to exceed 5000 rpm for any lengthy period. Then you change the oil and keep it below 6000rpm for another 600km. Here are my thoughts on the bike after 500kms, after coming from a WR250R (which I still have, with 43,000km of dualsport riding on the clock) and a 2019 Africa Twin (which I sold after only a few weeks and about 3500km of mostly paved riding).

The engine is smooooooth
It's like an electric motor: lots of torque off idle, very easy to control, utterly predictable. Easily the nicest engine I've ridden. Makes me a pro dirt-rider without effort: lean the bike, weight the outside peg, lean over the front wheel, add some throttle, and feel that back end power slide around the corner in perfect control. It's like magic. I never really felt this type of connection with the WRR--it doesn't corner nearly as well as the Tenere. And the Tenere sounds so good, even with the stock exhaust.

As others have also pointed out, throttle control benefits from taking out the cable slack. I didn't find anything twitchy with the throttle as some have complained; it's just smooth-as-snot power when rolling on the gas.

The suspension is clunky
Yeah, there's a lot of talk about the suspension being unrefined out of the box, and I have to agree. I gave my WRR a professional tuning for valves, springs, and oil, and it totally transformed the handling offload and with baggage. No reason why the Tenere can't benefit from some similar attention. I've installed the pre-load top caps but haven't installed the shock spring or really played with settings. Will do that once the spring's in, and then this fall I'll send the whole bike out for a proper tune. It's money well spent in my experience. For reference, I'm 195lb/86kg without riding gear on, and the stock spring (69 N-mm) is aimed at riders weighing 60-65kg carrying no luggage.

It's super easy to work on
One of my complaints with the Africa Twin was how hard it was to open up and work on. Changing the air filters required stripping dozens of fasteners and fiddly bits of body work, and even though I'd done it a few times, it still felt like a 2-hour job each time. Must've been designed by a car engineer. By contrast, the Tenere seems to have been designed by a motorcyclist. The panels are thoughtfully attached, and it's easy to strip and reinstall without having mysterious hardware left over. I can have the forks off, opened at the top, and reinstalled in the bike in 45 minutes. Removing the rear shock can be done in about 10 minutes, and doesn't require removing the rear wheel or other components besides a mud flap and two side panels. It's a cinch.

The stock seat is tolerable
Coming from a Seat Concepts on my WRR, and a comfy couch on the Africa Twin, I was worried the Tenere's perch would be rock hard. It's not too bad actually - I rode 350km of paved and dirt roads today over 8 hours, and was only feeling a bit antsy at the end. Nevertheless, a taller seat would help open up my knees a bit, which are more bent than on the WRR.

Handlebars need to be tilted forward a bit
Not sure if they are set at the factory or by the dealer, but several people have reported the need to tilt them and I'd agree. Results in less wrist strain.

Tires are surprisingly good
Coming from full knobbies, I was expecting to slide around more in the dirt given the svelte profile of the stock tread on the Tenere. However, they are great on pavement, and hook up much better and more predictably than you'd expect on loose dirt, sand, and gravel. On the Africa Twin, I always found it tended to plough the front end when turning on loose stuff, so I was expecting something similar for the Tenere. Not so: both the front and rear handle with balance and a clear sense of the limits, and like I said earlier, a simple twist of the wrist is all you need to break loose the rear and turn with confidence.

Wind noise is tolerable
At 6'-1"/183cm, I'm too tall to hide completely behind the windscreen. Nevertheless, even though the redirected air hits the peak of my Shoei Hornet, it doesn't buffet me. This is a major improvement over the Africa Twin, which had (for 2019, at least) a notorious blast up the fork-tunnel, and required a baffle to redirect the flow or the bike was practically unrideable above 50km/hr. On the Tenere there's a steady rush of air past my helmet, but not so bad I can't listen to music on my headset (with ear plugs in).

Fuel economy
Following the Ryan F9 break-in method (which I've done for all my bikes and cars) has worked great for longevity, although all that accelerating takes a hit to fuel economy. My low fuel indicator flashed at around 200km, and I filled up at around 225km with about 12 liters into the 17 litre tank. The manual says the low fuel indicator flashes at around 4.3 litres, so no surprises here. Once everything's broken in, I should easily be able to get 300km to a tank, and with a 1-gallon RotoPax, that'll give me plenty of range for the trips I do.

Weight and handling
It was a surprise to discover the Tenere feels less top-heavy than it looks. While it's no 1250GS in the centre of mass department, it's certainly not like my old KLR and handles its weight very well. I never felt tippy in the dirt or when doing tight maneuvers on pavement. Amazingly, it feels almost the same as the WRR--just a little heavier--but not as heavy as the WRR loaded with gear. And it feels waaaaay lighter than the Africa Twin--even when it had nothing on it. The Tenere truly feels like a slightly larger version of the WRR, with so much more power and real brakes. It's less tiring to ride, has a good view of the front wheel (unlike the Africa Twin, which felt like navigating a boat), and feels slim and dirt-bike-like at the waist. It's easy to flat-foot. Paddling the bike backwards on dirt can be tricky--that's one area where you notice the weight over the WRR. However, my net impression is I'm getting about 60-75% of the WRR's capabilities, but with tons of power to make up the difference. Has me questioning whether I should even keep my trusty old WRR. Let's reassess at the end of the riding season.

Overall
Zero regrets, tremendous fun to ride. Biggest issue is the suspension needs tuning, but I expected that. The power is more than adequate, the handling (even with untuned suspension) is excellent and surprisingly good in the dirt. Tank bag sure is handy but should probably be a minimalist version (e.g. Mosko Moto Pico) or not at all, if you want to really get over the tank for dirt riding and don't want your dangly bits getting slapped repeatedly. Biggest areas to lose weight are the exhaust and battery--as with any bike. On the Tenere, that could shave an easy 5-10lbs from a relatively high location. The benefit of having the bike introduced to North America a good year after other markets is we benefit from the many great accessories already on the market, and the experience of other riders who've now flogged the bike through all sorts of conditions.

Yamaha's created a real winner here, as North American riders will finally get to discover for themselves. The Tenere ticks a lot of boxes for a reasonable price, leaving budget for accessories to suit your own particular needs.