Yamaha has ‘officially’ unveiled the hotly anticipated R7. The R7 leaked ahead of making its global debut and almost all the details were already out in the open but now we have some more information regarding the latest supersport. First things first, while it is being touted as a replacement for the R6, it really isn’t. Its performance figures and twin-cylinder configuration should bear evidence to that. While the R6 was a full-fledged middleweight track weapon, the R7 is a faired supersport version of the MT-07 naked streetfighter.
More details
When it comes to its overall design philosophy, it does look like it has belonged to the Yamaha R family for ages. The signature blue shade also lends it that sporty appeal. The YZF-R7 will be available in two colour schemes – Raven Black and Team Yamaha Blue.
Looks
Up front, it looks a lot different than the R6. While the R6 boasted of R1-derived headlamps, the front fascia of the R7 looks completely redesigned. It features twin LED DRLs up front while the single headlight is placed bang in the center of the front fairing. The windscreen appears to be wider and larger than the one found on the R6. The side fairing is completely redesigned too and proudly boasts of the R7 moniker. The tank is highlighted by Yamaha’s signature grille while the sharp tail section also makes it look like a proper Yamaha R motorcycle.
Specs and features
As is evident, the new R7 uses the same 689 cc parallel-twin CP2 engine of the MT-07, lauded as one of the best in the middleweight naked segment.The 270-degree crank is said to have an uneven firing order and with just 72 bhp at 8,750 rpm, and 67 Nm at 6,500 rpm, the output is modest, but the cross-plane engine is said to be extremely entertaining. What would be nice is the power and torque coming in at mid-revs, which should make for an eager engine. Electronics have been skipped out altogether and all you get is a new slip and assist clutch along with an option quickshifter (upshift only).
While we expected the R7 to be a sports tourer, it has come out to be an out and out track-focused machine with its high rear-set foot pegs, low-slung clip-on handlebar, and a pretty tall seat height of 835mm. The reworked chassis is sprung on a fully-adjustable 41mm KYB USD fork and an adjustable monoshock, a step up from the conventional suspension setup of the MT-07.
Both bikes have similar braking setups, though, featuring twin 298mm discs at the front and a 245mm disc at the rear. Surprisingly, Yamaha has kept the R7’s weight down to 188kg, just 4kg more than the MT.