Ténéré 700 vs F 900 GS for green laning

Which suits you

• Choose the Ténéré 700 if low-speed control and picking it up after a drop matter most: it is 11kg lighter wet.
• Both take a 90/90-21 front tyre, so the same front tyre options fit either bike.
• The Ténéré 700 goes further on a tank, roughly 225 miles against 190, which helps on lanes where fuel stops are far apart.
• The F 900 GS makes more power (105hp against 73.4hp), better for road miles between lanes, though power is rarely what you need on a lane itself.
• The Ténéré 700 costs £1,998 less new.

Holloway ratings side by side

Yamaha Ténéré 700   BMW F 900 GS

Ténéré 700 vs F 900 GS specs

A tick marks the better figure for green laning. Manufacturer figures; weights are wet unless marked as estimates.

Where they sit against every other bike

Wet weight against ground clearance across the whole Bike Finder. Light and tall, top left, is where the easiest green lane bikes sit.

Our take on each

Yamaha Ténéré 700: The benchmark adventure green-laner: tractable and well-equipped off-road, only really let down by its height and weight if you drop it in the mud.

BMW F 900 GS: A genuinely focused, lighter middleweight from BMW with real off-road intent, though the smaller tank trims its range compared to older GS models.