First Ride: 2026 Yamaha Tenere 700 World Raid

Words: CJ Goodman     Photos: Garth Milan

We recently had the opportunity to get our hands on the brand-new 2026 Yamaha Tenere 700 World Raid ahead of the inaugural Tenere Trek at Tamarack Ski Resort in Donnelly, Idaho. After a few days in the saddle, we’re here to take you through some of the new features and things we liked (or didn’t) about this much-anticipated long-distance rally machine.

To start off, I’d like to let the readers know I fancy myself a T7 guy; writing and reviewing bikes isn’t my day job. I’ve had my Gen 1 T7 since 2022 and have gone through a slew of upgrades. These range from significant suspension upgrades, an exhaust and tune, and a larger fuel tank, to creature comforts like a comfort seat and foot pegs. The list goes on. Knowing my personal bike is heavily modified and not necessarily representative of a stock Tenere 700, I spent a couple of days on my fiancée’s mostly stock copy riding varied terrain here in Idaho for the sake of a more realistic baseline.

Day One: Highway and Twisties

We started off our 3-day press ride at Western Powersports in Boise, Idaho, after a short presentation and a tour of WPS’ impressive facility and fulfillment department. I had my choice of colors, so I threw a leg over the Raven livery (black with gold wheels) World Raid instead of the Intensity White (red/white) that will be available in 2026.

We set off into a hot and smoky Boise summer afternoon. A quick ride up a surface street led immediately onto Interstate 84’s 80 mph (128 km/h) speed limit zone. The World Raid’s familiar CP2 engine accelerated up to highway speeds and gave me the first opportunity to test out the optional quickshifter. The quickshifter allows for clutchless up and downshifting after you have enabled it in the menu settings of the very colorful and crisp 6.3-inch (160mm) TFT display. You can enable up and downshifts, and even select whether it will allow for quick shifts while accelerating or decelerating. A "QS" appears on the dash when enabled, and an up and down arrow will turn green above and below the QS to let you know it's ready for your intended shift.

Cruising at 80 felt pretty effortless. According to Yamaha, the new seating position is slightly lower than previous iterations of the T7, but I wouldn’t say you could really tell a difference in wind protection. The mechanical turbulence rolling off the windscreen of an ADV bike at 80+ will probably never be enjoyable, but it was very tolerable in this case. I might add that I am 6’3" (190.5cm) tall, so my noggin will probably never be fully behind any ADV windscreen.

As the journey made its way north up the curvy Highway 55, it was time to see how this bike handled some tight, river-chasing twisties. The weight and handling of the new dual side-mounted 6.1-gallon (23-liter) tanks is probably the number one anticipated question. After years of the “top-heavy police” in the online forums swearing it’s the reason they won’t purchase, sold, or curse their own T7, the weight has finally shifted.

At slow speeds, it is extremely evident that moving the tanks down and forward has completely changed the handling and feel of this bike. I believe the standard T7 is top-heavy but carries it well while riding at speed, adding to the fun handling. Think gyroscopic precession—when it gets going, it's on its plane and stable. But there is no denying the tipping point; when the standard T7 gets to a certain angle, she's going over, especially at slow speeds or when the ride gets technical. At speed on the twisties, that newly slung tank contributes to a very pleasant cornering experience with confidence-inspiring braking. I don’t fancy myself much of a street rider and actively try to avoid stretches of pavement at all costs, but this bike easily glided around tight and uneven river roads with comfort and grace.

Day Two: Gravel and Forest Service Roads (Paved and Unpaved)

Day two started off on a crisp morning at the Tamarack Resort in Donnelly, Idaho. Before we set off, I got a chance to dive into the electronics making their debut with this new release.

The cockpit feels nicely laid out and not overly complicated. Your highlights are the familiar ABS button and USB-C charging point on either side of the display, plus the mode switch and start/kill switch on your right. On your left is a 4-way selector switch for thumbing through your menus, a half-push for lane changes and push-to-cancel turn signals, a horn, and hazards that are all extremely similar to the '25 T7. The newcomer to the handlebar party is the standard-feature cruise control switch. One press activates the cruise control, and a flick down on the set switch engages it in 3rd-6th gear. A second press gives you a speed limiter (which won’t allow the bike to accelerate past that limit), and a third press turns it all off.

Another addition is the new 6-axis Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), which gives you updated traction control, ABS, and brake control. With this new IMU, you have more customizable riding modes. The brake control allows for lean-sensitive ABS that is only active when ABS is fully on. ABS has three settings: on, rear off, and off (brake control is deactivated in both rear and off modes). The traction control and slide control system (SCS) has the option of off, street, and off-road. There is also a power mode option of sport and explore, although I couldn’t tell much of a difference between the two.

All of these features are easily accessible through the dash display and hand controls. The bike comes with 3 themes: Explore, Street, and Raid. Raid is a new appearance that gives you a roadbook feel on the dash and disables the cruise control feature.

After a quick familiarization, we set off from the resort for our first off-road day. As we made our way up towards the Lick Creek Range east of McCall, we stopped to prepare ourselves for the dirt roads ahead. One of my favorite features of this bike, coming from the 1st generation T7, is its ABS/TC memory capability. If you use the kill switch to turn the bike off at a stop, it will not deactivate the ABS/TC or dump any of your other settings. If you turn the key off, however, your ABS/TC will turn back on. But a quick hold down of the ABS button on the tower deactivates it and defaults back to whatever ride modes you had set when you turned the key off.

As we set out on gravel roads that hadn’t seen precipitation in quite a few weeks, it was time to see how the World Raid handled fast and flowy FS roads. With stock Pirelli Scorpion Rally STRs on the wheels and a few suspension clicks adjusted to my 250 lb (113 kg) geared-up weight, the World Raid comfortably handled the pristine, well-kept roads. As embedded rocks started to show up, I found myself intentionally trying to hit rocks to catch air and aiming for potholes just to see how the suspension felt.

Anyone who has ridden a standard T7 knows the laughable 43mm forks are the Achilles heel of the bike. The new 46mm fork tubes and added 20mm of front and rear travel, paired with a redesigned linkage and beefier rear shock, just ate everything up. As much as I had hoped for some proper aggressive ADV tires to be mounted, the Pirellis actually handled quite well. Sharp, wide turns following the creek confirmed how well this bike carries its 485 lb (220 kg) wet weight. I had a blast kicking the back tire out and sliding out of the corners chasing my fellow riders. The slide control feature definitely makes it a bit harder to kick the rear around, but it's a tasteful taming of your slide. It never felt like it stopped you mid-slide; it just feels as if it's limiting you from initiating the slide in the first place. The traction control was just as tasteful and didn’t feel like a robotic kill switch. Although I kept it off most of the day, I gave it some testing to see just how much it would limit. You know, for science.

After our lunch break at Yellow Pine Tavern, we briefly found ourselves on an ATV trail to set up for some scenic bridge-crossing photo opportunities. On this trail, we finally found something I had been hoping for all day: a few nice lips to get some air under the tires. Anyone on a standard T7 knows these can be a painful experience for the underperforming stock suspension. But this suspension soaked it right up and didn’t bottom once as I carried my speed through each jump. The rest of the day was mostly pavement and skinny paved FS roads where you could really lean into the corners. Again, the handling shined.

Day Three: Proper Off-Road

Day three was our shortest but best test of off-road capabilities. We found ourselves on more fast, well-maintained FS roads with the occasional pothole dip and embedded rock. I continued to bounce and ping off every obstacle I could to find any shortcomings with the suspension, but found none.

Some of the faster washboards and dips did feel a bit stiff. Granted, I had only made very small adjustments to the suspension of my bike, so I’d chalk this up to KYB being notoriously stiff when brand new. I don’t see it as a lack of performance, just something that needs to be broken in properly and adjusted for the rider via the included preload, compression, and rebound adjusters on both the front and rear.

We finally turned off our well-maintained roads in favor of chunkier and rockier terrain. The bike's handling and suspension still shined when the surface went from dirt and pea-sized gravel to full-on golf-ball and baseball-sized rocks. I felt firmly planted as the ride got rougher. The redesigned footpegs have removable “street” rubber inserts and are larger and more aggressive than previous models for better off-road use. This is a big upgrade and will no doubt be great for long days standing up, though I would still recommend some proper aftermarket off-road pegs for those wanting a spicier trail experience.

Given the change in terrain, the pace slowed down significantly, giving me an opportunity to see how the bike handled loose rock. Again, the handling shined, never feeling like I was sloshing, top-heavy, or overwhelmed. However, as some of the rockier roads sloped downhill, my biggest gripe about this bike reared its ugly head. A downhill rocky road led immediately into a sharp left turn, and I almost blew completely through the corner due to a lack of rear tire control—directly associated with the very poor rear brake lever. I could blame the tires, which are pretty road-biased, but it seems Yamaha has yet again missed the mark. The rear brake feels like a wet sponge, causing your riding position to get out of whack just to get the slightest engagement. Owners of previous T7s aren’t strangers to this, and I wouldn’t say it's a dealbreaker. Camel ADV has been making a rear brake assembly adequately named “The Fix” for years, and I usually recommend it as the very first addition to anyone purchasing a T7.

As we crested the mountain to the ridge trail that would take us back to the event, the trail conditions got tougher. The surface gave way to thick moon dust with decent-sized rocks, both embedded and loose. The tires began to really fall on their face here, but the suspension held true. The weight again felt great and well-balanced. With the fuel gauge barely one chiclet down, there was still plenty of weight to test. I regularly ride my T7 on harder single-track trails with a 6.1-gallon Acerbis tank, and I can tell you it doesn’t come close to how well the World Raid carries its fuel.

Hitting these moon-dust-hidden rocks, jump-able ruts, and uneven surfaces made me a bit jealous. I had put almost $4,000 into my personal bike’s fork conversion (not including the aftermarket shock), and this World Raid's suspension is this good with an MSRP of $12,999.

Some of this terrain also pointed out a few other things. The one-piece seat is a nice addition; it seems to have a flatter surface across its length compared to previous years with that "banana curve" up the tank. The larger tanks are definitely noticeable when the trail gets skinny or technical. It handles well, but at the end of the day, it's still a lot of bike to grip and throw around. The tank shape kind of hinders your ability to get your crotch right up against the tank if you’re inclined to sit through tight turns, and it hinders getting your body weight forward on steeper hill climbs. For general ADV and exploration travel, this won't be a factor. Those tanks do provide great wind protection when seated on brisk mornings—a huge plus for high-altitude camping trips when you know it's going to get hot later and you don’t want to bundle up your lower half.

Our final stretch was a nice baby-head climb to the summit chair of the Tamarack Resort. On this last challenge of the day, I hardly seemed to notice any help from the included steering stabilizer. I had played with it over the course of three days—trying it all the way hard, all the way soft, and everywhere in between. It seems like a nice addition, but even on the chunkiest day, it didn’t seem to offer much help.

As we wrapped up our awesome 3-day ride in the parking lot of the Tenere Trek, I bid farewell to the World Raid... For now.

What We Liked

There’s plenty to like about this bike, but here are some of my favorites:

• Suspension: A fantastic improvement over previous years. The larger 46mm forks and extra 20mm of travel didn’t bottom out once. This is something we’d love to see make its way onto all T7 models.

• Weight and Handling: This bike undoubtedly handles like a completely different machine. Lower tank mounting fixes that top-heavy feeling substantially. Better rider geometry from small tweaks keeps you feeling comfortable and planted.

• Electronics: The ride modes add great confidence and a premium feel without being overbearing. There are no confusing number scales, just road, off-road, or off—allowing for customization while keeping it simple. The standard cruise control is a great addition for long-haul days.

• Range: The extra fuel capacity will be welcomed by long-distance warriors. The 6.1-gallon (23-liter) tank should theoretically get you over 300 miles (482 km) depending on how heavy your throttle hand is.

• Engine: Just like with all T7s, you're getting an almost bulletproof, tried-and-true CP2 engine. Its reliability is among the best on the market. I will add that the CP2 on a World Raid does like to be revved out a bit more than previous owners may be used to, but that is a result of engine mapping rather than internal changes (see below). The engine is still well-balanced and smooth, and low-end torque is always available when the trail gets squirrelly—although it feels like you sometimes need to drop a gear in corners where previous generations could throttle through the “bog.”

What Needs Improvement

While the overall consensus from me is that this bike is a winner, there are a few things that need improvement or just need to be brought up.

• Rear Brake: As mentioned, the rear brake shares the same terrible characteristics as its predecessors. It feels extremely mushy, and even if you adjust it to the top of its range, your foot is so far down looking for engagement that all proper riding technique goes out the window.

• Yamaha Connect App: I managed to connect my test bike to the app via my iPhone. It's a straightforward process, including an under-seat QR code to ensure you are connecting to the correct VIN. It worked great at first: adding turn-by-turn map directions to the dash (via Apple/Google Maps), controlling music and volume via the handlebar switch, and displaying call and text features. The problem? After turning the key off, I could never get it to reconnect—not through my phone’s Bluetooth settings, nor the app. It seems like a few kinks need to be ironed out, or better instructions need to be provided.

• Steering Damper: It feels like a nice addition on paper. However, I played with it on all 3 days and it never seemed to really make a difference, whether set all the way hard, all the way soft, or a few clicks in between.

• Engine Mapping: The mapping changed in '25 when they moved to ride-by-wire and Euro 5+ emission standards. You may have seen how lean these bikes run from the factory on YouTube dyno runs. First-generation T7 riders might have a little bit of an adjustment period to the low-end behavior. You may notice a slight “hesitation” in the low RPMs, and the bike prefers to be revved a bit higher to really get the engine to sing.

• Tank Size: While I wouldn’t call the tank size a negative (especially given how well it carries those 6.1 gallons), those accustomed to the skinny, “big dirt bike” feel of a standard T7 might find the World Raid a bit wide for tearing up local single-track. Besides the width, longer-legged folks may have a hard time getting their weight far enough forward to dig their heels into the pegs for steep hill climbs. Again, not a negative, just something to be aware of.

I’ll be honest: I was a skeptic when the announcement first dropped. I thought it was too wide, too heavy, and that the suspension would still need more beef. I’m definitely here to tell you I was wrong about it all. It’s a fantastic machine that closes the gap on the long-distance, rally-inspired ADV segment where the standard Tenere fell short. These are great features and upgrades that I think are a hell of a deal at the $12,999 price tag.

I’d like to thank Upshift for this incredible opportunity, and we look forward to giving you some long-term reviews of the Yamaha Tenere 700 World Raid in the near future.

2026 Tenere 700 World Raid Specs