Tenere 700: OEM Tenere 700 KYB Rear Shock Service, Revalve & Repair by Suspension Werx - Rally Raid 90 & 95 Nm Rear Spring - Rally Raid & K-Tech Shock Springs Differences - Tenere 700 Hydraulic Preload Adjustment (HPA) & Load Compensation
OEM KYB Rear Shock Service, Revalve & Repair by SuspensionWerx @ 7k kms
The oem Tenere 700 KYB rear shock service by tech OC James @ Supsension Werx (North Vancouver) included a new higher flow rate Showa piston & revalve that he claims provides improved oil flow, performance, damping adjustment response & heat dissipation for my 100 kg or 220 lb w/riding gear + 15 kg or 33 lb of accessories & kit & 90 Nm Rally Raid rear spring. The oem rear shock, while spec'd with compression & rebound damping + hydraulic pre-load adjustments is built to a price point & under sprung for most North American riders with adequate but limited performance envelopes that reach it's limits easily as weight & pace increase & with more challenging terrain.
- MX Repair Level
- RCU Seal head service kit KYB 40/14
- Blud Oil, 3W Blud Pro Series Synthetic Shock Fluid
- shock cleaned/inspected
- shock disassembled/inspected
- shaft polished
- piston bands inspected
- shock rebuilt & vacuum bled
- shock tested, baseline settings
- shock absorber piston assembly w.shims 40x12mm adventure Showa kt-211-3-050
- old settings LSC -18 / LSR open / Rally Raid 90 nm spring / PL 13mm
- new settings LSC -12 / LSR -12 / Rally Raid 95 nm spring / PL 13mm / Gas 10 bar
- Black Friday 20% off on all service = $191.60 + $150 Showa piston kit = $341.60 Cdn
OEM Shock Spring Rate
The OEM Tenere 700 shock spring fitted to the KYB shock is only 71 Nm spring rate, so for most riders over 65-70 kg or 143-154 lb, with very little allowance for extra luggage or passenger, will not give the correct sag settings recommended for adventure riding & would not for me, which is 10% static & 30% with rider (20 mm & 60 mm respectively based on the OEM rear suspension travel of 200 mm).
Tenere 700 Rear Shock Linkage
The suspension design of the Yamaha Tenere 700 is based on a 2 to 1 ratio UNI TRAK progressive linkage designed to allow easy movements in the beginning of the stroke and fast movements at the end & 200 mm or 7.87" of travel. The bump stop on the shock absorber shaft provides an additional progressive effect. Lubed the linkage at 4,900 km, it actually had decent amounts of grease, contrary to what has been posted by some on the forums, but the bolts & inner sleeves were mostly dry with minor corrosion on the shock top bolt.
Rally Raid Springs
Rally Raid rear shock springs include a pair of tough, plastic adaptor rings to allow proper fitment of the thicker coil, heavier-duty liner-wound shock springs to the OEM Tenere 700 shock with hydraulic preload adjuster (HPA). According to Rally Raid the 10 mm stroke (+ 24 clicks of the HPA) can allow for up to 60 kg or 132 lb of additional load for the oem spring (2.5 kg or 5.5 lb per click), while still achieving the 30% (60 mm) recommended rider sag (see further explanation below). Rally Raid offers the following shock springs & recommended loads.
- 80 N/mm - Rider up to 70Kg (with max 50Kg luggage)
- 85 N/mm - Rider up to 80Kg (with max 50Kg luggage)
- 90 N/mm - Rider up to 90Kg (with light passenger and/or 15Kg luggage)
- 95 N/mm - Rider up to 100Kg (with passenger and/or 30Kg luggage)
Rally Raid Spring Install Video
Rally Raid 90 Nm Shock Spring (white) vs OEM (black)
Differences Between Rally Raid & K-Tech Shock Springs
John Mitchinson @ Rally Raid was kind enough to call to discuss some questions I had sent him regarding differences in the amount of preload needed to set correct sag between Rally Raid & K-Tech Tenere 700 shock springs, despite being the same Nm rating & being linear vs progressive. Feedback on forums have indicated that K-Tech shock springs seem to need fewer clicks preload to set correct sag vs Rally Raid springs for the same Nm rating given similar rider/bike weights & in some cases riders have opted to use a spring 1 load rating higher with Rally Raid, based on the amount of preload needed while setting sag. The answer has to do with differing spring lengths, whereby K-Tech springs are longer than both the oem & Rally Raid springs, which are similar in length & therefore already have some preload inherent when installed in the shock vs the oem & Rally Raid springs. Many factors can go into making a spring of a certain Nm rating...length, diameter of coils, thickness of coils, material, etc & each manufacturer may differ in the design parameters/specs utilized for a variety of reasons & desired characteristics/performance. Also keep in mind that preload does not change a springs Nm rating...but can effect ride height & other suspension characteristics.
Tenere 700 Hydraulic Preload Adjustment (HPA) & Load Compensation
I was also curious as to how Rally Raid determined the load compensation amount of the Tenere 700's preload adjuster (HPA) 10 mm range which is cited on their website & earlier in this article as: "The 10 mm stroke of the HPA (hydraulic preload adjuster) can allow for approximately 60 kg of additional load for the oem spring, either extra rider, passenger or luggage weight, whilst still adhering to the 60 mm rider sag settings recommended." John explained that it originated from the mathematical relationship of the oem spring rating in kgf/mm (70 Nm or 7,138 kgf/mm) x the HPA 10 mm adjustment range, then adjusted to compensate for some of the HPA 10 mm range being utilized to obtain correct sag, slight softening caused by the progressive linkage & the possibility that some may install lowering links. To exercise corporate responsibility John felt is was better to quote a number on the lower/conservative side to provide a general guideline for customers of the minimum anticipated compensation in oem configuration. The other take away from my conversation with him is that higher rated springs will produce a higher load adjustment capacity given the 10mm HPA adjustment range when applying the mathematical formula i.e.
- 70 Nm or 7,138 kgf/mm x 10 mm HPA = 71.38 kg load compensation @ +10 mm HPA
- 80 Nm or 8,157 kgf/mm x 10 mm HPA = 81.57 kg load compensation @ +10 mm HPA
- 85 Nm or 8,667 kgf/mm x 10 mm HPA = 86.67 kg load compensation @ +10 mm HPA
- 90 Nm or 9,177 kgf/mm x 10 mm HPA = 91.77 kg load compensation @ +10 mm HPA
- 95 Nm or 9,687 kgf/mm x 10 mm HPA = 96.87 kg load compensation @ +10 mm HPA
Keep in mind that these numbers would only be valid if sag is obtained at zero clicks preload & the other factors that John mentioned were not at play...they are just meant to provide an approximate range of compensation & demonstrate that a higher load rated spring will increase the load that the HPA could compensate for.
Initial Ride Review w/Rally Raid 95 Nm Spring & 35 mm Open Cartridge Fork Kit w/6.0 Nm Springs
May 06, 2022: 1st ride of the season since Oct 2021 & I had forgotten how transformative the upgraded & properly set up suspension is on the Tenere 700. The forks with Rally Raid's 35 mm Open Cartridge Fork Kit & 6 Nm springs are well damped & the bike more balanced front to rear with a quality, firm, yet mostly supple ride & shock that sits higher in it's stroke. Small & medium sharp edged hits are taken in stride without the former jolt that the oem suspenders transferred to the rider, while larger sharp edged ones still produce some jar, mostly from the rear shock that now feels too stiff across the board for my 100 kg (220 lb) w/riding gear with the Rally Raid 95 Nm spring. Resulting in the shock feeling harsh & less compliant, so reinstalled their 90 Nm spring when the shock was repaired (see below). I did experiment with the settings, but while adjusting the Suspension Werx default -12 clicks setting for compression & rebound to the oem min of -18 for compression & the rebound -16, which helped soften the jolt, it revealed some unexplained changes to the adjustment range from the oem spec that are discussed below.
Unexplained Change to Range of Clicker Adjustment for oem Shock &
Rebound Circuit Failure
June 15, 2022: While making my 1st clicker adjustments to the shock compression & rebound since it was serviced at Suspension Werx in Dec 2021 & only ridden 6x since insuring in early May the range of adjustment for the compression adjuster has changed from the oem 18 clicks to 24 clicks stop to stop & the rebound now has no stop point at what was the oem -23 clicks out from full in & just keeps rotating...after resetting to the full in stop point & backing out to the Suspension Werx default -12 clicks, the rebound adjuster now just free wheels in either direction & no longer functions. These are very odd & unexplained occurrences + the pre-load adjustment range of 24 clicks now is almost 26 clicks with it now taking 2 clicks to tension the shock from the full soft position.
June 17, 2022: Dropped off shock to Suspension Werx for examination/repair. They claim that their shock service does not include the adjuster circuits or pre-load assembly during the shock service, as it is not required (the compression circuit is a sealed non-serviceable unit) & the pre-load assembly just slides off the shock body. They are promoting owner negligence by turning the adjusters past the oem number of clicks (see cautionary note below). I am quite certain that this has not been the case, however, the change in the compression adjustment range by an additional 6 clicks with firm stop points at both ends is mystifying with no apparent explanation. Prior to the shock service & my most recent clicker adjustments, both rebound & compression respective clicker range matched the oem spec with well defined stops points. Perhaps the service or past or recent adjustments triggered some factory defect(s)? Fortunately, the shock still functions, but now have no way of knowing what the respective damping settings are. With the rebound adjuster now non-functional & since neither Yamaha nor KYB sell the lower assembly separate from the whole shock that costs $900 Cdn & the Yamaha warranty has expired, it now requires an attempt by a machine shop to correct the issue(s) in an effort to salvage the shock or replacement.
Cautionary Note Regarding Clicker Adjustment (see TIP from Owners Manual below)
Be very gentle with clicker adjustments & never exceed the oem range of adjustment, as they are delicate, particularly the rebound circuit which has fine threads cut directly into the aluminum shock body. In hindsight, it might have been more prudent to have bucked up for a good aftermarket shock like the Rally Raid Adventure or Extreme Shock or Nitron NTR Adv shock vs spending money on the oem unit, which, as it turns out, is very limited in what can be serviced or individual component replacement.
Jun 30, 2022 Update: Natalie @ SuspensionWerx confirmed that the shock was back from the machine shop after repairing the rebound circuit & that the shock had been reassembled, tested & everything working correctly & that the compression adjuster now has only 2 more clicks out past the oem 18 clicks with no explanation given & offered to stay after hours if I wanted to p/u so I could ride this Canada Day Long Weekend, but noted that tech OC James recommended bladder replacement to ensure the shock was 100% going forward, but had no stock until Tuesday...so opted to wait for that to be done.
With regards to the rebound adjuster, what they discovered was that the tapered portion of the needle that interfaces with the piston rod had somehow pushed beyond the tapered area & was just spinning freely on the shaft. The machinist was able to correct the issue...they had to cut apart another similar shock part to see the exact relationship of the mechanism to ensure they had a proper understanding of how to remedy it. They will absorb all costs associated to the repair, which is a testament to their commitment to stand behind their service...thank you 😀
Ride Review (after repair)
July 05, 2022: P/u shock with the Rally Raid 90 Nm spring re-installed, install in the bike, set pre-load to +14 clicks (the setting that provided 30% sag when the 90 Nm spring was previously installed) & did a 100 km test ride. The shock works good & has improved damping & performance over the stock oem, just as tech OC James had promoted & the 90 Nm spring is more compliant & better matched to my weight & load than the 95 Nm. I experimented with +16 preload but it started to introduce some harshness, so returned to +14.
July 06, 2022 Update: After further riding & evaluation I backed out the compression & rebound 2 clicks from Suspension Werx's -12 default settings which added more suppleness...will stay with these settings as the shock feels dialed in & settled for everyday riding.
Aug 2022 10 Day, 3,800 km Road Trip: I dialed in the suspension settings for touring loads during a 1 up paved/gravel road trip of central & southern BC & settled in with adding 5 clicks shock rebound & 2 clicks preload with the Rally Raid 90 Nm spring & adding 2 clicks rebound & 1 click preload for the Rally Raid 35 mm Open Cartridge Fork Kit & 6.0 Nm springs vs my daily settings to compensate for the increased load & higher speeds. The suspension performed very well keeping the bike composed & balanced over a wide range of terrain & speeds in a manner that far exceeded the capability & performance envelope of the oem suspension. I switched bikes with a friend & former enduro/motocross racer who rides a KTM 990 with suspension set up by Ian @ RidersEdge for a 200 km day of Cariboo FSR riding & he was impressed with my bike's suspension & that it performed similar to his.
Dec 2023: After a year+ of riding with the revavled oem shock with upgraded piston, properly matched spring & sag I'm very satisfied with the performance improvement & cost to benefit ratio for my riding & highly recommend & encourage this set up for the average Tenere 700 rider, particularly for heavier riders & loads, those wanting to venture further off the beaten path & those with more aggressive riding tendencies. Quality, properly set up suspension components can infuse a silky fluidness & responsive interface with road surfaces aiding steering, suspension & braking feel, safety margins & reduce fatigue that can be appreciated with every ride...properly matched springs, sag, shock valving & upgraded components move the Tenere 700 in that direction. For more advanced, technical riding or those seeking maximum tunability with hi & low speed damping circuits, aftermarket shocks offer superior performance, but at a premium price.
Overview of all Suspension Upgrades
The oem rear shock revalve & upgraded piston w/90 Nm Rally Raid spring + a Rally Raid 35 mm Open Cartridge Fork kit w/6.0 Nm springs almost completes my suspension upgrades. The remaining component will be Rally Raid's revised gen 2 compression fork piston & valve assembly, for release in early 2022, designed to increase compression oil flow by about 30% making initial movement more plush in an effort to improve & broaden the already dynamic operating range. They will send it to me when the production version becomes available...will update my Rally Raid 35 mm Open Cartridge Fork Blog review with installation details & ride evaluation comparison upon arrival...see link below. NOTE: it arrived Dec 2023.
Rally Raid 35 mm Open Cartridge Fork Kit for Tenere 700
I have been able to ride Rally Raid's 35 mm Open Cartridge Fork Kit with 5.6 & 6.0 Nm fork springs as well as their 90 & 95 Nm shock springs on my now revalved & upgraded piston oem KYB shock & preferred the 6.0 Nm fork springs & 90 Nm shock spring for the best overall balance & broadest range of load, riding style & terrain capability. While the 90 Nm needed almost 2x clicks preload vs the 95 Nm for 30% rider sag, it provides better overall shock performance & feel while still having enough clicks preload remaining for full travel loads & 2 up riding. A take-a-way was to not over prioritize how many clicks preload a given shock spring needs to achieve correct rider sag...a spring that provides correct sag with zero or little preload might be a desirable theoretical target, but may not necessarily be the best match for your riding, specific shock or suspension design.
Rally Raid 5.6 Nm Fork Springs, Pre-load Cap & fork travel O-rings & 95 Nm Shock Spring
Tenere 700 Shock Options
Seeking tuning advice & servicing from experienced suspension tuners for your bike & type of riding is highly recommended & urge riders to learn how to & experiment with their bike's suspension adjustments. Performing basic adjustments & setting correct sag provides a greater understanding & appreciation of your suspension...I have leant a lot during my Tenere 700 suspension upgrades, increasing confidence in setting my bike up correctly & troubleshooting issues in the field if necessary. Here are a few shock upgrade options progressing from least expensive & effective, of which all should include correct springs & sag settings for your weight:
- For those on a budget or only looking for modest improvements springs, revalving, different weight oil are options.
- K-Tech & others offer piston kits & springs for the oem shock (& forks) that provide good bang for the buck for substantive improvements.
- High end performance &/or longer travel option shocks with hi & low speed damping are available from Rally Raid & others.
Related Blog Articles
The Rally Raid 35 mm Open Cartridge Fork Kit can be viewed on my blog here.
Bike weight, oem & Rally Raid springs & sag measurements can be viewed on my blog here.
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