We tested the Yamaha R7: a one-of-a-kind sports car for the A2 license with 74 hp, radical stance and a balanced cycle part

Came the day. We have finally been able to test the new Yamaha R7 in the international presentation organized by the Japanese firm and, why lie, we found it to be a very interesting product.

Iwata's latest sports car comes to fill the huge gap between the Yamaha R3 and the Yamaha YZF-R1. The Yamaha R7 is a success that comes from uniting the racing concept of the brand's R with the versatile DNA of the Yamaha MT-07 on which it is based.

Yamaha R7: the sports car that wants to dominate the A2 license

We've been pleading with Yamaha for a long time for sporty mid-range models. It is true that sports shoes have been polarizing towards the extreme in recent years, but the firm of the tuning forks has always prided itself on having a complete sports family, from the small 125 cc to the Superbike.

Now that ladder of sports models has been found half done, with an insurmountable gap especially after the disappearance of the Yamaha YZF-R6, which fell definitively with the arrival of the Euro 5 regulations. step of almost 160 hp among the existing models, from R3 to R1.

Along with the rumors of a future Yamaha R9 based on the MT-09, this Yamaha R7 is the success that the market has been waiting for from Yamaha. A sporty with all the radical DNA of the Japanese firm but at the same time it offers certain concessions to make it suitable for a very wide audience.

From the outset it is difficult to deny that the Yamaha R7 is a member of the R World. The aesthetic is practically traced to the rest of the family, using elements as defined as the central air intake in eme shape (M-Duct), the tank gills or the hollow tail with the vertical taillight.

The front is narrow and very sharp. The lighting is fully LED with two small side strips for the position lights and a main focus hidden inside the air intake. A headlight that looks the same as the MT-07 and whose position is a bit strange, but it works. Very much in line with the latest Yamaha designs.

In the middle zone the tank is totally new, with a flat tank and with the necessary shapes to fit in sporty driving. Its capacity goes from 14 to 13 liters, with a corresponding decrease in autonomy. The seat-saddle assembly is mounted on a totally new subframe that leaves the seat height 835 mm (30 mm more than in the MT-07) and topped by a brand of the house tail.

Radicality for the A2 card

Precisely this height is the first thing we notice when getting on the Yamaha R7. It is a relatively tall motorcycle but with which you get to the ground quite well with both feet thanks to a narrow front part of the seat and a tight leg arch.

At 170 cm tall, you can reach the ground with both feet without much problem, so handling it while standing is not difficult. You just have to get used to a not too generous turning radius and the 188 kg weighed in running order. A reasonable weight figure for a motorcycle of its size and that is only 4 kg higher than the MT-07.

As soon as we start the engine and get going, we see that the R7 is a motorcycle that leaves no room for doubt: it is very sporty. The riding position bears enormous similarities to the Yamaha R6, offering a hand-feet-ass triangle almost traced.

The semi-handlebars are positioned below the seatpost and in a very closed and dropped position, leaving the hands very low and a lot of weight turned towards the front wheel. The butt is in the line of the wrists and the feet quite high. It is a very sporty stance, less versatile than an Aprilia RS 660.

Is it good that he has such a radical stance? It is bad? Well, neither one thing nor the other. Those who want a comfortable and versatile motorcycle will not find it here, but those who are looking for a fun motorcycle that can get a lot out of it on curvy roads or circuits will. And that is a good thing, because we have become accustomed to associating medium-powered motorcycles with comfortable motorcycles, when in reality they can be just as sporty motorcycles.

In urban environments not particularly comfortable due to position, carrying a lot of weight on the front wrists and with a not very soft seat that will make you notice the bumps and bumps in the rear. Nor is it a motorcycle with a road approach to make long runs on the highway, neither because of the riding position nor because of aerodynamic protection. The screen deflects the air just enough, unless you are completely lying on the tank.

But things change when we reach more favorable terrain for the Yamaha R7. On curvy roads the position, the geometries and the character of the bike make perfect sense. The R7 is shown as a very fun motorcycle, with an agile steering and at the same time a precise chassis.

The chassis starts from the same tubular steel structure than on the MT-07, but it is not the same. The construction improves structural integrity with the adoption of new reinforcements in the front part to improve stiffness while controlling the flexibility of the assembly. The head tube is also new, as is the swingarm pivot area. In total it is a lightweight chassis (15 kg) and specific to the model.

A set of revised suspensions are anchored to this chassis. The front axle uses a new KYB 41mm fully adjustable upside-down fork and a rear monoshock that varies its position with new anchors to raise the rear. They both have 130mm of travel.

The geometries have changed to improve the tread of the front end. The wheelbase is 1,395 (1,400 mm on the MT-07) and the launch of 23.7º, as well as the offset of the seatposts (from 40 to 35 mm) and the opening of the bars (from 190 to 210 mm).

The behavior of the cycle part is very good. The Yamaha R7 feels like a forceful motorcycle when it comes to attacking the curves and feels stiff enough, with a setting of the suspensions with a smooth first part of the travel and that progressively hardens. There are no curves on the curve, but at the same time it allows for trajectory corrections without breaking down the whole.

We saw these impressions confirmed when filming on the track with her. The Andalusia Circuit (the second phase of the Almería Circuit) is a route that stands out for its complexity, full of variable-angle curves and changes in elevation that make learning very difficult. It's easy to make mistakes and have to correct, even when braking in a corner, and the R7 allows it. The chassis is capable of digesting the mistakes of the pilot, something very good for those who are learning.

74 CV are enough for a sports car

And on the road it is okay, but Doesn't the circuit run out of engine? Well, it can be. Maybe someone very experienced lacks chicha, but for an average user you can go strong, release adrenaline and take off your helmet with a huge smile with what the R7 offers us.

By the way, a small paragraph. That the photos on the circuit are also ours. We had a little technical problem with the suit and the people at Yamaha were kind enough to leave us one of theirs to roll on the track. It is not that they have signed me as an official pilot, far from it. We continue.

Inside the fairing hides the same block used by the MT-07, Tracer 7, XTZ700 Ténéré or XSR700. It is a 689 cubic centimeter CP2 parallel twin with a 270º crankshaft and a balancing shaft. Its figures are traced to the rest of the models that use it with 73, 4 CV and 67 Nm of torque, although it hides changes.

The control unit that manages the operation is different to offer a more pointed character, and to confirm these changes a new intake with a larger air filter box, a specific exhaust system and a assisted clutch and slipper function for a much smoother operation, especially in reductions.

Other minor changes include improved cooling with an overhauled radiator ductwork and fan coverage for more intensive use, a new throttle cam for more direct operation, a 1.1 kg lighter battery and a somewhat longer final gear ratio: from 16/42 to 16/43.

At the moment of truth, we have found a very enjoyable motor on the road with a very usable low zone, a middle zone where it brings out the best of itself by offering a lot of torque and in a very smooth way and a somewhat poor high zone where it does not deserve worth spending too much time. There is not much chicha, we will only get a higher dose of vibrations and noise.

The same thing happens to us on the circuit. The engine is enough to have a lot of fun, taking advantage of the available torque. So much so that on the Andalusian track the lowest gear we will use will be third. And speaking of gears, we come to the technological question.

One of the points for improvement in the Yamaha R7 is its limited supply of electronic assistance. From the outset the quickshifter is available, but only as an accessory upon payment of 170 euros, and only to increase gears, it is not bidirectional.

Apart from this, we have no available driving modes, no Inertial Measurement Platform (IMU), no traction control, no antiwheelie, and no ABS when cornering. The only help we will find will be the Traditional ABS, and its operation is correct, leaving room for fun without entering too early.

When we rode on the track with her at the presentation, we already knew that Yamaha was going to be very convinced that the R7 is a solvent product, and another of the key points on the track and one of the major modifications to the model is braking. On the same 298mm double disc front assembly, Yamaha has installed new Four-piston radial-mount calipers controlled by a Brembo radial pump.

The bite that the set offers is powerful and dosable, with a great braking capacity available by squeezing the lever with a single finger and allowing us to brake late and hard even inside the curve (thanks also to the chassis and suspensions) without faltering.. And we gave it an intensive use. What's more, it has so much stopping power that it can even be too much on the road for someone with little experience in case of hard braking.

Yamaha R7: no direct competition

If you have read this far (thanks, the first thing) it is because the R7 interests you. Now, there are those who criticize this mount for being a insufficient substitute for YZF-R6. It is not. Just like it's not an heir to the 1999 750cc YZF-R7 for the WSBK. It is an intermediate step in the Yamaha R family and it adapts to the current model name.

It may be that in the not too distant future the Yamaha R9 will appear to in that case replace the R6 in a way. At the moment this R7 is a wise approach that comes to compete in the almost non-existent segment of sports for the A2 card.

The Yamaha R7 is offered in Icon Blue and Yamaha Black liveries for a price of 9,399 euros, in addition to the special Anniversary White version that celebrates the 60th anniversary of the brand's racing motorcycles with spectacular decoration, for 9,799 euros.

It is a much sportier motorcycle that offers a more intense experience than a Kawasaki Ninja 650 (8,199 euros) and does not reach the power or electronics level of an Aprilia RS 660 (11,350 euros), nor the refinement of the Honda CBR650R (9,250 euros). The R7 is a bet of its own.