Yamaha Tenere 700 Vs Honda Africa Twin: Thoughts and Preferences for the Average Adventure Rider
Deciding between the Honda Africa Twin and Yamaha Tenere 700 can be tough. Both are phenomenal adventure motorcycles, but each excels in different areas. In this video I discuss my thoughts and opinions on these two excellent ADV bikes, based on my own riding style, skill level, and personal preferences. In different hands, these bikes would behave very differently and so ultimately the decision on which one to get is a very personal one.
I’ve also created several additional videos that digs into the details of both bikes individually, check the links below for more:
For me, the Africa Twin is great for longer trips with mixed highway and side roads, with modest gravel mixed in. I really love the grunt power and stability the Africa Twin has, which makes shifting often times optional and can easily plow through a headwind. When it first came out the Africa Twin was an excellent alternative to the heavy and complex BMW 1200 and 1250 series GS and GSA bikes. I had tried riding these BMW beasts previously and they were WAY TO MUCH bike for me. Honestly, I can’t imagine riding one of those BMWs around the world – crazy. But I immediately felt comfortable on the Africa Twin. Sure, it’s not really a middle-weight bike either. And just sitting on it and looking across the large gas tank and controls is a bit intimidating. But the Africa Twin is very well balanced for its size and I feel that it carries it’s weight down low enough to feel quite stable.
But not every ride is well planned and sometimes you want to see what’s at the end of that abandoned road. So when the riding gets more adventurous and I want to see where the path less traveled takes me – I go to the Yamaha Tenere 700. For me, the lighter motorcycle and nimble feel gives me the confidence to explore further. And it has plenty of power and agility for a person of my size and skill level to tackle mountain roads, modest trails, and the occasional long grind on the freeway to get to from A to B. It’s true that the T7 is quite a bit taller than the Africa Twin, but that’s easily fixable with suspension or lowering kits. I’ve also found that the Tenere 700 is also quite a bit easier to work on than the Africa Twin – seems that Yamaha thought through DIY maintenance a little bit more than Honda did. They also included nice features like accessory plug wiring as a default (versus an add-on for the Africa Twin).
Those that have been following the channel for a while know that I have been through a few ADV bikes over the years. This includes (in order of ownership) a 2005? BMW F650GS, 2008? Suzuki V-Strom 650 (DL650), 2013 V-Strom 1000 (DL1000), and now the 2017 Africa Twin and 2023 Tenere 700. With each new motorcycle iteration I was going for a certain riding style and type of terrain. It’s true that with each successive new motorcycle my desire to go more off-road has increased. My early riding of the F650 was mostly just for commuting and the occasional camping trip. As bikes became more than just a way to get to work my needs in a bike also changed. And I believe it is this evolution which has brough me to my current favorite middle-weight ADV bike – the Tenere 700. Will this be the last…. doubtful. But so far I am enjoying the ride.
Either way, you can’t go wrong with either of these two ADV bikes. Which one you ultimately select, is a personal choice I leave to you.
