This is what.happens when a Yamaha Tenere 700 loses weight, but gains muscle

It’s fair to say we are big fans of the Yamaha Tenere 700 here at Visordown.

With its utilitarian design that harks back to the golden era of the Dakar Rally (back when it actually went to Senegal) and reassuring sure-footedness off-road, all in an excellent value, sprightly package the Tenere 700 is proof you don’t ‘need’ a big engine to go far.

And that’s just with us in the saddle… pop a rider like Pol Tarres - renowned as an Extreme and Hard Enduro specialist who can flatten even the most challenging of courses - on it and you have skills so rad we used the word ‘rad’.  Sick

Often described as ‘gravity defying’ at the controls of a motorcycle, Tarres joined Yamaha at the start of the year from TTR Oficine Rigamonti. He will ride a two-stroke YZ in the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship, with the Tenere 700 his toy for the more extreme publicity friendly Adventure antics.

Yamaha has now pulled the wraps off the lighter, kitted out Tenere 700 he will be performing his magic.

Putting the already feathery Tenere 700 on a significant diet was the first challenge but the Trece Racing Society got to work and promptly shaved 30 pounds off the bike by removing the ABS and other features that are simply superfluous to a rider with control like Tarres.

A Akrapovic slip-on exhaust and Outback Motortrek skidplate have been added to, together with a bar system that gives it a more aggressive finish than the standard model…

While we’re not so taken on the brown-tinged paint job - though get why it has been used - we reckon a lighter yet more muscular Tenere 700 could b e the ideal mid-life cycle refresh.

Don’t take the ABS off though, suspect most of us will need that.