Since its launch in Europe in 2019 and landing in the US in 2021, there's no doubt that the Yamaha Tenere 700 has become one of the most popular and most sought-after adventure bikes on the market. With a rally-inspired design, it strikes the right balance between power, performance, simplicity and price, making it a bike like no other. But despite all its great points, the biggest drawback that owners often report is its suspension.
The stock KYB suspension performs well out of the box on average trails, but has limitations in technical off-road terrain, especially in the hands of an experienced rider. With soft springs and limited travel of 8.3 inches (210 mm) in the front and 7.9 inches (200 mm) in the rear, bottoming out over big bumps at high speeds is likely, exacerbated when loaded for travel. The stock damping adjusters offer limited down-shifting, and limited ground clearance means the skid plates quickly chafe in rough terrain.
The TracTive suspension kit not only increases front and rear suspension travel and ground clearance, but also improves suspension quality with race-level components.
Compared to other off-road focused adventure bikes in its class, such as the KTM 890 Adventure R, Tuareg 660 or Tiger 900 Rally Pro, the suspension travel spec is about an inch shorter, and even a casual off-road bike like the V-Strom 800DE can deliver more than that.
Few adventure bikes are as deserving of a suspension upgrade as the T7, and we've all seen the upper end of this model's potential fully realized in the talented hands of Pol Tarres, who use TracTive suspension components on their bespoke bikes.
For owners looking to unleash their potential on the trail, TracTive Suspension offers an incredible T7 mod called the X-Treme Pro (+25mm) Long Travel Kit, which not only increases suspension travel and ground clearance by nearly an inch front and rear, but also upgrades the suspension quality with race-level components for improved stability, control and confidence on the trail.
Front suspension upgrade
The TracTive X-treme Pro cartridge fits perfectly into your fork legs without any modifications. This upgrade increases your fork's suspension travel to 9.3 inches and provides a 35mm diameter damping piston, one of the largest on the market. This kit also adds front preload adjustment.
Have you ever heard your T7 forks rattle when you hit a big rock or deep rut? The TracTive front suspension upgrade is designed to solve that exact problem. The X-Treme Pro (+25mm) long travel front cartridge kit is a drop-in upgrade for your existing 43mm Tenere 700 fork, no special modifications required. Not only does it increase your fork's suspension travel to 9.3 inches, it also provides rebound damping in one leg and compression in the other, adjustable with a convenient manual adjustment dial on top. No more having to get under your bike with a screwdriver to change the compression damping settings on the bottom of your fork. The fork kit also adds preload adjustability at the front to help you set the optimal stance for your bike.
The fork kit provides rebound damping in one leg and compression damping in the other, adjustable with a convenient manual adjustment dial on top. The advanced closed cartridge system uses specific damping oil and a separate pressurized nitrogen gas chamber, plus hydraulic end stops to prevent bottoming out on hard hits.
TracTive Tenere 700 fork kits use an advanced sealed cartridge system that separates the oil and air in a sealed chamber pressurized with nitrogen gas. Because the oil is pressurized, it will not foam or cavitate as heat builds up during hard riding, as can happen with standard open cartridge forks. Air bubbling into the fork oil results in poor damping performance and insufficient internal lubrication. The primary benefits are smooth, consistent performance without fading and more precise damping adjustment.
Damping and shock absorption are further improved with the use of a 35mm cartridge piston, one of the largest available from any aftermarket suspension supplier. This larger piston speeds up oil flow transfer during compression and rebound for maximum damping control. The more oil that can be transferred, the slower the forks can move. And when the limits of suspension travel are reached on big impacts, hydraulic end stops are ready to help prevent hard bottoming. (MSRP: $1,695)
Rear suspension upgrade
The X-treme Pro shock upgrade increases rear suspension travel to 8.9 in. The shock absorbers feature PDSII anti-bottoming valves and optional manual preload adjusters.
Lifting the stock Tenere 700 just a few inches off the ground can cause the rear suspension to bottom out, especially for riders weighing over 200 lbs. To address this, TracTive has replaced the stock shocks with beefier units featuring CNC-machined 6082 T6 aluminum housings, hardened 42CRMo4 piston rods mounted to heavy-duty 46mm damping pistons, high-strength bearings and stainless steel bushings.
Like the fork kit, the TracTive X-Treme Pro (+25mm) long-travel rear shock increases suspension travel, bringing it up to 8.9″ in the rear. Damping is provided by high-flow oil channels, low-friction seals, off-road specific shim stacks and an external reservoir that contains much more oil and cooling surface than a standard shock. This ensures predictable, consistent and fade-free performance even on rough surfaces.
Shock upgrades come with external reservoirs with separate damping oil and nitrogen gas. The reservoirs are forged from a single piece of aluminum with large oil channels to minimize flow restriction. High and low speed compression adjusters allow for fine tuning.
In addition to the rebound damping adjustment, this shock absorber is equipped with separate high-speed and low-speed compression damping adjusters, allowing you to more precisely tune the behavior of your rear suspension for both sharp hits and gradual ups and downs on the trail. All damping adjustments are performed using convenient clickers, not tools such as stoppers, and can be quickly changed on the fly. The preload adjuster also has a wide adjustment range to accommodate larger loads that may occur during travel, especially with two-ups. Additionally, this shock absorber can be purchased with or without a hydraulic “hand dial” preload adjuster (HPA), which allows you to quickly and easily adjust the preload for different loads without tools.
The rear shock absorber is available with an optional Hydraulic Preload Adjuster (HPA) with an adjustment range of 10 mm.
When longer travel and more effective damping aren't enough to combat particularly large impacts, TracTive X-Treme Pro shocks are equipped with a Position Dependent Damping System (PDSII) as a final defense against hard bottoming. PDSII is a secondary damping piston mounted above the main damping piston. When a large impact occurs, this secondary damping piston enters a cup at the end of the compression stroke, creating additional damping force. It's like a high-tech bump stop that effectively absorbs and disperses energy during the final stages of compression when needed. Minimizing the number of large impacts during long off-road rides not only improves comfort and safety, but also reduces wear on the bike and body. (MSRP: $1,395)
Custom Tuned Suspension
While installation of the fork kit and replacement shock can be done by anyone with basic mechanical skills, any technical fine-tuning work is done at a suspension shop. When you purchase, you fill out a form that shows exactly how you want your suspension configured before your product is shipped to you. Both the X-Treme Pro fork kit and replacement shock are given custom springs and application-specific tune-ups based on rider weight and intended use (racing, overlanding, two-seater touring, exploring technical trails, etc.).
If you're not as long-legged and want to maintain the standard T7 ride height, you can also choose the standard height X-Treme Pro fork and shock upgrade kit instead of the “long travel” option. You'll get all the benefits of premium aftermarket suspension with the same technology used by top level racers, including improved damping performance and hard bottoming resistance. TracTive also offers a lowered suspension X-Treme fork and shock kit that reduces suspension travel by approximately 0.8 inches (-20 mm) for those looking to lower their seat height even further.
Available in extra low (-35mm), low (-20mm) normal or high (+25mm) ride heights, the cartridge and rear shock absorber provide ample options to suit riders of all types and sizes. The X-Treme Pro kit is also available in a special Black & White edition, where the adjustment components are anodized with a deep black finish.
All TracTive products are fully serviceable and backed by a two-year warranty. Prices start at $1,395 for the X-Treme Pro Long Travel shock and $1,695 for the fork kit. Even after upgrading your new Tenere 700, you'll still have a few thousand more dollars left over to spend compared to buying a KTM 890 Adventure R, and considering you're getting a roughly 15-pound lighter machine with more capable suspension, it's not a bad investment.
So if you're looking to upgrade your beloved T7 with the suspension that Yamaha should have fitted from the factory (which is actually better), TracTive's X-Treme Pro kit is definitely worth considering. The kit is also a compatible upgrade for the Tenere 700 World Raid and Extreme models, for those of you living overseas. Check out the TracTive website where you can see the different options for the Tenere 700 and find local suspension shops that carry their products.
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