Since its launch, the Yamaha Ténéré 700 has been a standard in the middleweight adventure scene. It’s lightweight (for an adventure bike), reliable, and simple — all qualities you want in a bike that’ll take you around the world. For 2024, though, the T7 is getting injected with more modern technology: TFT display, ABS modes, cell phone connectivity. If you’re a purist, you’re likely getting scared. But should you be?
Probably not. The T7’s new tech appears to be incorporated with two important considerations: It’s focused and ignorable. The new features largely address specific pain points with the prior Ténéré, but they don’t seem to be obtrusive — they won’t get in the way of your adventure-riding experience.
The most noticeable change coming to the T7 is the gauge cluster. The old LCD is gone, replaced with a modern TFT unit in much the same layout. Still tall and narrow, for placement next to a GPS unit; still arranged with a vertical bar tachometer. But now, that’s all displayed in full color, with the availability of additional information.
The new dash can pair with a smartphone, allowing notifications from the latter to pop up on the former. It’s a quality-of-life feature, useful for those text from your boss while you’re on the commute — personally, I’d turn them off for the dirt side of ADV.
The updated T7 also adds some tech to the brakes: Three ABS modes, up from the prior model’s two (assuming you count “on” and “off” as modes). The new addition, an in-between mode that only