The middleweight supersport segment is about to get a lot spicier thanks to an all-new motorcycle that’s set to enter the Yamaha stable. We’re talking about the MT-07’s faired sibling, the Yamaha YZF-R7.
After 21 years, Yamaha decided to show the door to the R6, mainly due to the expensive transition from Euro4 to Euro5 and the diminishing sales of sportbikes. However, they’re not completely ignoring this segment and the upcoming R7, based on the MT-07, will fill in the gap left by the R6.
Well, we weren’t supposed to expect anything until the footage of the upcoming YZF-R7 was leaked online. The clip doesn’t reveal the core details but gives us a fair bit of idea about what to expect from the upcoming supersport.
Unlike the MT-07, which is suspended on telescopic forks upfront, the R7 gets USDs that will help make it a more committed motorcycle on the road as well as on the track, where it definitely intends to go. Although we don’t know yet what kind of adjustability the forks get.
In terms of design, this track wannabe continues to be styled like the R6, carrying forward the same silhouette and an aggressive canted-forward stance. The fairing though appears cleaner and just like the MT-07, it gets a center-mounted projector LED headlamp along with the signature LED DRL side markers.
The YZF-R7 will sport the MT-07’s same 689cc, twin-cylinder engine with new valve seats for better abrasion resistance on the exhaust side, improved gear shifts and a repositioned catalytic convert that helps it adhere to the stringent Euro5 norms.
The R7 will be officially revealed on May 18 and rival the likes of Aprilia RS 660, Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R and the Honda CBR-650R.