#Yamaha

Remember sport-touring motorcycles? Maybe you don’t, thanks to the rise of adventure-touring bikes cross-pollinating the genre. Well, before the craze of wanting to explore both the paved and unpaved paths of the world, there was a subset of motorcyclists who felt the call for exploration without the need to play in the dirt. Asphalt touring was one ingredient necessary to satiate the exploration hunger, but being able to get from Point A to Point B via the longest, curviest path possible was the other. Having the ability to pack a co-pilot on the back and/or assorted gear in saddlebags was further accoutrement to make the dish even sweeter.

Don’t look now, but the field of naked bikes slotting in just below the 1000cc mark is starting to rise – and we’re all the better for it. Maybe the OEMs have figured out that those big beasts in the upper echelons of naked bike performance are just too much for the more sensible among us. They’re too big, too fast, too powerful, with too much electronics, and too much of a price tag. For those of us still with a desire for naked bike fun, but at a slightly more moderate pace, we bring you the assembly of motorcycling you see before you.

Earlier this year, we broke news of the existence of the new Yamaha R7, and a couple of weeks later, that Yamaha has plans for more R models to come, with trademark applications in Japan for a number of names from R1 through R9, plus R15, R20 and R25. Thanks to a number of new trademark applications in multiple markets, we believe the next models to follow after the R7 will be the R9 and R2.

Valentino Rossi announced that he will be retiring at the conclusion of the 2021 MotoGP season. The nine-time World Champion confirmed his decision during a press conference today, just as the 2021 MotoGP season resumes from its mid-summer break for the Michelin Grand Prix of Styria in Spielberg, Austria.

We last performed this public service in 2017, when your Yamaha FZ-07 prevailed over the Kawasaki Z650, Suzuki SV650, the new Harley-Davidson Street Rod, and the new and indeterminate Benelli TnT 600, in that order. The FZ-07 has since morphed into the MT-07 amidst a host of well thought-out upgrades in 2018, and then again for 2021. The Z650 got a modern instrument pod in 2020 with a few other tasteful refinements, and the SV650 hasn’t changed a bit (God bless it). The Benelli is still around but didn’t get the call this time, and the H-D Street Rod has been withdrawn from the market under a hail of ridicule. Sad.

With the Aprilia Tuono 660 and Triumph Trident 660, we’ve got two brand new middleweight nakeds on the market this year, entering what was already a pretty good field with the Honda CB650R, Kawasaki Z650, Suzuki SV650, and the Yamaha MT-07. Obviously, this calls for us to put all six motorcycles together in a shootout.

I get it. You’re upset. How could Yamaha possibly perform something as sacrilegious as this? The name YZF-R7 belongs to one of the most iconic motorcycles in Yamaha’s history. A 750cc screaming inline-Four that was basically purpose-built for racing, with looks that have stood the test of time, the original R7 is a legend. To put it on this – on this – is simply unforgivable.

Yamaha announced a redesigned Zuma 125 scooter for 2022, offering a new, more rugged appearance and variable valve actuation (VVA) technology. Yamaha has used VVA for a number of models over the last few years, mostly on scooters but also on the R15 sportbike for Asian markets. The 2022 Zuma 125 will be the first model with VVA Yamaha will bring over to America.

The internet might have leaked photos of the new 2022 Yamaha YZF-R7 last week, but we now have official information regarding Yamaha’s new successor to the beloved YZF-R6. As the photos gave away, the YZF-R7 is basically an MT-07 with clothes – but is that such a bad thing? 

Akrapovič had been offering full exhaust systems for the MT-09 since 2016, but the bike’s recent upgrade to a 890cc engine called for a new product. Enter the new Akrapovič Racing Line full exhaust system, an upgrade that claims increased engine performance and a pure racing sound.

We’ve written before about Yamaha‘s fascination with arts and crafts and how to make a miniature Niken out of wool. It looks like the pandemic hasn’t quelled its creativity, as Yamaha’s latest project is making a mask shaped like an R1M‘s face.

Being the resident sportbike guy at MO didn’t just happen overnight. I’ve been fortunate enough to have some good mentors in my early days of riding that prevented me from riding myself straight off a cliff. Then, through the perks that come with a job like this, I’ve been extremely lucky to receive the coaching of some of the best riders – and teachers – this sport has to offer.

Earlier this month, we uncovered proof that Yamaha was planning a new YZF-R7 model for 2022. The new R7 was certified with the California Air Resources Board with a 689cc engine, likely the same CP2 engine powering the MT-07, leading to some debate whether a new Twin-cylinder bike would be worthy of the YZF-R7 name, or even as as a potential replacement for the now discontinued R6. The news also led some to wonder whether an R9 is in the works, using the MT-09‘s 890cc Triple.

Yamaha has been granted a 2022 CARB certification for one its most iconic model names: the YZF-R7. We know this because Motorcycle.com‘s very own Dennis Chung stares at CARB filings like other people stare at artwork. For anyone who has followed Yamaha’s sportbike history, the R7 holds legendary status as the ultra-rare, 750cc four-cylinder the company used to go Superbike racing with names like Haga, Gobert, and many others. Hearing of the model name’s revival, then, is understandably exciting.

With news of the Yamaha R6 going the way of the dodo bird, we thought it fitting to take a look back through the Motorcycle.com archives to see all the things we’ve written about Yamaha’s mighty little sportbike. Like the R6, Motorcycle.com has gone through a few changes since its inception in 1994, but fortunately for us, we’ve (barely) been around just long enough to see the R6’s journey. What follows is a trip through time with all the R6 stories that haven’t been lost during various server changes in MO’s history.