The affordable ADV-tourer segment in emerging markets has been growing gradually with more and more manufacturers developing accessible dual-purpose motorcycles. Yamaha too has the Tenere line-up of ADV motorcycles in their portfolio but they are yet to come up with an affordable ADV-tourer. They currently have the Tenere 700, 900 and 900 GT. What happens when you want a quarter-liter ADV-tourer from Yamaha when the manufacturer doesn’t have one in their portfolio? You build one.
YZF-R25 or Tenere 250?
An Indonesian motorcyclist transformed his YZF-R25 into an ADV-tourer. This fellow didn’t wait for the manufacturer and took it upon himself. He has come pretty close to the idea of how the Tenere 250 could look like if the Japanese manufacturer decides to build one on the foundation of R25.
Also read: This Modified Bajaj Dominar 400 Is All Prepared to Take on the Trails!
The R25 is a faired sportsbike that would feel completely out of place if you decide to take it off the road. It was basically developed to munch highway miles and track canyons. The efforts which have gone into transforming the R25 into an ADV-tourer are surely laudable. It looks nowhere close to the stock R25 because of its increased height and added bulk. The motorcycle has been tastefully modified to suit the rider’s needs and that certainly reflects in the overall appeal of the motorcycle.
List of mods
The stock R25 comes with a set of clip-on handlebars, reflecting its slightly aggressive riding ergonomics but we all know that a set of clip-ons is no good when you decide to take the bumpy roads. The owner has reportedly replaced the stock handlebars with raised ones which will prove to be very beneficial in increasing the overall comfort quotient of the motorcycle. An aftermarket adjustable windscreen has also been installed to save the rider from the windblast faced while cruising on wide-open roads. The adjustable windscreen adds to the overall visual flair too. To make it more touring friendly, he has also installed a rear luggage rack so one can easily mount a tail bag.
The stock suspension setup on the R25 is reported to have a fine balance between sporty and plush but the ground clearance is nothing to write home about. In the stock form, it is a fully faired sportsbike that has absolutely no interest in dealing with tough terrains. The owner, however, has also tuned the suspension a bit to increase the suspension travel and as a result, the bike rides taller than the stock R25. We can’t expect it to decimate the trails completely, like say, a RE Himalayan would do but it will still be better than the stock R25 and we can assume that it can endure a decent amount of torture. In case things go south, half of the fairing has been removed to contain the damage and extra engine protection has been installed.
There is no word regarding the modifications done on the engine front and it is safe to assume that the twin-cylinder engine is retained in stock form. The YZF-R25 utilizes a 249cc inline-twin cylinder engine which is good enough to belt out 35.5 bhp @ 12000 rpm and 22.6 nm @ 10000 rpm. The performance on tap is decent enough to have some fun off the road and maybe Yamaha should actually consider developing an affordable ADV-tourer which can take on the likes of BMW G310GS, RE Himalayan and the KTM Adventure 390.