For all those who have been waiting for the Ténéré 700 to drop - you are going to have to wait just a little bit longer. OK - so a lot-a-bit longer as revealed by Yamaha Motor Australia on Facebook yesterday.

FB Quote: “Yamaha Motor Australia is pleased to announce that the much-anticipated new adventure ready Ténéré 700 is set for an Australian release date of December 2019 with RRP set at a value packed $15,499 inc GST + ORC. Pre-order yours today from your local Yamaha dealership.”

This bike has had one serious build up and has gone a a world tour that you can following on Youtube. It made it as far as Australia so little old NZ didn’t get to see the bike in the flesh sadly. Never the less, the updates to Yamaha’s current XT 660 Ténéré are bountiful. An all new bike that promises to put the off-road back into the Adventure market.

The Ténéré 700 is powered by Yamaha’s 689cc parallel-twin engine. The key characteristic of this compact CP2 engine is its strong and linear torque output that gives instant throttle response together with good acceleration, making it a good engine package for both on and off-road. And Yamaha claim a really good fuel economy to cover long distances between fuel stops. 350km+ from the 16-litre fuel tank.

An all-new lightweight double cradle tubular steel frame that combines a low weight with immense strength, is said to make it ideally suited a variety of riding conditions. It’s equipped with a flat 880mm high seat and slim body that allows maximum rider agility. The compact bodywork and narrow fuel tank also enable you to grip the tank with the knees whether sitting or standing, while a compact 1590mm wheelbase and a slim body means the chassis should deliver responsive handling characteristics.

But there is more to going off-road than just a fancy frame and ergonomics. If you want to be a true off-road machine you need ground clearance and suspension travel. The Ténéré boasts a pretty decent ground clearance of 240mm, meaning is can handle those hard to get to places without worrying too much about casing your sump on things. Jury is still out on that ground clearance when the rider is on but its a good starting point.

The flex resistant 43mm forks are said to stay in shape over the most extreme terrain to give precision steering and smooth suspension action and offer full damping adjustments. - and with 210mm of suspension travel, you will be able to attack most, if not all types of terrain you can get yourself into.

On the rear the Ténéré 700 is equipped with a rally-bred link-type rear suspension system that gives smooth and progressive action Featuring a lightweight aluminium swingarm for low unsprung weight, the 200mm of travel offered is designed to handle the most severe off road riding conditions. There is also a remote adjuster to adjust the pre-load settings - not sure if that is stock or an added option.

It has the 21 front / 18 rear wheel sets again tell us this bike was made to go off-road. This is great as you have a huge range of decent off-road tyres to choose from in these sizes. The bikes comes stock with Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR hoops, which you are going to need to swap out pretty quick if you plan on doing any serious off-road adventures.

Another coll aspect is the the multi-function LCD display features comprehensive information including gear position, fuel level, two trip meters and estimated fuel range, as well as average and instant fuel consumption and more. The cockpit is designed to accommodate the fitment of aftermarket navigation devices, enabling you to add extra equipment to suit your own requirements, including GPS, road book readers and smart phones.

The braking system consists of dual 282mm wave front discs and a 245mm wave rear disc that gives high levels of stopping power with plenty of feel at all speeds on the highway or in the dirt. When you're riding off road you have the option to temporarily disable the ABS whenever required by activating the kill switch while stationary. With the ABS turned off you can take full manual control, and in particular you can choose to lock the rear wheel deliberately in certain situations - such as very tight turns or on steep descents. This is imperative when riding on gravel or shingle and you need to brake slide the bike.

So if Australia get their first units in December - it would be pretty surprising if New Zealand was to receive their first shipments before the turn of the year. But Yamaha Motor New Zealand confirmed December as the release month which is exciting. Never the less, the wait just might be worth it as this new Ténéré 700, at least on paper, seems to be hitting all the marks. Only a real ride would confirm what we think might be the case - a pretty off-road capable bike. It's RRP of $16,995 is pretty bloody good too.

Interestingly, KTM are currently launching their all-new mid-sized Adventure bike - the 690 Enduro R (CLICK HERE for details on the 690R) which would be in direct competition to the Ténéré 700 - and priced $1500 higher at $18,499. It’s a good time to be in the Adventure bike market. There are plenty of options out there

The Yamaha has lent itself more towards the Rally look with its low slung exhaust and fixed front fairing.

The KTM has taken a more traditional motorcycle design with the high exhuast, small cockpit and flatter seat position.

Just looking visually, the Yamaha seems like it would perform better on the road compared to the KTM, while the KTM looks liek it might perform better off-road compared to the Yamaha. Maybe these bikes are not in as much direct competition as it would seem on paper - or maybe they are? But with the same size engine (probably LAMS approved) it would be interesting to see how they both performed together. Maybe for another time.