I had 3 licenced bikes in the garage (KTM 1290 Super Adventure S, Triumph Street Triple RS, and SWM 650 SuperDual T), and the result was that I was not using them all enough. So I started to think about downgrading to 2 bikes again.

This may seem like a luxury problem, but it took a lot of thinking before I had a final plan 🙂

The KTM is still my main touring bike and the first choice for most rides, but to my surprise the ultra sharp Street Triple ended up being the bike I used the least. The simple SWM was extremely fun on the local bumpy back roads.

But the SWM was not ideal for my use either: It is a bit small physically, and for longer trips it did not suit my 187 meter frame perfectly. I was locked in one position and it was not possible to move a bit around on the bike. The 55 hp engine was good for back roads, gravel, and off road, but was marginal on longer highway stints.

The SWM was planned to be my bike for light off road, and touring in Scandinavia and Eastern Europe on poor, but mostly paved roads, but I realised that it was a bit too off road focused, too compact and lacking power for my use, which is at least 95% paved roads.

So the idea was to find a bike that was suitable for all kind of roads, light and simple, but slightly bigger and with a bit more power than the SWM, and the Yamaha Ténéré 700 ended up being the obvious choice.

So the SWM and the Triumph Street Triple are sold, and the Yamaha T7 is my new bike for fun and touring  in areas with poor roads.