Yamaha XTZ690 T700 World raid
Yamaha Ténéré 700 World Raid
We stripped, measured and tested the suspension on the Yamaha Ténéré 700 World Raid. The World Raid is a significant step up from the standard Ténéré in suspension specification, with fully adjustable KYB forks, a piggyback-reservoir rear shock and long suspension travel.
The basic setup works well, particularly at the rear, but our testing found some clear opportunities for improvement. The front forks are the biggest area of interest, with low-speed damping and limited compression adjustment holding them back. At the rear, spring selection becomes increasingly important as rider weight, luggage and passenger load increase.
The World Raid is a tall motorcycle, with an 880 mm seat height, 180 mm of measured ground clearance and a long-travel chassis. That combination gives it the clearance and suspension movement needed for serious adventure riding, but it also makes correct suspension setup particularly important.
The bike uses 43 mm KYB open-cartridge forks with compression, rebound and preload adjustment, while the rear is equipped with a KYB monotube shock with a piggyback gas reservoir and hydraulic preload adjustment.
On the road and off road, the standard suspension is certainly usable. The biggest difference between the World Raid and a properly sorted version comes from getting the damping and spring rates matched to the rider and the way the bike is being used.
Yamaha XTZ690 T700 World raid Forks
The World Raid uses a 43 mm KYB open-cartridge fork with compression, rebound and preload adjustment. On paper, it is a serious piece of hardware and considerably more sophisticated than the basic adventure suspension found on many bikes.
On the trail, however, we found there is still plenty of room to improve it.
The standard fork is on the soft side, particularly when the pace increases or the terrain becomes rougher. The rebound adjustment has useful range, but the compression adjuster has limited influence where you really want it most, particularly through the lower-speed part of the suspension stroke.
That is where our World Raid Fork Upgrade Kit is aimed.
Rather than simply making the fork harder, the kit is being developed to give the KYB fork better control and a more useful damping response through the part of the stroke that matters most in real-world adventure riding. The goal is improved support and control without losing the compliance that makes the World Raid such a capable bike over long distances.
Our testing found that changes to the midvalve can make a noticeable improvement to the fork's low-speed compression behaviour, while leaving the already-effective rebound characteristics alone. That gives us a strong starting point for the final production specification of our upgrade kit.
Why Upgrade the World Raid Forks?
The World Raid is a big, tall adventure bike and it can cover everything from sealed roads to corrugations, rocky tracks and fast open terrain. The suspension needs to do more than simply absorb bumps.
It needs to keep the chassis controlled.
A well-set-up fork gives the rider better support under braking, more control when the front wheel hits repeated impacts and a more settled feel when the terrain gets rough. It also makes the suspension adjustments on the fork more meaningful, rather than relying on a very narrow adjustment range.
Our World Raid Fork Upgrade Kit is being developed specifically around those characteristics.
The result we are chasing is simple: more control from the front of the bike, without sacrificing the comfort and traction that make the Ténéré such a good adventure platform.
If you already like the World Raid but want the front end to feel more controlled, supported and predictable, this is the upgrade to have.
Yamaha XTZ690 T700 World raid Shock
The World Raid's rear shock is already a significant step up from the standard Ténéré 700. It uses a KYB monotube design with a piggyback gas reservoir, rebound and compression adjustment and a hydraulic preload adjuster.
So why would you change it?
Because good doesn't mean there's nothing left to improve.
Our testing found the World Raid shock performed well overall, but the low-speed damping could be improved. The standard compression adjuster also has limited effect, meaning there is only so much adjustment available through the external clicker.
That's where our Yamaha Ténéré 700 World Raid Shock Upgrade Kit comes in.
More control from the shock you already have
Rather than replacing the complete shock, our kit upgrades the damping components inside the original KYB unit.
The kit has been developed specifically for the World Raid, with a billet damping piston, a low-friction piston band and a dedicated shim stack designed around the characteristics of the XTZ690SP rear shock. A pre-drilled rebound separator is also included.
The aim isn't to make the shock unnecessarily stiff. It's to give it better control where the standard setup is lacking.
That means improved low-speed damping control, better support through chassis movement and a more controlled feel when the bike is being pushed through rough terrain.
And because we're working with the original World Raid shock, you retain the benefits of the factory KYB unit and its hydraulic preload adjustment rather than replacing the whole shock assembly.
Don't overlook the spring
The damping upgrade works best when the spring rate is correct for the rider and the load.
The standard World Raid rear spring measured 6.95 kg/mm during our testing. For a rider around 90 kg, an 8.0 kg/mm spring produced much better sag figures.
As a general guide, our current World Raid setup recommendations are:
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Around 80 kg rider: 7.5 kg/mm
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Around 90 kg rider: 8.0 kg/mm
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Around 100 kg rider: 8.5 kg/mm
Your riding gear and luggage need to be included when selecting the spring rate.
For riders over 100 kg, those regularly carrying luggage, or anyone travelling with a pillion, spring selection becomes particularly important. Our testing found that a spring change is close to essential for these applications.
The World Raid Shock Upgrade
If you're happy with the World Raid's shock but want more from it, this is where we'd start.
Fit the correct spring for your weight and load, then upgrade the damping.
Our World Raid Shock Upgrade Kit has been developed specifically around this shock, with the goal of giving the rear suspension better low-speed control without throwing away the good characteristics of the original KYB unit.
It's a relatively simple way to get more performance from the shock you already own.
For riders looking for a complete suspension solution, we can also set up the front and rear suspension around your rider weight, luggage and intended use.
The World Raid has a good suspension package from the factory. Our job is to make it work better for you.
