The rumor of the arrival of a Ténéré 900 It has been ringing loudly for a few years now. Perhaps this is one of the main reasons why different international media have associated one of the latest social media announcements from the Japanese firm, with the possible presentation and subsequent launch of the long-awaited ADV model.
“Below the brief message shows the title “Redefine the Standard” on what appears to be an echocardiogram (ECG) reading, the following text is presented below:Motorcycle colleagues explain:
“The industry has followed the same pace for too long.
We are ready to challenge him.
Something new is coming.”
The Ténéré 900 among the possible candidates
For most of the main brands in the sector, EICMA is the time of year where they announce their latest developments, in addition to presenting future projects to the public in the form of concepts. In the event that the protagonist of the aforementioned Yamaha publication was a Ténéré 900, in part, it would not surprise us considering the time that has been talked about the possible development of the model.
Since approximately 2022, there has been speculation about the idea of a Ténéré 900; In fact, at that time the French weekly Moto Revue even dared to publish several renderings by Nicolas Petit on its cover. In them we could glimpse the most likely philosophy sought by the Japanese firm when shaping a model of this type: tubular steel chassis, as well as an aluminum swingarm or 19” radial type wheels would be part of its main equipment.
Yamaha’s CP3 at the center of the project
The conception of a Ténéré 900 was forged under the main premise of developing a motorcycle with clear touring overtones without neglecting its off-road aspect. Let us remember that the current 700 is focused mainly on markedly hard use. Starting from this base, Petit’s design brings together all those elements necessary for a staging as planned. Furthermore, the configuration of this platform should be fully in line with the operation of the well-known Yamaha CP3 engine.
In the latest updates related to models from the tuning fork firm that come equipped with the famous water-cooled three-cylinder, this has a final displacement of 890cc. Your settings Crossplane It offers strong torque delivery from low revs and immediate response to the accelerator. Currently, Yamaha declares a maximum power of 119 hp.
Besides, Since last season it has been possible to associate this mechanics with the Y-AMT transmission. Both the clutch and gearshift are electronically controlled, eliminating the clutch lever and shift pedal. The pilot can choose between a manual mode, activated by a rocker-type switch on the left pineapple, or two automatic modes that adapt the shifting operation to sportier or smoother driving.
A logical step within the Yamaha range
Ultimately we have the purely corporate aspects, that is, the need or not for Yamaha to have a model like the Ténéré 900 among its ranks. The answer is “clearly yes”. Even some brand managers took an open position on the issue at the end of last season. So much Olivier Prévost (European President) as Clement Villet (European Director of Land Mobility) then confessed to being evaluating the issue:
“The engineers are currently working on this, but when we go in that direction we don’t want any compromises. If we ever use the CP3 engine for the Ténéré, it has to have 18/21-inch wheels, it has to be a real off-road machine. So the question now is: can we do something with the CP3 platform that doesn’t damage the DNA of the Ténéré name?”said Villet.
Other possibilities that are in the hype
With the arrival of new and revolutionary technologies in the sector, there are those who wonder if instead of a Ténéré 900 the brand’s R&D department will not be preparing some concept in the style of Honda’s V3R: “Maybe Yamaha is going the opposite direction, with a smaller three-cylinder engine, say 500cc. Or maybe, if Yamaha is really going for something new, a non-inline three-cylinder engine.”
They conclude in their predictions from the North American environment: “That’s what Honda is working on with its V3R engine, which has cylinders 1 and 3 inclined forward and cylinder 2 backward, forming a 75° V. Although we don’t know the shape of the V3R’s crankshaft, it is likely that it also produces an irregular firing order.” Be that as it may, we have to wait for next November 2the exact moment in which it seems we will clear up doubts about the expected new Yamaha model.
