Kitting out a Yamaha T7
Avid Eurobike followers will know we currently have a Yamaha Tenere 700, which we have been using for adventure riding. We’ve kitted it out with accessories and after recently completing both the New Zealand Tenere Tour 2021 and the Triumph Tiger Adventure Ride, we thought we’d share some feedback on how the accessories stacked up in the real world. Below is a picture of our bike, with all of the items we have fitted. Read on to find out how each of these items held up to the task at hand.
panniers
Givi PLO2145 pannier racks and GRT709 soft panniers
The pannier racks bolted straight on, with little trouble. They are a tight fit on the exhaust side and, depending on the individual bike, it may be necessary to loosen off the exhaust mounts to make sure the exhaust is tucked in as close to the bike as possible, but in the end, everything fitted just fine. Combined with the GRT709 soft panniers, this is an awesome setup for serious adventure riding. The Tenere Tour included river crossings, hard-enduro-esque terrain and some pretty torrential weather. We were seriously impressed with how well the bags held up to the abuse we put them through. They took several hits, with the bike being dropped multiple times on the difficult terrain, including being submerged in a couple of rivers. Apart from a bit of dust and dirt, it’s actually really hard to detect they’ve been in contact with the ground – no signs of tearing or abrasion at all. What’s more, they are completely waterproof. Despite being submerged and drowned in serious rain, not a drop of water made it through to the gear inside. Admittedly, opening the roll top and finding buried items isn’t as easy as with hard luggage, but we’re pretty certain the impacts these soft panniers took would have seriously damaged a set of hard luggage, so for this sort of work, it’s the easy choice.
rear luggage
Givi SR2145 rear luggage rack with EX2M luggage plate, GRT714 waterproof roll bag and S351 luggage straps
On this bike we opted for soft luggage all around, so mounted the EX2M plate with a GRT714 bag, held in place with a pair of S351 luggage straps. This was a great way to stash all those extras needed when on a long ride – spare gloves, jumper, waterproof gear, goggles. All easy to access and protected from the elements. It was also really convenient to be able to strap my riding jacket onto the back when struggling through the river crossings and slow, slippery climbs.
TANK BAG
Givi GRT716 Tank bag
We love the Givi Tanklock system on any bike, but unfortunately the Yamaha T7 doesn’t have a conventional tank cap, so there isn’t a Tanklock kit available for it. However, the GRT716 waterproof tank bag fit perfectly and with the lower mount clips, it was a cinch to un-clip the back of the bag and swing it off to the side for refuelling. This was a great location for carrying tools and essential items, again waterproof, so everything inside was bone-dry, all of the time.
ENGINE PROTECTION
Givi RP2145 Sump Guard
This was a brilliant accessory. We covered some very rocky terrain and on several occasions heard some really loud bangs as large rocks were fired off the front wheel, into the underside of the bike. Without this extra layer of protection, it would only be a matter of time before a rock took out the oil filter, or dented the exhaust system. Even with the cringe inducing bangs we heard, there is barely even a small ding in the sump guard, proving it is one sturdy piece of kit.
Givi TN2145 Engine Guards
The Givi engine guards did a fantastic job of saving the bike from damage. The bodywork on the bike never even looked like touching the ground and even the handlebars were held up enough to only come into light contact, meaning no bent bars, or broken levers. I was so confident of the strength of the engine guards, I was happy to push the bike over at one point, when I got stuck on the wrong side of the bike on the side of a hill, unable to get on, or reach the side-stand. We would have definitely been up for some very costly repairs without these in place.
SCREEN
Givi D2145S Screen
We swapped the small, original screen for a Givi D2145S smoked screen. This was a wise move for the long road sections, providing much more wind protection and reducing fatigue on the back and shoulders. This makes the entire day much easier and ultimately more enjoyable.
GADGET HOLDERS
Givi S902A and SGZ39SM mounts for Garmin Zumo
The Tenere Tour was GPS guided, so a good GPS setup was essential. The Givi S902A phone mount fit perfectly on the little accessory bar, above the Yamaha dash. With the SGZ39SM kit, my Garmin Zumo GPS was mounted securely and in a great position for navigating with.
Givi S920 Smartclip
In today’s world, we are never far away from a smartphone and with a helmet headset, riding is no different. The S920 Smartclip is simple to use and doesn’t require any extra hardware to be permanently fitted to the phone. My iPhone 12 mini was held in place over some extremely rough terrain, without a hint of movement, or any damage to the phone.
CHAIN OILER
Scottoiler xSystem 2.0 chain oiler plus Traveller Expansion Bag
We love Scottoiler, so naturally had to mount one on the new Yamaha. We chose the new xSystem 2.0 for it’s easy installation, ease of use and robustness. There aren’t many places to mount a Scottoiler on the Yamaha and where we mounted ours was a little tricky to reach for refilling. Never fear, we also installed a Traveller Expansion Bag which sits neatly under the rear seat. Refilling is a breeze and there is more than enough oil capacity to last a multi-day journey, even at a high flow setting to cope with the dusty roads we were on. While several other riders were messing around trying to manually lube chains, or simply accepting the chain wear they would be suffering, we just rode and rode and rode…
HAND CONTROLS
Domino A450 Race Grips
The grips that come on the Yamaha T7 are typical basic touring grips. Plain looking, without any decent grip or feel. We love the A450 road race grips so much, we thought we’d try them on an adventure bike. Fantastic grip and feel, along with stylish good looks meant we have better control of the bike and less hand fatigue over the length of the ride. Often overlooked, decent hand grips are one of the easiest ways to improve the feel and performance of any bike.
FOOTPEGS AND SIDE STAND
Buzzetti Off-Road Footpegs
The Genuine Yamaha footpegs are a token gesture towards adventure riding. A compromise of off-road grip, cushioned by a large chunk of rubber. They’re not really suitable for proper off-road control in slippery conditions. Buzzetti off-road footpegs are longer and wider and have a seriously grippy platform. Forged in Buzzetti’s Italian foundry, they are super rugged, also. The T7 has a large dome-head screw behind the footrest pivot, so we did have to grind part of the stopper away on the Buzzetti peg, but this didn’t affect quality or performance at all.
Givi ES2145 Sidestand extension
We’ve been using these sidestand extensions for years and they make adventure riding so much easier. The ability to stop and put the sidestand down on even the softest ground takes a lot of hassle out of the day.
All up, it's been a great bike for longer trips and more demanding adventures. There are plenty of other luggage options for this bike - if you want to know more, take a look at our overview here.
