Source: Bike Bound
[[{“value”:”Etto Motorcycles Recreates a Continent-Spanning Ténéré…
The original Yamaha XT600Z Ténéré launched in late 1982, and it brought some serious innovation to the enduro / dual-sport world. Named after the brutal desert section of the Paris Dakar Rally, the Ténéré was the world’s first 600cc single-cylinder enduro. In contrast to the venerable XT500, the Ténéré had long-travel suspension (255/235mm), a rising-rate “Monocross” rear shock design, and a massive 8-gallon tank that meant the bike could go nearly 500 miles before refueling…incredibly important for remote areas where filling stations are few and far between.
One rider who put his Ténéré to the test was Chris Wilson. In the mid-1980s, Chris rode his XT600 Ténéré 72,000km (44,700 miles) across Australia, totally unsupported. Here are a few photos and descriptions from his trans-Australian adventure.
“The lonely places started 34 years ago — riding a modified 600cc Tenere along every desert road in Australia. Over 70,000 km on my own — 54,000 of them dirt.”
“68 litres of fuel, 1350 km range, fitted with Honda oil cooler (thanks dry sump), Ohlins shock. Twenty litres of water, 4 litres oil.”
“The prototype of the BMW racks! Welded in my garage. My tourniquet and suture kit were taped back of the Jerry can. No GPS back then. The tube under my green tent carried 1;250,000 aeronautical maps — used with a compass.”
“1000’s upon 1000’s of kilometres of the Big Red. As remote as you can be in Aussie. Fixed one back inner tube over 28 times !”
“Rabbit Flat was out of fuel. 1070 km between gasoline and cold beers. No phone, no radio, no GPS, no backup…. The big empty miles. I could go days seeing no-one.”
“Road signs – Aussie Style. Best ‘Lift-Um-Foot’. The corner dropped hard to the left. Slow it down fast.”
Fast forward to present day, and Chris picked up a brand-new Yamaha Ténéré 700, the most recent motorcycle to bear the fabled Ténéré name — and according to owners and experts alike, one of the best. The 689cc parallel-twin “CP2” engine is the same one used in the MT-07 and R7, delivering 72 horsepower and 50 lb-ft of torque in this application, and the T7 offers around 200mm of suspension travel.
If you have any doubts about the bike’s off-road chops, just take a look at Yamaha factory rider Pol Tarrés, who managed to finish Red Bull Romaniacs on his T700…competing against modern dirt bikes!
“In a lot of ways, the Ténéré 700 feels a lot like the bike Kawasaki and Honda fans asked about for years: a modern version of the venerable KLR650 or XR650L. It’s a simple, no-nonsense adventure bike that’s more big enduro than anything else.” –Cycle World
As soon as Chris Wilson got his hands on his new T7, he brought it to our friend Ian Davis of Etto Motorcycles and gave him the design brief:
“I want you to turn it into a replica of my bike I took to Oz, including a 30 Litre tank, racks front and back, with capacity to carry two 20 litre Jerry cans.”
Chris also wanted two GPS unit and supplied spotlights to light up the night.
Ian, well-known here on BikeBound for his previous builds and incredible hand-shaped metalwork, ripped off all the OEM bodywork and fabricated aluminum panels, a rear seat cover, and the 30-liter (8-gallon) tank.
“It was a massive job. The internal fuel pump had to be ditched and a new external pump fitted matching the flow rate.” -Ian
A close-up of the fuel lines shows how Ian had to fit an external fuel pump and link it to a return valve (the machined aluminum cylinder on the side).
The suspension was upgraded with custom springs to cope with the increased weight. The rims were anodized gold (like the originals) and fitted with stainless steel spokes.
The exhaust was tucked up super high to give more clearance for the jerry-can brackets.
For the two Garmins, Chris wanted one mounted portrait and one landscape.
Ian fabricated the front and rear racks from scratch.
And the whole lot was given an eighties paint job to echo Chris’s original Ténéré.
The end result is a modern incarnation of Chris’s continent-crushing XT600Z. With a bespoke exoskeleton of luggage racks, massive 8-gallon tank, high-power lighting, full suite of navigation aids, and a lovely retro livery, this Ténéré 700 won’t just bring back memories of crossing the Outback on two wheels, it’s ready to bring Chris on whatever new adventures he can cook up. Enjoy the miles, Chris!
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