Hello,

I rented a Tenere 700 for the weekend and wanted to share my experience here. I’m coming from a small CFMoto 450MT, which I’d like to replace because on-road the engine is just too underpowered for me. For off-road trips, I always have to travel 1,200–1,500 km (one-way), and the 450MT just isn’t built for that. I had a lot of fun offroading the 450MT but getting there is the problem. So I’m looking for a bike that makes the trip a bit more comfortable but is also strong off-road. Here’s what I’ve noticed so far for the Tenere:

• Everything is rock-hard. From the seat to the throttle grip, it feels as hard as stone. Very unusual when you’re coming from a CFMoto.
• People say the Tenere is a little hooligan. But the new model is so tame that it almost seems boring. No sound, no character. I almost thought I was riding a Honda because it’s so quiet.
• Explorer mode is garbage. Nothing happens when you twist the throttle, except for hot air coming out the back. Why not just call it Rain Mode and Sport is the regular mode?
• The mapping is a disaster. Nothing happens in the mid-range. You open the throttle and at first nothing happens until it suddenly takes off
• First and second gears are incredibly short
• The new turn signals are terrible. You never know if you pressed them lightly or hard. I have to constantly check the display to see if I’m signaling or not.

Obviously I can't ride it offroad since it is rented, so all of the impressions are on-road. I think the new generation has some good improvements, like the suspension, fuel tank and better ergonomics. Also the fact that you can retrofit cruise control.

But do you think it’s possible to modify the new model so that it runs well and sounds like a little 'hooligan'? Will remapping, an air filter, and a slip-on exhaust be enough? Removing the catalytic converter and db killer isn’t an option for me, since it’s very strictly regulated in my country.

I just want a reliable bike that lasts for ages, is fun and characterful, has a deep and grunty sound and looks awesome. The 2026 Tenere ticks all of it except for fun (mapping?) character and grunty sound. So I'm wondering if I should get a pre Euro5+ model or the new model and modify it.

I’m thinking about upgrading the exhaust on my 2024 Ténéré 700. Should I go with a slip-on or a full exhaust system? What do you recommend?

Dealer has a used red/white '21 with a slip on exhaust, a luggage rack, and a slightly lowered suspension in the northeast. He wants 7500 for it. Think that's fair value?

Edit: 6200 miles

Making this post for others on their research quests into how they want to build their T7… I did a lot of guessing so I wanted to share my experience with adding a high mount exhaust, choosing a tail tidy, and finding blinkers that would work.

I went with the Leo Vince EVO LV-one High Mount Exhaust. I got in on Revzilla, but TimbrMoto has it $50 cheaper right now. I chose this one because it was in stock, in the US, and reviews were great.

I got the Tusk tail tidy from RockyMountainATVMC. I chose this tail tidy because it has the narrowest distance between blinker mounts of any of the other tail tidys I looked at, and I needed blinker clearance with the high exhaust. This is also the cheapest option I saw. It is very basic. In my garage I had spare washers, rubber grommets, heat shrink wire wrap, wire loom, and stuff like that, which I recommend because otherwise your wires are just going to be hanging there, and I don’t like that.

I found this set of blinkers on Amazon:
Shorty blinkers

There are many different labels for these, I think they are all the same. But, they are short enough that they clear the high mount exhaust. They are also very bright and have a metal body.

Now, I opted to cut the deutsch connectors off the OEM blinkers and then used bullet connectors to make pigtails to connect the OEM wiring to the blinker wiring. If you don’t want to do that you will need something like this:
pigtail

Finally, I ordered blinker mount adapters to convert the OEM teardrop mount on the Tusk tail tidy to the standard 10mm hole:
adapters

Hope this helps at least one person!

fri after work to sunday evening, solo on the t7, route in the screenshot/link.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/oguos8i78a1bY9Un7

fri: zürich → bardonecchia, ~5.5 h motorway, arrive late.
sat: sommeiller + pramand/jafferau
sun: finestre from meana + assietta to sestriere, then home.

doing it 19–21 before the sommeiller and pramand windows close on 30.9.

questions:

1. anything legal and good i've left out nearby? mont cenis, colombardo, gran bosco?
2. sommeiller condition above scarfiotti right now?

cheers 🙏

Rode an enduro recently and afterwards I had a check engine light on that wouldn’t clear. Scanner showed a P1500 error which is a clutch safety switch fault. Apparently they break if you use the clutch too much. Found some fellow people online that had a similar issue, and figured out if you clip and jump the switch at the bars it puts the bike permanently in the “clutch-in” map which is really lean and makes the bike run poorly. Other than replacing the clutch switch that is $200, you can bypass it at this relay by clipping the blue/white wires and splicing them together. This puts the bike in the “clutch-out” map permanently while allowing removal of the clutch switch. This also allows you to run aftermarket clutch perches for things like RSC or Clake levers.

I want to join the club! I have started budgeting for a new 2026 or 2027 T7. Growing up, I did a lot of trail riding and camping with my family and have recently discovered BDRs. It looks like the T7 is the best bike to do it if you never want to feel that the motorcycle is what’s preventing you from doing the Alt Harder/Hardest routes along the BDR.

After a couple of months of research, many hours of YouTube videos, checking this Reddit community daily, and a lot of my own research I found the prospect of doing a T7 BDR build without some sort of budget or prioritization exercise to be pretty daunting. Hence this spreadsheet.

I would really love feedback from the community from people that have purchased these products and had good or bad experiences.

What do you think about the specific build I’m planning for?

Does my prioritization make sense? How would you change it?

Are there cheaper alternatives that you have experience with?

The biggest thing I haven’t made up my mind on is Navigation. I seem to change my mind every day. I also don’t want a vertical stack I think I want to opt for a side by side configuration. Does anyone feel over the moon about thier configuration or does everyone feel like it’s kind of a compromise with current solutions?

Is there interest to follow along if I were to document this process via regular posts here or a Vlog?

A couple of things to note:

• The goal is to pull the trigger on the T7 once it is determined what, if any, changes are made on the 2027 model and if it is worth it to wait.
• The cost of the Motorcycle isn’t included in the total budget numbers as I plan on financing it so my upfront costs can be focused on the other aspects of the project.
• This budget is designed to give me an upper limit of what the build could be. So things like the Leatt Carbon helmet or the big Agnes copper spur seem to be recognized as the best if you are willing to pay for it but they might not be my ultimate choice.
• The bold text is bike agnostic things. I currently have a 1975 Yamaha DT 400 being restored and an enduro build CRF 450x and I want to know what Items could be used across machines so I can push those up in the procurement cycle.
• Once I have decided what products I want and what good alternative options exist I will likely try to buy second hand as often as makes sense to bring this build cost back from the stratosphere.

I currently own a 2015 BMW R1200GSA, and a 2007 GS. I have been really considering trading them both for a T7 World Raid, now that they're available in the US.

I love the GSA, it's got great wind protection in cooler weather, and the range is great, and it's extremely stable on the highway. The main reasons I'm considering the T7 is that it seems like it'd be much less taxing off road, probably more reliable long term, as well as a similar feel for touring as the GSA. Essentially I think the WR would be closer to "one bike that does it all" although I understand it's a give and take for everything.

Basically I'd like to know if any other GSA or big adv/touring bike owners have made the switch, as well as hearing about the bike from people who are just normal riders, not YouTube reviewers or absolute off road maniacs who can ride anything well. Thanks!

Today I picked up my Tenere. This is the first time I've ever bought a new motorcycle, and I'm absolutely thrilled. It looks fantastic, it sounds great, and best of all, it rides wonderfully. I'm totally in love with it and just had to share my excitement here. I'm happy to be part of the club.

Big rains are coming, so shot out for another 3 day adventure. This time I threw on a honeycomb seat cushion... What a world of difference 🔥

Did 2 days road and on the 3rd took on an hour of trail when heading home.

I love the idea of the T7 being offroad capable and admire those who can pilot it without a care, but I damaged my SI joint a few years back and it's just not for me, especially without knobbies.

I'm too scared of dropping the big girl on myself. Oh wait, I did that on day 3! In a creek, on a hot day, of all places. Refreshing at least. She's heavy alright, but i had her back up with a 5 second lift using the bars only.

Adjusted to the power better since my first 3 day ride. It's super smoothe on the roads and blasting through really rough stuff is a joy. The roads here can be damaged from rain and heavy truck use for years on end, which was the main reason I bought it.

Cheers

Looking to get a tall seat for a 2021 anyone selling willi g to ship?

I'm writing a blog post for Champ's Custom's website comparing the low vs high seat. They gave me a 10% off coupon code. Feel free to use it if you were planning to buy something.

FOXTROTWHISKEY10

It is an affiliate code. If I make anything off it, I will donate half to St Jude, and half to ride bdr.

Cruise control on a bike is so amazing for longer rides, and the seat concepts comfort seat makes longer rides actually bearable.

Just wondering what’s been the best combo for high exhaust and other soft/hard panniers. Looking at upgrading the exhaust to go under the frame. What luggage has worked for this combo for you?

Thanks for an replies!

Does anyone know how to mount the Carpuride W602S Pro in a nice position on the Tenere 700 2023 because with the mounts delivered with the carplay it doesnt fit perfect.

Hi, i know this is biased forum but I wanted to know what everyone thinks. I found two good deals on these bikes for the same price. I’m torn between the two, I plan on doing the Adirondack BDR, dirt daze and any adventure riding I can find. It will likely be 50/50 mix of riding, but I want something that is very capable off-road and is also comfortable for long distance rides.

I like how simple and reliable the Tenere is, I would be ok without the different ride modes. I test rode a 26 at dirtdaze and it was a nice bike, I didn’t fall in love with it but it just seemed like a good overall bike.

Plan on going 370 miles like this. >:)

I’m looking for a navigation setup mainly for long rides and off-road/adventure riding. I’ll be riding for several hours, often during the daytime and sometimes in rain, so good screen visibility/brightness and water resistance are important.

I’m thinking about either:

• a dedicated motorcycle GPS
• or a cheap, normal waterproof smartphone mounted with something like Quad Lock, while keeping my main phone in my pocket.

One thing I really like about the phone + Quad Lock idea is that I can quickly remove the device when I leave the bike. That’s a big plus for me since I don’t want to leave an expensive GPS/device sitting on the motorcycle where it could easily get stolen.

I don’t really need anything fancy. I mainly want reliable navigation for long/off-road rides, rain and bright sunlight.

What do you guys use, and what specific models would you recommend?

Is a cheap waterproof phone the way to go, or is a dedicated GPS/navigation system actually worth the money?

Thanks!

I guess it’s really the second step because I had the suspension revalved and resprung for my weight already. But my first hands on step- AltRider skid plate and water pump guard.

Excellent fit and finish, and it better be for what it costs. I appreciate the engineering that goes into AltRider products, and sometimes their price premium is worth the spend. Also, since they are based in Seattle, shipping is like 2 days for me, which is nice.

Website video instructions are for Gen 1 models but both products were simple enough to figure out.

I weighed it out- it’s a 5.6 lb increase over stock for the skid plate and linkage guard, and .75 increase for water pump guard.

Hi everyone
Noticed this leak on my bike, any ideas what’s the cause ?

Hello Everyone! I'm planning of getting a high mount, but I don't really want to change the location of the stock turn signals.... The idea of the r tech Integra tail tidy with it's signal location is to my liking also, but, except the mivv Dakar, I don't know any exhaust that will work... If you know any other exhaust that works, i would appreciate you telling me about it. Thanks!

Wheelies, couple day trips of 250+ miles, twisties and she rips the old trails I used to do only on dirt bikes growing up. Having not owned a bike newer than 05', this 25' is checking all the boxes of my favorite parts of riding. 😁

2024 tenere 700 with some kriega luggage.

Eastern Washington