Yamaha XT660Z Tenere
Ténéré means „land out there“ in the language of the Tuareg, nomadic people living in the Sahara and Sahel desert. The name sounds promising like adventure.
The Japanese motorbike manufacturer may have named the first XT600 in 1983 “Tenere” for that reason. It was the successor of the famous XT500 initiating the enduro age. During its 30 year history the Tenere celebrated big success as most sold bike in Europe or some Rallye Dakar achievements but also suffered some setbacks. For long time it was the most wanted bike for long bike journeys through the deserts of our world. Between 1998 and 2007 there was no production of this model. In 2008 Yamaha announced the come back with a new designed Tenere. According test reports the engine is one of the most reliable ones of their class and the simple technical design allows repairs beside civilization. Maybe perfect for long distance journeys. Despite we would prefer the original 30L tank from 1983, we bought two machines from the aftermarket, model years 2008 and 2011.
Technical Data
| Build type | Liquid cooled, 1-cylinder, 4-stroke, 4 valves, chain driven / single overhead camshaft (SOHC) |
| Cylinder capacity | 660 ccm |
| Bohrung x Hub | 100,0 mm x 84,0 mm |
| Compression | 10.0 : 1 |
| Lubrication | Dry sump lubrication |
| Effective power | 35,0 kW (48,0PS) at 6,000 /min |
| Max torque | 58,0 Nm (5,92 mkp) at 5,500 /min |
| Fuel injection | direct fuel injection, electronical |
| Clutch | Multi layer, oil bath |
| Ignition | Transistorized |
| Gear box | 5-gear, sequential |
| Power transmission | Chain |
| Framework | Steel frame, Gitterrohr-Einschleifenrahmen, rear swinging fork of casted alloy |
| Suspension front | Telescopic fork, Ø 43 mm, 210 mm deflection |
| Suspension back | Leveraged suspension strut, adaptable spring pre-load, 200mm deflection |
| Angle of steering head | 28° |
| Castor angle | 113mm |
| Brake front | Two floating mounted brace discs, Ø 298 mm, two non floating calipers by Brembo |
| Brake back | Single disc Ø 245 mm, floating caliper, one piston |
| Tyre front | 90/90-21 M/C |
| Tyre back | 130/80-17 M/C |
| Rim | Crossed spokes, rim size 1,85×21″ front and 2,75×17″ back |
| Tank volume | 23 litres |
| Oil tank | 2.9 litres |
| Electrical | Starter battery 8 Ah, alternator 190 Watt |
| Exhaust system | geregelter Drei-Wege-Katalysator mit Grenzwerten unterhalb der der Abgasnorm Euro-3, zwei Endschalldämpfer mit Einkammerschalldämpfer |
| Seat height | 896 mm |
| Performance | acceleration in 5,9 seconds from 0 to 100 kph and has a maximum velocity of 160kph (100mph) |
Some pictures of our Teneres
by Ulli