Ténéré: A Brief History

Taken from the word for ‘desert’ in the language of the Tuareg people of Saharan Africa, the first Ténéré featured an oil/air-cooled 595cc single-cylinder engine, a single disc brake on the front wheel and a massive 30-litre fuel tank.

In 1986, engine power was slightly increased, electric starting added and the fuel tank reduced to 23-litre capacity, but lower sides of the tank meant a fuel pump needed to be added. 

The first big change was in 1988, when the Ténéré design was updated to resemble something similar to today’s foundation, adding a frame-mounted fairing, twin headlights and a rear disc brake. The single-cylinder engine was retained, but modified slightly to improve cooling and lubrication.

The Ténéré family expanded in 1989 with the first twin-cylinder XTZ 750 “Super Ténéré” released. The liquid-cooled 750cc parallel twin featured a 180-degree crankshaft, downdraft carbies and a state-of-the-art (for 1989) five-valve head. This model formed the basis of Yamaha’s YZE 750T and YZE 850T Dakar race bikes, which won seven Dakar rallies between 1991 and 1998 (all with Stéphane Peterhansel in the saddle), cementing its place in the history books.

Gaining the liquid cooling and five-valve head of its bigger brother in 1991, the single cylinder Ténéré also increased in capacity to 660cc, where it’s remained ever since. More capacity meant a slight power increase to almost 35.5kW (compared to 34kW on the 600), but a further reduction in fuel capacity and less suspension travel reflected the Ténéré’s increasing focus on road manners over off-road ability.

In 2009, we saw the introduction of the modern-era XT 660Z Ténéré single, which was equipped with an all-new frame, fuel injection, a 4-valve cylinder head and new styling, but the engine capacity, braking and suspension were all familiar to the previous model.

A more radical change came on the Super Ténéré, though, which after being discontinued in 1996, returned in 2010 with an 1199cc DOHC parallel twin engine with ‘crossplane’ firing technology from the YZF-R1. The XT1200Z also featured a Ténéré first in the form of shaft drive, as well as ABS and ride-by-wire throttle control. Like the XT660Z, the new XT1200Z arrived as a more road-biased bike and added an increasing amount of technology features in the years that followed, including selectable engine maps, cruise control, traction control and electronically-adjustable suspension