When someone says “Supersport”, most of us think of screaming R6s, CBR 600RRs, ZX-6Rs and the like. Whether you’re riding them on the road,... Yamaha R7; Supersport reinvented?

When someone says “Supersport”, most of us think of screaming R6s, CBR 600RRs, ZX-6Rs and the like. Whether you’re riding them on the road, watching them race on the telly, or racing them yourself, 600cc Supersport bikes have been dishing out bucket-loads of excitement for as long as most of us can remember. But times change. And as far as new bikes go, the Supersport class isn’t really a class anymore; not in the UK anyway. Or maybe it is. Maybe we just need to have a rethink. Perhaps the Supersport class is being reinvented by bikes like this; bikes like the new Yamaha R7.

Now, everyone over 40 and some people over 30 will remember the Yamaha YZF-R7 back in 1999. Yamaha made 500 of these homologation specials so they could race them in WSBK. They were very trick and they cost a fortune. But don’t be fooled by the name, that’s not what the new R7 is.

So what is it? Well if you were to imagine an MT-07 with a fairing, you wouldn’t be a million miles away. The Yamaha R7 uses the same four-stroke, inline twin, DOHC, 4-valve, LC CP2 engine as it’s naked brother. It makes the same 73bhp (@ 8,750rpm) and 67Nm (@ 6,500rpm), too. The frame is effectively the same too – a tubular steel setup with an aluminium backbone. There have been some changes to the geometry to make it feel a little sportier but nothing ground-breaking.

You do get fully adjustable 41mm upside-down KYB forks and a new link-mounted shocker, adjustable for preload and rebound damping. And the clip-ons, rearsets and seat are likely to give the R7 a sportier feel too. But if you ask me, it’s the looks that really set it apart from the MT-07. At a glance, you could easily be mistaken into thinking it was an R6. I’ll let you decide whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing. Looks-wise, you’d have to say it’s sportier than its Japanese rivals, the CBR650R and the Ninja 650. On a par with the Aprilia RS 660.

And it might not have the sportiest chassis ever, or the most exciting engine, but it does have a Brembo master cylinder and 4-pot callipers at the front. And it only weights 188kg, wet. So you’d have to say this little thing is certainly going to be a right laugh to ride. And that’s what Supersport bikes are all about.

So maybe we need to have a rethink. The Supersport class that we once knew and loved is, unfortunately, dying a death. So maybe this class of bikes is the one to get excited about. The manufacturers will, no doubt, try and market these bikes to younger, or new riders, but I don’t think they’re the only people that should be enjoying them. Because nobody actually needs 200bhp, do they? And if calling the thing an R7 isn’t an attempt to spark a bit of interest in some of the older, more nostalgic people amongst us, I’ll eat my Tito Rabat (hat).

Yamaha are calling the new R7 a 2022 model, so it won’t be in dealers until October 2021, and they haven’t told us how much it’s going to be yet. As a point of reference though, the MT-07 is currently about £7,000 (£6,902 at the time of writing); I’d expect the R7 to be another grand or so on top of that.

Who else is excited about this?

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Toby
Toby
1 year ago

I would love if they did an R9 triple 🙂

Gary C
Gary C
1 year ago

It’s a fucking travesty calling this the R7. MT-07R would have been more betterer.

I bet it makes Haga sad.

Last edited 1 year ago by Gary C
Stevie G
Stevie G
1 year ago

I can’t wait to have a go on the R7. I still love riding the Sv650 so the power is fine for the road. The price difference would push me towards the Yam over the Aprilia.

Tim
Tim
1 year ago

73hp.. they should call it the r5

Lee Bridgland
Lee Bridgland
1 year ago

Makes the RS660 look massively overpriced!
Good job Yamaha.

Joao Oliveira
Joao Oliveira
1 year ago
Reply to  Lee Bridgland

You don’t even know the price yet.

John
John
1 year ago

Nice looking bike, but not quite enough horses I think!

Simon
Simon
1 year ago

6500rpm doesn’t sound that much of a sportbike to me. Sounds like they just stuck an mt07 engine into an r6 and gave it a new name for some quick bucks.
The usual Capitalism boringness.
When i saw the title on Instagram i actually got excited at the idea of a revy torquey ballanced tripple cylinder sports bike to compete with the 750 gsxr.

Last edited 1 year ago by Simon
Joao Oliveira
Joao Oliveira
1 year ago
Reply to  Simon

In reality they stuck R6 fairing on an MT07 with clip ons. And for the right price, might not be a bad thing.

Liam
Liam
1 year ago

Very excited!! This is a great new edition! Hopefully it can generate interest in younger guys and reinvent sports bikes as they are all dying on their ass atm.

Buggo
Buggo
1 year ago

As a newerish rider (2 years this year) Personally, I ride a 2016 Ninja 650, with some woodcraft clip ons slapped onto it, a full Yoshi, and a power commander. Probably not needed, but oh well.

I was thinking as I zip around town to and from work, the twisties occasionally on the weekend, a couple hours of freeway riding when needed, which isn’t the best but comfortable enough. Plenty of times have I been screaming on public roads like an idiot, with a couple risky near misses thinking, if I had any more power, I’m not responsible enough to not go splat. But I want my ninja to be more sporty, so I was thinking of upgraded my suspension front and rear.

But now Yamahas got me thinking, ill keep the change and get a nice blue maiden that sounds perfect for everyday use, while also having the potential to be a fun time on the track with some mods. I think this is right on the money for people like me who want to do track riding for fun every now and then, but need something practical (as practical as a sports bike can be) for everyday riding.

Baller
Baller
1 year ago

Guys please, could you improve your website a bit, make the pictures click & zoom. Thanks!

Daryl
Daryl
1 year ago

Mehhh

Erwin
Erwin
1 year ago

It’s not on par with the RS660. And they shouldn’t have called it the “R7”, that’s just blasphemy

Scott
Scott
1 year ago

Bit of a fart in a tea cup unless they’ve done some internal work and kinematic tweaks to make it a supertwin contender

Jon
Jon
1 year ago

I think its a shame they didn’t give it more power. If Yamaha gave it 85-90 hp it would have been more of a competitor to the rs660, while still keeping the price lower. And that middle headlight is absolutely hideous what were they thinking lol. Apart from those 2 things its gonna be a cracking bike.

Simon Worley
Simon Worley
1 year ago
Reply to  Jon

I agree 85 ponies 70Nm all you need to embarrass litre bikes

Chris
Chris
1 year ago

I wonder if suzuki will play along and create another sv650s? I like all these new sporty little twins.

Simon Worley
Simon Worley
1 year ago
Reply to  Chris

I’m hoping for an SV750

Daniel Spencer
Daniel Spencer
1 year ago

I want old super sports back 😔

Pavlo
Pavlo
1 year ago

I AM

John Patrick
John Patrick
1 year ago

Definitely one to look at, a middle of the range sports bike for the road under 10k,