Page 58 - Motorcycle Trader (February 2020)
P. 58
Spanner
Strooth
n’
PANNER
MUSINGS FROM YOUR TWO FAVOURITE OLD BLOKES
e world is changing,
and two old blokes
aren’t keeping up
SPANNER: You must’ve hated Cam’s launch SPANNER: I’ve wrestled with this dilemma
report on the new Yamaha Tenere 700 in the for years. I’ve watched technology take over
last issue. The bike’s got nothing: no ride the riding experience where you had to know
modes, no electronic suspension, no traction your own and your bike’s capabilities and
control, no variable ABS. Who’s going to buy a the test was to get as close to the edge of the
bike like that? envelope as you could without crashing. It
was the rider’s call when to back down. Now
ROOTHY: Yeah, right. Me. I love it, although
right now that dance card is taken by the you can go past the edge of the envelope and
technology will help stop you from killing
Himalayan. It might not have the puff, but yourself, but it blurs the edges of learning.
it’s a heap of fun. I love simple. The old XTs The Tenere has ABS, which is compulsory
and TTRs we used for the outback tours 20 now anyway, and I’d be the last to say it isn’t
years ago were tough, simple and easy to sort. a good idea. I’m sure it’s helped a lot of riders
You could bung some mechanically inept avoid crashing but at least with the Tenere it’s
kamikaze pilot on one and after 10 days and either just on or off, depending on what you
a few thousand kays of neck-ringing it’d only want to do.
need oil and filters to do it all again. This We jumped the gun with the Himalayans
new Tenere is more like our Himalayans than – we even missed out on EFI and ABS. Now
anything on the current market, only twice that I think about it, I’m amazed you could
as fast. Maybe four times faster with Cam actually buy a bike like this in 2020. I’m
onboard. sorely tempted by the Tenere, though.
58 MOTORCYCLE TRADER
