The news that Red Bull Romaniacs 2025, the Game Changer Edition, will include two dedicated Adventure bike classes got us thinking: where better to test the new Yamaha Tenere Rally?

The new Adventure bike classes already looked good when we had Romaniacs 2025 pencilled in the diary. What better way to test a new bike model? The 2025 Yamaha Tenere Rally was crying out for it, at an event like this? Come on, it was a no brainer.

New fuel tank position for better handling, that KYB suspension upgrading the already useful dual-sport bike should soak up the tracks specifically designed for the big bikes in the Carpathian Mountains.

The fact that Jonny Walker, Sam Sunderland, Pol Tarres and Johnny Aubert have signed up for the new class has suddenly shone a big spotlight on this new class and we’re pretty excited to be part of it.

YORE experience in the workshop

The idea is to keep the Tenere Rally pretty near to standard. We’ve removed a bunch of stuff which isn’t needed like mirrors, direction indicators and the EU regulation rear number plate and hanger.

We’ve very gratefully taken set-up advice from the good people at the Yamaha Off Road Experience school in Wales. They’re experts in all things Yamaha off-road and have a huge amount of experience as a race team but also riding (and fixing crashes) on all WR, YZ and Tenere models for decades.

Their help included super-helpful tips like disconnecting the side stand switch, swapping out the standard clutch perch for one you can easily change and the Envy wheels are all thanks to Dylan and John in their workshop.

The truth is we borrowed the Envy wheels directly from the bike Kevin Gallas rode at the recent ABR Festival. That meant we also got his gearing – another major change.

Acerbis wrap-around handguards and frame protectors, Yamaha accessories engine guards, some softer grips from the old parts box in our workshop to hold on for so many hours and four days seemed essential.

The AXP sump guard is also seemed essential partly to protect the linkage. This is actually for the older T7 models but it fits this 2025 Rally (with a slight alteration just inside the side stand switch protector under the left footrest) and the good news is AXP are developing a new one (we’ll test it asap).

The biggest non-standard parts are the Envy wheels which crucially let us fit enduro tyres onto a narrower back rim.

The tyres aren’t fitted yet, they’re waiting in Sibiu for the bike to arrive. We’ll run Mitas tyres and mousses with a plan to check what compound and basically how soft or not when we get to the paddock.

When our T7 Rally is finally prepped and ready in Romania, we’ll do a detailed bike set-up guide so stay tuned.

In Klaus we trust

There’s an unknown element to the new Adventure Ultimate and Adventure Lite classes. How hard or easy will it be really?

Away from the carnage of the Hard Enduro classes synonymous with Romaniacs, the “Rallye” element – the four days riding in fantastic mountain terrain – is what makes this event so special.

It’s the unseen part of the Romaniacs, where all the hard work goes on away from the cameras and phone videos, where all the hours of riding takes place and the real pleasure of it.

In charge of the Adv classes and course is one of the original Romaniacs, Klaus Sorensen. His experience of the race from way back when, great knowledge of the mountains, plus an embedded love for Adv bikes, makes him the perfect person for the job.

Why the T7 Rally? We’d been trying to test the updated Tenere for a few months – we know it’s not “enduro”, but the last time we tested the Tenere it proved so popular we figured keeping the ball rolling. Plus, there couldn’t be a better showcase for a bike like this than the cross-over element of the hard enduro “rallye”. The Adventure Ultimate class should be perfect.

Photo Credit: Enduro21