I figured it was time for a dedicated Tenere 700 thread where current and future owners can share T7 related knowledge and ask T7 related questions in one place. This thread includes but is not limited to:
Maintenance tips and tricks
Common problems and fixes
Suspension setup and tuning
Modifications for protection, performance, etc.
Luggage systems and packing solutions
Wheel systems: wheels, tires, tubes, etc.
Navigation and electronics
DIY repairs and projects
Here are a few questions to get things started:
What are the best modifications you’ve made? If you were building a new T7 from scratch, what are the upgrades you’d do immediately?
What modifications did you try and then eventually remove?
What suspension setup are you running (spring rate, valves, clickers, for your rider weight)
The T7 is a blank canvas that can be built into a big dirt bike, adventure tourer, super-moto, etc. What is your T7 build philosophy? What role does your bike fill in your garage?
Why did you chose the T7? What other ADV bikes have you had and how does your T7 compare?
Looking forward to seeing everyone’s setups, lessons learned, and photos. Let’s build a resource that helps both new and experienced Tenere owners get the most out of their bikes.
I went with the T7 because I wanted a reliable and capable machine that was straight forward to maintain. I built mine primarily as an adventure touring machine that I can press use a big dirt bike on occasion.
Rider weight with full gear: 210 lbs. I also have steel engine guards, pannier racks, and the Acerbis 6.1 gallon tank so I went with heavier springs. 0.69 in the front and 8.5 in the rear. The springs are on the stiffer side when I don’t have a bunch of luggage on the bike so my K-Tech ORVS compression and rebound damping settings are very much set toward the mellow side when I’m riding typical Colorado rocky terrain.
Protection
I have the dirtracks engine guards and pannier rack. I went with them because they’re steel, which is heavier but also much better at withstanding abuse compared to aluminum. I attach my tools, tubes, and recovery gear to the engine guards to keep the heavy stuff towards the bike’s center of mass for better handling. The pannier racks protect the exhaust and ECU and make attaching luggage so much more convenient. I’m also running the AXP skid plate, Acerbis hand guards and chain slider, rear rotor guard and a headlight cover.
Best Mods
If I was building a T7 from scratch, I’d immediately install double take mirrors and flip the handlebar clamps 180 degrees for a more aggressive offroad riding posture. I’d also install these footpegs from NICECNC.
I like these pegs a lot because I stand up for hours in my hunting boots without foot fatigue. For me there’s a time and place for motocross boots and hunting boots, and these footpegs work well with both.
Luggage
I’m running the Nelson Rigg trails end panniers with the quick detach plate for the pannier racks and some temu bags for the engine guards. Both are good for the price, but I might upgrade to mosko when these are no longer serviceable.
Miscellaneous
I have the tusk cotton air filter and nylon bolts installed where the fork guard attaches to the fork to prevent catastrophic damage to the fork if the bike falls at that point. I’ve already replaced these about 5 times so I think it’s a modification worth doing, especially if you’re pushing your machine hard offroad.
I was riding a single trail in Rampart with the T7 and got stuck in a steep part. Had to use the clutch a lot to get out of it.
The clutch stopped working but after adjusting it using the round thing, it worked again but not quite right. It is taking a lot of time for the clutch to fully engage.
T7 is 2022 and has only 6000 miles. Should I change the plates? Is it easy?
My motorcycle mechanics knowledge is very very limited. But I know how to fill the tank.
Clutch plates are an easy wear item to replace and the service interval can vary a lot depending on how you ride. I replaced mine around 8k miles I think. I probably didn’t have enough play in my clutch cable which can wear them out faster. The pros riding these bikes in hard Enduro will replace the clutch plates after every big race but that’s certainly overkill.
It’s a pretty simple job with the manual, a torque wrench, and calipers for checking that the rest of the clutch pack is still in good order. Oil gets changed in the process. Soak the new plates in oil for a while before install.
All good info. Ill add that on clutch number 3 in 23,000 miles I went with the Barnett plates and the feel is a night and day improvement over OEM. The cost is about the same. Coolant does not have to drained, nor the water pump removed. Having never done it before, it took about 30 minutes the first time I did it in the driveway.
The clutch in the T7s has been a reported issue for most of the production. I would skip using OEM and follow the above recommendation.
While I have not had many issues I generally think it is my only complaint with the bike. The lever pull and clutch engagement are not great. I do have the Camel one finger upgrade but it is still not as pleasant as some of my other bikes.
Any recommendations for small robust blinkers? I have a ‘24 with OEM LEDs but they still pop out from time to time. Looking for something smaller that stays put.
I used these for a while with the Camel adapter plates until I went full dirtbike and just started waving my arms around at cars. I’m pretty sure the arms are more effective at signaling than a turn signal, but these worked and mostly stayed out of the way.
Anyone have opinions on foot pegs? The second set of Alt Rider cast-aluminum pegs I had sheared off, so I’m looking for something smaller and non-aluminum that’ll bend instead of breaking. I’ve been looking at these which seem similar to the YZ450 pegs: DRC Ultra Wide Steel Footpegs Yamaha / Fantic / Gas Gas 65cc-700cc 1997-2026 - RevZilla (found them quite a bit cheaper on eBay)
I had DRCs on my WR250 and they withstood serious abuse. Good thing about steel over Aluminum is that steel tends to bend before breaking. I didn’t know they made a set for the T7. If they’re anything like the ones I had (and they look very similar) I think it’s a good buy, especially for the price.
It’s been quiet over here, I guess everybody’s riding!
Just wanted to drop a couple observations from recent “test sessions.”
2024 T7 apparently runs perfectly fine without a dash connected at all. I thought this would have some interaction with the ABS, it does not seem to matter. I have an LSK dongle, and the memory functioned to keep rear ABS off, though I have since pulled the ABS solenoid fuse entirely. Problem solved there.
I remounted the dash temporarily on a custom bracket. Will likely stay this way (sans rally tower) through the summer, I’m enjoying the airflow at the moment.
Coolant reservoir appears to have been cracked at the base (the locator/mounting peg was ripped off at some point, leaving a pinhole.) I rode it like this for about 400 miles including some pretty steep singletrack in Taylor Park, without any overheating issues.
Getting excited for my first valve check at 26,000 miles. Very curious, since it has been a rough couple of seasons for this thing.
Will be taking the opportunity for a laundry list of maintenance while it’s apart. Still absolutely amazed how durable this thing is.
