Ténéré 700 vs Africa Twin 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 23kg lighter wet.
• The Africa Twin has the lower seat by 25mm, which matters more on a rutted lane than on the road if you are shorter in the leg.
• Both take a 90/90-21 front tyre, so the same front tyre options fit either bike.
• The Africa Twin makes more power (102hp against 73.4hp), better for road miles between lanes, though power is rarely what you need on a lane itself.
• The Ténéré 700 costs £2,402 less new.

Holloway ratings side by side

Yamaha Ténéré 700   Honda CRF1100L Africa Twin

Ténéré 700 vs Africa Twin 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.

Honda CRF1100L Africa Twin: One of the most genuinely dirt-capable big adventure twins, with the wheels and suspension to prove it, if you can handle 230kg-plus in the mud.