They say that any bike can be an adventure bike if you try hard enough. Some bikes are better suited for the task than others, though. The Yamaha MT-07, while an excellent road bike, is one of the less appropriate bikes to take off the beaten path. That hasn't stopped Jake the Garden Snake from doing it from time to time. He enjoyed it so much, in fact, that he converted his 2016 FZ-07 (same bike, different name) into a dedicated adventure bike.
For people interested in exactly how he did this, there's an entire YouTube playlist dedicated to his build. You can dive deep into the bits and pieces he used in his build if you wish, but what we're most interested in is whether it even works. The answer is a resounding "yes."
This shouldn't be too surprising. The MT-07 uses the same engine as the Ténéré 700, and no one will dispute that bike's off-road capabilities. Jake switched out the alloy wheels for spoked ones. They're supposed to be tubeless, but once he hit the road he kept losing air in the front tire. He fixed this by adding a tube and continuing on. His tire of choice, the Continental TKC 80, is popular among serious adventure riders for good reason, and Jake demonstrates why here. Tires are everything, and although his extensive other modifications help too, it's these tires that get him out of deep mud pits with no issues at all.
A Good All-Around Motorcycle:
What Jake has not succeeded in doing, however, is building a poor man's Ténéré 700. While you could argue that his modified FZ-07 can equal the Ténéré 700's off-road capabilities and exceed them on the pavement, he spent a great deal more time and money to do it than if he'd simply bought a Ténéré 700. That's okay, though. He's created something amazing and found a way to give a bike he was starting to get bored with an exciting new life. Considering how this video ends with them stuck in the woods, in the dark, exhausted, and nowhere near their intended camp, I'd say he got the adventure he was looking for.
Source: Jake the Garden Snake on YouTube