Back-Flipping Heck! Tenere 700 Does a Loop
Yamaha’s Tenere 700 is already a renowned ADV bike and part-time hard enduro competitor, but did you know it can backflip?
The Yamaha Tenere 700 is well known as a bit of a do-it-all machine. Be it commuting, hacking down trails, or taking part in the odd hard enduro competition, it seems to be the bike that has it all.
We’ve never seen one taking part in freestyle motocross though, until this morning, that is. Freestyle motocross (FMX) is the act of jumping a motorcycle off insanely large ramps, while the rider of the bike performs stunts, flips and tricks as they fly through the air. It’s normally reserved for lightweight motocross bikes that are specifically modified for the task at hand. It seems though that, when in the right hands, Yamaha’s Tenere 700 can fit the bill, adding FMX to the bike’s long list of attributes.
The video has come about thanks to Jérémy Rouanet, an FMX racer who is defying age as much as he is physics, being 44 years old at the time of the stunt. After a few weeks of training prior to the actual attempt, Rouanet nailed the backflip, along with some other tricks borrowed from his FMX repertoire for good measure. Making Rouanet’s flip all the more impressive was his choice to land the bike on solid ground, and not the inflated and heavily cushioned ‘down ramps’ commonly seen in FMX demonstrations.
To help the bike cope with the extremes of taking off and landing at such speeds, the bike was lightly updated with GYTR (Genuine Yamaha Technology Racing) parts, and some aftermarket parts including a TracTive shock absorber, KYTE rims and Michelin Desert tyres. Preparing the bike for the feat was the Yamaha Rally Team, according to ADV Pulse, the very same team that prepares all of Yamaha’s off-road rally bikes.
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Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
