‘Don’t forget, it was designed to be used’
Our local Yamaha dealer has recently taken delivery of a new Ténéré 700 demonstrator (later than he hoped as Yam have been selling every one that comes into the country). It’s only been out a few times, but the black plastic side panels are already scuffed from eager customers seeing what it’s like to stand on the footpegs in their chunky adventure boots. This shouldn’t put you off. Yes, the panels start to look scruffy – but it’s just something that occurs when you use the 700 as intended. And it’s why Yamaha have made that part plain black – it’s simple, and easy (and cheap) to replace. So if you’re looking at buying a used adventure bike, don’t focus on getting something that looks showroom-fresh. If a KTM 950 Adventure has hazy plastics from riding through gorse, by all means haggle a few quid off but don’t let it be a deal-breaker. Same if using bungees has left marks on the rack and seat unit of an Africa Twin, or the bash plate on a Super Ténéré has indeed been bashed. Actually, take these dings and scrapes as evidence that the previous owner had complete faith in the abilities and usability of the bike you’re thinking of buying.
And anyway, adventure bikes always look better with a little muck and light patina...