YAMAHA XT660Z TENERE (2008-on) Review

Best feature - road presence Worst feature - being a Yamaha Read more

It is a good looking capable 660 single -Do not expect anything more (As I did). I have sports bikes, a tiger955i and some others. I toured for 4 weeks, Portugal , Spain, Andorra, France. Fully loaded with tent, top box & Panniers. This bike was so... Read more manoeuvrable, cruise at 60mph (Don't expect to "Cruise/Tour" much higher, it's very hard work). I've ridden miles over the years and this latest trip on the Tenere 660 was the best. Slow, plodding around, actually SEEING the surroundings. A truly great, fairly light bike(Certainly against a Tiger955i) economical & reliable. I would recommend but not for any speed riding-obvious I suppose.

The good : - pretty (?) - very reliable motor - good brakes - aluminium swingarm - good side crash protection - effective windshield - big plastic fuel tank (23lt) The bad : - too tall - too heavy - bad sunspension - poor lights - rust... Read more problems - plastic engine guard - no centre stand !! - rider's legs takes too much heat from the exaust pipe to the left side - there are more I can't recall right now..

I got my Tenere just over a year ago and I have never regretted it its a cracker. I was contemplating packing the bikes in until on a visit to my local motorcycle shop where I was wheel kicking I was considering a BMW800GS nice bike good to go... Read more excellent infact but I then the shop owner persuaded me to take a Ten out for a spin I had nothing better to do so of I went. First couple of miles I thought what a bag of **** compared to the multi cylinder machine for one thing its a lot more evolving you cannot just put it into top gear and go. The first thing you notice is the vibration and it not exactly fast shall we say it gains speed and you had to be in the right gear or else she let you know that she was not a happy bunny. After 10 miles she started to grow on me and by the time I got back to the shop I had a smile from ear to ear and a deal was done Bye Bye tiger hello Tenere. I have been riding bike for some 35 years and I would say that in the last 5 years I only averaged about 300 to 400 miles a year. In the past year I have done nearly 6000 miles it would be a lot more given half a chance but other things get in the way. Running costs touring fully loaded up 70+mpg around town 55+mpg 100% reliable. On the other side of the coin is the cost new at £7000 that is a lot when put against other machines and I Don't think you will see many on the roads. do yourself a favour if you are looking for something a little different go for a decent spin on a big single and see what you think it may not light your candle but you may be surprised.

I'm keeping a blog on my Ten: http://densten.wordpress.com. It's called 'The reluctant Yamaha Tenere owner'. Detailed analysis, problems and qualities can be found in it. Read more

This is a truly great bike. The screen could be a little higher but apart from that, brilliant. With a low price tag too. Motorway cruising at 80mph not a problem. But this bike is in it's element on the bumpy, imperfect, A roads of eastern Europe.... Read more If you want to explore the globe then this is your machine. Good sturdy ride with a great performing single cylinder motor.

The bike has failed to start one too many times, I am now trading it in for a honda. Had the bike for 16 months and now it won't start if the weather is a bit damp, it has been thoroughly checked over by Yamaha dealer and no fixable problem found,... Read more battery checked, plug replaced, new sensor in but no change. Very disappointed by this bike, bought it as a basic value all year round commuter bike and it just can't hack it and at the new price of £6,999 they are not even a budget bike. My advice is steer clear, to many faults with a bike that now has the new Triumph as its competition.

Have had the Tenere for 16 months now and covered 20,000 miles. I use it almost every day, even through snow this winter. When up and running I find as a work bike it is very very good as its running costs are low, rear tyre lasts about 7,000 miles... Read more and the front around 12,000 and I still get over 200 miles to a tank. I really like the fact that services are at every 6000, why other manufacturers aren't doing this I don't know. I am 6'2" and find the bike very comfortable, I often travel 180 miles + in one hit and I am not sore or uncomfortable. Engine still runs fine and while it is a bit more viby (is that a word?) than other bikes I have not noticed it as a problem. However the bike has had a lot of work done on it (fortunately all under warrenty) I have got through three cush drives, Wiring loom needed to be replaced, RAC have been called out 3 times as bike won't start, each time it has been checked over by Yamaha dealer and they can't find fault, but I am starting to lose confidence in it. Now the speedo has packed up. Yamaha panniers are pretty flimsy (especially considering the cost of them) and the metal pins that hold the lids on have all come out and I have replaced with screws. Over all I really want to like this bike, but as I bought it new and have kept it regularly serviced by Yamaha dealer, the fact that I now can't trust it to start and the electrics seem a bit iffy I am thinking of changing it for a Honda.

Spencer Conway has just returned from a 60,000km circumnavigation of Africa, visiting 32 coutries, taking a little over 286 days. He is the first man ever to do this solo. Months of preparation went into this trip and chosing the right bike was... Read more paramount to the success of the journey. The bike would have to be the ultimate in reliabilty and versatility, be rugged enough to cope with the worst terain on this earth loaded with luggage, yet comfortable enough to spend all day in the saddle. Which bike did he chose? A BMW GS? A KTM Adventure? A Ducati Mutistrada? NOPE! He chose a Yamaha XT660Z Tenere. Case closed.

What a great bike. Having just toured France on my R12S, I went to Keys Yamaha Worthing to get a new rear tyre for my XT660X, the every day hack. Keys made me an offer I couldn't refuse and interest free finance on the balance against a new black... Read more Tenere. The bike has just had first service, and I am loving it. At 6'2" tall, the height is great for me, engine is punchy and fun at speeds that wont shred your license, and the handling on Tourance tyres is excellent provided you plan for corners in advance. Good wind protection at motorway speeds, machine is v happy sitting at 70 all day, but is equally punchy and fun on the backroads. Well over 220 miles per tank, and frankly when I go to the garage now I jump on the Tenere before the R12S - it's juts easy and fun to ride. Twin discs are better than the XT660X single disk, but I may change the brake lines to Hel/Goodridge a little further down the road Will be touring Europe on this next year, going to get some Yamaha luggage for it and may even take the missus on the back. I have had many Yamahas and loved them all. Fizzie, FZR1000, YZF750, 2 x TDM850 and Fazer 1000. Of all the Fazer thou is probably the best all rounder, but the Tenere runs it pretty close and for single delivers astounding and relatively refined performance.