Yamaha Tenere 300 is not officially confirmed but the company is open to the possibility if there is enough demand
Yamaha’s engineering team has worked extensively in making the Tenere 700 a highly talented adventure tourer. With rally-ready design and hardware, it is arguably the best middle-weight off-roader in the market now. Having such a potent platform at its disposal, it would be be waste if Yamaha does not extend it to other displacement classes. For example, a Yamaha Tenere 300 would be an absolutely tempting proposition.
Possibility of Yamaha Tenere 300
On the sidelines of European media ride event of the MT-03, Fabrizio Corsi, Product Communications Manager, Yamaha Italy, reportedly stated that if there is demand from customers, the company will be ready to satisfy it. He also noted products from KTM and BMW in the compact displacement adventure tourer space have managed to attract attention. To sum it up, the official neither confirmed the existence of Tenere 300 in the pipeline nor deny it.
To cope up with the increase in global demand for compact displacement motorcycles, Yamaha has been strengthening its presence in this segment. Given that the Yamaha Tenere 300 is only a matter of marrying the existing engine with the off-road chassis, developing one would not take much time if the company feels there is enough demand for it.
Yamaha Tenere 700 image
If there is a Yamaha Tenere 300 on the anvil, it would employ the 321 cc parallel twin, liquid-cooled engine which also serves the MT-03 and YZF-R3. On board the MT-03, the motor develops 42 hp and 29 Nm of torque, putting it right in the KTM 390 Adventure territory. We expect Yamaha to tweak the engine and 6-speed transmission to improve the low-speed torque for better off-roading experience.
Hardware
If the Tenere 700 is anything to go by, the 300 variant would adopt a double cradle steel frame, suspended by long-travel inverted telescopic fork and rear monoshock. The big bike employs 21-inch front and 18-inch rear spoke wheel with Pirelli off-road tyres but the smaller engined spin-off could opt for 19-inch front and 17-inch rear unit.
The slim bodywork and ample ground clearance would make it one of the most agile motorcycles in its segment on dirt. In addition the KTM 390 Adventure, the possible Yamaha Tenere 300 would lock horns with the BMW G 310 GS and Kawasaki Versys X300. We would imagine that such a compact displacement adventure tourer will benefit from economies of scale to arrive at a competitive price point globally. We hope the Yamaha Tenere 300 sees light of the day.
Source
Source: Bike - rushlane.com
