Accidentally bought a new T7

[mspratz]

My wife and I were shopping for a shed, and the Yamaha dealer happened to be next door, so I went in to have a look. While I was there I asked the guy what the prospects of getting a new Tenere 700 were in 2023, and I said I was not interested in paying more than MSRP. He said he thought he had one coming in, and that he’d check. He did have one, and no-one had claimed it yet, if I put down $500 it was mine. Then he said, wait while he double checked that no-one else had put a deposit on it. They hadn’t, so I did. I hope I can touch the ground while sitting on it. He had two brand new Husky Nordon 901s on the floor, so I sat on one of those and could touch with both sets of toes. Hopefully the Tenere won’t be any taller. I also hope he doesn’t sell it to a higher bidder and claim it was a mistake. Just have to wait and see.
Now I have to think about all the other stuff I need, like bomb proof ADV boots, an ADV helmet and goggles, and some luggage. I think I’m going to take my time and just ride it around on pavement and some easy gravel roads for starters and get a feel for it, then worry about what mods/accessories I need. I have signed up for a 2-day off-road class at the BMW Performance Center in Greer SC, which is close to here. The soonest I could get in was the July 1 class.

[Grumpy Goat]

Way to go Michael!   Even more proof we have similar tastes and interests, but unlike you I have not even put down a deposit yet as I am still trying to decide which ADV bike to get. I like the GSs and am torn between the 1250 and the 850, and the Norden 901 is a great bike (except for the windscreen), then there is my favourite (aside from the cheap build quality) KTM 890 Adventure ...

The T7 does come highly regarded to off-road enthusiasts and your leaning in that direction signals what ... you are interested in off-roading? Going on BDRs and epic off road adventures in the boonies ..?

Looking forward to pictures if (when?) you get the T7.

[mspratz]

Way to go Michael!   Even more proof we have similar tastes and interests, but unlike you I have not even put down a deposit yet as I am still trying to decide which ADV bike to get. I like the GSs and am torn between the 1250 and the 850, and the Norden 901 is a great bike (except for the windscreen), then there is my favourite (aside from the cheap build quality) KTM 890 Adventure ...

The T7 does come highly regarded to off-road enthusiasts and your leaning in that direction signals what ... you are interested in off-roading? Going on BDRs and epic off road adventures in the boonies ..?

Looking forward to pictures if (when?) you get the T7.

I must admit to not having done in-depth research and point-by-point comparisons of all the possible options before choosing the T7. I hear that riding off-pavement, dropping the bike is inevitable. The thought of dropping a $10,500 T7 is easier to take than dropping a $25,000 R1250GS. Also, the T7 weighs in at 440 lbs wet, which is reasonably light. The Nordon 901 quotes 440 lbs without fuel, so with the 5 gals of fuel it holds, 480 lbs. 
Although the T7 is supposed to be capable of handling gnarly terrain in the right hands, my intent it to stick to easy gravel roads and maybe some minor technical stuff. I'm thinking about the Mid-Atlantic BDR, which is supposed to be the easiest one, in the early fall.
In Europe there are now seems to be three models of the T7: base, Rally, and World Raid. According to what I've seen on YouTube, the 2023 base model comes with upgraded suspension and a TFT display. Only the base model appears on the Yamaha US website, and the specs for the 2023 continue to quote an LCD display. I'm guessing the US doesn't get the upgrades for 2023. On the other hand, the price only went up $100.

[Grumpy Goat]

I must admit to not having done in-depth research and point-by-point comparisons of all the possible options before choosing the T7. I hear that riding off-pavement, dropping the bike is inevitable. The thought of dropping a $10,500 T7 is easier to take than dropping a $25,000 R1250GS. Also, the T7 weighs in at 440 lbs wet, which is reasonably light. The Nordon 901 quotes 440 lbs without fuel, so with the 5 gals of fuel it holds, 480 lbs. 
Although the T7 is supposed to be capable of handling gnarly terrain in the right hands, my intent it to stick to easy gravel roads and maybe some minor technical stuff. I'm thinking about the Mid-Atlantic BDR, which is supposed to be the easiest one, in the early fall.

As a street rider looking to get into off-roading to that extent (which would be the same with me) I think that your starting point is bang on, given the accolades that the T7 seems to garner with the off-roading pundits on YT. That said the Kawasaki KLR 650 is also very well regarded, but watching the vids on it I have concluded that the best thing going for that is the price, since it is a very basic bike with good ground clearance and adequate performance offroad. Which suits some people but not those with our use cases.

Yes, going offroad is definitely more synonymous with dropping the bike than street bikes on the street, and dropping (and then fixing) a more expensive bike is definitely a concern. Not only that, middleweights make the most sense when riding offroad ... at least that is what the most competent off-roaders tend to say.

The thing about the Norden is that it is supposedly a more comfortable bike on the street than say the cousin 890 Adventure, is built better and has more features, all while being more capable offroad than I would even want. The T7 is more like the 890 Adventure, I think, albeit with a little less performance.

[MrVvrroomm]

....it's all fun and games....

Congrats on the new bike

[Ray]

Agreed. Have fun.
(And it's all road riding until it's single track or no track.)

[Grumpy Goat]

Michael - how is the T7 going? Still having fun with it? Any mods? Pictures?

[mspratz]

Michael - how is the T7 going? Still having fun with it? Any mods? Pictures?

It is going to sound like I'm parroting all the rave reviews the testers seem to give to this bike, and that is because they are right. I love this bike, it is FUN!!! The engine is a gem, pulls like a tractor from just above idle, sounds awesome, and is apparently bulletproof. The suspension seems excellent to me (I haven't ridden a dirt bike since my Yamaha DT175 in about 1982) and is fully adjustable. So far I haven't changed anything except reduced the rear preload to minimum, which luckily gives about the right sag for my 145 lbs. The one downside is the bike is a bit tall. I can touch down with both sets of toes. I am 5' 9" with 32" inseam. I am training myself, when about to stop, pick a side and slide butt over to that side and put one foot down. This is much more secure than trying to touch both sets of toes.
I have 750 miles on it now, more than half of which has been on the dirt roads of western North Carolina. I'm starting to feel a bit more comfortable in the dirt. It is hard to get used to leaning the bike beneath you while keeping your body upright through turns (which is what works in the dirt) but I'm getting there. I should mention that is also a great on-road bike. It super fun to ride on twisty pavement. The standard tires (Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR) have loads of grip on road and seem pretty good off road (not that I anything to compare off-road). 
At the dealership the day it arrived:
       
Any mods? Yes, I have been shopping:
Aluminum crash bars from Adventure Spec in the UK:
   
Engine Protection:
       
continued in next post due to limit of five photos in a post...

[mspratz]

Michael - how is the T7 going? Still having fun with it? Any mods? Pictures?

...continued from above

AXP Racing skid plate. It is made of 8 mm thick plastic of some sort. Weighs about twice that of the stock skid plate, but with loads more protection. Plastic supposedly slide better over obstacles, weighs less, and is way less noisy than aluminum:
       

Rear rack:
   

Quad Lock phone mount:
   

Adjustable two-finger levers, clutch (shown) and brake (not shown):
   

continued in next post...

[mspratz]

Michael - how is the T7 going? Still having fun with it? Any mods? Pictures?

...continued from above.

Heat shield to protect the soft luggage from exhaust system:
   

Tusk Highland X2 rack-less soft luggage. Includes 2 x 25L side bags, small (~33 L) duffel bag (not shown), two large bottle bags (attached to front of each side bag). Here I have just quickly draped it over the bike to take the shot:
   

Rear ABS Sensor shield ($2.50 from china). I'm not sure its worth anything:
   

I have bought most of the accessories from Rocky Mountain ATV/MC. Their Tusk brand is high quality but reasonably priced. 

I'm building up a toolkit. So far its a bit of a mish mash of stuff I bought specifically and stuff I already had. It is still evolving. The big issue is the tube tires, which of course require at least partial removal of the tire to fix a flat. Everything except the tube and the Stop & Go pump fits into the bag (at the top of the picture). The two metal pieces on the far right fit together to make a telescoping trail stand, which can be used to support either wheel off the ground (the bike has no center stand and there are reasons to not add one). The blue Velcro strap is to lock the front brake for rear wheel removal. 
   

Went dirt riding with a group of four yesterday, and I was sweep for most of it. Everything gets filthy. I had to wash my riding jacket and pants, had to take apart my helmet to wash the pads and the shell and rinse out the vent ducts. When I took off my helmet I had dust GT stripes on top of my head. Here is the dirty girl before I rinsed her off. In this shot you can also see my new boots, https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/ridin...?s=1815979:
   

[Grumpy Goat]

Wonderful replies, Michael. Thanks! I thoroughly enjoyed that and now I feel like going and getting a more off-road capable bike (as a second bike), but I am not sure I will be as much into it as you seem to be (getting).

Yes, I heard about the need to lean away from the corners for offroad and thought that it may be pretty natural for mine since on the road I have the natural tendency to do just that and have to sometime consciously remind myself to do the opposite. Maybe I was an off-roader in a previous life.

Tube tires also give me pause, maybe moreso than they give you. Was looking at a bike today (on a website) and that was what it came down to. I liked everything else. We'll see.

[MrVvrroomm]

Look forward to hearing of your escapades Michael in a few weeks.

[mspratz]

Tube tires also give me pause, maybe more so than they give you. 

The Aprilia Tuareg 660 has tubeless tires and a few other upgrades over the T7. It also gets very good reviews. I thought about it seriously, but the sparse dealer network gave me pause. 
I'm looking forward to trying to convince you to take the plunge! 

[mspratz]

Look forward to hearing of your escapades Michael in a few weeks.

You may wish you could shut me up! 
I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone again.

[MrVvrroomm]

I have 3 Aprilia dealers within an hour of me, 1 is 10 minutes away.  I've had a couple of test sits on the 660.  

Love the TFT, cruise control, tubeless, etc.  

I don't need one, really I don't.  LOL