This is the current Tenere from Yamaha that is likely to be replaced with the new 900
SCOOP Yamaha’s plans for an 850cc, 115bhp Adventure bike.
Yamaha is working on an all-new big 900cc triple cylinder off-roader to take on the likes of Triumph’s Tiger range, BMW’s GS and Honda’s new-for-2016 Africa Twin.
That’s the news from factory insiders who say that recent rumours about the 998cc triple cylinder engine (the motor used in the firm’s YXZ1000R side-by-side off-roader buggy thing that we scooped a couple of months ago) being used to power a big off-roader to replace the ageing Tenere in the model range are not true.
The YXZ1000R buggy will not be used to power the new off-roader say insiders
That motor in the sand buggy is a 110bhp, 998cc triple powering a belt-drive and revs to 10,500 and whilst it might make some sense to use that motor in a large capacity bike designed for the rough stuff, we’ve been told that Yamaha bosses ARE seriously looking at using the already popular 115bhp, 87.5Nm, 850cc triple that powers the MT-09 in a pukka off-roader that’s road legal.
Honda’s new Africa Twin is a smaller, slimmer, serious Adventure bike
The MT-09’s motor is going to be used in the new bike
If this is true then that’s a similar outlook on the class as Honda has with its new-for-next-year Africa Twin. That bike is a 98bhp motorcycle that favours a slim layout and big-clearance suspension over unusable power and lots of weight high up – something which has been commonplace in the big adventure bikes with off-road leanings over the past couple of years.