Yamaha has the adventure category covered at both ends of the scale with the Ténéré 700 and 1200. But is the company working on a middleweight 900cc version, using the triple-cylinder engine from the MT-09?

Is Yamaha About to Join the 900cc Adventure Class?

The adventure class of motorcycle has four distinct classes: sub 500cc as shown in the BMW G310GS and KTM with the 390 Adventure: the 600-700cc class with bikes such as the Yamaha Ténéré 700: the 900cc class, with the Triumph Tiger 900, BMW F850GS and Husqvarna Norden 901 and then the big hitters, the 1200s, as epitomised by BMW and KTM and, now, Harley Davidson alongside Yamaha's offering.

From that, we can see that Yamaha is not represented in the 900cc class although, if reports coming out of France are to be believed, Yamaha is about to remedy that situation.

The T7 has been a big hit for Yamaha and has re-energised its adventure segment, in which the Ténéré 1200 has rather lost its mojo in the face of the opposition. Eschewing fancy electronics for a whole dose of analogue ability, the T7 has won fans the world over but has others asking for more power. And that's where a 900cc version of the Ténéré would fit in nicely.

Yamaha even has the perfect engine in the form of the three-cylinder motor from the MT-09. The 890cc CP3 motor already does service in the aforementioned MT-09, the XRS900 and the Tracer 9 and, if fitted into an adventure bike, would put the resulting machine in direct competition with the triple-cylinder Triumph Tiger 900. It also would put it head-to-head with the new Ducati DesertX and MV Agusta Lucky Explorer 9.5.

Yamaha is losing out on sales in the 1200cc class with the parallel-twin engined Ténéré 1200, which just isn't up to taking the fight to the BMW, KTM, Triumph, Honda and Harley Davidson 1200s so a renewed attack on the 900cc class would give Yamaha time to ready a new 1200 model.

There is the possibility that Yamaha could position the Ténéré 900 as more road-biased than the hardcore 700 models. The artist's render that accompanies the Moto-Station article shows the new Yamaha with 19-inch spoked rims and a steel tube frame. How accurate this is, is not revealed.

So, come on Yamaha, flex your muscles and show us what you can do in the adventure class.