Yamaha Unveils Ténéré World Rally Edition

Yamaha has unveiled the Tenere World Rally Edition. This model commemorates Yamaha's first Dakar victory in 1979 with the XT500, achieved by rider Stephane Peterhansel. 

Some of the features in the World Rally Edition include a new flat, two-piece seat sporting the World Rally logo, a larger 23-litre tank, titanium and carbon-fibre Akrapovic slip-on exhaust, five-inch colour TFT screen with Bluetooth smartphone connectivity, and three-mode switchable ABS.

In terms of cycle parts, the motorcycle gets a KYB front fork with a aluminium piggyback shock setup at the rear, each with 20 mm more travel than the standard variant. It also gets an Öhlins adjustable steering damper. Braking duties are handled by a hydraulic dual disc setup at the front while the rear features a single disc.

Coming to the powertrain, the motorcycle retains the specifications of the original model, housing a 689cc, liquid-cooled, parallel-twin engine that produces 72.4bhp at 9,000rpm and 68Nm of torque at 6,500rpm, paired with a six-speed gearbox.

Yamaha will start deliveries of the Tenere World Rally Edition this month. However, it will initially be available exclusively in European markets, limiting its availability to adventure motorcycle enthusiasts in other regions.

• Written by Aaryan Sonsurkar