A Michelin Enduro Medium 2 at the front, a Michelin Desert Race at the rear, and Bib Mousse in both tyres instead of an inner tube: this is how the Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team and Ténéré Spirit Experience describe the tyre set-up of their Ténéré 700 for desert rallies. The details appear in a Ténéré Spirit Experience post dated 23 October 2026. According to the team, the equipment is used in rally raids such as the Africa Eco Race, which the post gives as more than 6,000 kilometres from Tangier to Dakar, and the Carta Rallye in Morocco.
The post gives its reasoning right at the start, here in a German-to-English translation: “In a rally raid, a puncture can cost you a stage or even the whole race.” Grip, durability and reliability are therefore decisive, it says.
The set-up at a glance
According to the team, the following tyre set-up applies to the Ténéré 700 GYTR and the Ténéré 700 World Raid GYTR (referred to in the post as “WR GYTR”). GYTR is Yamaha’s programme for racing and accessory parts.
- Front wheel: Michelin Enduro Medium 2 in 90/100-21 with Bib Mousse M16
- Rear wheel: Michelin Desert Race in 140/80-18 with Bib Mousse M02
- Rims: reinforced wheels from Haan Wheels with Excel rims, 21 x 1.85 at the front, 18 x 2.50 at the rear
The team describes the Enduro Medium 2 as a versatile enduro tyre that remains precise to steer on both hard and soft ground. The Desert Race is designed for rally raids, and its carcass is meant to withstand thousands of kilometres of track. These are the team’s own assessments, not independent test results. To put the size designation in context: in 140/80-18, 140 is the tyre width in millimetres, 80 is the sidewall height as a percentage of the width, here around 112 millimetres, and 18 is the rim diameter in inches.
Bib Mousse instead of an inner tube
The Michelin Bib Mousse is a foam insert that replaces the inner tube. A puncture caused by air loss is therefore ruled out, and the team calls the solution “100 per cent puncture-proof” (translated). The insert corresponds to an air pressure of roughly 1.0 to 1.2 bar, which the post gives as the ideal range for grip, traction and damping off-road. Because no tube is fitted, the team says pinch flats on rocks, where the tube is trapped between rim and tyre, are also eliminated, as are repairs at the side of the track. Each tyre size has its own Mousse variant: M16 for the 90/100-21 at the front, M02 for the 140/80-18 “Desert” at the rear.
Why the standard rims are not enough
According to the team, the rally tyres themselves can also be fitted to the Ténéré 700’s original rims. The post names two limitations: the Bib Mousse and the strength of the rims.
From the factory, the Ténéré 700 rolls on a 90/90-21 at the front and a 150/70-18 at the rear, the team says. The standard rear rim is correspondingly wide. The Mousse M02, by contrast, is intended for a 140/80-18 on a considerably narrower enduro rim and, according to the post, does not work as intended on the original rim. Durability is another issue: in the team’s assessment, the standard rims cope poorly with repeated rock impacts at racing pace. For this reason, the team’s motorcycles run on reinforced wheels from Haan Wheels.
A compromise for standard wheels
According to the post, anyone who does not want to change wheels can fit the Enduro Medium 2 in 90/100-21 and the Desert Race in 140/80-18 to the original rims, but then with reinforced inner tubes instead of Bib Mousse. In this case these are mandatory, as their considerably thicker wall offers better protection against punctures and pinch flats. The team nevertheless recommends a complete repair kit with spare tubes, tyre levers and a pump, since even a reinforced tube can burst. For racing, the team considers reinforced rims the right solution.
The post should be seen as a presentation in the team’s own interest: at the end of the text, Ténéré Spirit Experience offers rally-prepared Ténéré 700 rentals as well as assistance, including reinforced wheels. The assessments of the tyres and rims come from the team itself.
Sources and photo credits
Text source:
Ténéré Spirit Experience: “Which Tires for a Desert Rally-Raid on a Trail Bike?”, 23 October 2026, tenere-spirit-experience.com
Photos:
- Front wheel of a rally Ténéré 700 with Michelin tyre and Excel rim. Photographer: Edo Bauer/EdoPhoto (according to file name). Original source: Ténéré Spirit Experience. Taken at the 2025 Africa Eco Race according to file name, published on the site on 23 October 2026. Archive photo.
- Ténéré 700 and other motorcycles on a sandy track. Photographer not named. Original source: Ténéré Spirit Experience. Date and location not given. Archive photo.