Yamaha Tenere 700 vs. KTM 790 Adventure vs. BMW F850GSA - The Complete Review 

Hello, guys. Thanks for your comments and support. The Tenere 700 in this test was handled to us by the Yamaha dealer and it had the stock suspension settings. In order to offer a more detailed and precise answer on the Tenere 700 suspension thing, we'll come up with a follow-up test in a couple of days. We'll try again the Tenere on road and off-road with various compression/rebound settings. Be right back. :) P.S. You're a well informed and exacting community and we're proud of that!

That slow mo of the suspension is the best comparison you can have. Great work you guys! great video!

I miss these guys. I remembered this episode, they had so much fun. RIP Cristian Recently got a 2022 890 Adventure S and this bike fits me much better than the H-D Pan America and 1290 SA-R that I had before. This bike is opening up more riding possibilities for me.

Having been riding bikes most of my 55 yrs..... and living Thailand now and living in Vietnam and The Dominican Republic.... Growing up in California The bottom line for me is reliability, cost of maintenance, availability of parts and services...... World wide I would stick with the Good folks at the Tuning fork of Yamaha. Just my opinion of Course. I owned a GS 800 and overall loved it... But I didn't love the dealer or service experience. I have only ridden a handful of KTMs..... But I absolutely loved the ride for sure. I love to ride..... Not spending time in service shops and waiting for parts. I will stick to Yamaha. You guys did an awesome job here. Keep up the good work. 😁🙏

Going on long tours: BMW Hitting the bendy back roads: KTM Going into the bushbush: Yamaha

I'm not really a Yamaha fanboy, but dear me did they hit a home run with that Ténéré!

The camera work for the series at 11:00 is pretty amazing.

I love the simplicity of the Yamaha, and the price difference between it and the others is substantial. The worldwide dealer support is also a major plus if going to far away places is on your agenda. Traction control on a dirt bike? We use to call that clutch and throttle control.

GSA too big and heavy for a middleweight - it would be hard to pick it over the R1250 as there is little difference in mass. Nice thorough review!

I would like to applaud all three of you. For three guys whose first language is obviously not English, you all have an amazing command of the language. Well done all of you.

I have an 850GSA and I couldnt agree more about the gear box. It could be so much better. The quickshift works nicer than the clutch shifting sometimes, low gearing can be specially annoying, sometimes with the BMW. I test rode both the T7 and the KTM(Both Versions). There are so many good points about all these 3 bikes its crazy. I guess in the end its about what motorcycle do you actually like the most, which one speaks to you the most. As always amazing video guys !!

Your slow motion footage of suspension performance at 11 minutes is brilliant!

Good review guys! I own a F850GSA and love it. You summed it up well. I looked at the KTM and decided against it because I like to adventure with my wife often and the Beemer was the better choice for me. I can see how the KTM is best for a light adventure. Regardless of what works for people, this class of motorcycle is where the future is. I love the way manufacturers are turning their attention to lighter, more affordable and fun motorcycles!

Some great filming guys. Can’t wait to get my t7 in March. Ready to ride from London to Central Asia

You guys looked like you had fun doing this review and I very much had fun watching it. Long wait for my Yamaha in the USA and watching you 3 on these bikes doesn't help. Lol Thanks for the review. Well done!

Those bikes did well in the bog considering that they had hybrid tires and not dirt knobbies. The Yamaha needed to be dialed down a bit on suspension it looked like, but it was still nice. The KTM did well. The fact that it would not even be worth trying the BMW in the bog because of difficulty of pushing it around when it gets stuck or falls over, says a lot. These guys lost a good opportunity with the Yamaha by not adjusting the very decent suspension on it. It was obviously too hard for many of the bumpy road tests, and CERTAINLY for the boggy field. Dial it down, and it would have made a world of difference, and that low end torque motor would have made the off roading fun.

Adjustable suspension... adjust it !!

So careful and detailed comparisons. You guys take so much into consideration as these bikes are so close in comparison to each other but it’s these subtleties between them that people are interested in and usually don’t have the benefit in riding them out of the box as you guys do. I own a Honda Goldwing 2018 and I love it but I grew up on dirt bikes. Yes, I did see the video on the Goldwing and the BMW 1600 and fully enjoyed that too! You do an excellent job, Keep it coming!

this is a killer video and an in depth, real world review - wow you guys worked really hard on this production - it's really helpful to a viewer, I felt like I was right there with you haha

Great job guys. Loved that scene in slow motion where we can see the 3 bikes from the side on the field.

why you trying off with no off tire? i have on my t7 conti tkc80 and this is another race......

One of the leading channels in the motorbike genre on RU-vid....! Well done boys👍👍👍

I keep hearing stories of the KTM having reliability issues. A lot of them have been in and out of the shop which is unfortunate. Such a sweet machine. I'm picking up my tenere 700 mid-july.

What a fantasticly done show, thank you. Christian you will be dearly missed

Yamaha for overlanding around the world, KTM for fun on and off-road, BMW for travel on road.

Someone I know got the Yamaha T700 and spent $400 on the suspension and it’s a beast !

I have lost count on how many times I viewed this video. Great job, loved it!

I can smell the burning clutch from here!

That is it! A great review with true application of the products in the field and good humor! Congracts

Do the T7 have adjustable rebound dampening? If it kicks your but, try to turn that one in a couple of clicks

Where did you filmed that?? Nice video, I'll pick up my T 700 next friday. Look so forward to it 🎉

damn the KTM sounds bad. T7 had the best exhaust note imo.

I would have liked to see you changing the suspension just a bit on the Yamaha to see your opinion on the before and after. But in general the review was great 👍

The Yamaha Tenere 700 anyday !!!

Great video guys, very well done 👍 Thanks… Cheers from Northern California

The suspension segment @ 10:52 was really well done, that's what we want to see!

If I plan to buy some bike I will definitely check video reviews of you guys only. Most genuine one which covers all aspects. Make sense for a pro rider and a beginner rider. How can you bring up with so awesome video mate? Keep going guys!! The only thing missing in this review is a Triumph tiger. Just wanted to see how you compare that with these bikes. Waiting!!!!!!!

I just flashed the ECU on my T7. It fixed all the twitchy throttle and flames outs you guys are talking about. It also gave it more around 6k rpm.

Best and Most fun review on these bikes guys. Good job on the suspension comparison, I was surprised that the T7 didn't do better. Regarding adjustable suspension... I don't know if You guys did any work on the T7, but bear in mind that the 790"s" did better without having adjustable suspension. Good an honest conclusion from all of you even if it surprised as well. I ride the 790R myself. Would love to advride to Romania. Most important, my bike is louder than yours... 😂😂👌💪 Keep it up!

Love your videos guys! Your detailed feedback at the end was great

You guys really do a great review. Well done! Your capturing the art in the ride as well as covering the duller statistical analysis. All while having fun. This is premium content. Thanks.

Best bike review I've seen in a long time

Super Video dar am si eu o rugaminte. Daca mai mergeti in teren echipati motoarele cu cauciucuri adecvate. Ceea ce ati avut voi montat nu sunt pentru teren iar inca o dorinta ar fi sa mergeti mai mult in picioare in teren. Daca ramaneti in sa nu trebuie sa ne miram ca la un moment dat cadeti. In teren directionezi mai mult cu schimbarea centrului de greutate si su presiunea coapsei pe cadru sau rezervor si nu folosind ghidonul iar prin apa treci mult mai usor incarcand furca spate cu greutatea si avand und ghidon tinut relaxat pentru a putea trece fata usor peste pietre si obstacole. Poate ca absolvirea unui curs de enduro v-ar ajuta m-ai mult in asemenea cazuri. Pe mine m-ar fi interest cum se comporta motoarele in aceleasi conditii daca modificati setarile seuspensiilor. Poate incercati ajustari data viitoare. In rest, super si informativ ca totdeauna, spor la treaba in contuniare.

Keep up the good work. Most informed unbiased channel there is. I recently bought the Street Triple RS over the Z900 and your comparison helped me make the correct decision for me. I'm really looking forward to the KTM 490 twin as I feel that will hit a sweet spot in real world adventure touring or off roading in Asia.

First time that I saw a clever rider getting off(!) the bike when terrain got tough rather than stupidly trying to ride it. I also saw the T7 much less often lying around than the KTM (and don't tell me it was the bad rider - was definitely not). To me the T7 is the do all get anywhere bike (like my RE Hima) - no one wants to admit, as the more expensive bike has to be better. But everyone knows - the T7 is running circles around the others when it comes to rough terrain. I'd choose the T7 anytime over the others. Great vid - thanks for doing such great reviews. Stay safe

Thank you guys, a fantastic video. Loved the critique and the adventure in equal measure. I'm looking at various KTM and have fallen for them of late.

Nice editing! And awesome to see the bikes being pushed (literally and figuratively) a bit. Great shots of the suspension working.

Important on the Tenere 700 to put a spring in the rear suspension that matches your weight. Its a 5min job at the Yamaha dealer. The factory spring is too soft for anyone over 80 kgs. It dramatically improves the bikes handling if you are pushing the bike hard offroad.

You guys are the best. Great review and camera work is unbelievable. Thanks!

Very very nice review! Thanks for taking all the effort and not opting for too much RU-vid ads in between too!

You are amazing. Non-biased, open, and funny. The photography is outstanding, sometimes breathtaking. I couldn't figure out where you guys are coming from. Romania I guess?

Great test guys! Once you consider the prices the T700 is the bike to get. It is almost as good off roads as the KTM but it is a lot better for the long trip. The BMW is too fat and too expensive, its comfy but not good off roads. I had 12 KTM's but this time my vote goes for the T7, no doubt!

EXCELLENT VIDEO MATE.... LOVE IT... CHEERS FROM MEXICO. KEEP ON RIDING

My personal favourite is the Yamaha. I like it for it's narrowness, it's simplicity and it's reliability. Though I will stick to my Honda Africa Single, which is still lighter and even more narrow :-)

BMW is a retirement bike. KTM is fun but I'll only take tenere around the planet. BTW Waiting for KTM 390 adventure review

When I watch your videos I think of traveling with bike even though I don’t like bikes

Great. Just perfect. Waiting t7 and 790 in Brazil

And if you want to have a lot of problems, buy the BMW or KTM. :-)

T7 is designed to push the frontwheel down when accelerating so maybe it requires a different ridning position and better adjustment. You can see from the slow motion clips that KTM and BMW is more plush in the back and more easily lifts the frontwheel over bumps.

17:05 FTW. I was waiting for it. You guys are great. Just goes to show they are ADVENTURE bikes not ENDURO bikes. Do it now with the 400s.

One of the best review channels out there!! Great work, cool guys greetings from austria

Great review guys..as others have said I would have liked you to play around with the suspension adjusting..maybe next time..Thanks guys, these reviews are really helpful when choosing a bike👍

Please do a comparaison video with all middle weight adventure bikes with 17-19 inches wheels; that would be very interesting; its a friendly suggestion (ex.: V-Strom 650 XT, V85TT, Tiger 900 GT, X-Cape 650, F750GS, ...). Best regards.

WOW thank you 🙏 for the awesome and honest real life no BS review, I really appreciate it.

I have watched many if not most of your videos over the years and this is my favorite one of them all. Thank you so much. I hope to see a review like this one for the new Tiger Rally Pro 660, Aprilia Tuareg 660, Honda Transalp 660 and maybe bring back the T7 as I am very interested in the below 700cc class that is now being released as I am hopeful they are more off-road focused first and highway second which the current 700-900cc bikes which are the "middle weight" bikes are not. Thank you again for everything you guys do for us.

Would have been nice to run the 790 "R" model in this test as well.

Very Nicely Done! Much thanks for all you do!

Nice video. I cant wait to see you guys testing & reviewing the new Tiger 900 GT & the new Tiger Rally. Please do not just test the Rally one, please test the GT one please as its more accessible to short riders like i am; thanks. & as i ride 80% on asphalt & only 20% on light dirt roads the 17-19 inches wheels of the GT will be more than enough for me. A comparaison video with all middle weight adventure bikes with 17-19 inches wheels would be very interesting; its a friendly suggestion (V-Strom 650 XT, V85TT, Tiger 900 GT, Morini X-Cape 650, F750GS, CB500X...). Best regards.

I would pick the T7 no contest...great balance of utility and that exhaust note oh so sweet! The KTM sound is not pleasing and this is the 2nd review stating it is unstable at hi-way speed - deal killer. BMW is nice but to big and heavy for a fun experience off road.

Great video ! What's with the racing slicks on those bikes? haha

I would take the Yamaha,simple bike and it would be an awesome bike to take around the world. No fancy high-tech features that can go wrong. I’m planing to live on the road bikelifestily and I can’t de ide between the sport African twin the T700 or the DR650

Brilliant, honest comparison of all three bikes. Great video and some lovely film work 👌😎

Great review. Three guys like in top gear. I like the idea. Good luck guys. Greetings from Poland

I watched the whole video, I did not drive the 790 ADV, but the 850 GS base model after an attempt that did not convince me, I have the 700 Tenèré since July 31, the shock absorbers of 'origin are set for the road, I measure 1.70 m for 70 kg and I am 53 years old used to pilot enduros, I adjusted the fork on 15 / clicks you tighten fully and you make 15 clicks back for the rear shock I relaxed this because it was too stiff now for the off road it's good for me however it dives more on the road. I inflated the 1.5 bar at the back and 1.3 bar in front of it changes everything. I did 400 km of off road over a weekend on more difficult terrain, pebbles mountains on steep slopes. with about 10 kg of luggage and tools included soft bags. I would say that the 700 Tenèré is a traveler with good off road aptitudes;

The 11:00 - 13:00 section of the video is self-explanatory! Excellent. Slow motion is a great way to see the suspension at work. Thanks and ride safe.

I like the bikes and you guys are so pleasantly entertaining. I am leaning towards the ktm

I bet the Yamaha’s with the suspension sent out to a professional shop and some actual off-road tires would be sick!

A very practical and real comparison video. Great work guys 👌🏼

How about the other important factors to consider like long term reliability, or ease/cost of repairs?

Great video! Best line of the video... 'I don't have glasses, I have a KTM'!

Fabulous and very thorough, one of the best I've seen undertaken yet. Well done.

Hey guys great job great video definitely set yourselves apart from other video comparisons , how about talking about the dadh displys ? After all you spend all day looking at it ..!

Good one guys! The camera guy is doing a great job! In the last part, when you are talking to each other I would have liked to see the bikes from time to time. Good opportunity to show the desing and other things of the bikes.

Great video very informative and fun to watch.Thank you guys.

Allways the best reviews. Thank you guys. Regards from Brazil.

The KTM wobble is down to the forks not being adjusted properly in the triple. And to call the Tenere suspension harsh is just plain wrong in the facts departement. If it is adjustable - then check what are the adjustements done to it beforehand always. (You never know, what the previous rider did, if it is a rental bike). And against the BMW always speaks the mass. It is just tooooo much weight. But it is comfy. Edit - and the video quality is superb !

What a beautiful place to ride those bikes! Great video

Now imagine the T7 with aftermarket suspension, or tuned original one...

Interesting in the beginning of the video the guy with the glasses thought he would like the T7 and beat all the rest of the bikes, but after riding chose the KTM. Similarly how many of these comments here are saying how great the T7 is yet don't have one under their butts ("on order" or "I'll buy"). I like the "real" style riding you all do with the guys with your real opinions. Great job as always with your videos DriveMag Riders.

I like Tenere 700

One of the tests before, the triumph 800 won overall. Was curious how it compares as well. But as always. I love your comparisons. I would have a hard time thinking about a motor magazine that does as useful comparisons as you guys. Always good info.

It seems that the T7 needs stiffer springs combined with slow rebound and soft-ish compression settings. Add in good tires and I'd be very happy to have one.

Yamaha Tenere is like Arabian Stallion 😍😍😍 best machine to take it anywhere in the world

About the KTM wobble on high speeds: If i am correct the KTM in the video uses the Metzeler KAROO3 tyres from the 790 R Version. Those tyres cause the 790 to be a bit unstable at 150 km/h plus

For me the tenere is the best bike Outta all......

Ohhhh Man That was Great. Kindly review the KTM 390 Adventure.

I really enjoyed this video. Thanks guys....My pick< Yamaha >

Glad I found this video lads. I test ride the 390 ADV and The CB500X and was disappointed. I wanted a light weight adv bike so I don't have to ride my EXCF350 on the road so much. I guess I'll be looking to ride the 790 now. I love the Tenere but the "budget" suspension may have killed it for me.

exhaust comparison sounds like vacuum cleaner battle

Drivemag Riders the best review on all the net, The best for the team from El Salvador Central America